IT must be over a decade ago that I saw the ‘trailer’ on RTÉ television of a new series called Love/Hate.
I never watched a single episode of it after seeing what ’twas all about. I suppose I just couldn’t stomach the contents, with so much violence and vitriol and raw hostility.
I love sport, yet I can simply never understand or fathom what causes the naked and brutal and downright thuggish ‘relations’ that exist at present on and off many so-called ‘sporting’ fields.
Think of the hatred that surrounds matches between Rangers and Celtic in Scotland, for instance - even United and City in Manchester - what’s it all about? What’s it all for?
Sport used to be about recreation, fun and games, now those concepts seem alien to many followers and clubs.
In the GAA, we have rivalries at inter-county level. We all know in this county how important it is to beat the Tipperary hurlers. It was the late Christy Ring once said (during the 1971-1989 ‘Premier Famine’): “Without Tipperary, the GAA is only half-dressed.” Bating Tipp and saving the hay was the measure of a brilliant sporting and agricultural season in the Rebel County! It might be an old saying, but it remains as true as ever.
Ring knew what hurling meant in Cork and in Tipperary too. Same with Cork and Kerry in football.
I suppose there were and are still similar rivalries of a local and not so local nature in other provinces, but we concentrated on trying to beat Tipperary - there never was a sweeter feeling than making our way home slowly, very slowly - but who cared, from Thurles, after downing the Blue and Gold!
But did we or do we hate them? I don’t think so.
They say there is honour amongst thieves, but similarly there is honour and respect amongst sporting followers. Of course, we all love to win and to be following a winning club and/or county team, but no team wins everything.
The whole question of the existence of ‘love/hate’ relationships in the GAA has been twisting and turning over in my mind these past few days. I’m not addled or vexed or ‘craite’ about the matter, just thinking out loud.
Next Saturday evening in Croke Park, two neighbouring GAA clubs - neighbours of my club Bride Rovers - will run out onto the hallowed surface of our national stadium.
St Catherine’s and Castlelyons make the sacred trip to Jones’ Road as both have qualified for All Ireland Club Finals. Both face Kilkenny opposition in the deciders - St Catherine’s will take on Tullogher/Rossbercon at 5pm in the Junior Final, and two hours later Castlelyons will meet Thomastown in the Intermediate decider.
Are we jealous of our neighbours -of course we are! Not in any green-eyed, begrudging manner, but lads, we would love to be there ourselves.
We certainly don’t hate any of the two clubs heading for Croker this Saturday evening - but do we love them? Love is probably a bit too strong a word to describe our emotions and feelings.
Rivalry is great, it’s healthy and it’s welcome, and club rivalry is mighty.
Back in the 1970s, a great number of people who were players and supporters of Bride Rovers, Castlelyons and St Catherine’s were employed in the Castlelyons Creamery. Between the shop, the store, the milk bottling plant, butter-making, the grain store, the nuts bagging plant and other activities, you’d have mighty banter before and after local games.
You’d be absolutely certain to meet supporters of the three clubs any hour of the day at the Creamery. It could be a Fr Smyth Tournament match, or a Bartlemy or Conna carnival game or an East Cork Championship tie, but the craic and slagging was up to ninety.
If my club was after a good win over Castlelyons or Catherine’s on the Saturday night or Sunday, well, on Monday morning I’d be down to the Creamery at half-nine maybe for De Paper. I might go back at half- 12 for a bucket or a washer or two nails! In the afternoon, I’d go for the Evening Echo about three, and maybe for a plastic bucket about five before the hardware store would close.
You’d be bound to meet the old rivals, and in a kind of hurling gentleman’s agreement, pleasantries and ‘well dones’ would be politely exchanged.
If, on the other hand, we were beaten by either of the aforementioned Brideside clubs, I’d take my custom to the Glenville or Ballincurrig Branch creameries for about ten days!
There were two brothers living not far from me and they had a leg in the Rovers and St Catherine’s camps! When the two clubs would meet - it might be only a league game - the two brothers would be there shouting ‘Come on lads’, ‘That’s it boys, give it to ’em hard and heavy’, and ‘Pull mad, pull hard’ - but no-one ever knew if they were shouting for the Rovers or for St Catherine’s!
One of the phrases used back then to really insult or ‘put down’ the opposition was ‘Yerra, they’re only a carnival team, lad’ - meaning that when the chips were down, they’d be ‘a bit soft’! They could win a set of medals at a carnival, but when the tough got going in the Championship, well... enough said!
In rural areas like the Bride Valley, families are intermarried, intermingled and intertwined. Pad Fitzgerald, from Fort Richard in Bartlemy, was a founder member of the Bride Rovers Club in 1928. He later went farming to Garrycaheragh in Ballynoe - on Saturday evening his great-grandson Oisín will line out with St Catherine’s in their final.
Neighbouring clubs always have connections and the ‘down-time’ for one club can benefit another.
At the end of 1954, the club here fell away and no team was affiliated for 1955. The players were ‘free agents’ and the O Regan brothers, Paddy, Mossy and Billy (Bob), along with Jim ‘Coach’ Coughlan, all fell in playing with Castlelyons and ended up winning the East Cork Junior Hurling Championship that year!
‘Coach’s’ great’grandson, Brian O Donovan, lines out now with Castlelyons - that’s tradition for you!
The present Castlelyons club was founded in 1948, but back in the early 1900s Coolagown and Corrin fielded teams at different times.
Back in the 1880s James Maye of Corrin was one of the foremost advocates of the ‘Land for the People Campaign’. He was also an enthusiastic GAA man and one of the founders of the O Brien GAA Board in Cork. That was after the Parnell Split when three separate ‘County’ Boards operated in County Cork!.
When Bride Rovers reached their first ever Junior B East Cork Hurling Final in 1966, the opposition was provided by Youghal. At the time, the seasiders wore jerseys of green and gold and we wore green, white and gold. As Youghal were an ‘older’ club, we had to change colours.
In that 1966 final, Bride Rovers wore the St Catherine’s geansaí - we won but have worn our own colours ever since.
We love to beat ‘the neighbours’, be it at under 10, Junior, Intermediate or Senior, and then if we can save the hay as well or make good silage, then that’s just a year to be writing about forever!
Great rivals though we are, there’s one thing about East Cork teams, when they ‘go out’ in the County, in Munster or at National level, we all rally behind them.
Of course, we all wish we could be in a final in Croke Park, but Cork blood is thicker than Kilkenny water, so that’s why it’s great to see Rebel teams vying for top honours.
There are lots of green and gold and purple and yellow flags flying between Fermoy and Tallow this week. A double win on Saturday night will keep them flags flying high for the rest of the year. ‘Come on lads!’
Sport with a dash in it
Clatter and clash in it
Something with ash in it
Surely a game.
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