Ballyhea GAA : Cork : Ireland : History

The Magpies Day of Glory in the year of 1976 (by John McAuliffe)
On that soft, green swarth at Kilworth,
Three miles outside Fermoy,
Ballyhea did face Glen Rovers,
'Neath a bright December sky.
They held them well in that first half,
But we knew there was more in them,
And our words came true,
When the whistle blew,
For our boys had beat the Glen,

Our Parish it was empty,
On the day of that great event,
And young and old got ready,
And to Kilworth off we went,
Oh! weren't we delighted,
For they gave a fine display,
Not alone to their supporters,
But the opponents too, I say.

The game was played at a cracking pace,
The sliothar flying high and low,
The Glen were cruising home to win,
With four short minutes to go.
But our gallant lads refused defeat,
With a burst of speed and skill,
They scored eight points in that short time,
Snatching victory from the Glen.

In goal we had O'Donoghue, standing six-foot tall,
With Carroll, Curtin and Greensmith,
As sound as a granite wall.
At centre was Jack Russell, oh! what a super man,
With Neilus Ronan on his left,
On his right Mick Sullivan.
Connie Brassil and Patsy Hartnett,
Both playing so brilliantly,
Captain Phil, Dave and Johnnie,
All of Ryan brothers three,
Bill Shanahan, Donie Sullivan,
Full forward Diarmuid Flynn,
With subs Ronan and Butler,
They're the Boys that beat the Glen.

And when the game was over,
In the mid'st of joy and cheer,
The ball was taken from the Ref,
As a good old souvenir.
Now it's rolling days are over,
And it can be seen to-day,
On the side-board of the Trainer,
Way up in Ballyhea.

There was one man in among'st them,
Who did a splendid job that day,
No favours did he dish around,
To Glen or Ballyhea.
He acted by the Gaelic rules,
Quite plain for all to see,
His name it was Frank Murphy,
That famous referee.

X-Taoiseach he attended,
Likewise his wife Maureen,
Jack said it was as fine a game,
As ever he had seen.
He thought the Glen were splendid,
So crafty and so cool,
And fit enough to take the Cup,
To the Clubhouse in Blackpool.

A cup that's not so easily won,
Though won twice before,
By some of their ancestors
In bygone days of yore.
And by some who now lie peacefully,
Grant to them eternal rest,
And now it's won by this gallant team,
Perhaps they are the best.

Admired by their supporters,
In the way they clubbed together,
And trained out on that flood-lit pitch.
In cold and sleety weather.
A credit to their Trainer,
And the Parish too, I say,
God grant them health and happiness,
Long life in Ballyhea.

This poem was written to celebrate the County Junior Title success of 1976.