Farewell Páirc Uí Chaoimh- I am one of the few who will miss you By Mortimer Murphy Memories stir powerful and surprising emotions – when I initially heard of the Páirc Uí Chaoimh redevelopment, I was thrilled. This once proud state of the art GAA Stadium was in danger of being labelled a “Derelict Monument” by the Lee, such was its state of dilapidation, so something needed to be done. To be fair to the Cork County Board, they have the JCB’s and Diggers ready to roll and a brand new, modern Páirc Uí Chaoimh will be ready to host big games again in 2017. So, as a Kerry man, who has often left Páirc Uí Chaoimh after a Munster Final, defeated and depressed, muttering to whoever cared to listen, that I was never coming back to this “den of iniquity” – needless to say I never kept my promise. You see I am one of a rare breed of the “Kerry Species” - I consider myself an “Honorary Corkonian” except of course on Munster Final day! So as I approach the last Munster Final meeting of Kerry and Cork at the old Páirc Uí Chaoimh, my abiding emotion is not of joy at its demise, but rather a sadness because if the Lord spares me until Sunday – I will feel that I am both Alpha and Omega, I was there at the beginning back in 1976 and now I am there at the end in 2014! No – I am not a Kerry man claiming he is God , though at times I humbly acknowledge that I might well be, having managed to survive a combination of Frank Murphy, Brendan Larkin, the Doc Fitz, Cooke Street, Starry Crowley’s and Dr Con Murphy( having lost some of his photographic memorabilia in a house fire) , but 38 years on, I am still in love with the Stadium by the Lee- its like an old school – you might have got a few beatings there – but you had great time as well, learned more about life from this school of hard knocks and most important of all, made friends for life. To explain, I spent four years studying (loosely put) at UCC (or UCK as once candidate for the Euro Elections labelled it) in the mid seventies and was deeply involved with UCC GAA, being secretary and County Board delegate from three years. So memories, names and faces from that era, tumble on the table of my memory, like coins from a spendthrift’s purse. I trust my memory is sound as I haven’t checked any records, but the days when Páirc Uí Chaoimh was being built in from 1974 to 1976 were great days. The price of a pint was 20p and I got partial board (7 days) in Connaught Ave for £7, but that’s merely an aside. College life was different than now, it was very different, uninhibited, we travelled through a myriad of adventures with the football club – friendships were created – some would never be broken. From the memory vaults best sellers could be written, but few could be published in this litigant conscious era. I started going to County Board meetings in Cooke Street and its there and later at meetings at Pairc Ui Caoimh that I cut my teeth in the art of debate and arguing my case – invariably I lost because batting a College wicket back in those days, was always fraught with danger and being from the Kingdom was not a positive! I loved the meetings though and watching Frank Murphy in action was the equivalent of a couple of B Comm.’s and possibly a Masters as well! The pint upstairs in Paddy Crowley’s afterwards invariably bought by Gene Fitzgerald TD was often used as a sedative! But all changed in 1976 when we left Cooke Street and headed down the Marina – out Blackrock and into a plush new meeting room in Páirc Uí Chaoimh which suited me fine as I was now a resident of the South Douglas Rd. So it was on my bike, which had to ridden fast past the Sliver Key Bar in Ballintemple and down to the Stadium once a month. But oh what a grilling I got when it came to the infamous College Rule, loosely explained it was where UCC could claim a maximum of two players from Cork clubs, to play with the College in the Cork SFC. It all happened under the stand and I tell you, the education I received there beat anything I received down close to the Honan Chapel! Frank Murphy was very strict but he was flexible at times with the College and we appreciated that. Donal O Sullivan was chairman in my latter years there I think, and I will always remember the night the Bantry delegate ( only female in the room) questioned the suspension meted out to Cork defender Kevin Kehilly , pretty close to a Munster Final meeting with Kerry, following an incident with a Bantry player in Cork SFC. Lets say, if I was a spy I had plenty material to reveal, the importance that was placed on the player being available to play in the Munster Final, rather than to punish the offence adequately but back then I had learned to keep my mouth shut! I have to say that I had many friends back then who always sprung to my aid when College matters reared their ugly head ( like a no show in the Kelliher Shield ), the late Jack Barrett, Tom Knott ( Na Piarsaigh) and Jimmy O Grady ( Dad of Donal and Des), were never found wanting. However the late Denis Conroy is reputed to be the only man to have silenced me in ten seconds flat, when I had the audacity to question his judgement one night and quoting from the rule book and some bye law I never heard off, it was as clinical as Carl Froch’s KO punch that floored George Groves. To compound matters later that night, my old bike was stolen from outside the Sliver Key, foolishly unlocked as I thought I was at 10 O clock mass in Glenbeigh!! So now you know why Páirc Uí Chaoimh is so special to this particular hack. I was present at its conception, its birth and now death so there is a part of my youth and growing up being bulldozed down. I remember the replay in ’76, losing my umbrella in the narrow tunnel and Kilmurry’s Sean Murphy retrieving it for me. I remember my late UCC friend and strong man Tom Creedon and his great displays until he was tragically taken from us in 1983. I remember the heartache of Tadgh Murphy’s late goal the same year, the great games, great duels, great players and despite the great Kerry/Cork rivalry, the banter before and after leaving the “Park” was special. As for Sunday, Cork would appear to hold all the aces and to be honest Kerry find it very hard to win in Pairc Ui Caoimh at the best of times. So why are we travelling at all? Well for two reasons- firstly sport in an inexact science and anything can happen on the day and secondly Eamonn Fitzmaurice and the Kerry squad have prepared well, and while they are a team in transition they are coming up to win, and as I alluded to earlier – Kerry won the first one at Páirc Uí Chaoimh- why not win the last one played at the old stadium. Mar fhocal scor- are we not back to – Alpha and Omega!
Posted on: Sat, 05 Jul 2014 11:03:47 +0000
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