Christy Ring at 100: Celebrating the greatest of them all in a new poem 

Legend will tell where in rural Ireland and a place called Kilboy near the East Cork village of Cloyne

The King of Hurling was born today 100 years ago;

The amazing path his life would take little did one know

Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring

But to all known as Christy Ring or simply 'Ringy' would become the darling of Glen Rovers,

The golden boy from Cloyne

Better than Wexford’s Nicky Rackard or Tipperary’s Jimmy Doyle

In the day before colour TV or Sky in HD

The best there would ever be

With blistering pace and amazing skill

Audiences everywhere he would thrill

Blessed with the strength of an ox

He was the original Fox in the Box

Never to be outfought

Hitting the back of the net his only thought

On All-Ireland day saw the
greatest cheer, when Ringy would appear

Immaculately clad in the Cork red And white, the crowd would erupt with delight

Following the march and Amhrán na bhFiann

The game would start

Ringy tearing the meanest of defences apart

Clutching the sliotar in one hand with a salmon-like leap and maybe more knowledge, everyone up on their feet

Turning on a six-pence

And to the defence's expense

He would hammer it into the back of the net

Opposition in awe saying the greatest they had met

In fact so great

All-Irelands he won eight

The Railway Cup better known as The Christy Ring Cup

Just the mention of his name and the ground would fill up

Every stadium like the Palladium

He was all the rage and would take centre stage

The day Ringy waved goodbye

The day the Railway Cup would die and the rest of the nation cry

Christy Ring, the greatest hurler

I tell you no lie

Happy 100th birthday Christy

Your legend will never die