Blonde hurling warrior John Horgan ‘stood up for us’ in fiery final

John Horgan: "I’m after hitting three balls up to you, and you’ve put the three of them wide. Don’t do it again..."

1971 Cork County Hurling final

THE sky might have cried a river before the throw-in, but little could dampen the enthusiasm of the faithful as they gathered for the latest instalment of the greatest club rivalry by the banks of the River Lee.

The Barrs and the Rockies were the only show in town and as complicated histories go, this match-up was up there with the best of them.

St Finbarr's and Blackrock had been rubbing each other up the wrong way for well over a century. Tracing the exact point when relations became fractured, was not an exact science, but the fissure likely appeared because of the identity, or lack of identity of the 1905, Cork Senior Hurling Championship winners.

St Finbarr’s had won the 1904 final in a fashion with their opponents, Castletownroche refusing to play in the decider - citing the choice of venue, the Cork Athletic Grounds, wasn’t neutral.

When the 1905 Munster Championship finally got underway in May, 1906, Blackrock were deemed Cork representatives in the Munster and All-Ireland Senior Championships.

This was determined on the basis of having been the last Cork club to have won a county final on the field of play, when they defeated the Barrs in the 1903 final.

St Finbarr's and Blackrock remained at loggerheads over who won what, and where, and the bad blood simmered, before boiling over in a challenge match not long afterwards.

The fixture ironically in aid of the Mercy Hospital was abandoned after 50 minutes following as newspapers reported an “extraordinary exhibition of rowdyism,” involving both sets of players and supporters.

FIREWORKS

The furnace cooled over the decades with the last clash in a final - as far back as 1926. When the two sides collided again in the 1976 Cork County Final, there was a massive attendance, for a contest that was sure to provide its share of fireworks.

Blackrock captained by a flowing blonde-haired 21-year-old, was hoping to end a decade-long hiatus without the Seán Óg Murphy Cup.

John Horgan represented the future for Blackrock - after a brilliant under-age shift for the Rebels littered with All-Ireland medals. The game turned into an ill-tempered affair with two players sent off and subsequently a number of suspensions, including Horgan.

The gamble on youth was well merited for the Rockies as after a shaky opening quarter, they gradually wore down the St Finbarr's resolve and had the legs to land the precious prize.

The young man Horgan was unfazed by the physicality on show, as some of the more senior Barrs players tried to remind him of his place in the scheme of things. Being tangled up in Cork’s biggest hurling rivalry was the perfect introduction to the Cork inter-county scene.

Tom O’Sullivan of Blackrock recalled the blonde destroyer's impact on a seismic occasion in The Irish Examiner.

“The tension was huge in that county final in 1971. Over 20,000 people there, everyone was aware of that history, but John kept everybody’s feet on the ground. He was a great captain.

“And the game was dog-rough. Fellas needed to keep their heads, because there were fights all over the field, a couple of players were put off, and there were suspensions given out afterwards for other incidents.

John was a rock that day. Absolutely fantastic. He really played a captain’s role. That to me was his biggest test, and he really stood up for us.” 

Both clubs were fined 30 pounds for their indiscretions, and John would spend two months on the sideline. He returned in time to take part in a successful Munster campaign as the Rockies defeated Tipperary’s - Moyne-Templetuothy.

The Cork side rolled on to the All-Ireland Club Final against Rathnure - holding off a powerful late surge, allowing Horgan to raise The Tommy Moore Cup.

O’Sullivan continued intimating that John was a true leader, quiet, and when he spoke everybody knew exactly what was required of them.

“If it had to be said, he’d say it. Fellas could be put in their box. One of his teammates said to me the day of his funeral that at half-time in one county final Hoggy laid it on the line for him.

‘I’m after hitting three balls up to you,’ he said, ‘And you’ve put the three of them wide. Don’t do it again.’ 

“With that blond hair, he couldn’t get away with anything on the field because everyone knew where he was at all times, but he was a very strong man physically, much like his father.

John Horgan's legendary career had been written in the stars. He duly replicated his underage success at senior level - winning four All-Ireland medals, with his stirring exploits forever stitched in the fabric of GAA history.

Denis Coughlan who soldiered up ahead of Horgan on the half-line recalled the regard ‘Hoggy’ was held in by his peers.

“He fitted in very well with that Cork team — he was a shy man but got on well with everybody and was held in very high regard, not surprisingly with his record. As a club captain in particular he had a phenomenal record, and when we were going for four in a row in 1979, we were genuinely delighted for him because he was captain." 

The man who had a party piece few other corner-backs could ever claim, hitting 65s over the blackspot for fun, also had another as Denis revealed.

”Something I always associated with him was the song, ‘And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda’. That was his party piece, and he sang that beautifully.” 

The great man passed away on June 8, 2016, but the image would never fade of the iconic warrior with the blonde flowing locks. The magnificent ‘Hoggy’ will still hurl forever in our hearts.

“And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong. You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda, with me" …