St Finbarr's launch special 150th-anniversary jersey

She’s no longer on there but, when she had a Twitter account, St Finbarr’s and Cork camogie legend Gemma O’Connor went by the self-explanatory handle @blues4reds.

Such a moniker also serves to describe the part that the Barrs played in Cork adopting what came to be the county’s permanent colours in 1919 – when the Fr O’Leary Hall Total Abstinence team emerged with the Togher outfit, the former club’s red tops were donated to the county board in the wake of their original set – blue and saffron – being confiscated or destroyed by British troops, who had raided the board offices on Cook St.

How the Barrs came to wear blue is attributed to a letter written by Johnny O’Herlihy to Con Neenan – after whom the club’s ground are named in the 1970s.

Johnny’s father Patrick had played for the Barrs in the 1870s. Back then, players often competed in their work clothes, with sashes or caps used for identification but Patrick’s wife happened to be walking through Paddy’s Market on North Main St one Saturday and bought a blue jersey for him for the price of one shilling and sixpence. The following day, he wore it to Cuffe’s Field, near the Lough, where a decision was being made as to the club’s colours and they were so taken with his blue hue that it was adopted.

Seán Beecher’s book The Blues notes that there has also been a suggestion that because the Lough parish church is called The Church of the Immaculate Conception, blue was chosen because the colour is so strongly associated with Our Lady.

Whatever the origins, the kit design has been a durable one, creating an identity whose legend has gone far beyond the southside base. Look through the gallery of county-winning sides at the clubhouse and, while the players change through the decades, the blue and gold provides the constant – though perhaps they didn’t chant, “Allez les bleus!” in the early 20th century.

Beyond advancements in technology and jersey manufacture, there is little to separate what Mick Kennefick wore from that on the back of Gerald McCarthy or Jimmy Barry-Murphy or Ronan Curran or Brian Hayes.

Across the chest is the club name in Irish along with the harp – a sponsor’s name has never appeared on the jerseys in a first-team adult game, though Ryan’s Supervalu in Togher do enjoy a close relationship with the Barrs.

Previously, football jerseys had a harp whereas hurling ones did not and there is one outfit distinction between the two codes – white shorts are favoured in hurling while all-blue has prevailed in football since the 1979 county final win over Castlehaven.

Given the minimalist chic and the longevity, it was no surprise that the Barrs were such convincing winners of Rebel Jersey Wars, the Echo’s 2021 poll to find the best club jersey in Cork.

For 2026, there will be some change, but only subtle and only temporary, as the Barrs celebrate their 150th anniversary with the commissioning of a special jersey.

Featuring the commemorative crest and a large stylised tonal harp on the torso, it has the club name across the front as usual and also over the number on the back, while ‘2026’ adorns each sleeve.

Produced by O’Neills, the special jerseys will be worn by the Barrs’ senior teams – hurling, football and camogie – in championship outings this year

A limited-edition run of replicas has been produced, from 1-2 years up to 4XL, priced at €55 for adults (size small upwards), €50 for youths (age 13 only) and €40 for children aged 1-12.

For more information and to purchase, visit https://stfinbarrsgaa.clubforce.com/products/shop/merchandise/adult-150-commemorative-jersey