Linda Desmond will have all Cork supporting her in her Elite final on Saturday night

Linda Desmond, representing Rylane BC, will fly the Cork boxing flag at the National Stadium on Saturday night where she will compete in the women’s 65 kg Elite final.

This is the biggest night of the year on the national amateur boxing calendar., and Linda will be all out to win her third elite title. 

In this final, the Rylane ace will meet Grainne Walsh from St Mary’s BC, Tallaght. 

Grainne is a world bronze medallist, and this sets the scene for a very high standard Cork v Dublin final. 

Linda is a class act with buckets of boxing talent, and if she believes in her own ability, she will do Cork boxing proud.

Elsewhere, on Saturday morning at the Muskerry Arms restaurant in Blarney, the Cork Boxing Fraternity Association, under the leadership of Conal Thomas, will host another Cork Boxing Breakfast. 

This will be a celebration of volunteerism within the sport in Cork. 

The boxing board in Cork have amongst a galaxy of other progressive initiatives introduced a policy of appreciation and respect for all those club members who do much of the unseen work but their service to their club's is very important and the Cork Boxing Board wish to create an appreciation of everybody's contribution to the sport.

On Saturday, many more of the Cork boxing family will be honoured. 

The guest of honour will be the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. Fergal Dennehy. 

Meanwhile, pictured on this page with Conal Thomas is the Taoiseach Micheàl Martin, and at the end of January he will be presenting the Paddy ' the champ' Martin Cup to two outstanding Cork Boxers in respect of last year and the current year. 

The last occasion the Taoiseach presented his father’s cup was 20th Apri,l 2024, when the recipient was Linda Desmond and what an outstanding ambassador she has proved to be.

Looking forward to Friday, 20th March next, a special event will take place to commemorate all those who are now deceased and who were once the life blood of the sport. 

All family members will be written to and invited to attend. 

On the day, a mass will be celebrated, a tour of the museum will take place, followed by a talk on the history of boxing in Cork during bygone days, and refreshments will be served. 

The date selected is the anniversary of the death of Tomas MacCurtain, who was the first president of the Glen Boxing Club. 

Six years ago, a very moving ceremony took place in the club. 

This was on Friday, 13th March 2020.

The Glen Boxing Club organized a magnificent centenary commemoration to perpetuate the memory of their first president Tomàs MacCurtain. This was led by the then Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr. John Sheehan, who with the granddaughter of Tomas MacCurtain unveiled a special commissioned portrait of the Blackpool man murdered by British crown forces.

Fionnuala MacCurtain represented the MacCurtain family, the event was attended by many former Cork Lord Mayors, who formed part of a circle in a candle vigil of prayer on the night. 

It was a night of reflection and appreciation of the great sacrifices many Irishmen made in the cause of Irish Freedom. 

As part of the ceremony there was also a musical tribute to mark the occasion, Glen Rovers Hurling Club Choir performed along with baritone Denis Lane and piper Norman O’Rourke.

Following the event that night, the Covid 19 pandemic closed down the country and all of the huge volume of events organized by various groups to commemorate Tomàs MacCurtain were cancelled and subsequently never took place. 

This then put huge emphasis on what the Glen Boxing Club had achieved as they honoured through this commemoration, the Boxing club’s first president. 

Speaking at the ceremony, the Lord Mayor John Sheehan, who is also a Blackpool man said this.

“To be present at such an event is a great honour. 

"My own family originally came from Blackpool, and to be wearing the same Lord Mayor’s chain as Tomas MacCurtain was wearing, really brought home to me the honour and significance of the role of Lord Mayor and the sacrifice Tomas MacCurtain and his family made for our freedom."

Tomàs MacCurtain was very active around Blackpool and was also a great follower of gaelic games, as well as being a committee member with the St Nick’s GAA Ccub. 

As president of the Glen Boxing Club, it was MacCurtain and the boxing committee, who facilitated the foundation of the famed Glen Rover’s Hurling Club, by inviting them to hold their first meeting in the boxing club in Spring Lane. 

From that base the hurling club held many meetings in their early years, hence the bond between both clubs is still very strong today well over 110 years later.

Many will now look forward to this event which will take place next March. 

This will be an occasion for all boxing people to reflect on the sport and the great members it had on Leeside over many generations.