Beara GAA return Junior A Cup to the Cormac O'Sullivan family

AT a Beara GAA board meeting held recently, the board presented the Cormac O’ Sullivan Cup to his nephew Niall who on the night was representing the O’Sullivan family.

The trophy was first played for in 1974 in the Beara junior A football championship and 50 years later it was returned to the O’Sullivan family. Castletownbere were the first winners and would go on and complete four-in-a-row in what was a remarkable achievement at the time.

All six clubs in the Beara Division won the Cormac O’Sullivan Cup during the time it was played for. Unfortunately, there has been no Beara junior A football championship in recent years due to a lack of clubs. There was two clubs competing back in 2019, but Garnish’s decision to re-grade just left Urhan in the championship, and they have now since moved up to the new premier junior football grade, which is now in its second year.

It was agreed by the Beara GAA board members in recent weeks that the Cormac O’Sullivan Cup would be returned to the family. O’Sullivan who was from the Garnish club was a member of the Beara team that won the Cork senior football championship title in 1967 after defeating UCC in the final after a replay. Cormac’s brother the late John L O’Sullivan also played on that famous team. 

At a time when divisional sides were allowed represent their county in the Munster championship, the Beara outfit would go on to win the provincial championship defeating Mid Kerry in the final. Sadly back then there was no All-Ireland club series for the great Beara team to take part in.

That year was a memorable one for O’Sullivan as he played corner-forward on the Cork senior football team in a four-point win over Kerry in the NFL.

O’Sullivan’s last game for his beloved Garnish was in 1971, when he scored 1-1, from play, but his side were beaten by rivals Castletownbere on a scoreline of 3-7 to 2-4 in the first round of the Beara junior A football championship.

Having spent a year in Africa as a lay voluntary teacher, O’Sullivan returned to Garnish in December 1972. As a deck-hand on a trawler, he tragically drowned on New Year’s Day in 1973. A year later, the Beara junior A football championship trophy would be renamed as the Cormac O’Sullivan Cup replacing the Crowley Cup.

He packed a lot into his short life, and will never be forgotten.