Fond memories of Críost Rí’s last Hogan Cup success in May 1985

Members of the last successful Coláiste Chríost Rí Hogan Cup winning team of 1985 recently gathered at the Abbey Tavern, Gilabbey Street to reminisce on the event 40 years ago on May 12 1985.

Cork’s most famous football nursery, situated on the Capwell Road in Turner’s Cross, had by then won three All-Ireland titles in 1968, 1970 and 1983 as well as 13 Corn Ui Mhuiri (Munster) titles including two three-in-a-rows. 

Unlike the first three-in-row successes of1978 to 1980 which failed to produce a national award, the second glory period – 1983 to 1985 - saw the Hogan Cup head to Turner’s Cross on two occasions.

Michael Carey, the team’s coach, remembers how the 1985 winning side differed from the 1983 champions. 

"Every team needs luck and we certainly had our fair share when we got the better of the highly fancied St Jarlath’s of Tuam in the driving rain in 1983.

"The team two years later was a more talented outfit and we really showed our mettle when be played Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh off the park in that year’s Munster Final, having lost in the round robin earlier in the year."

The team’s captain was Ger O’Regan, who organized the function had played a starring role in the win over Jarlath’s and in the Munster Final win over Spioraid Naomh. 

He was prominent, scoring a spectacular opener himself in the 20th minute, in his team’s ‘twelve minutes of football brilliance that produced four golden goals,’ as the Cork Examiner’s Brendan Mooney opened his match report. 

O’Regan recalls:  "There was unbelievable pressure on us to get out of Munster but by the time the All-Ireland semi-final came around, the legendary Chríost Rí winning mentality was engrained in us.

"I was fortunate to score two goals in the 2-6 to 0-6 victory over this year’s winners St. Patrick’s (Maghera) at Croke Park on Sunday, April 21st before we faced Sligo’s Summerhill College in the final at sun-drenched O’Moore Park, Portlaoise on Sunday, May 12th."

Michael Carey recalls what it was like to manage another successful team. 

"We had a great backroom team in those days, people like Dick Tobin, the Waterford born trainer and coach of the first two All-Ireland winners, Br Colmcille, whose intensity was hugely effective and Kevin Cummins, whose reading of the game was second to none.

"We always made a training session tougher than a match and went as far as videotaping sessions to work on our weaknesses, something that is commonplace today but was virtually unheard of at colleges level forty years ago."

In a fiercely competitive final, Summerhill kept the game close right up to six minutes from time and with the team tied a nine points apiece, O’Regan conjured up a moment of sheer footballing magic when he evaded the attentions of future Sligo Rovers favourite Gavin Dykes to strike a beauty into the roof of the net from twenty metres to break the hearts of the debutant finalists. 

The talent of the Chríost Rí was exemplified by ten of the panel going on to represent Cork at minor level with Stephen O’Brien, Jerome O’Mahony and Declan Fitzgerald later turning out for the Cork seniors. 

Ger, himself, won an All-Ireland U21 medal in 1986. 

No other Cork college has won the Hogan Cup since but whenever the name Coláiste Chríost Rí is mentioned thoughts of winning the coveted Hogan Cup are intrinsically linked.

Chriost Ri squad: Jerome O’Mahony, Aidan Ryan, Denis Duggan, Stephen O’Brien, Niall Hegarty, Ralph O’Leary, Tony Griffen, Kevin Keily, Ivan Ahern, Ger O’Regan {capt.), Paudie O’Shea, Danny Glavin (RIP), Michael Crowley, Joe Stack, John Coomey, Eoin Nyhan