CUMANN LUTHCHLEAS GEAL

Garth Hogan(Youghal); Alan O'Connell(Erins Own); David Irwin(Youghal); Brian Lawton (Kiltha Og); Jonathan Kelleher(Sars); Michael Murphy(Erins Own); Kevin Mangan(St. Catherines); Patrick O'Mahony(Youghal); Mark Walsh(St. Catherines); David O'Donnell(Sars); John Roche(Youghal); Leo Sexton(Castlelyons); Kieran Lane(Killeagh Itas); Leigh Desmond(Youghal); Martin Barry (Killeagh Itas); Shane Cotter(St. Catherines); Antoin Walsh(Russell Rovers); Maurice Lynch(Cloyne); James Ahern(St. Endas); Ruaidhre Crowley(Killeagh Itas); Ross Lane(St. Endas); Ronan Spillane (Carrignavar); Martin Downey(St. Endas); Stephen Walsh(Bride Rovers); Stephen Murphy(St. Endas); Pat Barry(Sars); Micheal Cronin(St. Endas); Paidi O'Sullivan(Cloyne); Tom Abernethy(St. Endas).

DICK BARRETT – THE PAST AND THE PRESENT

REPORT ON 2002 TEAM'S FUNCTION AND THE HISTORY OF DICK BARRETT

On Saturday week last, the East Cork Juvenile Board held a function in the Midleton Park Hotel to honour the Imokilly Under 15 team who had the distinction of winning the Dick Barrett Shield for the fifth year in a row. This competition is held annually amongst all the Cork divisions, and this year Imokilly had a titanic struggle, overcoming Seandun in a classic final by 2-13 to 1-15. As one of the guest speakers, Micheal Mac Suibhne, Secretary of the County Juvenile Board, remarked, this competition is without doubt the most prestigious Inter-Divisional under-age competition of all. Micheal presented the victorious team with their medals, in front of all their proud parents and Board officers. Pride of place on the night, apart from the panel (named below), went to the triumvirate who guided them to victory through sheer hard work and motivation – namely Con Spillane of Youghal, Ronnie Hennessy of Sarsfields and John Halbert of Watergrasshill. Other guests on the night were Gerard Lane, Chairman of the East Cork Board, Sean and Rose O Brien, representing sponsors East Cork Oil, and Pat Foley, President of the East Cork Juvenile Board. Indeed, it was Pat’s remark in his interesting speech that it was an extra honour to win the Dick Barrett Shield this year because it was the 80th anniversary of Barrett’s death that led to a flurry of post-dinner discussion as to who Dick Barrett actually was. Some people at the function obviously knew quite a lot about him, but others did not. Who was this man?

Dick Barrett was born in 1889 in Hollyhill, near Ballineen. He qualified as a schoolteacher and when he got a teaching post in Upton, he becam involved with the local GAA club there, Knockavilla. In fact, he was club secretary for a time, and was a staunch supporter of the idea that Knockavilla should retain its autonomy and not amalgamate with its parish neighbours, Valley Rovers. In 1915 Dick Barrett played with Knockavilla in a County Junior Hurling Final against Carrigtwohill (They lost).

After the 1916 Risiing, the IRB recruited many young men around the country, and Dick Barrett was an early volunteer. He was Quartermaster of the West Cork IRA Brigade by1920. He spent some time in Spike Island, before the signing of the Treaty in 1921. He subsequently joined the Anti-Treaty side in the Civil War of 1922, and was one of a number of men who stormed the Four Courts in Dublin on June 25th 1922. The Free State Army forced these men to surrender two days later, and they were incarcerated in Mountjoy. As the Civil War continued to rage, events on the outside conspired to make a martyr of Barrett. On December 7th of the same year, Pro-Treaty TD Sean Hales was assassinated by the IRA. In an immediate response, the Cabinet of the Free State unanimously ordered the execution of 4 IRA prisoners in Mountjoy as a reprisal for this assassination. (The Army Emergency Powers Bill was enforced to allow this). The 4 were carefully selected – one from each province – in a clear attempt to send a message to all IRA volunteers that any further activities would be similarly responded to. Joe McKelvey from Ulster, Liam Mellowes from Connacht, Rory O Connor from Leinster and Corkman Dick Barrett from Munster, were executed on December 8th by a firing squad of 20 Free State Soldiers. In November 1924, Dick’s body was brought to Ahiohill in West Cork, where it still lies. Later, the Hales family later wrote a letter to the Cork Examiner, renouncing the decision to execute these 4 men as a reprisal for the death of their brother.

So where did the Dick Barrett Shield originate? The inscription on the shield states: “Presented by the members of the Four Courts Garrison IRA 1922 to Cork County Board for Juvenile Hurling”. Originally, the Shield was contested by city Under 14 teams in a ground hurling tournament. The first winners named on the Shield are Ard na Croice (Greenmount) in 1958, while Imokilly had their first win in 1962. Later the tournament became a divisional Under 16 competition, before finally becoming an Under 15 competition. Incidentally, the Cork County U-21 A Hurling trophy is called the Dick Barrett Cup – it was presented to Cork County Board by the Dick Barrett Memorial Committee in 1974.

For the record, the 2002 Imokilly panel which won the Dick Barrett Shield was as follows:
Conor Spillane (Youghal, Captain), Richard Cunningham (Youghal), Martin O Brien (Youghal), Colm Leahy (Midleton), Steven Casey (Carrignavar), James O Mahony (Midleton), Ed Kenneally (St. Catherines), Kieran White (Sarsfields), Anthony Purcell (Watergrasshill), John Halbert (Watergrasshill), Evan O Keeffe (Castlemartyr), Alan Morrissey (Aghada), Eoin Murphy (Erins Own), Cathal McSweeney (Carrigtwohill), Ken Ryan (Sarsfields), Michael Craddock (Sarsfields), Diarmuid O Driscoll (Carrignavar), David Coyne (Youghal), Bill Cooper (Youghal), Ryan Donovan (Midleton), Thomas Ryan (Cloyne), Michael Cussen (Sarsfields), Ger Kelly (Youghal), Ed Coleman (Killeagh-Itas), Eoin Griffin (Fr O Neills), Pat O Mahony (Lisgoold), Andrew Barry (Midleton), Aidan Hegarty (Carrignavar), Diarmuid McCarthy (Watergrasshill), Padraig Butler (Fr O Neills), Kevin Dineen (St. Catherines) and Ian Whyte (Youghal).