Cork GAA club focus: Glen Rovers making the most of their resources

GLEN Rovers’s hopes of reaching the Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship for the fourth year in a row ended and with it ended their chances of claiming the county title for the first time since 2016 and for the 28th time in their illustrious history.

But work continues apace behind the scenes to ensure the Glen stay competitive.

“We are very busy at the moment,” says their chairman, Liam Martin. “We are currently in the middle of planning ahead with regards to our management groups for the on-the-field stuff across all ages in strength and conditioning, and we are getting the facilities upgraded.

“As a club, we are currently heavily engaged in discussion on how to upgrade our facilities. We have four playing pitches, we have an indoor ball alley and an outdoor hurling wall, but we are looking to upgrade it further, as well as updating the lighting on our main pitch and our gym.

“There are a lot of people working and co-ordinating at the club behind the scenes and it is just my role to steer the ship, so to speak. I couldn’t do my role without a lot of help and assistance from a lot of people involved with the club.

“We have a number of different committees, from the games committee to the underage committee, to the finance committee, and they are all working really hard to make sure the club is successful on the field and the ultimate goal is to be down at Páirc Uí Chaoimh on county senior final day.

It’s not just about the elite player, the inter-county player, the senior club player; we have been very focused the last few years on trying to create a home for all our players.

“We put out five adult teams on the pitch this year, between senior, premier, junior, junior city division A and B, and an U19 team.

“We haven’t had that for a number of years — we had it last year as well, but that was the first time — so our number of players post-Covid has expanded and that has only happened because of the amount of work done behind the scenes.”

But while the aim is to be competitive and successful at senior level, there is also huge importance placed on the next generation of young hurlers within the Glen, a club that produced Jack Lynch and Tómas Mulcahy, while Christy Ring also donned their jersey.

“But the most important people in any GAA club today are the underage mentors, because they are producing the players and if you don’t have those players coming through…” says Martin.

“They are the lifeblood of the club and without them the whole thing grinds to a halt. So they are hugely, hugely important.

“We have had significant challenges in the past in some age groups. We have struggled to get numbers. We try to put a team on the field for all age groups, U10s, 11s, 12s, 13s, and so on, but we do require help from the team behind on occasions, just to fulfill games.

“We wouldn’t be like some of the suburban city clubs, who have the opposite problem; they would sometimes have 50 players in one age group and they struggle to get them all game time. We sometimes have the opposite problem, which isn’t often the perception people have of us, but it’s something we have been working with schools nearby to try and improve and get young people involved in the sport.”

But while inspiring the next generation of players and upgrading the facilities are of the utmost importance, Martin also confirms there are no plans for a statue of its current star and Cork hurler, Patrick Horgan, the top-scorer of all-time in the hurling championship.

“We tend to wait until a player has retired before we even consider that and we are looking forward to Patrick being an integral part of our senior team for a while yet. I wouldn’t be writing him off just yet!

“I look forward to him playing on the Munster Championship playing fields wearing the Cork jersey in the year ahead as well,” Martin says.

“We will consider that when the right time comes. He is a huge ambassador for our club. We have been lucky over the years that we have had some tremendous icons and Patrick is the modern-day icon.

“You need only to look at the reaction of the younger players when they see him playing and he is very good with his time for younger players as well.

Nothing is too much for him. He was that young player himself. I remember when he first came into the club, he didn’t have the size, but he always had the skill level.

“He chased his dream and it’s important that we have young fellas chasing their dreams in the years ahead.”

ABOUT GLEN ROVERS GAA CLUB

Nickname: The Glen.

Membership: Over 500.

Major honours: 2 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championships, 3 Munster Senior Club Hurling Championships, 27 Cork Senior Hurling Championships, 27 Cork Minor Hurling Championships.

Famous players: Jack Lynch, Christy Ring, Tomás Mulcahy, Seánie McGrath, Patrick Horgan.

Division: Seandún.

Facilities: Four pitches, indoor ball alley, outdoor Hurling wall, club house and gym.

Did you know? The club was founded in 1916 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling, with St Nicks the sister club for football

In the early days of the club, its colours were green, white and gold. The Easter Rising and the execution of the leaders took place in the same year the Glen was founded. 

These events left such an impression on the minds of the Irish public that it was decided to add a black band to the jersey to honour the recently deceased patriots. This distinctive and unique hooped jersey has been used ever since.[

The Glen Rovers crest is also unique, and features a modernised Celtic cross with the image of the north side glen in the centre. The crest also features two crossed hurleys.

Wall a vital part of building club

GIVEN that he was getting it from two sides and two key elements in his young life, it was no surprise that Tony Wall eventually relented and decided to join Glen Rovers.

It’s 1980 and a 12-year-old had yet to give in to requests from his friends at school in North Monastery and also from his family — his aunt Mary is the legendary Tómas Mulcahy’s mother — to don the famous jersey of the Glen.

He was told by both sides that it would be enjoyable and he was told by both sides that he would make more friends in the process.

So later that year he would finally agree to join the club, and 42 years later, he acknowledges it was a great decision.

“I never looked back after that,” begins Wall.

“I was constantly asked by my family and my best friend from school, whose father was the club’s chairman at the time, to join and I’m glad I did.

“I’ve enjoyed some great moments during that time. We won the U14 All-Ireland Féile two years later at Croke Park and Jack Lynch presented us with the Christy Ring Cup.

“Then in 1989, I played corner-back when we won the county title against Sars. That was our first title in 13 years and as it turned out we wouldn’t win it again for 26 years so it was a special moment.

“Since I stopped playing I have been coaching and with the minors, we won a few more county championships as well which was great to be a part of.

“But there is just this magnetism to the Glen that you feel you have to give back to the club. My wife is involved with the club and my sons and daughter play as well, there’s a real community spirit there.”

Family ties brought Des to the Glen

WHILE it was his family connections that initially brought him to the club, it’s the friends, the success, and the impact they’ve made on the next generation that has seen Des Cullinane continue to serve Glen Rovers after 23 years.

“I became a member in 1999,” begins Cullinane, who is the Glen’s underage chairman.

“My wife, Anne, came from a strong Glen Rovers background and we decided to bring our son down to the academy. Because I was well known in GAA circles, I soon got a job and the rest is history.

“In terms of highlights, there are too many to mention. Meeting all the great people who have contributed so much to Glen Rovers/St Nick’s, especially those who do the unseen, thankless jobs.

“Being involved with St Nick’s at all levels with all the highs and lows that brings but always fighting to keep football alive in our club.

“Getting involved with the senior hurlers in 2015 and all the subsequent success we had with a great bunch of players and mentors.

“A sense of belonging, a sense of community. Even though we have arguments and disagreements there is a fierce unity of purpose to do what is right for our club.

“The support we give to each other in difficult times and the contribution we make to our community.

“I have huge pride in our underage structure due to the many hundreds of young boys and girls who come down to our four pitches every night of the week and the massive commitment of our voluntary coaches and parents who make great sacrifices to look after our young players.

“We have enjoyed great success, but we also make a difference in their lives. We offer them the chance to meet new friends but also to be part of a team and part of the most historical and famous club on the northside.

“They are following in the footsteps of many great men and women."