1923-1934
Junior hurling team,
West Cork Champions 1923/24/25/26/27/28/30. Front (l to r): P Roche, C Crowley, E O'Hea, J Roche,
Middle (l to r): J Ahern, M O'Hea, E Young, Garda Mulhall, D O'Hea, C Harrington, J McCarthy Back (l to r): J Cummins, Fr Coakley, J Barrett, Dan O'Hea, Tadgh Murphy, John O'Brien, Jimmy Barrett, Dr H O'Callaghan, Mr Murray N.T., S Roche 1923-1934Following the setting up of the Free State Government and the Civil War, the return to normal living coupled with the return of the great Jim Ahern from the United States, Kilbrittain GAA club was reformed again in late 1922. In 1923 the club enterd the West Cork hurling championship and the South East league. It was in this league in a game played in Garretstown against Kinsale, the famous Black and Amber vertical stripes were worn for the first time.
It is unclear as to how the colours were decided on. One credible story pertains to a native of Kilkenny by the name of Mackessy who was employed as manager in the Kilbrittain branch of the Cork and Kerry creamery at the time. He offered to supply a set of jerseys as there were no funds available, hence the 'Black and Amber' choice. Wearing these new colours, Kilbrittain made an immediate impact in the championship by winning the championship. This was the start of a 'golden era' for the club as they went on to win every championship up to 1930 with the exception of 1929 when they were beaten in the final. 1923 It was at Garrettstown in a league game against Kinsale, that Kilbrittain first wore the Black and Amber jersey that would for many years to come, be feared and respected by clubs such as Tracton, Ballymartle, Kinsale, Innishannon, Bandon , Clonakilty and Skibbereen. Kilbrittain having reformed for the 1923 championship were represented at the draw in July by Micheal O'Hea and John O'Brien. Micheal O'Hea was elected as secretary of the Board. Kilbrittain beat Dunmanway in one semi-final. Bandon and Clonakilty contested the second semi-final but confusion reigned over the fixture as the Board decided that both teams fielded illegal players. Kilbrittain were declared the winners of the championship. They contested the concluding stages of the County Intermediate championship before losing to eventual county champions Geraldines. 1924 In 1924 Kilbrittain defeated Knockavilla and were fixed to play Skibbereen in the intermediate football championship. The game was to go ahead in Dunmanway on 24th August. Skibbereen turned up and were awarded the game by the referee as kilbrittain did not show. Kilbrittain argued they did not get notice of the game. The West Cork Division committee refixed the match for Dunmanway on September 7th. On this occasion Skibbereen failed to turn up! The committee left it to the County Board to fix a date and venue. Subsequently the final was postponed. Skibbereen were eventually awarded the match with Kilbrittains consent and reached the county final where they were defeated by Mallow. In hurling, Kilbrittain defeated Bandon but Bandon objected to the County Board and the Board objections committee decided the objection was not lodged in accordance with rule and there being also a conflict of dates. This cleared the way for a West Cork hurling final between Kilbrittain and Knockavilla which was fixed for Bandon in November. In similar circumstances to the football scenario, Knockavilla failed to turn up and the referee Mr. Ned Murphy awarded the game to Kilbrittain. Kilbrittain were defeated by Passage in the county intermediate hurling championship in Kinsale in December on a scoreline of passage 8-01 to Kilbrittain 1-02. 1925 In 1925 Kilbrittain again reached the South West Cork Junior hurling final against Innishannon. The final was played in Kinsale on August 16th. On this occasion there was no walk over, and Kilbrittain emerged winners by a goal after a very close contest. Final score read Kilbrittain 3-01 Innishannon 2-01. 1926 1926 saw an early start to playing for Kilbrittain with record of a West Cork hurling league game on January 9th. Kilbrittain were at home to Kinsale. A large crowd saw Kilbrittain maintaining their unbeaten run as they prepared for the 1925 county campaign. That campaign saw Kilbrittain meet Midleton at the Athletic Grounds on February 27th. Kilbrittain were brought down to earth with a bang as they were well beaten on the day. Midleton scoring 5-02 with Kilbrittain failing to score. Team v Midleton: J Barrett (capt.), E Barrett, J Barrett, David O'Hea, E O'Hea, Daniel O'Hea, Con Crowley, P Roche, J Roche, J Ahern, T hallissey, T Holland, John O'Brien, P Donoghue, M Sullivan, C Harrington. The South Cork Convention was held in Bandon on St.Patricks day. Dan O'Hea was elected Vice Chairman. the other officers elected were, Chairman Sean Forde (Knockavilla), Secretary J Murphy (Innishannon), Treasurer J.J.Phelan (Bandon). the chairman of the County Board congratulated the division and showed there was sufficient funds to provide a set of medals for the league winners which were Kilbrittain in hurling and Bandon in football. It was decided to call the area South West Cork as Clonakilty were now in the area. South West Cork Double! Kilbrittain defeated Innishannon in the first round of the hurling and got a bye in the football championship. Kilbrittain met Clonakilty in the South West Cork hurling final played on July 24th and won 3-04 to 1-01. The 1926 championship continued into January 1927 with Kilbrittain reaching the semi-final of the county championship where they met College Rovers, (later to become U.C.C.). Over the long years of the clubs existence, football has always taken a back seat to hurling. Indeed football has been described as a means of preparation in getting a team fit for the hurling championship. It was due to an error by the club secretary that a football team was entered for the championship. The divisional secretary received two applications in conjunction with the junior hurling championship. Kilbrittain withdrew one application but were advised by the officers of the Board to leave both stand and to enter a junior football team along with the hurling. The request was accepted by the club and much to their surprise and no doubt the surprise of the South West division, they reached the final. Like the hurling final, Kilbrittain also met Clonakilty in the football final which ended in a draw. On the 15th August, they played a replay in Clonakilty. Kilbrittain emerged victorious by a narrow one point margin with the final score reading Kilbrittain 0-4 Clonakilty 1-0, becoming the first winners of this competition under the auspices of the new South West board. Not only that, they reached the county final which was played in early 1927 where their opponents were Geraldines. 
Dan O'Hea, former player and South West Cork Board vice-chairman.
Pictured in 1926 with his winners medal pinned on his waistcoat. 1927 In January Kilbrittain drew with College rovers in the 1926 junior hurling county semi-final after a great contest, 3-02 each. Unfortunately a couple of weeks later Kilbrittain were beaten in the replay. On March 26th Kilbrittain met Skibbereen in the Junior hurling championship where they won well 7-01 to 1 goal. In early April Kilbrittain beat Macroom in the semi-final of the football championship in the 'Bogs' in Bandon Bandon Notes April 1927 Kilbrittain met Geraldines in the county final in April when they played a draw. The replay in Bandon ended in another draw and the second replay was played at the High Road, Upton. Geraldines finished as victors with heartbreak in defeat for Kilbrittain
County Football Final (1926) Kilbrittain 2-1 Geraldines 2-1 On August 6th Kilbrittain met Knockavilla in the South West Cork hurling final. The expected keen contest did not materialise and Kilbrittain had a runaway victory. The county rounds dragged on in to 1928.
1928 Kilbrittain progressed in the 1927 county championship and on 12th March contested the county final against Ballincollig. Unfortunately Kilbrittain were to lose their second county final in twelve months. County Hurling final (1927) Ballincollig 4-0 Kilbrittain 3-1 There was no time to lament the loss of the County final as the 1928 championship season was around the corner. The championship was divided into "East" and "West". On the 24th June Kilbrittain defeated Belgooly in the final of the Eastern section 2-3 to 0-2.
Several hundred spectators turned up to a league encounter between Kilbrittain and Skibereen on 28th August. Kilbrittain who had been unbeaten in quite a while were forced to bite the dust by a young Skibbereen team who won 2-2 to 1-3. Kilbrittain were to gain revenge the following month when they defeated Skibereen in a reply in the S.W. Cork championship final on 18th september 5-2 to 1-4. Kilbrittain met Ballinora in the first round of the county championship on November 10th in Bandon. A large crowd saw Kilbrittain advance beating Ballinora 7-1 to 5-1. The long year in hurling finally came to an end for Kilbrittain on 16th December in the second round of the County championship when Kilbrittain were well beaten by the eventual champions of that year St. Annes on a scoreline of 9-3 to 3-3. 1929 By June 1929 the tag of invincibility which surrounded this grup of players backboned by the O'Hea's, Barrett's and Roche's was beginning to erode as they were held to a draw by Clonakilty in the semi-final of the championship at Bandon on a scoreline of 1-3 each. However Kilbrittain won the replay but lost out to Bandon in the final having won the previous six in-a-row. Kilbrittain: J Barrett(capt), E Barrett, John Barrett, P Roche, J Roche, N Mulhall, T Murphy, J Coughlan, Dan O'Hea, David O'Hea, E O'Hea, M O'Hea, C Crowley, J Cummins, E Young. A story quoted by Seamus O'Riain in his book 'A Club and a Tradition' concerns the 1929 final. It seems the goalie was known to take a drink or two or three before games to steady his nerves. However to make sure he remained sober, a few 'minders' were detailed to keep him away from the brew before the final. This they did but he didn't have the greatest of games and the lack of porter was blamed for losing the 1929 final against Bandon and the oppurtunity of seven in-a-row! 1930 Following their surprise exit from the championship in 1929 Kilbrittain were back on the road again in 1930. They defeated Bandon's second string as Bandon's first team had won the county and were now in the Intermediate grade. They defeated Clonakilty in the semi-final played at Bandon and reached the final once again, this time against Valley Rovers. It was around this time particularly in rural areas, when summer came around, a lot of parishes featured hurling/football tournaments which were very popular and well attended. Teams from outside parishes, town-lands or neighbourhoods took part in these tournaments. Names like Ballinadee, Barleyfield, Clogagh, Crossmahon, Dunderrow, Knockskeagh and Lislee were regular entrants in tournaments within a ten mile radius of Kilbrittain. These events, forerunners to the later carnivals, created great interest for the people of the areas. It was one of these tournaments in 1930 where Kilbrittain regained their winning ways in preparation for the championship. Kilbrittain Hurling tournament Semi-Final Kilbrittain met Eire Og in the final of the tournament played on 9th June. Much interest was taken in the match with the result that despite many counter attractions, the gate receipts were the largest taken during the tournament. The large crowd was treated to a sparkling display with the standard of hurling reaching a much higher level than expected from juniors. Kilbrittain won with a narrow 2-3 to 1-5 victory.
On July 26th, the championship semi-final against Clonakilty drew a large crowd to Bandon. Fine weather a splendid pitch and a clean contest made it an enjoyable hour for the spectators. Kilbrittain won after a keen struggle, but were it not for the sound play of D O'Hea and Con Crowley especially in the first half, a different story might be told. They qualified for the divisional final where they would meet Valley Rovers. S.W. Divisional Final Kilbrittain v Valley Rovers 
South West Junior Hurling Champions 1930 A couple of weeks later on October 26th, in the first round of the county championship, any hopes of adding the county title to the South West were firmly dashed by a superior Kinsale fifteen who were victorious on a scoreline of Kinsale 7-2 Kilbrittain 1-3
1931 Hoping to retain their S.W. championship in 1931, Kilbrittain were paired with Kilmeen in the first round which was played in Enniskeane on April 26th. Kilbrittain were in mean form beating Kilmeen well on a scoreline of Kilbrittain 12-3 Kilmeen 6-1. They then met Dunmanway in the semi-final which was played in July. Kilbrittain emerged narrow winners after a close game by a point, Kilbrittain 2-2 Dunmanway 1-4. After dominating the previous number of years, Kilbrittain relinquished the title on September 5th to Skibereen in Clonakilty. This was Skibereens first West Cork title. West Cork Hurling Championship Final Kilbrittain v Skibbereen On october 24th the final of the Kilbrittain Novice Hurling tournament was decided at Kilbrittain, when Timoleague defeated Lislee by 4 points after a well contested and interesting game. On their way to the final the winners disposed of Clonakilty and Ballinadee while Lislee defeated the home team Kilbrittain and Dunderrow after a drawn game. The final was the best of the season although Timoleague were slightly superior all through before finishing on a scoreline of Timoleague 2-2 Lislee 1-3.
1932 Kilbrittain met Clonakilty in the first round of the championship. For the first time since the inauguration of the West Cork Hurling Championship, the Kilbrittain hurlers went out at the first round stage in April. They were decisively beaten by Clonakilty in Enniskeane. A younger more superior Clonakilty team were formidable opponents for the Black and Amber veterans. the final score read Kilbrittain 3-2 Clonakilty 9-1. the team read: E Barrett, C Crowley, P Roche, J Roche, D Roche, T Murphy, T Flood, D Hallinan, J Deasy, C Harrington, D O'Hea, Dan O'Hea, M Long, P Holland. This group of players, most of whom were an integral part of nine South West championship campaigns prior to this defeat by Clonakilty, winning eight titles including one football and finalists in the ninth, were now heading into the veteran stage. In tandem with these successes there were four County Finals counting both replays in football, so it was obvious that these exploits for almost a decade were taking there toll and that a "Golden Era" in the clubs fortunes was coming to an end. It appears that perhaps due to the early exit of the hurlers, the football team took centre stage during 1932. The following report was the first reference to any football championship played since the county final defeat in 1927. Kilbrittain v Barley Hill In July they overcame Farnivane in Bandon and qualified to meet Barryroe in the grade "B" football semi-final which was also played in Bandon in October.
Kilbrittain 3-3 Barryroe 2-0 It was another month before the final was played in Dunmanway. Kilbrittain met Glengarriffe on November 19th and were well beaten by the men from the west. The score, Glengarriffe 4-2 Kilbrittain 0-2 does not represent the merits of Kilbrittain who offered stout resistance in a fast excellent game. There was some really excellent football but occasionally the play was strenuous. Glengarriffe lead at the break 2-1 to 0-1 and registered a point on the resumption. A sustained Kilbrittain attack yielded a point but the westerners defence prevented more scores while their more economic play added two more goals.
At Clonakilty a month later, Blarney beat Kilbrittain 7-2 to 4-0 in the semi-final of the Kilmeen Gold Medal hurling tournament. A good spirited game throughout but the victorious team showed superior skill and training. 1933 An interesting account of a South West Cork Board meeting held in Dunmanway early in 1933 gives an insight into the workings of the local GAA affairs of the time. As well as the usual business of draws, objections and fixtures, the board dealt with such problems running 'foreign' dances under the guise of amusement when everybody knew that the GAA clubs were the beneficiaries.. There was also discussions on the formation of camoige clubs in the area. Kilbrittain delegates at the meeting were Rev. Fr. Coffey C.C., Dr. H O'Callaghan, Con Crowley and Jimmy Deasy. In the Junior Hurling championship, Kilbrittain met Timoleague at Ballinspittle on Sunday May 14th. Kilbrittain 7-2 Timoleaguge 1-0 In the Junior football championship Kilbrittain met Barryroe in the first round of the West Cork Junior Football Championship.
A noticeable fact from these times was that while players were on opposite sides on the hurling field, often they played alongside each other for football as not every area had a football team. Kilbrittain 1-2 Barryroe 1-3 At a meeting of the South West Cork Board G.A.A. held at the Railway Hotel, Dunmanway in July 1933, correspondence was read out in connection with the Junior hurling semi-final fixture between Clonakilty and Kilbrittain and discussed. Clonakilty claimed that on account a member of their team being engaged for a county match on the date in question they could not field a team and were not able to travel. They communicated the news of their being unable to travel, to the secretary of the West Cork Board. The secretary said he did not get sufficient notice and had no power to cancel the fixture. After some further discussion it was decided that Kilbrittain having travelled and lined out on the field, and being awarded the match by the referee, the board had no power in the matter leaving Kilbrittain getting a walk-over to the final.
South West Hurling Final 1934
In February 1934 Mr Dan O'Hea, Kilbrittain, the Vice Chairman of the West Cork Board, wrote tendering, with much regret, his resignation and saying that he felt he had no option in doing so as Kilbrittain were unable to field a hurling or football team in 1934 and in consequence, he would be unable to attend. He expressed his sincere thanks to his fellow Gaels and officers of the division for the honour conferred on him by electing him year after year to the position of Vice Chairman, and said he would continue to do all he could to forward Gaelic games in South West Cork.
The Chairman said it was a great pity to lose the services of Mr D O'Hea, who was an experienced officer of the Board and a sterling Gael. The resignation was accepted with regret, on the motion of Mr. O'Hea, seconded by Mr. D O'Connell. Mr C O'Hea, N.T. Enniskeane, was unanimously appointed Vice Chairman in place of Mr. D O'Hea. Some players from Kilbrittain club which had failed to register a team, were transferred to Timoleague, Bandon and Ballinspittle. They included Dan Roche and Jimmy Deasy to Timoleague, Jack Roche, Pap Roche, Con Crowley and Con Harrington to Bandon, Jim O'Regan, Jerry and Philly Holland, Billy O'Mahony, Jack Cowhig and Tom Lannin to Ballinspittle. The irony of it was that some of these players were on opposite sides in the 1934 South West Hurling final which was between Bandon and Timoleague. Timoleague won this final on the field of play, but after an objection, Bandon were declared the winners.
The following article which appeared in "The Southern Star" in 1934 announced the upcoming sports at Harbour View, Kilbrittain. Sports at Kilbrittain |
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