History

The Cashel King Cormacs: A Short History by Seamus J. King

The Cashel King Cormacs G.A.A. Club is named after a famous member of a major political family in Medieval Ireland. The MacCarthys reigned in Munster from the early twelfth century and one of the most famous, Cormac MacCarthy, was a King-Bishop, responsible for building Cormac’s Chapel and he died in 1138.

The club was founded in June 1888 after three previous attempts failed. The name of the club was the Cashel Gaelic Club and the first chairman was Dr. Tom Wood, the grandfather of the current politician, Tom. It is uncertain when the club changed its name to the Cashel King Cormacs

One of the rules of the Cashel Gaelic Club was as follows: ‘That the members pay one penny per week to meet the expenses of the club, any members four weeks in arrears cease their connection with same.’

Another rule stated ‘that a captain be elected by the players over each team to whom the teams must be subject during play. Any infringement on this rule will be punished by expulsion.’

In the early days of the club, Cashel played mostly in tournaments and it wasn’t until 1895 that they played their first championship game, against Knockgraffon at Golden on August 11 in senior hurling, the only competition that was played at that time.

At that stage there was only one division in the county and not until 1901 was the county divided into North and South divisions. In 1907 the Mid division was formed and the West came into existence in 1930. Cashel played in the South and Mid divisions up to 1930 after which all their games were played in the West.

Hurling was always the preferred game in the club but football was also played, The first team in the parish to win a senior hurling championship was Racecourse, who won the South championship in 1909 and 1910. Cashel followed up by winning the South in 1913 and 1914. A South junior hurling championship was won in 1924 and a Mid junior football championship in the same year.

When Cashel King Cormacs became part of the West division in 1930 they won a junior hurling title in 1933 and followed up with five senior titles in 1934, 1936, 1937, 1939 and 1940. This was a great period in the club’s history. In all eighteen senior titles have been won with the nineties another great time, when titles were won in 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994 and 1995. This period was crowned with the greatest achievement of all, a county senior hurling title in 1991. Another major earlier achievement was the club’s first county junior hurling title in 1953, when the team was captained by John Eakins.

Some great club players have won honours with Tipperary at senior All-Ireland level. These include Jack Gleeson (1937), Jim Devitt (1945 & 1949), Peter O’Sullivan (1964, 1965, & 1971), Cormac, Colm and Conal Bonnar (1989 & 1991). Other players have won honours at National League, intermediate, under-21 and minor level.

Successful county championship winning captains are as follows: 1953 junior hurling, John Eakins, 1991 junior hurling, Raymie Davern; 1974 minor hurling, Gerry Mulligan, 1975 minor hurling, Pat Fitzell, 1980 minor hurling, John Barry, 1988 minor hurling, Brendan Murphy, 1989 minor hurling, Seanie Barron; 1976 intermediate football, Michael O’Grady; 1984 junior football, Peter Fitzell; 1990 under-21 football, Michael Perdue; 1991 senior hurling, Colm Bonnar; 1991 under-21 hurling, T. J. Connolly.

One of the most successful juvenile teams in the club was the under-13 team of 1969. Having won the West titles in hurling and football they went on to win the county final in football but were beaten by Ballina in the hurling final. They made up for this loss in 1970 by trouncing Holycross-Ballycahill by 6-4 to nil in the final. The team was responsible for Cashel’s modern resurgence and the panel was as follows: John Grogan (capt.), Michael Byrne (vice-captain), Gerry Mulligan, Jerome Whyte, Tony Slattery, Tommy Morrissey, Tommy Grogan, Liam O’Dwyer, Joe Minogue, Pat Fitzell, Billy Irwin, David Sullivan, Peter Savage, Don Higgins, Liam Guilfoyle, Tom O’Grady, Eoin O’Neill, Jerry Murphy, Michael Murphy, Michael Fitzgerald, Brendan Bonnar, Seamus Cawley, John Joe Morrissey, Michael O’Brien, Cormac Bonnar.

There were other G.A.A. clubs in the parish over the years and they came into existence in the following years: The Rock Crackers 1887, Racecourse 1887, Ballyfowloo 1915, Abbey Rangers 1941, Racecourse resurrected 1947, Knocknagow 1950, Rosegreen 1955 and 1980, Suir Rangers (Rosegreen/Rockwell Rovers) 1958, Crokes 1961, St. Mary’s Rosegreen/Rockwell Rovers) 1963.

For further information on the club consult the following books:

King, Seamus J.: G.A.A. History of Cashel & Rosegreem 1884-1984 (Cashel 1985)

Kennedy, J. J.: West Tipperary G.A.A. (Tipperary Town 2001)

King, Seamus J.: Cashel King Cormacs: G.A.A. History 1985-2005 (Cashel 2006)