Last Sunday, Clough-Ballacolla beat Camross in the semi-final of the Laois Shopping Centre Senior Hurling Championship, while Rathdowney-Errill got the better of Abbeyleix St Lazarian’s.
The beaten clubs were last year’s finalists but the protagonists in this year’s decider were the last two clubs to win the competition before Camross – Rathdowney-Errill were successful in 2019 before Clough-Ballacolla achieved a three-in-a-row.
When they meet in the final, the clubs will be battling to regain the Bob O’Keefe Cup, which is named after the former Laois hurler – an All-Ireland winner in 1915 – who later served as president of the GAA from 1935-38.
He is also honoured by having the Leinster SHC trophy named after him. Unfortunately, that 1915 success was the last time that the O’Moore County earned provincial honours in the east and no Laois captain has yet managed to get his hands on that trophy.
What is curious though is that, in recent times, it has been referred to, by the Leinster Council and in the media, as the Bob O’Keeffe Cup. If you’ll forgive the language, how the ‘f’ did that happen?
But then, the world of GAA trophies is a fascinating one. As a teenager working in Lanes’ Spar Supermarket in Bandon, the phone would often ring with a call from Mick Nolan next door – unable to make the journey to the shop himself, he was seeking a packet of Sweet Afton cigarettes to be delivered.
It was always a nice break to pop down and chat hurling with him – he had played for Courcey Rovers in his heyday – and I didn’t realise at the time that, improbably, Sweet Afton was part of GAA history.
In 1951, PJ Carroll & Co had donated a trophy to the Munster Council, to be awarded to the winners of the province’s junior (later intermediate) championship.
The cup was named after the brand which had been launched to celebrate the links of Dundalk, where Carroll’s was based, with the poet Robert Burns, who had mentioned the Afton river in Ayrshire in a poem.
In recent times, it has been referred to, by the Leinster Council and in the media, as the Bob O’Keeffe Cup
Sweet Afton as a brand was discontinued in 2003 and the Munster intermediate championship also looks to have become defunct, last contested in 2017.
Until this year, the Munster minor hurling championship was also named after a terminated brand – that of TWA Airlines, who ceased operations in 2001.
In February, Tipperary legend John Doyle was honoured as a new trophy was dedicated to him.
The Munster minor hurling winners are always keen to push on and win the All-Ireland and that, however, is still named after a former entity – the Irish Press newspaper.
The Munster senior hurling trophy was named after Mick Mackey in 2022 and has not gone outside of Limerick since then, but the footballing equivalent remains without a name.
The province’s minor football winners are presented with the Tadhg Crowley Cup – named after a former Munster Council treasurer, from Kerry. However, while – unlike the Bob O’Keef(f)e Cups – the spelling is the same, the Tadhg Crowley Cup awarded in Cork to the winners of the divisions and colleges section of the county Premier SFC is named in honour of a Leeside great.
And that’s just one cross-section. The former Waterford hurler and Dublin manager Humphrey Kelleher – another namesake of a former Cork footballer – wrote Family Silver in 2013, charting the stories behind 101 GAA trophies and both that and his more recent offering on venues, A Place to Play, are essential components of any Irish sporting bookshelf.
Paying the penalty the hard way
Cork goalkeeper Patrick Doyle saves from Darragh Roche of Kerry in the penalty shootout following the drawn McGrath Cup final in January of this year. \ Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
On Saturday night, Castlelyons and Na Piarsaigh played out a classic in the Co-op SuperStores Cork SAHC.
After 60 minutes, the score was 2-20 each, forcing extra time. In the additional period, Na Piarsaigh forged ahead and were on the verge of a semi-final spot – and a meeting with neighbours and rivals Glen Rovers – as they led by 2-26 to 2-23 with time almost up.
However, Alan Fenton of Castlelyons, who had scored 11 points up to that stage, had one more trick left and he drilled a free to the net, tying the game again.
That meant penalties and, yet again, there was little to separate the sides – it took 26 of them to be separated, Castlelyons eventually prevailing 9-8.
In an ideal world, the game would have been replayed, either after normal time or extra time. However, such is the compacted timeframe in the modern split-season schedule that there simply isn’t the room in the calendar, beyond ensuring that there is a facility for replays after finals are drawn.
While it’s a cliché to say that penalties are a lottery – they are a skill that can be practiced and perfected – it’s still a cruel way for a team to lose, with such an even contest resulting in contrasting emotions based on one particular aspect of the game.
And yet, there are few, if any, other suggestions that one would definitely say are better. A ‘golden score’, ie next score wins, is an alternative but that could come down to a mistake as much as anything, especially with the levels of fatigue setting in.
A free-taking competition might be seen as fairer, as it’s something that happens more in a normal game than penalties, but that is a skill that only a few need ever master.
Answers, please, on a postcard for something that satisfies every concern and ensures a fair denouement. Castlelyons will at least be relieved that they have this weekend off before facing into next week’s semi-final.
This is the European Week of Sport, with a number of events planned around the country.
Obviously, most coverage of sport, in Ireland and worldwide, is focused on the elite levels – and there’s nothing wrong with that, it is the great unscripted drama, providing so many moments of high emotion. However, it’s easy to forget that the idea of sport covers a multitude.
The EWS focuses on the themes of inclusion, well-being and belonging – essentially the good aspects that can benefit our lives. Sunday, for instance, is National Walking Day while on Saturday Cork, Dublin and Galway will host #BeActive nights.
For more information, see sportireland.ie/europeanweekofsport.
Last Sunday, Clough-Ballacolla beat Camross in the semi-final of the Laois Shopping Centre Senior Hurling Championship, while Rathdowney-Errill got the better of Abbeyleix St Lazarian’s.
The beaten clubs were last year’s finalists but the protagonists in this year’s decider were the last two clubs to win the competition before Camross – Rathdowney-Errill were successful in 2019 before Clough-Ballacolla achieved a three-in-a-row.
When they meet in the final, the clubs will be battling to regain the Bob O’Keefe Cup, which is named after the former Laois hurler – an All-Ireland winner in 1915 – who later served as president of the GAA from 1935-38.
He is also honoured by having the Leinster SHC trophy named after him. Unfortunately, that 1915 success was the last time that the O’Moore County earned provincial honours in the east and no Laois captain has yet managed to get his hands on that trophy.
What is curious though is that, in recent times, it has been referred to, by the Leinster Council and in the media, as the Bob O’Keeffe Cup. If you’ll forgive the language, how the ‘f’ did that happen?
But then, the world of GAA trophies is a fascinating one. As a teenager working in Lanes’ Spar Supermarket in Bandon, the phone would often ring with a call from Mick Nolan next door – unable to make the journey to the shop himself, he was seeking a packet of Sweet Afton cigarettes to be delivered.
It was always a nice break to pop down and chat hurling with him – he had played for Courcey Rovers in his heyday – and I didn’t realise at the time that, improbably, Sweet Afton was part of GAA history.
In 1951, PJ Carroll & Co had donated a trophy to the Munster Council, to be awarded to the winners of the province’s junior (later intermediate) championship.
The cup was named after the brand which had been launched to celebrate the links of Dundalk, where Carroll’s was based, with the poet Robert Burns, who had mentioned the Afton river in Ayrshire in a poem.
In recent times, it has been referred to, by the Leinster Council and in the media, as the Bob O’Keeffe Cup
Sweet Afton as a brand was discontinued in 2003 and the Munster intermediate championship also looks to have become defunct, last contested in 2017.
Until this year, the Munster minor hurling championship was also named after a terminated brand – that of TWA Airlines, who ceased operations in 2001.
In February, Tipperary legend John Doyle was honoured as a new trophy was dedicated to him.
The Munster minor hurling winners are always keen to push on and win the All-Ireland and that, however, is still named after a former entity – the Irish Press newspaper.
The Munster senior hurling trophy was named after Mick Mackey in 2022 and has not gone outside of Limerick since then, but the footballing equivalent remains without a name.
The province’s minor football winners are presented with the Tadhg Crowley Cup – named after a former Munster Council treasurer, from Kerry. However, while – unlike the Bob O’Keef(f)e Cups – the spelling is the same, the Tadhg Crowley Cup awarded in Cork to the winners of the divisions and colleges section of the county Premier SFC is named in honour of a Leeside great.
And that’s just one cross-section. The former Waterford hurler and Dublin manager Humphrey Kelleher – another namesake of a former Cork footballer – wrote Family Silver in 2013, charting the stories behind 101 GAA trophies and both that and his more recent offering on venues, A Place to Play, are essential components of any Irish sporting bookshelf.
Paying the penalty the hard way
Cork goalkeeper Patrick Doyle saves from Darragh Roche of Kerry in the penalty shootout following the drawn McGrath Cup final in January of this year. \ Michael P Ryan/Sportsfile
On Saturday night, Castlelyons and Na Piarsaigh played out a classic in the Co-op SuperStores Cork SAHC.
After 60 minutes, the score was 2-20 each, forcing extra time. In the additional period, Na Piarsaigh forged ahead and were on the verge of a semi-final spot – and a meeting with neighbours and rivals Glen Rovers – as they led by 2-26 to 2-23 with time almost up.
However, Alan Fenton of Castlelyons, who had scored 11 points up to that stage, had one more trick left and he drilled a free to the net, tying the game again.
That meant penalties and, yet again, there was little to separate the sides – it took 26 of them to be separated, Castlelyons eventually prevailing 9-8.
In an ideal world, the game would have been replayed, either after normal time or extra time. However, such is the compacted timeframe in the modern split-season schedule that there simply isn’t the room in the calendar, beyond ensuring that there is a facility for replays after finals are drawn.
While it’s a cliché to say that penalties are a lottery – they are a skill that can be practiced and perfected – it’s still a cruel way for a team to lose, with such an even contest resulting in contrasting emotions based on one particular aspect of the game.
And yet, there are few, if any, other suggestions that one would definitely say are better. A ‘golden score’, ie next score wins, is an alternative but that could come down to a mistake as much as anything, especially with the levels of fatigue setting in.
A free-taking competition might be seen as fairer, as it’s something that happens more in a normal game than penalties, but that is a skill that only a few need ever master.
Answers, please, on a postcard for something that satisfies every concern and ensures a fair denouement. Castlelyons will at least be relieved that they have this weekend off before facing into next week’s semi-final.
This is the European Week of Sport, with a number of events planned around the country.
Obviously, most coverage of sport, in Ireland and worldwide, is focused on the elite levels – and there’s nothing wrong with that, it is the great unscripted drama, providing so many moments of high emotion. However, it’s easy to forget that the idea of sport covers a multitude.
The EWS focuses on the themes of inclusion, well-being and belonging – essentially the good aspects that can benefit our lives. Sunday, for instance, is National Walking Day while on Saturday Cork, Dublin and Galway will host #BeActive nights.
For more information, see sportireland.ie/europeanweekofsport.
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