Minor matters: Anniversary of Cork's 1974 All-Ireland double to be marked

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the last time a county won the All-Ireland minor hurling and football titles in the same year.

Cork hold that honour, with the county having also managed it twice in the seven years previously, 1967 and 1969, while Tipperary (1934) and Dublin (1945 and 1954) are the only other counties to achieve the feat.

In 1974, Cork boasted a total of six dual players – Tadhg Murphy (Sarsfields hurling/Glanmire football), Dermot McCurtain, Tom Cashman, Finbarr Delaney (all Blackrock hurling/St Michael’s football), Johnny Crowley (Bishopstown) and Declan Murphy (Nemo Rangers). Making it an extra-special year for Tadhg Murphy and Johnny Crowley was the fact that, in the spring, they had helped St Finbarr’s College, Farranferris to a Dr Harty Cup victory before going on to claim the Croke Cup, the All-Ireland colleges title.

Beginning in Munster with a big win away to Waterford in the hurling, Cork then saw off Limerick and drew with Tipperary in the final in Thurles before triumphing in the replay in Dungarvan.

In tandem with those wins were football triumphs against Tipperary and Kerry and the momentum continued with an All-Ireland quarter-final win over London before a big semi-final triumph against Wicklow.

By contrast, the hurlers’ provincial win brought them straight to the All-Ireland final against a Kilkenny side seeking a three-in-a-row.

Murphy had been on both panels in 1973 and he recalls how, while there mightn’t have been a cast-iron expectation of entitlement to success, nobody was surprised by it, either.

“In that era at under-age, you always gave yourself a chance, with other teams being wary of playing Cork,” he says.

“We knew we wouldn’t be far away. The previous year, we were beaten by Tyrone in the football semi-final after a replay – in fairness, Tipperary knocked us out early in the hurling but there was little in it.

“We were on the crest of a wave in ’74. We drew with Tipperary in the Munster final, a fierce tight game, and we won the replay. We beat Kerry in Killarney in the football and that was a big result for us.

When you were winning matches, the whole thing gelled together from there. Kilkenny were very fancied in the hurling that year but we beat them in the final, 1-10 to 1-8.

“In the football, Mayo were strong and they beat Cavan in the semi-final and we beat Wicklow. We actually got the same score in the football final as we did in the hurling final, 1-10, and Mayo got 1-6.”

CLINICAL

Murphy modestly omits that he scored 1-6 in the hurling decider, giving him a total of 4-24 across five matches, while he contributed three points in the football final, with Diarmuid McCarthy scoring 1-3.

As well as the talent across the two squads, Cork also benefited from nous on the sidelines.

“We had two very good coaches, to be honest about it,” Murphy says.

“Canon O’Brien obviously was in charge of the hurling team, and he was with Farna, too. Anybody who ever played under him would be very impressed with him, he was very good – really forward-thinking and very tactically aware.

“He was very good from that perspective and a very good motivator as well.

“In the football, they brought in Pat Lougheed from the Barrs that year as the coach and he was excellent as well.

“Pat was very innovative and not afraid to try different things. I played midfield most of that year but Mayo had a strong midfield and I was named corner-forward for the final but I came out as a third midfielder.

“That was almost unheard of back then and it was an extremely brave thing to do as nearly every game was a traditional 15-on-15. The corner-back didn’t follow me out for about 20 minutes, so we had a lot of early possession and got ahead. We got a run on them and held the lead for the whole match, really.”

Both trophies came back to Cork and some of the stars would be winning senior medals a few years later. Given that the minor double has not been done since, it’s only right that something will be arranged later in the year to mark it.

“Johnny Crowley was in Australia at the start of the year, visiting his daughters,” Murphy says, “but he rang me and reminded me that 1974 was a big year for us because we won the two minor All-Irelands and the All-Ireland colleges.

There were six players on both Cork panels and five of the Farna players were on the Cork minor hurling squad.

“He came up with the idea that we’d have to do something to mark it and now we’re actually going to have two nights – the Farna reunion in June and the minor teams later in the year.

“I think only two of the combined panels are no longer with us, Diarmuid McCarthy from Baile Bhúirne and Don McCarthy out of the Barrs.

“It will be a good chance to remember them and to reminisce about some great days.”

1974 Cork minor hurling squad:

Jerry Cronin (Newmarket), William Geaney (Glen Rovers, captain), Eamonn Coakley (Mallow), Gerry Murphy (Na Piarsaigh), Johnny Crowley (Bishopstown), Pat Horgan (Glen Rovers), Con Brassil (Ballyhea), Tom Cashman (Blackrock), Finbarr Delaney (Blackrock), Tadhg Murphy (Sarsfields), Declan Murphy (Nemo Rangers), Richie O’Mahony (Glen Rovers), Danny Buckley (Blackrock), Theo Cullinane (Glen Rovers), David Keane (Passage), Dermot McCurtain (Blackrock), Declan Murphy (Nemo Rangers), Kieran O’Driscoll (Bandon), Micheál O’Connell (Passage), Richie McDonnell (Na Piarsaigh), Pat Coughlan (Newtownshandrum), John Higgins (Watergrasshill), Dave Ryan (Ballyhea), Ger McEvoy (Sarsfields), Pat O’Sullivan (Blackrock), John O’Sullivan (Gabriel Rangers), Jerry Beckett (St Finbarr’s).

1974 Cork minor football squad: 

Michael Mullins (Mitchelstown), William Lynch (Bantry Blues), Jim Slattery (Fermoy), Jim Goode (Newcestown), Mick Carey (St Finbarr’s), Don Good (Brian Dillons), Pat O’Sullivan (Nemo Rangers), Richard Kenny (Ballyphehane), Tadhg Murphy (Glanmire), Don McCarthy (St Finbarr’s), Diarmuid McCarthy (Naomh Abán), Declan Murphy (Nemo Rangers), Gerard O’Sullivan (Kiskeam), Mick O’Regan (Douglas), Liam Holland (Ballinascarthy), Johnny Crowley (Bishopstown), Finbarr Delaney (St Michael’s), Eugene Desmond (St Finbarr’s, captain), Brian Twomey (Castletownbere), Tom Cashman (St Michael’s), William O’Driscoll (Patrick Hanleys), Dermoy McCurtain (St Michael’s), Vincent Murphy (Dromtarriffe).