Clubs - Castletownbere

Club Details

Eircode: P75H662

Secretary Email: secretary.castletownbere.cork@gaa.ie

Background

The Castletownbere GAA Club (Cumann Luthchleas Gael Baile Chaisleain Bheara) is one of six GAA Clubs that form the Beara Division of West Cork. The Cork County GAA Board is divided into eight geographical regions and the Beara Division is the most Westerly of these. The Castletownbere GAA Club like most of the GAA Clubs in Beara was officially affiliated to the GAA in 1927. Gaelic Football was however played for many years prior to 1927 in Castletownbere and there were various teams throughout the parish.

There was a team from the Town called The Magpies who wore Black and White jerseys. These were the colours adopted by the club when it affiliated in 1927. The colours did change to green and subsequently blue but have long since returned to the traditional Black and White.

After 1927 things became more structured when clubs in Beara affiliated with the GAA. The first meeting of The Beara GAA Board took place in The Berehaven Hotel, Castletownbere on the 7th of April 1927. There was four officers elected of which three were from Castletownbere. They were Pat O Neill – Vice Chairman, Mikie Crowley – Secretary and Richard O Sullivan – Treasurer. Two Castletownbere members Dan Downing and Jim O Sullivan were named on the committee. Castletownbere didn’t enter a team in the 1927 Beara championship but in 1928 they competed in their first official Beara Championship when they lost to Garnish in the first round. In 1934 another team from the parish called the Derrymihan Woodbines entered a team in the Beara Championship.

The club had to wait until 1942 to contest its first Beara Championship final and a further five years until 1947 to win the Beara Title for the first time. Between 1947 and 1976 the club won nine Divisional Championships. In 1963, 1964, and 1965 a second team from the parish Rosmacowen entered the Beara Championship. The two teams met in the Beara Championship in 1965 with the Castletownbere team winning. Between 1966 and 1970 Rosmacowen formed a team with Bere Island called St Brendan’s.

In 1974 the Castletownbere club contested its first County Junior Final when a team captained by Donal Holland lost by 1-7 0-8 to Fermoy. This was repeated in 1976 when Castlehaven defeated a team captained by Ger Batt O Sullivan by 3-7 to 0-6 in the County Final.

1977 proved to be a historical year for ‘The Town’ when on the occasion of our fiftieth anniversary a team captained by Seanie O Sullivan and selected by Noel O Sullivan, Donie Harrington and Pierce Lyne won the clubs tenth Beara Championship and first County Championship. Rockchapel were defeated in the county final at Macroom on a score line of 3-5 to 0-8.

In 1978 Castletownbere entered the Intermediate ranks and played at this level until 1986 when they won the Cork County Intermediate Championship. Like nine years previously Macroom proved to be a happy hunting ground when captained by Liam O Driscoll and trained by Donal Holland ‘The Town’ beat Kilshannig by 1-8 to 0-7.

The 1987 season saw Castletownbere compete at senior level for the first time when they defeated Carrigdhoun by 4-11 to 0-5 in the first round of the championship. They were eventually beaten at the quarter final stage by the reigning County Champions Imokilly. The club again played in the senior championship in 1988 before returning to the intermediate grade in 1989. The club has contested four County Intermediate finals since, in 1990, 1997, 1999 and 2006 but another county title has so far proved elusive. The club has also sampled under age success in the county championship wining the County Minor B Title on three separate occasions. In 1996 Michael O Leary captained Castletownbere to win their first Minor Championship defeating Canovee in the final. This was followed a few years later in 2002 when captained by Kieran Hanley we beat Gabriel Rangers to take the title. The feat was repeated the following year when captained by Richard Power we defeated Béal Atha’n Ghaorthaidh in the decider. Philip O Donoghue trained the 1996 team and he was a selector with Jimmy Murphy, Darren Murphy, Peter O Leary and Sean Regan on the 2002 and 2003 teams.

Although strictly not regarded as a championship as it is not played at fifteen a–side the club did win a County Minor 12 a – side competition (Minor C Championship) in 1992. The team captained by Michael Lynch and trained by Deccie Wiseman beat Ballyhooley in the final.

Titles

Cork County Football Championship Titles

Junior: 1977

Intermediate: 1986 and 2012:

Minor B: 1996, 2002 and 2003:.

Minor D: 2013

Other County Titles

Minor C 12 a-side Championship:1992

Tom Creedon Cup: 1992, 2000, 2010

Minor B League:1996

Minor B League:2003

Beara Championship Titles

Junior A: – 1947, 1949, 1963, 1965, 1967, 1969, 1974, 1975, 1976 and 1977.

Junior B: – (first played in 1996) 2000, 2003, 2004 and 2007.

Under 21:– (first played in 1966) 1966, 1968, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1978, 1983, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, 1995, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2014

Minor: – (first played in 1949) 1949, 1953, 1955, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966, 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1976,1983, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2013 and 2014.

Under 16: – (first played in 1975) 1983, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003 and 2005.

Under 14: – (Originally called National Schools Cup it was first played in 1936) 1939, 1944, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2002 and 2003.

Under 12: – (first played in 1972) 1972, 1973, 1975, 1981, 1985, 1986, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2008 and 2009.