A magical year for mighty Aghabullogue

THE good folk over in Aghabullogue won’t forget the 2023 season in a hurry.

It has been a campaign in both codes where everything clicked as the Muskerry side achieved the marvellous double. Aghabullogue won the Co-Op SuperStores IAHC when they defeated Midleton’s second string by a point, which was followed two weeks later by capturing the Bon Secours Hospital IAFC title after beating Mitchelstown by a single point.

Aghabullogue are the first club in three seasons to win the double. The last club to achieve the feat was their near neighbours Éire Óg in the 2020 season when they won the SAFC and then the IAHC, where they actually beat Aghabullogue by two points in a humdinger of a final. Éire Óg became the first club in the current championship format to win a pair of promotions in one campaign. Back then we were living in strange times as Covid-19 had a stranglehold on us.

Éire Óg didn’t play their respective finals until 2021 when they won the football in June and hurling in August. For Aghabullogue to win the double with no interruption, playing week in week out is some achievement. Before the 2023 season got underway there would have been no doubt that Aghabullogue would have been contenders in both codes, but could they win the double?

It's true playing both codes in this day and age is very challenging. Playing league games from the end of February non-stop to the end of June, with championship kicking in at the end of July and if you keep on winning you will be playing into October or November time and even beyond depending what grade you are in if there is a Munster campaign. But, playing dual can still be done with proper communication between the respective management teams and managing the workload of the players. Easier said than done though.

Aghabullogue’s commitment has never been in question but it had been a very tough period for them. Since they won the County JAFC and then later the Mid-Cork in 2004, Aghabullogue failed to win an adult county title until this year when two came around. In both codes it was disappointment, near misses, fine margins and so on.

The hurlers got relegated from the premier intermediate grade in 2012 and to be fair over the last decade the club have come close to glory in both codes. The footballers were beaten in the final in 2013, 2018 and 2022. The hurlers got to the 2020 decider. 2023 would be different.

Aghabullogue put their supporters through the wringer on many occasions this season none more so than the two finals. In both games they looked in a strong position to win the match with something to spare, but they hung on in both games by the narrowest of margins.

Winning the hurling was sweet, especially after the heartbreak of the 2020 final defeat to Éire Óg and failing to qualify out of their group in 2022. The enlisting of the calm Micheál McGrath as manager was a shrewd move by the club at the start of this season as he continued the great work done by his predecessor Tom Tarrant. The selectors Joe Foley, Noel Cafferkey and Dan Twomey made up the management team.

After two hard days of celebrations, it was back to the grindstone on the Tuesday night. The players knew what was at stake and it was worth it 12 days ago when they captured the football title. The double had been completed. Boss Robert O’Keeffe and selectors John Hogan (manager of the junior A success in 2004) and Kieran Cronin had guided the team to glory. Goalkeeping coach Shane O’Leary along with strength and conditioning coach of both codes Mark McCarthy and logistics man on both teams Anthony O’Riordan had also played huge roles.

The Monday club was going well after the football success with singer Kieran Cotter from nearby Dripsey raising the roof in O’Riordan’s Bar in Coachford. It will be a short winter for the green and white.