Rangers hit the high notes to complete All-Ireland double

BY JOHN TARRANT

CARBERY Rangers firmly established themselves as leading lights in cultural activity after adding to their list of triumphs after capturing All-Ireland Scór Sinsir honours in Sligo.

In the GAA-promoted event, Rangers bridged a 27-year gap since a previous victory by a Cork team in the ballad Group when Buttevant took the honours in 1991. 

On doing so, Carbery Rangers wrote themselves in the record books, completing a rare Scór na nÓg and Scór Sinsir All-Ireland double in the one season after their U17 team collected accolades eight weeks earlier.

This is the first time any club has ever won the same discipline in both Scór na nÓg and Scór Sinsir in the one year.

There’s a cross-over between the two groups and there is one set of very proud grandparents in Rosscarbery in Michael and Mary O’Sullivan with six grandchildren between the two All-Ireland winning groups (four in the senior and two in the junior).

Once again, the green, white and yellow hoops of Carbery Rangers adorned a national staging after a splendid win to give Cork only their third title on the roll of honour and the Rebel county’s first piece of silverware since 2004.

A quintet comprising Seán O’Regan, Clare O’Regan, Sinéad O’Regan, Danny Collins and Ciara O’Gorman performed a double fare titled ‘Molly gCuach Ní Chuilleannain’ and ‘Eyes of an Irishman’. 

The Rosscarbery club held off the best intentions of Aughnasheelin (Leitrim), Carrickcruppen (Armagh) and St Patrick’s Ardagh (Longford) to claim a popular win.

GAA President John Horan was on hand to present silverware to the triumphant Rangers quintet that drew rapturous applause from a capacity attendance.

Carbery Rangers’ team member Sinéad O’Regan expressed delight at representing their club, county and province in an All Ireland Final.

‘We’re thrilled to win a first time All-Ireland senior title,’ she said.

‘Two years ago we had landed a Munster final and that experience gave us the incentive to go the extra step. To complete a double All-Ireland in the same season for the club is very special. Carbery Rangers is a great promoter of the Scór tradition, participating each year from its founding in 1969.’