Cork's move back to black not universally popular

There was a certain irony in the fact that there was a minute’s silence for Pa Finn prior to Cork’s Allianz Hurling League Division 1 Group A win over Waterford at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Sunday.

The St Finbarr’s great managed Cork to win the All-Ireland senior camogie title in 2002, having brought about a wardrobe change. As relayed by former Cork Camogie Board chairperson Marian McCarthy to Eoghan Cormican of the Irish Examiner last week, “Up to 2001, Cork camogie teams wore white jerseys with red trim.

“When Pa came on board with the seniors, he asked the board to change to red jerseys. ‘Cork are red,’ he said, ‘and the girls should be wearing the traditional Cork red jersey same as hurlers and footballers.’

“We changed to red and much to Pa’s delight when Cork were crowned All-Ireland senior camogie champions in 2002, they were wearing red jerseys and have been ever since.”

That 2002 win provided a sixth O’Duffy Cup win for Linda Mellerick. Never one to be found wanting on the pitch, the former midfielder brings the same directness to her excellent Echo camogie columns and on Sunday she tweeted her views on the kit that the hurlers were wearing.

“I can't take to that Cork gear at all. More black than red and white. Feels like watching Down.”

This was not the first time Cork have worn black – it happened in 2020 when a special strip, commemorating Tomás Mac Curtain, Terence McSwiney, the Kilmichael ambush and the burning of Cork, was worn once each by the county hurling and football teams.

On that occasion, the events were flagged in advance, as was the one-off blue and saffron set of jerseys used in 2016. This time, though, there was no prior announcement, though the team graphic in the middle of the matchday programme did show the new jerseys.

The inside cover of the programme featured an advertisement for them – technically, the black and red is the training kit, launched back in November and presumably their use in a live televised game was a way to try to boost sales.

The football team will also line out in black and red next Sunday at home to Kildare but that’s likely to be it in terms of competitive appearances – white with red trim, a reversal of the normal jersey, remains the official alternative in the event of a colour-clash with the likes of Galway, Westmeath, Armagh, Derry, Louth (as in the recent Allianz FL game) or, indeed, Down.

Traditionalists can rest easy in the fact that Cork won’t start wearing random jerseys in the championship but it could now be a case of the toothpaste being out of the tube for occasional promotional opportunities in the league. A parallel can be drawn with Ireland sometimes wearing an unusually-coloured change kit for a November rugby international while the Six Nations Championship remains sacrosanct.

There is a change coming in the Six Nations in that red-v-green matchups – i.e. Ireland v Wales – are soon to become a thing of the past to aid colour-blind viewers and spectators.

Could we ever see the day when Cork had to change for a championship game against Kerry or Limerick? It would be likely to generate a strong reaction.