HURLING in West Cork has always played second fiddle to football, and that is probably more true in the modern GAA than it ever was.

Whereas the ‘New Rules,’ Gaelic football, took hold in West Cork in 1887, three short years after the founding of the GAA itself, it was not until 1904 that hurling made an official appearance, the first championship being played in 1905.

There were periods when hurling may have seemed to overtake football, such as the early 1930s when a dominant O’Donovan Rossa reached three county junior finals in a row or the early 1950s when Bandon won the intermediate title. Newcestown have been doing their very best to promote hurling on a level pitch with football in recent years, as have Argideen, Bandon and Barryroe on the county scene but for the majority of clubs in Carbery, football is the dominant game.

When hurling did begin in 1905, it was in the south-east corner of the division that it took a grip with new hurling clubs like Kilbrittain, Bandon, Clogagh, Ballinadee, Innishannon, etc. taking part in the new championship. Skibbereen, the first club to play hurling in the whole of West Cork, were the exception to the south-east dominance. Later, Ballydehob, Dohenys and Bantry entered the hurling fray, but, overall, the area west of a line drawn from Dunmanway to Clonakilty remained barren territory as regards hurling. Incredibly, and controversially, little has changed in that respect in the past 100 years since the new Carbery Board was set up in 1925.

Kilbrittai captain Philip Wall raises the Munster cup. (Photo: Paddy Feen)

Efforts to promote hurling in the western region have peaked and waned down the years, never really gaining a firm foothold. In the 1990s, the then Bórd na nÓg catering for all underage games from U16 downwards, made a huge effort to promote the game among the non-hurling clubs and met with considerable success as almost every club in West Cork at that time made an effort to field underage hurling teams. It was looking so promising back then but, for various reasons, including lack of real support from higher authorities, that worthwhile effort fell away and most of the western clubs reverted to football only.

While clubs like Bantry and, especially, St Colum’s maintained the effort, it is now only possible by the amalgamation of those clubs. Football clubs that can field on their own need to amalgamate to make hurling teams. Clubs in the Skibbereen area had a good hurling project underway in the amalgamation of five or six clubs under the name St Patrick’s but that has now, sadly, disappeared. Skibbereen are making the effort to field on their own, thanks to the great work of a few dedicated hurling men like Alan Foley, principal of St Patrick's Boys' National School in the town.

Therein lies the real reason for the failure to promote hurling properly in the western clubs – the lack of experienced, dedicated hurling people in those clubs to coach and train teams. Providing those people from their own club resources is an area that the powers-that-be have never really zoned in on and their policy of sending in outside coaches for short periods of time is not working. In-club hurling coaching courses must be the first step in promoting hurling in our football-only clubs.

Now is a good time to begin such a project as hurling in West Cork is in the limelight, which is rare. The victory of Kilbrittain in the Munster junior hurling championship must be taken as the first modern stepping stone to promote hurling in the west.

Everybody with even the smallest interest in hurling in Carbery is aware that Kilbrittain’s achievement is unique in the hurling history of the division. Yes, St James back in 2005, won a Munster junior B hurling title but back then, that competition was run by a club, not officially by the Munster Council. St James’s own hurling story is a marvellous example of how hurling can thrive in a football only club when hurling people in the club itself take the matter in hand.

Kilbrittain have a proud history in hurling in Carbery. Founded in 1904 just to play in the new West Cork hurling championship, they were the dominant force for the first 35 years, surpassing even their neighbours Bandon. They, themselves, then entered a lean period for almost another 35 years until the mid-1970s when they re-emerged as the force they have maintained ever since.

Yes, in the past 50 years they have been up and down the grades, from junior to senior, as their potential ebbed and flowed, but they have never lost sight of their mission: to remain a strong hurling force not only in Carbery but in the county itself.

Of course they were fighting the odds all the way, just like Newcestown are also doing now, and the commonly held belief that there is no hurling west of the famous Viaduct hasn’t helped. Not only have they again given the lie to that bunkum but have proved that West Cork hurlers are good enough to win not only county hurling titles but also Munster titles.

The 1994 Carbery senior hurling team that won the division's only senior hurling title.

That must be a huge incentive to other strong hurling clubs like Newcestown, Bandon, Barryroe, Argideen, Ballinascarthy, Diarmuid Ó Mathúna and Kilbree. It must also act as a boost to hurling people in clubs like Clonakilty and Dohenys who struggle against the football tide on an annual basis.

Other hurling teams in football clubs like St Colum’s, St James, Gabriel Rangers, Bantry and O’Donovan Rossa must take encouragement from Kilbrittain’s achievement, and the unchartered journey by the Black and Amber into All-Ireland territory must receive prime coverage on all fronts here in West Cork.

When that journey is over – wherever it takes them – then the players who highlighted the saga must be asked to spread the gospel in the west, among the non-hurling clubs, like missionaries of old, visiting clubs, holding hurling workshops, coaching people in the clubs to take the initiative. Get them to join forces with well-known players like Luke Meade of Newcestown to spread the hurling gospel in summer camps, development squads, etc.

Back in 1994 the Carbery hurling team brought the Seán Óg Murphy senior hurling cup to Carbery for the only time. Hurling was at a fever pitch in the area which proved of great assistance to Bórd na nÓg in their hurling initiative at that time. Unfortunately, the people with the power to make a real difference did not grasp that opportunity and the effort fizzled out. That mistake must not be repeated again with Kilbrittain as Munster champions.

The Carbery Board and West Region Rebel Óg must now sit down with the Carbery GDAs and the Kilbrittain hurling people to plan a strategy going forward to get hurling into every club in Carbery.

There is already a sign of buds on the West Cork hurling tree. History repeats itself, they say. At the very beginning there was a gap of almost 20 years between the introduction of football and hurling to West Cork but hurling did take a foothold, at least in the east. Sciath na Scol football was introduced in 1991 in the primary schools of West Cork, a huge success, and it has taken Sciath hurling until recently to follow suit, a gap of over 30 years.

The West Cork Sciath hurling has been a growing success in recent seasons, again due to the efforts of a small dedicated band of primary teachers. This must be the building block for hurling in the east section of Carbery. Every child in every primary school in Carbery must be given the opportunity to hold a hurley in their hand, to play our great national sport, before they leave sixth class. Also introduced this year was the Lyons hurling cup for pupils in the first year of post-primary. Six schools took part and the target must be every secondary school in Carbery plus Beara. A very positive start has been made in the schools.

Now we have Munster champions here in West Cork, let's not waste the opportunity to give the promotion of hurling a real push forward by waving the Black and Amber flag all over the division. Kilbrittain abú, hurling abú!