Conal Thomas to continue his great work within boxing as president of the CBFA for two more years

Conal Thomas was returned unopposed as President of the Cork Boxing Fraternity Association at their recent AGM.

The popular Donegal man will serve in the capacity of Uachtaráin for a further two year term. 

The CBFA Cork Boxing Fraternity Association was set up ten years ago. 

The main function of this group is to market and promote the sport in Cork. 

During this period, Conal saw the sport of boxing prosper, culminating in this season’s hell success, as the county enjoyed its most successful year in Cork boxing history.

A former Ulster boxing champion, Conal came south over 40 years ago. 

He worked in the construction industry and later in the security business. 

Mr Thomas was President of the Loughmahon Boxing Club when they emerged as Cork’s top boxing club in 2016. 

Regretfully, however, Loughmahon lost their premises and was unsuccessful in securing an alternative base.

In 2018, Conal was selected as the Cork Boxing Personality of the Year. 

He received his accolade from the Lord Mayor Cllr. Tony Fitzgerald at Cork City Hall and on the night over 200 hundred guests attended the celebrations.

These included members of his family and friends who had travelled from Donegal for a very memorable night for Conal and his family.

As a businessman, Conal is known throughout the country. 

His company, Conal’s Tree Services Ltd has been acknowledged by many as Ireland’s leading tree surgeons. 

The company has been acclaimed on the international circuit and is a long-time partner with the ESB at local and national levels.

At the AGM, Conal congratulated all of Cork’s All-Ireland winners and praised the Glen Boxing Club on their initiative to open the Tomas Mac Curtain museum.

In the last ten years, the Cork Boxing Fraternity Association has sponsored many Cork boxing events. 

These included county board activities, fundraisers and boxing breakfasts etc. 

His patronage has also been linked with the success enjoyed by Steve Collins and Gary ‘Spike O’Sullivan.

In Donegal, Conal is regarded as a true blue blood of boxing, and is a proud son of Tír Ċonaıl. 

The President of the Donegal County Board Peter O’Donnell has arranged for a cup to be named after him. 

Conal has been invited to attend a function in Donegal in September to host the Conal Thomas Cup. 

This is the esteem in which this man is held in, by his native county. 

This is a well-deserved tribute to the truly adopted son of Cork boxing.

Elsewhere, the Tomas MacCurtain Museum in the Glen BC is continuing to attract great interest from the Cork sporting public. 

Many people throughout the world who are coming back to Cork for holidays have also expressed an interest in visiting the museum. 

In recent weeks members of the Noonan family and the Leahy family have patronised the boxing sanctuary.

Mick Leahy, the Leeside boxing legend was the talk of the entire country in 1963 when he won the British Middleweight title. 

His belt amongst other memorabilia is on display.

The family members of the late Albie Murphy have also paid a private visit to the museum. 

This group included Albie’s wife Rita and her children.

They were accompanied by Michael Roche, Cork’s last boxing Olympian, who represented Ireland as the country’s only boxer to qualify for the games when held in Sydney in 2000. 

The group presented the museum with a framed collage of photos depicting Albie’s boxing career. 

On Saturday 27 May 2017, a plaque to perpetuate Albie’s contribution to Cork boxing was unveiled at Bishop Lucey Park. 

This was a permanent tribute to the Sunnyside Boxing legend, who was the most successful coach in Cork boxing history. 

Sunnyside have produced three Cork Olympians. Kieran Joyce, Paul Buttimer and Michael Roche, and all three boxers have magnificent pieces of memorabilia on display.

Anthony Connolly, the chairman of the Glen BC was recently presented with two Cork county boxing silver medals dated 1919 and 1920. 

They were donated to the permanent exhibition by members of the O’Reilly family from West Cork. 

The medals were won by Denal O’Reilly who emigrated to Boston in 1928. 

The medals contain the hallmark of Hilser Brothers Jewellers. 

The Hillser’s came from the Black Forest part of Germany and established a business in Cork in 1860. 

This company for many years sponsored the annual awards for the Cork Indoor Sport Association.

Meanwhile, the late Tim O’Sullivan, a founder member of the Cork Ex-Boxers Association, was for many years trying to track down the whereabouts of the Charlie Atha Cup. 

Charlie Atha was of German extraction and had a very successful chip shop in Barrack Street in the fifties. 

He was also for eight years an excellent president of the Cork County Boxing Board. 

However, it has now been established that it was not the Charlie Atha Cup, but the Lord Mayor’s Cup, which was presented to Charlie.

Apparently this is a magnificent piece of silverware presented to the Cork Boxing Board in 1950 by the then Lord Mayor Walter Furlong. 

This was to mark the Golden Jubilee of Cork celebrating the new status of Lord Mayor, which was granted to the City in 1900 by Queen Victoria on the 9th of July.

Prior to 1900, it was the mayor of Cork only, now the City was honoured and elevated to enjoy the title of Lord Mayor to the city’s first citizen. The cup was presented to Cork Boxing to mark the 50th anniversary of such an auspicious occasion. 

This cup is still missing.