The Great Christy Ring

“The Hay is saved and Cork are bet”
The thousands wildly sing,
They speak too soon, my sweet gorsoon
For here comes Christy Ring!

Cork county championship matches between Glen Rovers and UCC in the 1960s was no place for faint hearts. While the hurling was fast, furious and skilful, sparks often flew and more than one encounter ended up in an enquiry before the county board officials.

So when the crowd assembled in the old Cork Athletic Grounds in 1967 (pre Páirc Uí Chaoimh days) for the latest chapter in the Glen/UCC saga there was a sense that something special could enfold before them.

I went out on to the field during the playing of the National Anthem to photograph Christy close up

I was there with my camera to record the action and – brazen enough – I went out on to the field during the playing of the National Anthem to photograph Christy close up. I was too shy to photograph him ‘full-on’ and so placed the camera on the ground behind him and got one of my most treasured photographs.

The game was a dour enough struggle and pretty uneventful with Glen Rovers winning through to the next round. (No losers groups in those days!) and as the supporters trooped home afterwards they may have been just a little disappointed that they had seen nothing special.

But – unknown to ourselves at the time – we had been present at a very special occasion in the history of the GAA. After 27 years of senior championship combat, we had seen Christy Ring play his last game of hurling!

Even though Glen Rovers won the game and, so, proceeded to the next round, Christy quietly contacted the club later in the week to tell them it was all over: he was retiring from the game he had graced for so long.

Glen Rovers Team 1967

Back, from left: Denis O’Riordan; Patsy Harte; Denis Coughlan; Mick Lane; Maurice Twomey; Dave Moore; Jerry O’Sullivan; Tom Corbett.

Front, from left: Mick Kenneally; Jackie Daly; John Young; Seanie Kennefick (Capt.); Bill Carroll; Christy Ring; Finbarr O’Neill