New trophy is a fitting tribute to a Barrs legend

NEXT season’s inaugural county Premier Junior Football Championship will be played for the new Donal Hurley Cup in memory of a great St Finbarr’s servant as a talented player first and then a top-class secretary, selector and mentor with the club’s senior footballers.

The formal handing over of the cup to county board chairman Marc Sheehan took place at the ’Barr’s headquarters in Togher on Monday night and it is a source of great pride to the Hurley family that Donal will be honoured in this way.

“We are truly delighted and privileged,” said Donal’s son, Diarmuid. “And the irony of it all is that the county junior football title is the only one to elude us over the years.

“We’ve won everything else and it was a competition my father wanted to win, so next season we’re playing for a cup named after him. It’s just fantastic.” 

And the ’Barr’s will be one of the 12 clubs competing for the cup in the usual manner, three groups of four in a round-robin series before six progress to the knock-out stages.

It’s a restructuring of the intermediate and junior championships, featuring, as well, Ballydesmond, Millstreet and St Nick’s together with the eight divisional junior champions, Urhan, St Michael’s second string, St James, Kinsale, Kilmurry, Cobh, Cullen and Buttevant.

The county JFC final takes place at Pairc Ui Chaoimh on Sunday between Cobh and Kilmurry at 3.30 with a place in the Munster Club JFC at stake.

Another great ’Barr’s stalwart, John Cremin, spoke about the significance of the date of the handing over, November 7.

“This is a special day in the history of our club because back in 1926 the ’Barr’s had a great win over Blackrock in the county hurling final and it was also the All-Ireland as well,” he said.

“This historic victory is recalled in song and story and gave rise to that great ’Barr’s refrain of ‘Long Life to the Gallant Old Blues.’ 

"It is indeed very fitting that on November 7 we are paying tribute to Donal Hurley as there can be no disputing his standing among the Gallant Old Blues,” Cremin added.

The large gathering heard about Donal’s key role in the great ’Barr’s football teams of the 1950s, winning three counties and captaining the 1959 team which led to the Cork captaincy the following year.

Apart from the first county in 1956, Donal also had the distinction of winning a Dublin county title as well that year with Erin’s Hope, scoring the all-important goal to deny St Vincent’s a 14th consecutive title.

Donal was training to be a teacher in the capital at the time and was eligible to play with Erin’s Hope. He was also a very talented hurler and was on the team which captured the county in 1955.

After retiring, Donal turned his attentions to guiding the next generation with colleagues Mick Keating, Pat Lougheed, John Driscoll and Mick McCarthy and the late 1970s-early ’80s proved hugely successful for the club.

Five counties, four Munster clubs and three All-Irelands bear witness to a special time for all involved in the ’Barr’s, who were the envy of many up and down the country.

He was honoured with the office of President in 2007 after filling the important role of secretary with such distinction, bringing a high level of efficiency and professionalism to the task.

Such was the esteem in which he was held that Donal was the man people turned to in dealing with complex and challenging situations.

“Donal was a great ambassador for the ’Barrs club and was highly respected and admired within the GAA community, both in Cork and nationally,” Cremin commented.

“He was always extremely proud of his association with the ’Barrs and represented our club far and wide during his very distinguished sporting career.

“Donal exuded all those virtues which we believe define and distinguish us– honesty, integrity, humility in victory, dignity in defeat, discipline, determination coupled with an unrivalled will to win and always striving to do what is best for and acting in the best interests of the ’Barrs. 

"He had a level of competency and class which distinguished him.”