Kilbrittain honour heroes of 1992/93

KILBRITTAIN’S heroes from the early 1990s took centre stage at Fernhill House Hotel last Saturday evening as the club celebrated a Silver Jubilee dinner.

There were a number of wins commemorated – in 1992, the club had won the Carbery and county JBFC titles and the county MAHC, with the club triumphant in the county minor B football in 1993.

Club chairman Denis Ryan welcomed everyone and outlined the exploits of 1992/93. He acknowledged also the West Cork-winning junior D footballers and junior C hurlers of 1993 and the players who won an All-Ireland senior hurling medal with Hamilton High School in 1993 as well.

He spoke of remembering the excitement of those years, especially the marathon minor hurling West Cork semi-final in 1992, when it took three games to separate Kilbrittain and Argideen Rangers. He acknowledged the camogie club, who won a third county title in a row in 1992, while the club won the intermediate hurling league and reached the county final, with the junior A Carbery final contested too. He congratulated the 2017 minor footballers, who made their own piece of history, winning the Rebel Óg West championship and league double. In a humorous address, county board vice-chairman Kevin O’Donovan said he remembered well the early 1990s, when Kilbrittain were the team to follow when representing West Cork. He spoke of the similarities of that time to more recent years, when hurling success closely followed football success for the club. 

O’Donovan paid tribute to Denis Healy, Denis O’Neill, the O’Connells who all played with Carbery and were ‘Gods in my house, with none more so than Micheál Holland.’ 

He said its important to remember that we are only here because of the legacy of these past players and mentors. He then congratulated the minors and urged them to ‘continue the tradition’.

Cork’s 2010 All-Ireland football-winning captain Graham Canty said that it is good to recognise the successes of the past, but also to see after the minors coming through as they are the future. The captain of the 1992 junior footballers, Tomás Brennan, and the minor footballers, Damien O’Driscoll, both gave entertaining accounts of the year. Padjoe O’Brien then addressed the crowd and thanked the committee for organising the night. He said he was lucky to become chairman at a very successful time. 

The 1992 victorious junior B football panel: John O’Donovan, John O’Neill, Finbarr Sheehy, Denis Healy, Noel Butler, Gerry O’Mahony, Owen Sexton, Denis O’Neill, John O’Connell, Fergal O’Mahony, Geoff O’Connell, Tomas Brennan (captain), Jeremy McSweeney, Dan O’Connell, Mícheál Holland, Denis Hayes, John O’Regan, David O’Sullivan, Pa Brennan, Bernard Madden, Liam O’Connell, Edward Sheehy, Raymond Hurley, Pat O’Neill, Jimmy O’Sullivan, Peter Dineen, Pat Burke, Derry Sheehy. Mentors: Kieran O’Driscoll, Frank Ahern, Micheal O’Donovan, Donal Desmond, John O’Donovan (Brownstown).

The 92/93 victorious minor panels: Oliver Harrington, Damien O’Driscoll (captain 1993), Adrian Hunt, Tadgh O’Mahony, Shane Wafer, Edward Sheehy, Aidan O’Connell, Fergal O’Mahony, Jeremy McSweeney, Cornelius O’Mahony (captain 1992), Ted Hallissey, Cormac O’Donoghue, Anthony O’Regan, Owen Sexton, Vincent O’Brien, Brian Dineen, Oliver Ahern, Kieran Kearney, Oliver O’Brien, Eamon Fleming, Diarmuid Hayes, Jeremiah O’Neill, Gerard Deasy, Adrian Harrington, Liam Ahern, Brian O’Connell, Oliver Ahern, Darragh O’Donoghue, Patrick Sexton, Seamus O’Mahony, Martin Fitzgerald, David McSweeney, James Deasy, John O’Brien, Fergal Keohane. Mentors: Micheál Holland, Michael O’Donovan, Pa Brennan.

The 2017 minor panel: Mikolaj Kalitka, Gavin Hodge, Eoghan Byrne, James O’Donovan, Padraig Galvin, Sam Dewey (captain), Kieran Murphy, Tomas Sheehan, Sean Sexton, Aaron Holland, Philip Wall, Mark Hickey, Bertie Butler, Oisin Dewey, Conor Hogan, Colm Sheehan, Gavin Kenny, Donagh Galvin, Kynan O’Hara, Aaron Fehilly, Jack O’Donovan, Seamus O’Sullivan, CJ O’Connell, Eoin Galvin, Cathal O’Sullivan, Darragh Considine. Mentors: Aidan O’Donoghue, Alan Hayes, Sean O’Connell.