Cork GAA Jersey Wars: Na Piarsaigh v Charleville

WE want to know what your favourite GAA geansaí is.

From here until the end of August, your votes will decide the best design in our Cork GAA Jersey Wars competition.

Our resident jersey expert Denis Hurley compiled a list of 32 clubs, based on those involved in the senior tiers and a selection of wild cards. We put them in alphabetical order and paired them up and we're now down to the last 16 stage. 

Full details of the competition are here.

Voting will run from 8am each day for 24 hours on the link below:

NA PIARSAIGH

IN 1943, a group of former North Monastery students from around the Redemption Road area decided to band together to form a new GAA club, Na Piarsaigh.

At first, they had little and did their training at Collins Barracks as one of the founder members, Bertie Dorgan, had Army contacts. What was present was a strong nationalistic and cultural ethos, though.

Céilithe were run, at first together with neighbours Delany Rovers, while the club’s crest was the red hand of Ulster, representing the ‘lost’ six counties, but without the thumb – the plan was that, if and when Ireland would be united again, the thumb would be added.

While that day has yet to arrive, Piarsaigh – clad in black and amber hooped jerseys – began to grow and develop as a club. A first city junior title was won in 1947, with the county championship following in 1953. Two years prior to that, a property at Fair Hill had been acquired.

In December 1957, the decision was taken to step up to senior level and a county minor three-in-a-row from 1961-63 gave encouraging signs for the future. In 1965, they reached the semi-finals but lost a six-point lead against St Finbarr’s and they dropped away from contention again.

However, the flourishing underage section would begin to bear fruit again and four national Féile na nGael victories between 1973 and 1980, as well as a run of four county minor titles in five years and U21 championships in 1980, 1981 and 1987 would eventually translate to senior level.

They reached the county final for the first time in 1987. Having beaten Cloughduv in that year’s first round, they were drawn against Blackrock in the quarter-finals and wore amber change jerseys with two chest bands. Having won that game, those jerseys were used again for the semi-final against Glen Rovers but the hoops returned for the decider against Midleton.

Unfortunately for them, the Magpies retained their title. However, when Piarsaigh made it back to the semi-final in 1988 against the Glen, neither side changed jerseys.

The breakthrough finally came in 1990, with Ballyhea, Midleton, Blackrock and St Finbarr’s – after a replay in the final – all beaten. Subsequent wins followed in 1995 and 2004, with the club coming closest in modern times in 2017, losing to the Rockies in the semi-final.

In the wake of that game, there had been suggestions that the two sets of hoops were hard to distinguish but, while Blackrock and Glen Rovers change against each other, neither club’s games against Piarsaigh tend to be considered colour-clashes.

There is a black set of jerseys available to the club for such eventualities, worn most recently by the intermediate hurlers against Kilbrittain in 2019. While the club have had shirt sponsorship in the past, the current jersey, made by O’Neills, carries the club name on the chest.

In the wake of that game, there had been suggestions that the two sets of hoops were hard to distinguish, but, while Blackrock and Glen Rovers change against each other, neither club’s games against Piarsaigh tend to be considered colour-clashes.

There is a black set of jerseys available to the club for such eventualities, worn most recently by the intermediate hurlers against Kilbrittain in 2019. While the club have had shirt sponsorship in the past, the current jersey, made by O’Neills, carries the club name on the chest.

CHARLEVILLE

THE last decade has produced a hurling fairytale for Charleville, as they have progressed from the junior ranks to premier senior, claiming four county championships along the way.

Formed in 1888, Charleville, or Rathluirc, won the county middle hurling championship – what would later become known as intermediate – in 1914. At the time, there were players from Ballyhea, Newtownshandrum and others and, thanks to Charleville club member Jim O’Callaghan, we know that the colours worn were black and white, with the nickname of ‘the Magpies’ bestowed. The parish rule came in soon after that red and white were the colours chosen.

They club had regraded to junior by the 1930s and, after winning the North Cork junior championship for the first time in 1945, Charleville opted to seek admittance to the intermediate championship and it proved to be a shrewd decision as they won it at the first attempt and made it two in a row in 1947, moving to senior after the second victory.

Five years were spent at the top grade, reaching a county semi-final in 1950, before dropping back to intermediate and, while they reached that final in 1958, there was a return to junior in 1960.

While there were divisional titles in 1970, 1974 and 1986, county glory remained elusive and it wasn’t until the turn of the millennium that they became the major force in Avondhu, winning there in 2001, 2002, 2007 and 2008, falling to Courcey Rovers in the county final in the first of those years.

The breakthrough came in 2011. After winning North Cork, Charleville made it through to the final against Mayfield, resulting in a direct colour-clash. Following a coin-toss to determine colours, Charleville wore the white jerseys with red hoops favoured by the club’s football teams - such as the 2013 JBFC win - but, when that match was drawn, they were back in red for the replay, which they won.

With little need for acclimatisation at intermediate level, they reached the final in 2014, losing to Fermoy, but came roaring back the following year with a series of outstanding performances, culminating in an impressive win over Dripsey in the final. As the Mid-Cork club play in red as well, there was another instance of the white jerseys being used in a decider.

Premier intermediate victory followed in 2018 – avenging the 2001 junior loss to Courcey Rovers – but while Charleville were senior in 2019, they fell victim to the restructuring of the county championships and had to compete in senior A in 2020. They responded in the best possible way, however, with a win over Fr O’Neills in the final securing a place in the top flight once more.

As with neighbours Newtownshandrum, Charleville benefit from the shirt sponsorship of local Ford dealership Cavanaghs.