On 02-06-2010, One of the former founders of Gleann na Laoi, (and last surviving original member) Bertie Mitchell, met Kevin Mackey and Neil Murphy at the Rest Bar Kerry Pike. He gave us a 3-page account of how our club was formed………
The first Gleann na Laoi match was a challenge against Inniscarra, and this was played in O’Briens field in Coolymurraghue. Team captain was Danny Sullivan. After a few years we moved our pitch to Wood’s field at the back of the Anglers Rest pub. (Opposite Johnny Cahalane’s gate).
In the early years, weekly meetings were held in Paddy Mackey’s Forge at Mackey’s Cross. This location was chosen not alone for its convenience to both Kerry Pike and Clogheen, but during the cold winter nights, it retained the warmth from the fires of the days work at the forge.
Monthly mid Cork meetings were held at various locations, but mostly at Coachford. Sean Mc Carthy of Healy’s Bridge remembers on many occasion travelling to Coachford on his bike, with Denis Collins on the crossbar! They used to take turns peddling a few miles until the person on the crossbar couldn’t stand the pain in the arse any longer and then they would swap!
Sean also said that in the 1950’s, Denis Healy used to bring the supporters to the matches in his truck. There was no health and safety back then, but the truck had high sides on it so that the supporters couldn’t fall out after drinking on the way home!
1950 Gleann na Laoi Win the Double!
Gleann na Laoi, 1950 Mid Cork Minor Fottball and Hurling Champions!
Included in Picture, Denis Murray, Edmond Murphy, Sean Mc Carthy, Michael Looney, Pat o Connor, Jackie Horgan, Joe Harrington, Dan O Mahony, Paddy Harrington, Franky Couts, Jamsey Murray, John Kelleher, Paddy o Sullivan, Jerry Murphy, Con Murphy, Paddy o Mahony,Danny o Flynn, Billy Sheehan, Tom Bogue, Paddy Horgan, Johnny Forrest. Odsey Mahony, Mick Halloran, According to Johnny Couts, he thinks that the young man 2nd from left on the front row is Downey Killard.
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This ‘Photo of Gleann na Laoi minor team that took part in the Toastal Games was taken in 1958 at Blarney square with Blarney Barracks in the background.
Back L-R, Dick Walshe, Mick O’Connor, Dan Healy, Alan McGregor, Mick Walsh, John Kenny, Teddy O’ Connor, Denis Murphy, Michael O’Donoghue, Jerry Desmond, Alec Harrington, Kevin o’Donoghue, Francis Couts, Jack Kavanagh, Joe O’ Sullivan.
Front L-R, John Kavanagh, Joe Bradley, Tim O’Connor, Fr. Mc Sweeney, Michael Kavanagh, John Buckley, Pat Joe Mc Sweeney, John O’Sullivan.
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The Team Below were the CIE All Ireland inter-firm Champions in the 1960's.
See if you can pick out a former Gleann na Laoi star!
1970's
In the 1970’s, Kevin Mackey played his first game for Gleann na Laoi. He was 17 years old, and had just finished playing Harty Cup with North Mon, when his father Mick asked him to play for Gleann na Laoi as they were short in numbers. Mick was the goalkeeper at the time, and the match was against Ballincollig. Gleann na Laoi started with 13 players, this was allowed, but the rule was that you had to have 15 players to start the 2nd half, or else the opposition would get the match. With this in mind, a Car was sent to the Rest Pub, to see if there were any players available. John Coots and Richard Kearney came to the rescue, and both played stormers with a considerable amount of alcohol in their system! Kevin kept up the Mackey tradition with Gleann na Laoi for many years, and he had the great pleasure of playing in the same team as his son Wesley before he himself retired.
In 1975, Gleann na Laoi won the mid-Cork Under 14 championship. Pictured below are, Mick Fitzgibbon presenting the cup to Kieran Mc Carthy who was captain. Picture was taken in Pairc ui Chaoimh.
Mick Fitzgibbon also Presented Gleann na Laoi Minor Player of the year award to Michael o Sullivan in 1976. Picture taken at Pairc ui Chaoimh.
In the mid 1970’s, Gleann na Laoi joined forces with Our Lady’s Hospital, and played in the city division from 1975-1980.
The late 1970's was a very difficult period for Gleann na Laoi, and because of the economic situation in Ireland, alot of our young people emigrated. It was very hard to fulfill fixtures, as we simply did not have adequate numbers, but it was not for the want of trying. In 1978, we had a football championship game, but we only had 11 players. The word went out in the parish, and Dan O Sullivan (RIP) came to the rescue. He went into Cork and collected a Car full of Rugby Players, that had played with his son Donie, earlier on in the season. We won that game, mainly from the contribution of Moss Finn, Jimmy Bowen, (Both Irish Internationals) Brian Clifford (International Swimmer) and Mick O Sullivan (RIP)
1980's
In 1984, Gleann na Laoi was reformed, with a mixture of golden oldies, and a new generation of young players, who were interested in bringing back Hurling and Football to the locality. Billy Bell, Frankie o Callaghan, Kevin Mackey and Frank Lyons were very involved in reviving the club.
This mothley crew were involved at the first training session of the re-formed Gleann na Laoi in 1984. (Was the dog any good Christy?)
The ‘photo below was taken in the mid 1980’s at our pitch at Our Lady’s Hospital
Back Left, Jamesie Kavanagh, David Lynch, Stephen Kearney, Pat o Sullivan, Stephen Mulcahy, Ger Buckley, Gary Mackey, John Leahy, Mick o Regan, John Mackey.
Front Left; Kieran Lynch, Damien Mc Carthy, Pat o Regan, Kevin Mackey, Kevin Buckley, Johnny Long, and Neil Murphy.
Field and Playing facilities at Kerrypike - Recent History.
Pairc Baile Ui Chainin. (Ballycannon Park).
The Community Centre, Tennis /Basketball facilities and Field are a recent addition to the Clogheen/Kerrypike area and work is ongoing to create a centre of excellence. The following is a brief summary of the development from the area formerly known as The Bog.
At the Community AGM on the 22nd January 1987 Fr. Diarmaid Linehan PP Clogheen/Kerrypike declared the Church intention to hand over the Old School to the Clogheen/Kerrypike community Association for one year. This hand over commenced the work on Leisure and Playing facilities at Kerrypike. Over the following months the Building was developed into a usable Hall and Community Centre. While this building was being developed throughout 1987 suggestions were put forward to try and secure suitable grounds for a play area. On the 7/4/1987 the area known as the bog adjacent to the community centre was proposed.
At the meeting of 5/5/1987 the chairman Louis Murphy informed the committee that the Bog comprising of 7/8 acres could be purchased for £12,000-£14,000 from the owner Richard Walsh. On 2nd June 1987 the committee were updated that the land could be bought for £12,000 and Richard Walsh had agreed to give the Community first option. A public meeting to acquaint all the community was fixed for 29th September 1987.
On the 29th September 1987 the Chairman Louis Murphy put forward the plan to purchase the land for £12,000. The meeting was well attended and many contributed. The Chairman appealed to the meeting to approve the purchase and explained that the present playing pitches at Clogheen were due to be sold by the SHB. At that time the Community and the local GAA club Gleann na Laoi had the use of lands owned by the SHB at Clogheen.
The plan to purchase the land was ratified. Over the following months a draw was held to fund the land purchase.
The conversion of the old school and the purchase of land for playing facilities was a welcome addition as the area had a growing young population, the school attendance was approximately 250 and most of them were from within the parish/community. The development of a playing field was a late development for this area as almost all parishes/communities in Ireland had a playing field. The area purchased was not a simple project and as the old name (Bog) suggests, it required a lot of work and expertise.
The area of land between the laneway and the present dugouts was relatively dry, albeit it was a maze of French drains and natural springs. The French drains had been constructed by inmates from Our Lady’s hospital and the water from the surrounding hills flowed into this area. The remaining portion of the land on the south side was mostly a bog and several stories abound about cows and livestock getting stuck there and having to be pulled out by a local meitheal consisting of neighbours and friends.
Throughout 1988 work continued to landfill, level and drain this area. In 1989 tennis / basketball courts were proposed and a lot of voluntary labour was forthcoming to help with the courts and field work. The ongoing facilities were urgently needed as the growing young population had no recreation area. The field levelling and drainage continued throughout 1989 and drains were input to to cater for springs. The work on the field consisted of local volunteers and some small contracts. Top soil and fill was secured from apple and other building sites and used to level the field. In early 1990 Cork County Council were critical of the way the field was being drained and levelled and this was annoying to the community association.
In 1990 in the northern section of the field one set soccer goalposts were erected. There was no soccer club in the parish and the field was used by the local youth club and local youth. In 1991 a 35 year lease was taken out on the Community Centre and the Tennis / Basketball Courts were finalised. The field development continued to the south and the plan was to turn the soccer area west to east to make way for a GAA field. There was a main drain going through this area from the monument to the river and this often caused flooding and was a cause of great concern.
Through 1991, 1992 and 1993 the field development rumbled along with scarce fill and top soil being delivered and levelled with a JCB and manual volunteers. The local youth used the green area and soccer goalposts to play and kick ball. The field was approximately half size and was used by the local camogie club and juvenile GAA. Many juvenile and camogie matches were played there. The main drain was a major problem and relief drains had to be dug to relieve flooding.
It was proving difficult to get the Council to lay planned 18inch pipes to convey this stream under the field. The local volunteers infilled the drain with stone and cavity blocks and this worked well during the dry months. The six wet months were a different story and the field was like a sponge. The new field which had been levelled and filled in gave a clear view now why this area was called a bog. Water flowed freely from storm drains from the nearby houses and this combined with natural springs made this a most difficult project. The demand for a sewer grew even louder. Trojan work had been done by local volunteers , including children for a number of years and the area was a great bonus. It was also agreed with a local neighbour to purchase a strip of land leading from the Community Centre to the Field. As time moved on the work for volunteers became less and the main drain and drainage required expertise, skill and equipment.
Throughout 1994 the field was extended further, however the main middle drain was a major obstacle. This drain in the past was an open drain which conveyed the water from the monument streams to the bog and river. It was now filled in with stone and block and during the dry months was adequate. During heavy rain the three streams arriving at the monument turn into a flash flood and the drain could not take this water. In april 1994 and again in November the water burst forth and caused a lot of damage to the recently developed field. The assistance of the Council was urgently demanded to alleviate the situation, however it was number of years later before assistance was given as the council did not react well to solicitor letters. During 1993, 1994 and 1995 the GAA members on the committee were urged to get more help involved and complete the field and there were many calls for new volunteers.
In spring 1995 the chairman Louis Murphy resigned suddenly from the Association and this left a void in the development of the area. The association ticked over that year and each month rotated the chair as no one was willing to take same. Throughout 1995 the grass was not cut and turned into hay and the flood damage was not repaired . The association wrote to all groups in the Community – ICA, parents association, GAA, Tennis & Basketball - to become involved and help development. The committee had put in many years of hard work and lay the foundations for a Community Centre, Field and Play area. In 1996 some new members joined the association and Dermot Sheedy was elected chairman.
The association were in dire straits , were £500 in the red and the Community Centre and Field required thousands to rectify. The new committee commenced major fundraising over the next two years and completely re vamped the Community Centre and built three dressing rooms and showers. The deal to purchase the local strip of land fell through. The Council were canvassed and negotiations re opened to drain the field. In 1997 the Council provided sufficient 18inch pipes to convey the water under the field and the Association funded the laying of them. The infilling and levelling continued, however it became Very obvious that the water flow onto the field area was an enormous obstacle. Every fund raising option - grants, council, lotto, local collections, lotteries were utilised each year.
In 1999 it was proposed to lease the field to the local GAA club , Gleann na Laoi to continue the development as they would have access to GAA grants and they could specialise in this development , leaving the association to concentrate on the Centre, footpaths, roads and sewerage etc.. The field was leased for five years and the small GAA committee under the expertise of Ger O Mahony and Con Lucey commenced drainage and development. A full length 4ft drain was input between the field and houses on the west side. This large drain was often full with water and indeed at a later date another large drain parallel to it has to put in place to take the extra water from springs and French drains. Both drains were fitted with drainage pipes and filled with stone The first drain is approximately under the walk and the second drain is running parallel to the fence.
It took a further two years of infill, drainage and levelling to construct a full size field. In 2002 the field was opened and local teams , juvenile, junior and school began using same. It was a particular advantage to the school as they never had a field for sciath na scol games and played all their matches away. It also helped juveniles from 5 years upwards to learn and play games. The field was fenced in and retain netting put in place. Approximately £100,000 was spent on this development.
In 2004 even with all the drains the field was quite wet during bad weather. The field was closed and a major surface drainage system was input. This consisted of a horizontal drain every 8 ft and several feeder drains fed into them. The field was closed for twelve months and approximately another €120,000 was spent. The field was opened again and was in splendid condition . Gleann na Laoi took out a twenty one year lease on the field and developments are ongoing. This community group had now worked tirelessly, manually, fundraising and securing reasonable plant machinery for 14 years and had provided the Community with a fine Community Centre, field, sewer and footpaths and now had a healthy bank balance after major fund raising, donations and lotto applications.
In 2010 Alice Conroy took over as chairperson and new members volunteered. The Community Association and the GAA have recently added, dugouts, a fine walk and footpath, entrance gate and wall, park benches, trees and a surface water drain. Plans are being put in place to continue improvements in this area and before long a new chapter will be added.
1986 Under 12 Squad with Trainers, Frankie o’Callaghan and Frank Lyons.
Back Row; D. Healy, R. O'Donovan, E.O'Leary, D.O'Brien, R.Walshe, D.O'Gorman, W.Bell, J.Carter, T. Finn.
Middle Row; P. Murphy, K.Fitzgerald, A. O'Connor, L. Buckley, P. Cafferkey, B. Ahern, G. Walsh.
Front Row; E.Mc Cann, A. Raymond, R. Goggin, D. Lyons, R. Mc Sweeney, B. Walshe, D. Mc Sweeney, B. Cotter, J. Neville.
In 1988, this certificate was presented to Sean Mc Carthy (Healy’s Bridge) by Chairman, Frankie o’ Callaghan for 50 years service to Gleann na Laoi.
In 1988 Gleann na Laoi won the mid Cork Junior B Football championship
In 1990 Our Under 21 Hurlers beat Ballinora to win the mid cork championship by 3-3 to 1-7
1993
1993 Hurling Panel pictured at Our Lady’s Hospital with their coach Sean Mc Carthy.
1993 Gleann na Laoi win mid Crrk Football Chanpionship !
2002
Gleann Na Laoi Mid Cork Finalists 2002
Back L to R, Jeff Walsh, Terry o Donovan, Mick o Sullivan, John Cunningham, Andrew Hassett, Alan Curtin, Stephen o Riordan, John Twomey, William Bell, Eoin Walshe, Wesley Mackey, David Walshe, Dan Curtin, Denis Lucey, Tony o Leary RIP, Billy Bell, Dermot Sheedy,
Front L to R, Dessie Murray, Don o Shea, Eoin Kerrigan, Donal Desmond, Derek Healy, David Haly, Seamus o Leary, Eoin o Leary, Richie o Donovan, Don Ryan, Stephen Sheedy.
2009 Richie o Donovan Scores a point!
2010 Mid Cork Junior B Champions ! 
2013, The best year in our History!
The year 2013 will go down as the greatest year in the history of Gleann na Laoi Hurling and Football Club. We won the Mid Cork Junior League title, beating Grenagh in the Final in Blarney by 6 points, after going through all the League undefeated. Then, we won the mid Cork Hurling Championship beating Cloghduv in a great final.
Excellent fare as Gleann Na Laoi regain Junior ‘B’ Hurling title.
(Article Courtesy of Aubert Twomey, Irish Examiner)
Gleann Na Laoí.....1-14,
Cloughduv.............1-11.
The roller coaster ride continues for the Gleann Na Laoí junior ‘B’ hurlers as their victory in the final of the Junior ‘B’ Hurling League, last Sunday week, was followed on Sunday last by a well merited championship final victory over Cloughduv .The Championship final took place at Ovens and those of us who were in attendance were fortunate to witness one of the best Junior ‘B’ hurling finals of recent years with the Clogheen side in particular surprising all of us with the quality of their play.
Gleann Na Laoí were defeated in the 2012 Junior ‘B’ Hurling Championship final by Blarney following a replay and it was a good sign of the players’ character that they again reached the ultimate stage this season, but entering last Sunday’s encounter slightly as underdogs there was a worry that they would have to endure another final defeat. Their determination to avoid another disappointment was clearly in evidence following the throw in however and it continued throughout the contest.
Cloughduv scored first when their best forward Dave McCarthy raised a white flag in the second minute but there was an immediate response from their opponents. Their free taker Jamie Luby sent the sliothar between the uprights from two placed balls and Ronan McMahon was on target from play so a competitive contest was very much in the offing. Gleann Na Laoi led on a 0-4 to 0-2 scoreline following ten minutes of action but they then suffered a set-back when a good bout of play by their opponents yielded a major. Donal Murphy, Charles Kenneally and David McCarthy combined well for the latter to find the Gleann Na Laoi net but there was no question of capitulation by the Clogheen side and they embarked on a bout of superb point scoring. The winners had eleven points on the board by the interval so they faced the second moiety leading by 0-11 to 1-5.
The slight advantage favoured Cloughduv when the action resumed and their position improved when minors from Dave McCarthy and Denis O’Sullivan reduced the arrears to the minimum but they were unable to get on level terms. Both sides scored two more points before the end of the third quarter as Gleann Na Laoi determinedly retained their one point advantage and the Clogheen side then got the all important score that titled the balance in their favour. Excellent approach work by the inform Jamie Luby created a goal scoring opportunity for full-forward Brian Kearney who duly found the Cloughduv net. Thirteen minutes still remained at that stage but Gleann Na Laoí’s four points advantage was significant as they were playing with confidence. Denis O’Sullivan, from an awkward angle got a point back for Cloughduv in the 50th minute but defences were on top during the subsequent playing time. The only additional scores prior to the final whistle were a Jamie Luby minor for Gleann Na Laoí and a similar score for Cloughduv from Denis O’Sullivan.
The former consequently were well merited victors by a three points’ margin following an excellent hour’s entertainment. Gleann Na Laoí now have three Junior ’B’ hurling titles to their credit, 1988, 2010 and 2013 and one player Michael Cafferkey had the distinction of performing in all three victories.
Scorers:-
Gleann Na Laoí, Jamie Luby (0-6 [0-4 frees]), Ronan McMahon (0-2), Brian Kearney (1-0), Colm Horgan (0-2 [0-1 free]), Rory Coote, Ronan Desmond, Billy Dunlea and Derek Healy (0-1 each).
Cloughduv, Dave McCarthy (1-3), Donal Murphy (0-3 [0-2 frees]), Denis O’Sullivan (0-3), Ger Ahern and Michael Deasy (0-1 each).
Gleann Na Laoí, Pio Cafferkey, Ger Fitzgerald, Tadhg Desmond, Denis Lucey, Padraig Bowles, Michael Cafferkey, Graham Desmond, Derek Healy, Ronan Desmond, Rory Coote, Colm Horgan, Ronan McMahon, Billy Dunlea, Brian Kearney, Jamie Luby. Subs.:- Kieran Downey for Denis Lucey, Wesley Mackey for Rory Coote, Rory Coote for Ronan McMahon.
Cloughduv, Robert Nyhan, Daniel O’Sullivan, Billy Creedon, William Crowley, Michael Dunne, Aidan Ahern, Aidan Murphy, Ger Ahern, Donal Murphy, Charles Kenneally, Michael Deasy, James McCarthy, Dave McCarthy, Peter Kelleher, Denis O’Sullivan. Subs.:- Tom O’Mahony for Peer kelleher.
Referee, Jerry Masters (Kilmichael).
