Fr Christopher O'Flynn did a huge amount of work for Cork boxing on the northside of the city

In 1924 the northside of Cork was impoverished with rampant unemployment, depression, and despair.

Old tenement houses witnessed large families trying to exist in one or two rooms, without electricity or proper sanitary facilities, however, amidst the economic carnage, the sport of boxing flourished as a great beacon of light on a horizon of hope.                

During that era, Shandon Street was the gateway to the northside and was littered with hundreds of laneways and alleys all the way to Blackpool.       

That year a new young curate was appointed to the North Catherdral parish like a bolt out of the blue.

Fr Christopher O'Flynn had arrived and wasted no time in making his presence felt within the community.      

The young priest mixed and mingled with all and had no fear about expressing his opinion on the rights and wrongs of daily living within the locality.

For the first three years of his ministry he frequented regularly homes and schools and knew all there was to know and then he set out a plan which encouraged the parishners to help themselves. 

Fr O'Flynn was warmly respected and admired by all.

Affectionately he came to be known as ' Flynnie.' 

Amongst the many strings to his bow he established a shakesparian play group, in the choir room of the church and three years later moved to a building known as the Loft. 

This was situated over a sweet manufacturing shop on John Redmond Street, and the sweet factory and the Shakesparian Society are still there to this day. 

In the beginning, Flynnie set up a school of drama, music, and philosophy.

He attracted hundreds upon hundreds of boys and girls and he believed everyone had some gift. 

Many of these youngsters were made for the stage, but others were not and the young priest encouraged those to take up boxing and hurling. 

He regularly arrived out at the Glen Boxing Club in Spring Lane and introduced them to the sport. 

He followed their careers with great interest. 

During the long summer afternoons when schools were on holidays, Flynnie ran his own boxing leagues behind Shandon. 

He organised rival teams drawn from the different laneways around the locality, and all got a bag of sweets after the boxing sessions. 

For many years he worked with schools on the northside and set up rival boxing school shows. 

Flynnie closely followed the progress of all his aspiring athletes.

If youngsters packed up prematurely he would call to their home and advise them to go back or to find an alternative sport. 

When the Sunnyside Boxing Club was established in 1927, Flynnie played a big part in organising their club. 

Next year, Sunnyside will be celebrating their centenary. 

In 1961, Fr O'Flynn was transferred to Passage. 

He spent thirty seven years assisting the sport of boxing on the northside. 

Flynnie was another unsung hero of Cork boxing, this matter however will be addressed by the Cork Ex-Boxers Association in the near future.        Meanwhile, Christina Desmond has retired from amateur boxing to follow a professional career in the sport. 

The Dungarvan based Garda enjoyed a remarkable record of achievement. 

She was a junior Olympian in China in 2013, she won a world junior silver medal, many juvenile national titles, six elite national championships and a European Silver Elite medal.

She was a very accomplished international boxer and on two occasions won the prestigious Echo Women in Sport overall annual award. 

Christina will be honoured by the Cork County Board during a visit to the Lord Mayor's office at City Hall next week.            

Elsewhere, Conal Thomas, the president of the Cork Boxing Fraternity Association, is hoping to bring a team from Scotland to Cork in October. The matter has been fully discussed with the Cork County Board and this would be a senior boxing tournament, with the winning team taking possession of the newly-launched 'Highlands Cup' with each boxer who competes, receiving a specially commissioned O'Donnell Memorial Medal.

This is a Cork tribute to the late Peter O'Donnell, who was president of the Donegal Boxing Board and a good friend to all in Cork boxing circles over many years.  

Meanwhile, the Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Fergal Dennehy will be making a special presentation to the MacCurtain family to mark the great contribution to boxing made by the former Lord Mayor Tomas MacCurtain. 

Cllr Dennehy said recently given that he is the secretary of the Togher Boxing Club, and proud to wear the chain of office worn with distinction by Tomas, he is looking forward to making this presentation to members of the MacCurtain family in his capacity as Leeside's first citizen.