Echo Boys Boxing club played their part in the legacy of Cork and Olympic boxing

CORK'S Olympic boxing story has now spanned one hundred years. 

Over that period five clubs from the rebel county have enjoyed the honor of having their boxers represent Ireland at the Olympic Games.

Those boxers participated in Paris, Amsterdam, Los Angeles, Rome, Seoul, Barcelona, Sydney, and at the junior Olympics in China, where Christina Desmond represented the country. 

The respective clubs all based in Cork were, the Army BC, the Garda, BC, the CCNBC club, Sunnyside and Macroom BC.

This column will briefly reflect on the outstanding contribution to amateur boxing made by the clubs commencing with the CCNBC club. This club is popularly known as the News Boys Club. 

The official name was The Cork Catholic News Boys Club. Primarily it was set up to give the famed Echo Boys an opportunity to participate in the sport of boxing. 

The club was established in 1941 and survived until 1966, a quarter of a century. 

The club had a premises on Lavitt's Quay below the Opera house, and was located in close proximity to Academy Street where the young boxers collected their supply of echoes and Cork Examiners each day, six days a week.

Whilst the club was established to facilitate Echo Boys it also welcomed every young boy or adult who wished to join the club.

This was a very well organized club, set up during the Second World War. 

There was a lot of destitution and poverty in Cork at that time, huge blocks of tenement houses around the Marsh and inner-city. 

In many homes the mother was depending on her sons who were Echo Boys to hand up a few bob as in many cases, the father was idle or gone to England in search of work.

The Club had a very strong committee who took a great interest in the promotion of boxing and the welfare of the boxers. 

The CCNBC club had the best boxing facilities in those days and were the envy of many clubs. 

The chairman of the Club, for many years was JJ O’Donoghue, a prominent Cork solicitor. 

Members of the Crosbie family were very prominent in the club, and were known as great benefactors.

In today’s parlance, they would be referred to as proud sponsors.

A prominent member of the club was Charlie Attha, Charlie went on to become a great president of the Cork County Boxing Board. 

Attha was of German extraction who had a booming chip shop business in Barrack Street.

He was also involved with the Cork Penny Dinner committee and was widely acclaimed as a great humanitarian. 

It was the remarkable work of the club committee which enjoyed seeing great success in the ring for this very enthusiastic club.

For many years the News Boys Club was very successful. The national stadium was opened in 1939, and in their year of formation the Club had two boxers in the All Ireland Final at the stadium in 1941. 

Timmy Murphy and Joe O Neill were both narrowly defeated; however, the club had set a very high standard.

In the following years the club enjoyed great success with juvenile national glory coming to Cork, Tom Daly, Willy Barrett, Gus Long and Donie Murphy, all returned to Leeside as local boxing heroes. 

The News Boys boxers were always driven to Dublin by committee members. The Club produced many County champions and Munster champions. In 1946, Tim O’Sullivan joined the club. 

Tim was an outsider but was made very welcome. 

He was eighteen years of age and had no boxing experience. However, he immediately adapted and displayed great potential.

In his first year, he won the County and the Munster bantamweight titles. 

The following year he retained these titles and was a defeated senior finalist. 

He was selected as a senior international against Wales, where he defeated Evan Williams in Cardiff in his international debut. 

Timmy made history by becoming the News Boys Club first international. 

This was acknowledged by the Crosbie family who made him a presentation to mark the occasion. 

Tim O’Sullivan was now making headlines and in 1948, having advanced from the trials, he was selected to represent Ireland at the Olympic Games, which were taking place at Earls Court in London. 

However, the IABA deselected him in favor of the National champion. Charlie Attha had this decision fully investigated, and Tim O’Sullivan was subsequently presented with an Irish Olympic trialist medal.

The only man ever to receive such an accolade from the IABA.

The Cork News Boys Club continued to turn out champions in all grades.

In 1959 a young man who was well known for his Echo sales outside of the old Lee cinema won the Irish senior bantamweight title. Nineteen year old Paddy Kenny had made his mark. 

It was the first senior title won by the club. 

The following year he was selected for Ireland and traveled to the 1960 Olympics which were taking place in Rome. 

This was a monumental achievement for the News Boys Club. Paddy shared a dressing room with the then Cassius Clay. 

Paddy won his first bout and was narrowly defeated for a bronze medal. He acquitted himself with distinction. 

Paddy later emigrated to Coventry, in search of work.

The News Boys Club continued as a great force in Cork and Irish boxing until 1966. 

That year the lease on their premises had expired and the building was sold. 

Sadly, the club then became defunct, but will always be acknowledged as an integral part of Cork's Olympic boxing story.