Golden girls... marking the 50th anniversary of Cork ladies' football team

Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing, but then I know it’s growing strong.

Was in the spring... and spring became the summer, who’d have believed you’d come along!

NEIL Diamond could very well have been writing about Cork ladies’ football when he penned the words to the pop-hit-turned- sports-anthem Sweet Caroline in 1969.

At that time, in West and East Cork - and most predominantly in North Cork - ladies were extended the opportunity to give Gaelic football ‘a go’ during exhibition games at local carnivals.

What started out as a ‘spectacle’, however, soon caught the public’s attention, with the skill level of the players awakening spectators to the possibility of ladies’ football as its own entity and sport.

The Camogie Association had been founded way back in 1904, and had held an All-Ireland since 1932. Cork were frequent winners, and enjoying a purple patch of four wins in a row in the early ’70s. It was time for ladies’ football to break through.

In 1972, a man from Ballydaly, Millstreet, by the name of Tommy Tucker took things to the next level when he officially formed the Duhallow Board. Sadly, pioneering Tommy died in August last year.

Through his vision and stewardship, Knocksovane beat Tullylease in the first ever Cork divisional final (6-8 to 2-2) in Newmarket that year, and embarked on a five-in-a-row.

In 1973, they beat Ballydaly 3-4 to 2-3; in 1974, they denied Inniscarra 6-2 to 2-2; in 1975, they beat Newtownshandrum 4-6 to 2-6, and they defeated Millstreet in 1976 on a scoreline of 5-10 to 1-6.

Eugene O’Sullivan, the driving force behind that Knocksovane team, would play an integral part in coaching the first ever Cork ladies’ football side in 1973. But, even though the melting pot was North Cork, in those early years East and West Cork clubs were also getting in on the action.

In the east, ladies’ football became more organised, with Nealie Horgan - the former Midleton, Carrigtwohill and Imokilly goalkeeper - helping form a divisional league for up-and-coming ladies’ footballers in the area. In West Cork, clubs like St Enda’s, Kilbrittain, Bantry, Ballymartle and Tracton were getting in on the action.

The first ever ladies’ football inter-county game Cork participated in took place on June 23, 1973, at a carnival in Banteer, when a concoction of players from Cork and Kerry went head-to-head in a game refereed by former Cork men’s footballer, Dinny Long of Millstreet, and organised by the Duhallow Ladies’ Football Board.

That Cork team was the result of a vision shared by then chair Tommy Tucker and his officers, Eugene O’Sullivan (Vice-chair, Knocksovane), Ina Murphy (Secretary, Banteer), Mary Finn (Treasurer, Lismire), and Phil O’Sullivan (PRO, Boherbue).

Collectively, they made the game happen along with officials from Kerry, and for the first time, ladies’ footballers in Cork wore red and white, and stood together shoulder to shoulder representing their county. The Cork selectors consisted of Tucker, O’Sullivan and Eddie O’Connor, from Ballyclough.

Despite leading with just a few minutes to go, Kerry pipped Cork 2-5 to 2-2, helped by a 2-6 haul from Mary Geaney.

The star for Cork was Bridie Brosnan of Knocksovane, who scored 1-10, and whose sister Mary also started. Years later, Mary would be the first manager to lead Cork to a senior All-Ireland final, and subsequently win three Brendan Martin Cups in a row (2005-2007), alongside coach Éamonn Ryan and captain Juliet Murphy.

Meanwhile, up the country plans were afoot to form a national organisation and launch an All-Ireland championship in 1974.

Several county boards were set up, and a meeting was held at the famous Hayes Hotel, Thurles, where, 90 years earlier, the GAA was founded. On July 18, 1974, four counties - Tipperary, Offaly, Galway, and Kerry - formed the Ladies’ Gaelic Football Association, and Jim Kennedy of Tipperary was elected President.

It was decided to hold a senior inter-county championship, with each county paying £10 to cover medals. Eight counties indicated an interest, the four mentioned plus Cork, Roscommon, Waterford and Laois. The four Munster counties agreed to play a provinicial championship on a league basis.

Cork and Kerry met on August 22 in Killarney, with the hosts winning 2-5 to 2-2. The Kingdom lost that first All-Ireland final to Tipperary.

Kerry broke Cork hearts again in 1975, in Castleisland, winning 2-9 to 3-0, despite trailing the Rebels 1-4 to 3-0 at half-time.

As it was played on a league basis, Cork had another two bites of the cherry. They lost to reigning All-Ireland champions Tipperary in Banteer on July 20, 1975, but then recorded their first ever win in the championship, beating Waterford at Midleton in their final game, by 6-6 to 4-3.

The Cork team was run by the Duhallow Board, and consisted of Regina Curtin - aunt of the ex-Cork dual player of the same name - Kay O’Sullivan, Nora O’Sullivan, Nell O’Riordan, Bridie Brosnan, Mary Brosnan (later Collins), Norga O’Callaghan, Kate Weathers, N Murphy, N McAuliffe, M O’Sullivan (Knocksovane), Noelle McCarthy, Breda O’Riordan, Bernie Kelleher (Banteer), Carmel Ring, S Geran, Bridget O’Keeffe (Ballydaly), Ann Daly (Inniscarra), Ann O’Riordan (Lismire), N Noonan (Kilbrin), B Field (Kilbrin) and Mary Morrissey (Newtownshandrum) - all of whom paved the way for young women across Cork in years to come.

In April, 1976, ladies’ football in Cork got much more serious, when a meeting to discuss the future of the game in the county was held in the Hibernian Hotel in Mallow, with the view to establishing a Cork Ladies’ Football Board.

It was attended by Eugene O’Sullivan, Tommy Tucker, who became chairman, Nealie Horgan of Castlemartyr, John O’Brien of Lisgoold, and John Murphy and Seamus Coakley of St Enda’s. No woman was officially recorded at this meeting, nonetheless, ladies’ footballers across the county have these six men to thank for giving them a future.

On May 28, 1976, the Cork Ladies’ Football Board was officially formed, incorporating clubs from Duhallow (Ballydaly, Banteer, Knockscovane, Inniscarra and Kilbrin), North Cork (Ballyclough and Newtownshandrum), East Cork (Churchtown North, Cloyne, Lisgoold, Watergrasshill, Youghal and IMP) and West Cork’s St Enda’s, which consisted of Castletown-Kenneigh and Enniskeane.

Other clubs signalled an interest: Charleville, Ballyhea, Buttevant, Mourneabbey, Araglen, Fermoy and Kildorrery.

Eugene O’Sullivan stressed the importance of establishing a county championship in which all clubs could participate, and hoped Cork could contest for the Brendan Martin Cup in years to come.

The rest is history, and although it took Cork almost 30 years to reach a Senior All-Ireland final, things went full circle for the likes of Mary Brosnan, who lined out that day in 1973 in Banteer, when she managed Cork to victory in the 2005 All-Ireland final against Galway in Croke Park in front of a crowd of 23,358.

After winning their first All-Ireland and League titles in 2005, the Rebels went on to dominate both competitions in the late 2000s and the 2010s. Between 2005 and 2009, they were All-Ireland champions five times in a row, then achieved six in-a row from 2011 to 2016. During this era they also won 11 consecutive League titles, and won the prestigious RTÉ Sports Team of the Year Award in 2014.

Where it began, I can’t begin to knowing...

This article would not have been possible without the historical knowledge of ex-Cork LGFA Chairperson Francis Quill, former Cork coaches Eugene O’Sullivan and Mary Collins, and player Bridie Brosnan. A sincere thank-you to them.