Soccer fans mourn loss of Cork Hibs and Ringmahon's Frankie Connolly

FRANKIE Connolly, aged 78, who played a huge part in the Cork Hibs success story has died peacefully at his home in Dillon’s Cross.

With Hibs he won League Championship, FAI Cup and Blaxnit trophies, though he spent his early boyhood days with Ringmahon who, like most teams of that era played in thistle-pocked bumpy grounds. 

The Blackrock team, in terms of prodigy production lines, is now leading the way in Cork thanks to advanced coaching and tremendous playing facilities. 

Frankie, a boy of the primitive days, was the sixth Blackrock native to be capped by Ireland. 
He was capped against England and Wales in Schoolboys International in company with, to mention but one, Eamonn Dunphy. Connolly spent a month on trial with West Brom and continued to impress. After transferring from Ringmahon to Cork Hibs he was chosen for home and away Youth Internationals against Northern Ireland. 

Of course, this was just the stepping stone for a glorious league career with Cork Hibs. After a scintillating schoolboy career with Ringmahon, he signed for Hibs in 1962 and made his debut against Bohemians as a 17-year-old. 

After two seasons in the League of Ireland, he decided to return to Ringmahon in 1964 and helped them to back-to-back Munster Senior League titles in 1964 and ’65. 

A much more mature player he returned to Hibs in 1966 and scored a hat-trick against Cork Celtic in his second game back.

Connolly was the leading scorer in 1968 before Amby Fogarty switched him to full-back. 

Austin Noonan was in charge in 1969-70 when Frankie won his first major trophy with Hibs; they defeated Waterford 1-0 in a thrilling Shield final which earned them European football qualification.

This was the beginning of the Hibs glory years and with Frankie everpresent in 1970-71, they won the League Championship defeating Shamrock Rovers after a thrilling play-off in Dalymount. After that huge high Frankie suffered a major disappointment the following year when, despite playing 24 matches, he missed out on the FAI Cup final victory over Waterford. 

ELUSIVE

Compensation awaited in 1973 when he picked up that elusive FAI Cup medal after Hibs beat Shels in the replay at Flower Lodge. Injuries restricted his participation in Hibs final years and rejoined Ringmahon for a spell. Highlights included participating in all three European competitions v Borussia Monchengladbach in the European Cup, Larnaca, Schalke 04 and Banik Ostrava in the Cup Winners Cup and Valencia in the Fairs Cup 

In his Hibs career spanning 10 seasons, he made 314 appearances (the fifth highest) and scored 29 goals. His final appearance in the Hibs shirt was in the FAI Cup quarter-final defeat by Shelbourne in 1975. He was persuaded by Noel O’Mahony to make a comeback with Albert Rovers who replaced Hibs in the League of Ireland in 1977. Frankie received a Cork Soccer Legend Award in 2014. 

During his outstanding career, his rapid reading of the game and calm, uncanny anticipation of danger gave him a masterful air and a genuine edge over opponents and was widely regarded by his peers as one of the toughest defenders of his era. 

Fittingly, that is how he is still remembered by the fans. Sincere sympathy is extended to his wife Ann and daughter Linda and extended family. Sadly, his son Fergus passed away in September.