On Friday, June 27, the city club will hold its inaugural golf classic, with Kinsale GC the venue. A member there, former Rochestown manager Declan Murphy – who stepped down at the end of last year after three seasons in charge and two as a selector before that – is a key figure on the organising committee. 

Keeping a club running nowadays is no cheap endeavour regardless of size and the hope is that the golf classic will provide a welcome injection of capital.

“Before you ever kick a ball, you’ve a lot of costs,” Murphy says.

“You need jerseys, balls, equipment, insurance, players’ registration – it’s like a business, before you turn the key on a Monday morning, you have overheads and clubs are no different.

“No matter how big or how small you are, you still have the costs so we felt that if we gave it one good lash this year, it would put us in a good state for a couple of years.

“It can be difficult, because every club and every organisation is doing something to fundraise.

“It’s nice that it’s our inaugural one, this is the first time doing something like this rather than be going cap-in-hand all the time. Between the GAA and golf and business, we’ve already got a good few guys on board with teams and tee-box sponsors, which is great.”

Beyond the finances, Rochestown are limited in terms of human resources – there is just one team in the cub, operating at junior C – but they punch above their weight.

“Last year, we won the Flor McCarthy in the city division,” Murphy says, “we got to a league semi-final, a championship semi-final and one of our players was voted junior C championship player of the year.

“We did the Pat McAuliffe game again, we had a great day for that. Derek Coughlan, the former Cork City player, came up – coincidentally, he presented the man of the award to Marky Sull [Mark O’Sullivan], another former City player!

“We had our awards night that night and presented the Flor McCarthy medals. When guys can see something tangible at the end of the year, it gives you the impetus to go again the following year.”

Rochestown do not have an under-age system, meaning there is no conveyor belt of younger players constantly joining the adult panel. However, Murphy outlines how their place in the Cork GAA ecosystem can serve them well.

“We’ve a number of lads who play rugby with Sunday’s Well and Dolphin,” he says, “and we’ve guys involved in soccer with Passage or down in Carrigtwohill.

“I think that’s helped us the last couple of years is we’ve lads down from Mayo and living in the area – rather than joining a Barrs or a Nemo, the small club here lended itself to what they were looking for.

“Then you have things like a guy working down in Pfizer saying to another fella, ‘I’m playing a bit of ball with Rochestown, you should come up, it’s great craic.’

“The last couple of years, it has really snowballed with that. The lads went back training about three weeks ago. They’re doing a 5km run for fitness training every Tuesday night and then ballwork at the pitch every Saturday.

“They have around 34 or 36 signed up for the year ahead, which is about on a par with last year. For a single-team club in junior C, it’s very good.”

Derek Coughlan, the former Cork City player, came up – coincidentally, he presented the man of the award to Mark O’Sullivan, another former City player!

We had our awards night that night and presented the Flor McCarthy medals. When guys can see something tangible at the end of the year, it gives you the impetus to go again the following year.

Rochestown Captain Mark Higgins collects the trophy from Seandún GAA Chairperson Mick Buckley.

Pat, a familiar voice to many on RTÉ Sport – and a contributor to The Echo – died in April 2019. He was the driving force behind Rochestown GAA Club, inveigling many to don the black and amber and Declan Murphy, the current team manager, wanted to ensure that his memory lives on.

“We played a game in 2020,” he says, “it was the first year the Cork Masters team got going and we had a few lads on that team – James Twohig, Rob Stewart and Dave O’Leary – so we played that year but with various interruptions and Covid, it didn’t happen in the years that followed.

“I took over the team last year and this is the end of my second year. Pat’s somebody that I grew up knowing and I felt that if it wasn’t revived and reinvigorated, it could fade away.

“We held a game between two teams of club members, with two dedicated guys, Richard Murphy and Paul O’Sullivan as captains. We felt it was a great way to finish the year and everybody enjoyed it.”

The show of support on the day underlined the importance of the role Pat played in keeping the club going.

“It wouldn’t exist,” Declan says, “it’s not an exaggeration at all, in any way.

“The club wouldn’t be there now. Pat chanced his arm with so many fellas and it got them playing.

“I can remember, I was heading to a work meeting and I was walking across the footbridge by the college of commerce, Pat was walking the other way, coming out of the RTÉ studios.

“That was a Friday evening, about four o’clock and the following Tuesday night, I was back training with Rochestown, above in Douglas Hall!

“You were thinking, ‘If I don’t say yes, I don’t know how I’ll face this man again.’ You’d feel like you were letting him down otherwise and it was the same for so many guys.

Matthew McAuliffe, brother of the late Pat McAuliffe, presenting the Pat McAuliffe Memorial Trophy to the winning captain Richard Murphy after Richie’s Rebels defeated Sully’s All-Stars at Rochestown College. Picture: Eddie O’Hare

“He had a great way of getting info from you. I can remember when I was an inter-county GAA linesman and Pat would come down to the dressing rooms in the old Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

“He’d say, ‘Alright Murphy – come here to me, is it true such-and-such is out?’ I’d say, ‘I didn’t know that news was out…’ 

“Before I’d be able to say anything else, he’d wink at me, as if to say, ‘That’s our secret,’ except it was a secret between him, me and the rest of the country when he’d go on air!”

Another famous piece of Pat audio signalled the start of proceedings on Saturday, as Declan outlines.

“At the start, I gathered the two teams outside the dressing rooms and I played a little bit of audio, Pat commentating on the Munster club football final between Clonmel Commercials and Nemo Rangers in 2015.

“I had that on the Bluetooth speaker and said, ‘For those of you who don’t know Pat, this is who he was.’

“Then we formed a guard of honour between the two teams and Pat’s brother Matthew brought the cup out between them.

“It said so much about Pat that so many past players who played for Rochestown under Pat – Kieran McGarry, John Foy, Declan Carroll, Aidan Carroll – all came up. Markie Sull [Mark O’Sullivan] came in in the evening as he was playing a match with College Corinthians in the afternoon.”

While Richie’s Rebels defeated Sully’s All-Stars, the day finished in a fitting fashion.

Michael Corkery, Rochestown chairperson, presents the player of the match award to Jason Walsh, with judges Brendan ‘Bags’ Murphy, Matthew McAuliffe and Dave Barry. Picture: Eddie O’Hare

“Pat played with Cork Hibernians, Cork Media, Rochestown and whoever else,” Declan says, “and he never, ever missed a penalty kick in his life.

“It was something like more than 80 penalties and he scored all of them. I said to the referee near the end that we were going to finish with a penalty shootout.

“Dave Barry came up and did a little ‘panenka’ over our keeper, Brendan my uncle took one and scored, everyone got involved. Matthew spoke very eloquently and we presented the trophy.”

 Afterwards, everybody repaired to St Columba’s Hall, ‘the tinny shed’, in Douglas, where stories of Pat continued long into the night.

“We had our awards night and my uncle Weeshie, who would have soldiered with the club, was inducted into the Hall of Fame,” Declan says.

“It was a great night and a very fitting way to finish the day.”

Credit – Article taken from echolive.ie – https://www.echolive.ie/corksport/arid-41278219.html

Rochestown Captain David Sheehan collects the trophy from Seandún GAA Chairperson Mick Buckley.

Article printed in Irish Examiner – Thursday, November 23, 2017

To understand the changing heart of the GAA, it’s worth a trip to the Cork City Junior C Football League final.

Days after rural depopulation was discussed at the launch of the Cork GAA Strategic Plan, two urban clubs, equally struggling for numbers, meet in uncelebrated surrounds. Players comfortably outnumber spectators, even though hosts Rochestown bring only three subs, and Redmonds the one.

Whatever about their rivalry, the clubs have a mutual understanding of their shared plight. After close scares with folding, they rage against the dying of the light — a constant struggle to keep 15 togged out, which neither could manage in hurling. For Redmonds, once All-Ireland champions, that’s a bitter pill to swallow.

Whereas the Tower Street club’s past glories are recorded online, Rochestown are completely off the grid. Treasurer Nellie Murphy goes home to collect a 10-page folder documenting their highest peak — reaching the City Junior A hurling final in 1974.

“It’s realised that a nursery is vital to the continuation of the club,” reads one line. Four decades later, that underage system still isn’t possible — much like Redmonds.

Despite any perceived catchment areas, their cores aren’t places but groups of families, plus the friends they drag along. They’re squeezed out of the underage space by Douglas and Nemo Rangers, St Finbarr’s and Bishopstown, and Passage too.

“You’re in the middle of bigger clubs and you only get the leftovers,” says Rochestown president Tom Breen, who’s 44 years on the committee.

“We’ve 25 players, counting everyone, and a committee of about 10. (We’re) struggling on.”

Talking to volunteers around the field, a common thread is the high retirement age.

Rochestown chairman Michael Corkery played into his 40s and, like Breen, has been involved with the club for 44 years. His brother Gerard, the secretary, retired aged 43 after winning the C championship in 2006.

Murphy, a club history in human form, was a founding member in 1962. Her husband Seán played his last games of football and hurling aged 62.

On the Redmonds sideline, you ask manager Francis Holland, 61 now, when he retired. “Last week, believe it or not,” he laughs. “I actually started the semi-final — we’d just the bare 15.”

Between roars of “have a go off it!” for close-in frees, Holland reveals he’s been involved since he was an eight-year-old in the street leagues. Three years ago, he was asked to rebuild a football team, which includes his sons Dale and Nathan.

“It’s very hard to get young fellas around the area but we still put 15 out every game. We’ll struggle on and keep it going anyway.”

Opposition manager and RTÉ broadcaster Pat McAuliffe is similarly credited with reviving Rochestown’s fortunes from the brink of collapse. Like Holland, he played three games last year, aged 57, to make up the numbers and keep the show on the road.

Donal Collins remembers those bad times. In his Blackrock days, he won an All-Ireland minor hurling title in 1969. His brother Seán was Cork captain. It’s a much different landscape in Rochestown.

“We nearly folded about seven or eight years ago,” says Collins, in between fulfilling his umpiring duties.

“Pat hadn’t been involved in a long time but he heard that we were on the verge of closing and came on board. He mobilised us, got players in and he’s still with us. He was the motivating force behind us staying together.

“We’re a one-team club now but we’re still there anyway.”

The lack of young talent remains a constant worry.

Before rushing away to umpire at the opposite end, Michael, the older of the Corkery brothers, laughs: “My own young fella played with Passage. I wouldn’t mind people playing underage all the way up but he’s gone away now anyway, so he won’t be playing with them either.”

On the Redmonds’ sideline, Paddy O’Shea is introduced by Holland as the oldest member of the club. He laments the loss of South Parish schools, Sullivan’s Quay and the South Monastery, which deprived them of a feeder system.

“I felt very bad that my own two sons had to play with the Barr’s because Redmonds had no underage structure by the time they were coming along,” he says.

“It was a fright to see your own (with the Barr’s) when I was so dedicated to Redmonds.”

They weren’t half bad, either. Billy led the Barr’s to their last senior hurling title in 1993, while Pádraig, another county champion, was a selector with the blues’ county football finalists.

In another life, they could’ve been Redmonds men.

“I’d be very worried (about the future). It’s hard. A sign of the times,” continues O’Shea.

“The big clubs are getting bigger. The likes of Ballincollig, Sarsfields and Douglas — the population is there and they’re bound to have teams then.”

Fellow volunteer Eamon Fitzgibbon adds: “In the 50s, we had an A, B and C team but we’re lucky to scrape one team now because all around Redmonds area is apartments. Where I’m living, there’s only two of the old neighbours there.”

Inner-city northside clubs Fr O’Callaghan’s, Shandon Rovers and Gurranabraher have folded in recent years. A 2011 Irish Examiner article called Redmonds “Cork’s forgotten club”. An amalgamation with Ballyphehane didn’t last, which also ended any talks of Rochestown joining up with Ballinure.

“One or two clubs may have to amalgamate or restructure. That’s inevitable,” said Cork County Board’s senior administrator Diarmuid O’Donovan last week.

“If you look at our Junior C competition, there were 10 clubs involved. Six of those wouldn’t have much membership outside what’s on the field, and one of them had just one player in his 20s. The rest were older.” He continued: “Those may be the clubs that keep going because they’re really doing it for the love of the parish and of the GAA.”

That love was in evidence on Sunday, as Rochestown finally got one over 14-man Redmonds, 5-7 to 0-9.

Stephen Carroll was the four-goal hero, although McAuliffe took none of the credit for his switch to full-forward: “I had him as a centre-back and in midfield over the years. He kept on to me to give him a forward shirt and he scored 3-5 in the semi-final against Nemo and 4-2 today.”

Carroll joked he just wanted less running. That was done by Waterford United top-goalscorer Mark O’Sullivan, fresh from winning the Airtricity League First Division, alongside Paul Hartnett, from Killavullen, in midfield.

Michael Finn, a 42-year-old recruit from Nemo Rangers, belied his years to make two goalline blocks to help captain and goalie Rob Stuart keep a clean sheet.

The other goalscorer Killian McCarthy is a rare teenager in Rochestown colours. “That keeps us alive,” says McAuliffe. “A lot of people were thinking about where they’d go but this will give everyone a boost because the committee are unbelievable to keep it going.

“We’re always looking for players – give a shout out for that anyway,” adds Michael Corkery.

Every committee member remembers to thank Rochestown College for the use of their pitch and sports hall. Everybody. Always remembering the contribution of others.

The battle for survival will continue. For Redmonds, Jonathan Cramer, an ex-Cobh Ramblers player, played his last game ahead of a transfer to the Barr’s.

An exultant Gerard Corkery surmises: “It’s a constant struggle but it’s great.

“We lost four players at the start of the year but there’s three guys came up and turned out to be great players.

“The thankless jobs are the people going to the meetings. We’re only one team but all the work that’s needed… Nellie had a hip operation and the meeting was held up in her house. It’s an amazing set-up.”

Long may it prosper.

Runners up to Delaneys in the Junior A Championship.

Match Report

Excerpt from The Cork Examiner Monday 26/08/1974

Fourth time lucky for Delaneys

Delaneys 2-13, Rochestown 4-4

After three attempts in 1958, 1971 and 1972, Delanys finally managed to take the city junior hurling title in Ballinlough yesterday. Rochestown, who came into this final as the underdogs, have only themselves to blame for not capitalising on numerous chances and they were 0-2 to 1-8 down at half time.

Rochestown’s first goal came when Vincent McCarthy placed the ball neatly in the corner. That made it 2-11 to 1-2 for Delanys, who had a Roy Barry goal within seconds of the restart. Man of the match for them, Pat O’ Sullivan,added a further two quick points. But less than eight minutes after, an infringement on a Rochestown player gave them a real opportunity to open up the game and Murphy’s goal from the free made it 2-11 to 2-2.

A Delaneys point was followed again by a Rochestown goal, this time by Tom Collins who burst his way through from the 21. Murphy made it 2-12 to 3-3, when with seven minutes remaining, Collins was back again to goal for a second time in a similar move. Rochestown pressed hard and three times with a little luck, they night have goaled. The sides exchanged points with two minutes to go to leave the score at 2-13 to 4-4,

Scorers for Delaneys —N. Collins ( 1-0), R. Barry (1-0), P. O’Sullivan (0-8), E. Murphy ()-3), N. O’Flaherty and E. ©’Brien (0-1 each)

Scorers for Rochestown — T. Collins (2-0), W. Murphy (1-3), V. McCarthy (1-0), and D. McCarthy (0-1)

DELANY S: F. Kiely, D. Crowley, D. Kiely, D. Collins, N. O’Flaherty, D. Quinlan, G. Mitchell, E. Murphy, P. O’Connell, J. Barry, E. O’Brien, N. Collins, R. Barry, P. O’Sullivan and S. Healy.

ROCHESTOWN: s. Murphy, T. Mehigan, M. O’Donovan, T. De Pus, T. Fahy, W.J. Carroll, T. Collins, W. Murphy, D. McCarthy, M. Murphy, D. Murphy, V. McCarthy, C. Lombard, Tom Mehigan and J. Holland

Match Preview

Published in the Evening Echo Saturday 24/08/ 1974

Appropriate Time For Dan Hyde Cup

Rochestown or Delanys, whose home will adorn the Junior Hurling Championship Cup after tomorrow’s final? And what an appropriate time for the first presentation of the Dan Hyde Cup. A new cup for new champions.

Dan Hyde gave great service to the games in the city. He played with Blackrock, but spent the greater part of his career playing with Lough Rovers.

He also played and starred with the divisional selection, Sean-dun. He was an able hurler and a fine sportsman, The game meant so much to him and to his family that they thought it suitable to give a magnificent cup to the division to preserve his memory. His widow, Mrs. Hyde, will present the cup to tomorrow’s winners.

Even if there was not a new trophy, the final would be attractive in its
own right. Strictly junior clubs are delighted to see two of their own in action.

Even the senior clubs do not begrudge the occasion to the juniors. While the
Juniors of the big clubs try as hard as anybody else to win, and while the club name may draw the crowds, these clubs generally have their hours of glory in other grades, senior, minor or under- 21. Remember that after almost 50 years, the division is still known as “The Junior Board”. With the greatest respect and admiration for the larger clubs, I think it would have pleased Dan Hyde to know that tomorrows hero’s will be battling, one for the honour of the little village and the other for a place in the sun, away from the shadow of its senior neighbours.

Preparation on both sides has been intensive and there is tremendous interest in both localities, and indeed amongst the game’s followers as a whole.

Delanys have a slight edge in public opinion. Is this because of their three
previous final appearances, with tremendous improvement with each one?

But the knowing ones point to Rochestown’s spirit and their reluctance to yield, even when the odds are against them. They had their finest hour in the replay with Douglas, when they wiped out a half time lead, to which a goal had been quickly added, and they won as they liked.

The confidence they gained was apparent against the ‘Barrs in the semi
final. Delanys were impressive in scoring 21 points against the champions,
Blackrock and in the game against Bishopstown, last year’s finalists. Centre
field will decide the game. Will Pat O’Connell be employed by Delanys to
negative the threat by Weeshie Murphy? He seems the most likely choice for this task. If he is not successful, Rochestown will get a fine supply of the ball in the attack. If he is, how will the village fare without Weeshie to lay on the chances, besides getting a half dozen scores as well? Is Delanys half back line strong enough without O’ Connell? Will Pat O’ Sullivan be full forward again with the Dublin Hill club? Will the strong old-fashioned hurling of the Rochestown defense be too much of an obstacle

When I say old fashioned, I mean they realise that the ball must be cleared out of danger and that ground striking is often the surest way.

The backs understand the fundamentals of the game and this is. Hurling is in most of their bloods and a characteristic of the team as a whole and occasion like this does not come very day.

Rochestown have the moral advantage of a league win over Delanys in Kilbarry. True, the latter had a poor campaign early in the league, but were coming to their peak at the time. Each match is a new contest and one hop of the ball can decide the outcome. And it might. Both have the same strong points and large stars, and both clubs are dedicated. | expect some fine goalkeeping from Sean Murphy of Rochestown and Finbarr Kiely. Mick Donavan’s tussle with Pat O’Sullivan will be important, but I wonder will the village halfbacks, Tom Fahy, Willie Joe Carroll and bearded Tom Collins be too strong for Owen McCarthy, Jim Barry and Sean Healy. Donal O’ Mahony has been training and may make a return to Delanys team.

The B grade final is the curtain raiser and looks good enough to stand on its own feet. Fr. O’Callaghans are trying very hard to make a strong club in their area where there is an abundance of youthful talent. Success could help them, but Ballinure will not give ground easily. This is their fourth in a row B final and they hope for a win at last. St. Finbarrs, Redmonds and Douglas beat them over the past here years, and Ballinure are not getting younger. There is a good depth of hurling in them and they start slight favourites. Against Collins, Fr, O’Callaghan’s impressed me as likely finalists. Having come so far they would not give in easily.

All in all, it looks an attractive afternoon’s sport, with the Cork City Pipe Band to add to the spectacle and to the enjoyment. The admission charge for this fine bill is 25p with two gates in operation. Entrance can be obtained from the main Ballinlough Road as well as from Hettyfield Lane. For bus travellers, there will be a special service from the Statue from 2.30pm. Delany’s supporters will have transport from the grotto from 3 o’clock.

The regular Blackrock (alight Crab lane); Well Road (alight South Lodge); Douglas (alight Johnson and Perrotts) and the Ballinlough services will also convey patrons.