1187-1900
Mallow G.A.A was founded at a meeting in the Gaelic Bar in Bridge Street on the 1st of December 1887. Edward Hyde was elected the first Chairman and Con O’Donovan was the first Hon Secretary/Treasurer. Mr Hyde was a fine footballer and a noted senior referee. He worked in Wallace’s Bakery on Tuckey’s Hill. Con O’Donovan was a well know Champion/Athlete. He taught 2nd class in the Boys National School in the Patrician Monastery. The hurling and football teams played in the very first county championships that year and they have done so every year since. However, local tournaments were the main attraction back then and Mallow won many of these tournaments. The trophies in most cases were sliver cups plus gold and silver medals. The Mallow Club hosted most of the major county and Munster championship matches of the periods and these games were always played off before large crowds. They were played in the town park and in fields scattered on and around the town. The writer Canon Sheehan and the Patriot William O’Brien were two of the clubs best supporters back then and they have left us with many informative accounts of how and when these events were planned and organised and of how they brought great credit and honour to the town.
1901-1910
The officers and committee affiliated Senior Hurling and Junior football teams with the County Board throughout the decade. The club won its first county final when the Minor Hurlers defeated Little Island in a classic final in the cork athletic founds in 1908. However the Minor footballers were not so lucky when they lost their first County Final to Saint Nicks played the following year.
The County Board formed an underage section in 1901 and Mallow played Kanturk in one of the earliest games in Dromahane in 1901. The age limit was 18 and the entrance fee was 5/=. Mallow won on a score line of 2-12 to 2-2. A team from the Monastery played Ballyhea also in the very first of the underage school competitions in 1903
In 1904 the town council attempted to purchase the Long Meadow for the people of the town for recreational purposes but they were turned down due to insufficient funds.
The committee contributed a substantial sum towards the ereection of the Fitzgerald Monument at the bottom of O’Brien Street, The money coming from two hurling and football tournaments games.
The junior footballers won a set of medals when they defeated Grenagh in the Meadow 2-13 to Nil. The medals were £7 – a tidy sum in those days. The local organisation was again awarded many big championship games and they continued to attract these fixtures all the way 1920’s and to a lesser extent into the ‘30s and ‘40s.
1911 -1920
Mallow teams contested 4 county final and were successful in one. Joe O’Driscoll returned home with our first All Ireland medal. The junior hurlers collected their county medals when they defeated Rangers of Cork in Cork City in 1914 on a Score 9-03 to 1-1. The other teams then lost 3 finals in quick succession, the minor hurlers in 1914, the intermediate hurlers in 1916 and the intermediates once more in 1918. The camogie team played UCC in the Mardyke in 1915 but lost the game,1 goal to nil. It was reported at the time that Mallow girls showed a clever combination and a good knowledge of the game.
1921 – 1930 The Golden Era
The Civil Was and the raid on Mallow Barracks took their toll on the games and everything stalled for a while. With the arrival of the legendary Fr. Pat Casey in 1920 the club took on new lease of life. A brilliant man, he steered the organisation to the very – top over the next 10 yeas or so. He was ably assisted by two excellent men, George Greene (Chairman) and TD O’Flynn (Hon Secretary) Together they engineered 3 county final appearances for the teams at the highest levels. They won the intermediate hurling final of 1923, lost the intermediate football final of 1927 and were very unlucky to lose the senior final of 1928.
Note The year 1928 stands out from all the others in that it was the year out senior team defeated a star studded Blackrock side in the second round of the championship and it was the year of our first and only appearance in a senior final.
“Then here’s to Mallow and Fair Lane, Ballydaheen and Ballclough the men who fought through the storm and rain to conquer bold Blackrock”
However, the period ended on a high note when Willie Clancy, and Ned Springer won senior hurling medals and Dave Geaney a junior medal.
1931 – 1940
The minor hurlers won their second title when they defeated Glen Rovers in Fermoy in 1935. Our late President Billy Sheehan scored a fine point that day, final score: Mallow 4-1, Glen rovers 3-1. The junior footballers annexed the North Cork title when they got the better of Glanworth in Killavullen 1-3 to 0-1.
The vocational school had a big double when they won both hurling and camogie county titles in Bandon again in 1935.
Fair Street, Beecher Street, Bridge Street and Ballydaheen played each other in the street leaugues with Ballydaheen coming out on top.
Colasite na Muinlan out in Avondhu closed its doors for the last time in 1937. The pupils had provided many stern challenge games for the locals during their stay here.
Following the senior team’s exploits of the late 1920s some of the panel made it on to the Cork senior panel of the 1930s. They were Tadgh byrnes, Paddy (Padna) Buckley, John Weldon, Ned Barrett and Gus Moriarty. They did not win any All Ireland medals bit they did win many of the secondary competitions of the day.
1941-1950
The 1940s saw the introduction of the annual dinner and socials, the weekly ceili, the St Patrick’s night concerts and the yearly visit of Perks Carnival. They were all well organised and the people flocked to them in their thousands. The club continued to
promote these activities through the 40s 50s 60 and into the 70s but then the TV stations came on stream and the support started to dwindle away.
The hurler re=graded from senior to intermediate and then to junior withour any success and footballers also failed to win any trophies.
1951-1960
Another good decade for the club. The intermediate hurlers won their second county title when they defeated St Vincents in the Cork Athlectic Grounds in 1959. This particular final is still regarded as having been one the best ever played in the grade. Final score: Mallow 2-8, St Vincents 3-3. Wistfully this team failed to pick up another county when they lost to youghal in Fermoy in 1955, 4[\-6 to 2-5. They made up for this blip, however, when they won the county league title be defeating Shanballymore 5-7 to 4-0.
The Cork and Dublin footballers came to town to open the new Stadium in the Town Park in 1055. The place was names “The Bishop Casey Park” in honour of the great Fr. Pats Casey who had been so good to the club in the 1920’s.
Sean Cooney won an All Ireland junior hurling medal. Tadgh Moynihan won an All Ireland junior football medal and Mick Fahy won a senior county hurling medal with Avondhu.
1961-1970
The club fielded senior teams in hurling and football in the early part of the decade. The committee played a leading role in the 1916-1966 commemorations and they reformed the handball , camogie and basketball clubs. The club officers played a prominent role in the foundation of Scor. The intermediate hurlers won their second county league title and Tommy Sheehan starred in two All Ireland Minor finals. The minor hurlers had a terrific run before losing out to Nemo Rangers in the county final in Fermoy, (1970).
Tommy Sheehan and Paddy Buckley collected All Ireland minor hurling medals and Breeda Mulcahy won an All Ireland senior Scor trophy.
Liam Sheehan, Noel O’Regan, Paddy Carey and Teddy O’Connor won county senior hurling medals with Avondhu, (1966).
1971 -1980
The intermediate hurlers collected their third county title when they defeated Blackrock in the very lively game in Blarney in 1972, final score: 4 -10 to 1-9.
They also played in the finals of 1979 and 1980, but lost both games on score lines of 7-11 to 5-8, (Eire Og) and 0-75 to 1-10 Ballyhea. Paddy Buckley (2), Tommy Sheehan (1), Dermot Coakley (1), Eamon O’Sullican (1), Sean Og Coakley (1) all won All Ireland hurling medals with Cork, (Various grades).
St. Joseph’s Ballad Group (1971 and na hAisling Ballad Group (1978 and 1980) won 1st place in the All Ireland Scor finals.
1981 -1990
Mallow teams contested 5 county final and the town park stadium was given a major overhaul. The old dressing rooms (sheds) were replaced by modern facilities and showers. The club celebrated the GAA centenary in fine style.
In 1985 a ream bed by development committee chairman John O’Connell commenced negotiations for the purchase of Carokeal House and 20 acres of adjoining land. The deeds were handed over in May 1986, giving the Club a home of its own at last, 300 memebers each contributed £300 to cover the purchase cost if the house and lands.
The junior footballers found a lively St Finbarrs side too hot to handle and went Doen 3-9 to 1-5 in their second county final. The under 21 footballers met and lost to a powerful St Finbarrs side in their county final, 1-10 to 0-7. The intermediate hurlers played their final in atrocious conditions and on a flooded pitch before they lost out to Erin’s Own by 1 point, 1-6 to 0-8. The intermediate footballers also suffered defeat at the hands of Rockchapel in Milford, 0-9 to 0-4. An up and down decade all round. Pat Buckley (4), Niall Gallagher (2), Donal Murphy (1), Peter Redmond (1) and Ronan Sheehan (1) all won All Ireland medals (various grades).
1991 – 2000
The organisation moved to its new home in Carhokeel (1991). The senior footballers won the Munster Senior League and the other teams collected 8 county finals.
The footballers won their first ever county title when the intermediate team defeated Kilmurry in Cork, 1-13 to 2-9. A red letter day for the club.
The full line up of the county final appearances is as follows:
’92 I.F.C. Mallow 1-13 Kilmurry 2-9 ’92 M.H.C. Mallow 0-11 St. Finbarrs 2-13
’93 U/21 F.C. Mallow 0-4 Bantry 0-11 ’94 U/21 H.C. Mallow 5-3 St. Finbarrs 4-13
’94 U/21 F.C. Mallow 1-5 Bantry 1-13 ’95 U/21 F.C. Mallow 2-10 Naomh Aban 0-12
’97 M.F.C. Mallow 1-7 St. Finbarrs 2-8 ’00 U/21 F.C. Mallow 1-9 Dohenys 0-8
The intermediate hurlers won a county intermediate league title in 1996.
Fergal McCormack (2), Ronan Sheehan (2), John Walsh (1) and Michael O’ Donovan all won All Ireland medals, at various grades, Michael O’ Donovan played championship football with the Cork seniors throughout the decade. Ronan Sheehan captained the victorious Cork junior football team of 1993.
Fergal McCormack, John Walsh, Ray O’ Connell, Jodi Hayes and Ronan Sheehan all won county senior hurling medals with Avondhu (1996).
The Kiely Dancers won All Ireland senior Scor titles in 1991 and 1996.
The local clergy have always been at the very core of the G.A.A. organisation in Mallow and none more so than two of our present priests Fr. Declan Hennessey P.P., Club Vice Chairman and Fr. Denis Stritch, a dedicated camogie officer and coach.
2001 – 2008
The teams have won 2 finals and lost another to date. The intermediate footballers won
their 2nd county title when they defeated Killavullen in Pairc Ui Rinn and the minor footballers won their 1st title when they defeated Canovee, 1-13 to 0-13. The intermediate hurlers were most unlucky when loosing out to Killeagh in a replay in 2001.
Cian O’ Riordan played on the Cork senior football team on a number of occasions.
Pat Mannix, David Sheehan, Noel Dinan, Castlelands Construction and Keary’s Garage were the club’s main sponsors throughout the 1990’s and into the current decade. In mid 2007 the club started a phased transfer from its old base in Carhokeel to its glorious new development in Carrigoon. However, the days were soon darkened with the deaths of 4 of our most loyal stalwarts, namely Eugene Carey, Billy Sheehna, Jackie O’Mahony and Pat Dockery. Eugene Carey had been a brilliant organiser and fund raiser for the club. A skilful player in his own day, the amount of work he put into the club cannot be overestimated. Billy Sheehan, our club president, had looked after the playing fields for over 50 years as well as being heavily involved in the day-to-day running of the club over the same period. Jackie O’ Mahony trained and coached many of the under age teams for a generation. Pat Dockery, an inter-county player in his own youth, had trained and coached many of the club teams up to and including the senior team.
The club owes those four men a deep sense of gratitude. May their memories stay with us as long as youngsters everywhere play the games of the Gael.
Conclusion
The opening of the new centre here can be seen as the opening of a gateway to whole new era for the G.A.A. organisation in Mallow. This new era will have its own story to tell. I know that it too will be well worth telling.
Derry Mannix
Club Historian