Christy Ring

Christy Ring

Personal information
Irish name	Críostóir Ó Rinn
Sport	Hurling
Position	Centre-forward
Born	(1920-10-12)12 October 1920 Cloyne, County Cork, Ireland
Died	2 March 1979(1979-03-02) (aged 58) Morrison's Island, Cork, Ireland
Nickname	Ringy
Occupation	Oil delivery man
Club(s)
Years	Club
1938–1940 1941–1967	Cloyne Glen Rovers
Club titles
Cork titles	13
Munster titles	1
Inter-county(ies)*
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1939–1962	Cork	65 (33–208)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles	9
All-Irelands	8
NHL	3
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 16:05, 17 May 2008 (UTC).

Nicholas Christopher Michael "Christy" Ring (12 October 1920 – 2 March 1979) was an Irish hurler who played as a right wing-forward for the Cork senior team.^[1]

Born in Cloyne, County Cork, Ring first excelled at hurling during his school days. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Cork minor team, before later lining out with the junior side. He made his senior debut in the 1939–40 National Hurling League. Ring went on to play a key part for Cork over the following twenty-four years, and won eight All-Ireland medals, nine Munster medals and three National Hurling League medals. An All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions, Ring also captained the team to three All-Ireland victories.

Ring represented the Munster inter-provincial team for a record twenty-three consecutive seasons, winning a record eighteen Railway Cup medals.^[2] No other player in the history of the competition has gone into double figures. At club level he won thirteen championship medals with Glen Rovers.

In a game as mythologised as hurling, Ring's universally accepted pre-eminence is remarkable. His career tally of 33 goals and 208 points was a record score which stood until the 1970s when it was surpassed by Eddie Keher. His haul of eight All-Ireland medals was a record which stood for over a decade until it was equalled by John Doyle and subsequently surpassed by Henry Shefflin.^[3][4] At the age of thirty-nine he was named Caltex Hurler of the Year.

Throughout his lengthy career, Ring made 65 championship appearances for Cork, more than any other player in the county's history and a national record which stood for nearly fifty years until it was surpassed by Brendan Cummins.^[5] His retirement came prior to the start of the 1964 championship when he failed to be selected for the Cork hurling team.

Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the game, with many former players, commentators and fans rating him as the number one player of all-time.^[6] He has been repeatedly voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including the Hurling Team of the Century in 1984 and the Hurling Team of the Millennium

Early years

Ring was born at Kilboy, less than a mile from the small village of Cloyne in rural East Cork. His family later moved to the village where they occupied a house on Spittal Street, commonly referred to as 'Spit Lane'. The second son born to Mary and Nicholas Ring, his father worked as a gardener for local landowners. Ring's siblings included two sisters, Katie and Mary Agnes, and two brothers, Willie John and Paddy Joe. It was Ring's father, a former Cloyne hurler, who instilled a passion for the game in his young son by taking him to club games in Cork, making the eighteen-mile journey by bicycle with his son on the cross-bar.

Ring was educated at the local national school in Cloyne, where he was noted as a quiet but diligent pupil. On one occasion, the school master, Maurice Spillane, offered a prize of a hurley and sliotar to the boy who would get the highest grade in the school. Ring applied himself diligently and got first place from among forty-eight pupils.^[7]

As was common at the time Ring received no secondary education and left school before the age of fourteen. His first job was as an apprentice mechanic with the Williams firm in Midleton, before he later moved to Cork city where he found work as a lorry driver with Córas Iompair Éireann. In 1953 Ring became a delivery driver with Shell Oil.

Club career

St. Enda's

The formation of a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Cloyne in the 1930s allowed Ring and his brothers to play hurling locally in the various street leagues. He was twelve years-old when he played in his first competitive game, a minor hurling championship game against Sarsfield's, and surprisingly he was chosen as goalkeeper.

Ring subsequently played minor championship hurling with the St. Enda's club in Midleton. He won a county championship winners' medal in this grade in 1938 following a 5–3 to 4–0 win over the Seán Clárach's club.

Cloyne

That same year Ring and his brothers were key players when Cloyne won the East Cork junior hurling championship following a defeat of Bride Rovers.^[8] Ring was suspended for the subsequent county championship series of games.

Cloyne retained the divisional title again in 1939 with Ring's scoring prowess helping the team to go all the way to the county junior championship final. Ring played the game with an injured ankle, however, a 6–5 to 3–3 defeat of Mayfield and a county junior championship winners' medal was his reward.^[9]

Glen Rovers

In 1940 Ring and his two brothers left the Cloyne club after an acrimonious dispute. While his brothers joined other local clubs in east Cork, Ring remained 'unattached' for over a year before joining the Glen Rovers club in Cork city in the summer of 1941. After making his debut against St. Finbarr's in the county senior championship semi-final, Ring went on to win his first senior championship winners' medal following a defeat of Ballincollig in the final.^[10] 'The Glen' had just captured a record-breaking eighth county title in-a-row while Ring would go on to have much more success with the club in a career that spanned three decades.

A ninth successive championship proved beyond Glen Rovers, however, the club continued to dominate the local hurling scene in Cork for the rest of the decade. The club secured back-to-back titles in 1944 and 1945 following wins over fierce southside rivals St. Finbarr's and divisional side Carrigdhoun respectively. Ring's side narrowly missed out on a third successive championship in 1946.

After a one-year absence from Cork's hurling showpiece, defeats of Blackrock, Imokilly and St. Finbarr's in the respective championship deciders of 1948, 1949 and 1950 brought Ring's county championship winners' medal tally to six.

'The Glen' dominated the next decade of hurling also, contesting eight consecutive county finals between 1953 and 1960. Victories came in 1953 and 1954 and, following the loss of three county finals in-a-row, 'the Glen' went on to win three-in-a-row in 1958, 1959 and 1960. The 1960s were not without success either, as Ring won further county medals in 1962 and 1964. The latter was Ring's thirteenth county victory and was subsequently converted into a Munster club title. Ring's last game for Glen Rovers was a county quarter-final against UCC in 1967.

Inter-county career

Minor and junior

By 1937 Ring's performances as a minor hurler for St. Enda's led to him being considered for the Cork minor hurling panel. He was only sixteen years-old throughout the championship campaign and was not selected for any of the provincial stages or for the All-Ireland semi-final. He was later listed as one of the five non-playing substitutes for the subsequent All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. He played no part in that game, which Cork won, but received no All-Ireland medal.

Ring was eligible for the minor grade again the following year and made his debut in a Cork jersey against Limerick on 22 May 1938. Although he would come to be known as a high-scoring forward, his inter-county career began as a defender. He later won a Munster winners' medal following a 9–3 to 0–0 thrashing of Kerry. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Ring make his first Croke Park appearance. Dublin provided the opposition on that occasion and a tough game of hurling ensued. Ring, in spite of playing in defence, scored a goal from a 21-yard free to help his county to a 7–2 to 5–4 victory. It was his first All-Ireland winners' medal.

By 1939 Ring was too old for the minor grade, however, he went on to become the youngest member of the Cork junior hurling team. There was no place for him in defence and he was seen as too vital a player to be left out of the starting fifteen, so instead he was moved to the forwards. Cork were fancied to retain their junior crown for a second year, however, Waterford got the better of them in their opening game.

Senior career

Beginnings

Ring made his first senior appearance for Cork when he came on as a substitute against Limerick in a tournament game in early 1939. Later that year on 22 October 1939 he made his first senior start when Cork played the newly crowned All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the opening round of the 1939–40 National Hurling League. Ring quickly became a regular fixture on the Cork starting fifteen and was named at right wing-forward for the National League final against Tipperary. An 8–9 to 6–4 score line gave Cork the title and gave Ring his first National League winners' medal. Cork contested the Munster final later that year, however, after an exciting draw and a thrilling replay the great Limerick team of the era emerged as the victors.

Four-in-a-row

Ring won a second consecutive National League medal in 1941, however, that year's hurling championship was severely hampered due to an outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Munster and Leinster. As a result of this Tipperary and Kilkenny, the two counties that were affected the most, were not allowed to participate. It was also decided that Cork would represent Munster in the All-Ireland final. The game against Dublin turned into a rout thanks to contributing goals from Johnny Quirke and Ted O'Sullivan. At the full-time whistle Cork had won by 5–11 to 0–6. It was one of the most one-sided championship deciders of all-time, however, it did give Ring his very first All-Ireland winners' medal at senior level. In the delayed Munster final played in October, Tipperary gained their revenge by defeating the All-Ireland champions.

In 1942 Cork were still on form and Ring won his first senior Munster title following a defeat of Tipperary. He subsequently lined out in a second consecutive All-Ireland final. Dublin provided the opposition for the second year in-a-row and the opening half turned out to be a close affair. Johnny Quirke gave Cork a comfortable half-time lead thanks to a goal, however, in the second-half Cork went on the rampage. At the long whistle Cork were the champions by 2–14 to 3–4 and Ring collected a second All-Ireland winners' medal.

A defeat of Waterford allowed Ring to add a second Munster title to his collection in 1943 before later contesting a third successive All-Ireland final with Cork. Antrim, having already pulled off two of the biggest shocks in the history of the championship by defeating Galway and Kilkenny, were 'the Rebels opponents. The game, however, turned into an absolute rout. At half-time Cork led by 3–11 to 0–2, however, by full-time they had forged ahead to capture a 5–16 to 0–4 victory. It was Ring's third consecutive All-Ireland medal.

In 1944 Cork faced Limerick in the Munster final. The game ended in a 4–13 to 6–7 draw and had to be replayed; however, as full-time approached the possibility of another draw seemed likely. With just minutes remaining Ring caught the sliotar in his own half-back line, made a solo run past a succession of challenges and, from forty yards out, hammered a shot into the Limerick net. Cork went on to win the game by a goal and many regard this game as the moment that the mantle of hurling's star player passed from Mick Mackey to Ring. Once again Cork went on to face Dublin in the All-Ireland final and, like the previous three years, the Munstermen had an easy win. Dublin could only manage to score 1–2 compared to Cork's 2–13, resulting in Cork taking the title. With that Cork set a record of four consecutive championship victories that has yet to be equalled. Ring was also the proud holder of four senior All-Ireland medals before his 24th birthday.

Cork lost their provincial crown to Tipperary in 1945, however, the team returned in 1946 with Ring, now as captain of the team, picking up a fourth Munster winners' medal after a defeat of Limerick. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against old rivals Kilkenny for the first time since 1939. Two quick goals just before half-time, one from the stick of Ring, put Cork in the driving seat. Five more goals followed in the second period as Cork were the 7–5 to 3–8 winners. It was a remarkable fifth All-Ireland title in six years for Cork and for Ring.

Ring won a fifth Munster title following a second consecutive defeat of Limerick in 1947. The All-Ireland final was a repeat of the previous year as Cork and Kilkenny did battle again. In what has been described by many as the greatest hurling decider of all-time Mossy O'Riordan and Joe Kelly scored two goals that almost won the game for Cork. Kilkenny, however, fought back with Terry Leahy and Jim Langton leading the charge and eventually won the game by 'the usual point' on a score line of 0–14 to 2–7. That defeat saw the break-up of the great four-in-a-row team of the 1940s and was followed by four lean years of championship hurling for Cork.

Three-in-a-row

The Cork team bounced back in 1952 with Ring winning a sixth Munster medal following a defeat of three-in-a-row All-Ireland champions Tipperary in the provincial decider. Dublin provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however 'the Dubs' were completely outclassed by Cork on that occasion. In spite of only leading by three points at half-time Cork won by 2–14 to 0–7 and Ring picked up a sixth All-Ireland medal.

In 1953 Ring took over the captaincy of the team from Paddy Barry. The year began well with the new captain collecting a third National League title and a seventh Munster medal. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Galway take on Cork, however, 'the Rebels' were victorious by 3–3 to 0–8 and Ring added a record-equaling All-Ireland medal to his collection. The game, however, was clouded in controversy due to the injury to the Galway captain, Mickey Burke. After the match at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin a fight broke out when another Galway player struck Ring. The following morning another fight broke out when another member of the Galway panel attempted to hit Ring. The fights, however, ended just as quickly as they had started.^[11]

In 1954 Ring was still captain of Cork as he attempted to make history by capturing an eighth All-Ireland medal. Tipperary fell to Cork by 2–8 to 1–8 in the provincial final, giving Ring an eighth Munster winners' medal. A ninth All-Ireland final appearance beckoned for the Cork maestro, with Wexford providing the opposition. A record attendance of nearly 85,000 people packed into Croke Park to witness the Munster champions defeating the Leinster champions by 1–9 to 1–6. More importantly for Ring, he had entered the record books as the first player to win eight senior All-Ireland medals on the field of play.

Cork lost their provincial crown in 1955, but 'the Rebels' were back in 1956 and faced Limerick in the Munster final. Limerick looked to be cruising to victory, however the last ten minutes of the game saw Ring display his exceptional class by scoring three goals and a point to capture a ninth Munster winners' medal. Wexford were Cork's opponents in the All-Ireland final once again. The game has gone down in history as one of the all-time classic games as Ring was bidding for a ninth All-Ireland medal. The game turned on one important incident as the Wexford goalkeeper, Art Foley, made a miraculous save from a Ring shot and cleared the sliotar up the field to set up another attack. Wexford went on to win the game on a score line of 2–14 to 2–8. In spite of Cork's loss Wexford's Nick O'Donnell and Bobby Rackard, in an unparalleled display of sportsmanship in any game, raised Ring onto their shoulders and carried him off the field. Wexford had won the game but there was no doubt in their minds that the real hero was Ring.

Twilight years

Following defeat in the 1956 All-Ireland final, it was expected by many that Ring, who was now thirty-six years-old, would retire from inter-county hurling. No such announcement came and he was included on Cork's championship fifteen again for 1957. In the Munster semi-final victory over Tipperary, Ring suffered a broken wrist which ruled him out of the subsequent Munster final. Cork lost that game to an up-and-coming Waterford side by 1–11 to 1–6.

In 1958 Cork exited the championship after just two games, while in 1959 the side reached the Munster final once again. Waterford provided the opposition and in spite of Ring scoring 1–5, Cork lost by a goal. Ring, however, was later honoured as the Caltex Hurler of the Year as he embarked on his fourth decade of senior inter-county hurling. He remains the oldest player ever to win the award.

Ring finished the 1959–60 National League as top scorer, however, Cork were beaten by Tipperary in the final. Both sides met later that same year in the Munster final, in what has been described as the toughest game of hurling ever played. Cork had most of the possession in the first-half, however, Tipp led by a goal at the interval. The deadly accuracy of Jimmy Doyle saw him end the game with a tally of 1–8. A nail-biting finish saw 'the Rebels' capture a late goal, however, Tipperary held on to win a gruelling encounter by 4–13 to 4–11.

1961 followed a similar pattern to the year before. Ring was once again the National League top scorer for the 1960–61 season and, once again, Cork and Tipperary lined out against each other in the Munster final. A tempestuous game followed with scuffles breaking out throughout the first-half. As the game entered the final quarter Ring and John Doyle became involved in a punch-up while Tom Moloughney was knocked to the ground, allegedly after being struck by Ring. Tipperary won the game by 3–6 to 0–7, however, Ring was wrongly named in some national newspapers as having hit both Doyle and Moloughney. The National Union of Journalists later issued an apology to him.

Cork reached the final of the 1961–62 National League where Kilkenny provided the opposition. In what would be his last outing at Croke Park, much of the Ring magic still remained, however, Cork ultimately lost by 1–16 to 1–8. The subsequent Munster championship saw Ring lose out to Waterford at the semi-final stage. It would be Ring's last championship game for Cork.

Ring played a tournament game against Waterford in June 1963 and was again later picked for Cork's championship fifteen. On the day of the opening game against Clare, it was announced that Ring would not be playing. Cork won and he was again included as a non-playing substitute for Cork's subsequent Munster semi-final defeat against Tipperary.

In 1964 Ring, in spite of being out of inter-county hurling for over a year, let it be known that he was available to play on the county team but he was turned down by majority decision of the team's selection committee. After 25 years and a then record of 64 championship appearances Ring was effectively dropped and the curtain was brought down on his inter-county career. but Ring did not line out with Cork when he heard that the decision to be recalled was not a unanimous one. While he also indicated that he would be interested in playing in the All-Ireland final, the prospect of winning his ninth All-Ireland winners' medal as a substitute to another player did not appeal to Ring and he declined to be listed as a sub in the end. This decision finally ended all of the speculation that Ring would make a dramatic comeback at some stage.

Inter-provincial career

Ring's relationship with the Railway Cup inter-provincial competition was as remarkable for its longevity as well as its success rate. While he enjoyed the rivalry with the other counties during the Munster Championship he felt honoured to be on the same team as the great players from Tipperary, Limerick, Waterford and Clare. Ring played for Munster for the first time in 1941 and went on to contest twenty-three consecutive inter-provincial finals between then and 1963. During this time he won a record-breaking eighteen Railway Cup medals. No other player in the history of the Gaelic Athletic Association has gone into double figures in terms of the amount of medals won and the only occasions that he didn't end up on the winning side were in 1941, 1947, 1954, 1956 and 1962. Ring was noted for being at his best and for giving exceptional displays on Railway Cup days. In the 1957 final he gave a remarkable performance to coincide with the opening of the new Hogan Stand at Croke Park. During the game he scored 4–5 of Munster's total of 7–11. This was five points more than Connacht's total of 2–6.

Retirement

In retirement from playing the game that he loved Ring quickly became a selector with various teams at all levels. In 1963 he was a mentor to the senior hurling team of St Finbarr's College, Farranferris that captured both Munster and All-Ireland honours at colleges level.^[12]

Ring later served as a key member of the selection teams when his beloved Glen Rovers won county, Munster and All-Ireland club hurling honours in the 1970s.

In 1974 Ring became a selector with the Cork senior hurling team, however, it was an unsuccessful year in the championship for his county. He was dropped from the selection team in 1975, however, Ring returned as an influential selector under Bertie Troy in 1976. That year Cork captured the Munster title before later lining out against Wexford in the All-Ireland final. After six minutes of play Cork were in arrears by 2–2 to no score, however, Ring's switch of Jimmy Barry-Murphy to centre-forward was pivotal in helping Cork to turn the game around and win it by 2–21 to 4–11. In 1977 a second set of Munster and All-Ireland titles followed for Ring as selector again. 1978 was a particularly poignant year for Ring and the Cork hurling team. Cork annexed a third Munster title under Ring's stewardship that year before later lining out against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. Once again Ring made some decisive positional switches involving Barry-Murphy and Tim Crowley, which eventually led to a 1–15 to 2–8 victory over the old enemy. It was a particularly sweet victory for Ring. It had been forty years since he captured his first All-Ireland medal with Cork in 1938. He was a stylish young hurler on the senior team when Cork captured the three-in-a-row in 1943 and he was a legendary figure on the team when he repeated this feat in 1954. Now Ring had also become an All-Ireland three-in-a-row winning selector with Cork.^[13] The 1978 All-Ireland triumph over Kilkenny turned out to be Ring’s last visit to Croke Park.

Death

As Ring was walking past the Cork College of Commerce on Morrisson's Island on 2 March 1979 he suffered a massive heart attack and collapsed. He was taken by ambulance to the South Infirmary Hospital but was pronounced dead on arrival.^[14] He was 58 years old. The news of his death came as a great shock to the people of Ireland, and particularly to the people of Cork. His funeral was one of the biggest ever seen in Cork with up to 60,000 people lining the streets. It was also a remarkable hurling occasion with many of Ring's former Munster and All-Ireland foes in attendance. Farrenferris pupils formed a guard of honour, draped in the famous black, green and gold Glen Rovers colours. The funeral Mass was presided over by Bishop Cornelius Lucey while the chief celebrant was Fr Charlie Lynch, brother of former Cork team-mate and Taoiseach Jack Lynch. Other former Cork team-mates involved included Fr Con Cottrell, Fr Bernie Cotter and Fr J.J. O'Brien. Ring's coffin was shouldered into St Colman's churchyard by renowned sporting celebrities from Cork and other counties. "We carried him at last" was former team-mate Paddy Barry's remark, in reference to Ring often saving the Cork hurlers from almost certain defeat.^[15]

Ring's graveside oration in Cloyne was delivered by a former team-mate and the then Taoiseach, Jack Lynch. Lynch finished by claiming that:

"As long as young men will match their hurling skills against each other on Ireland's green fields, as long as young boys swing their camáns for the sheer thrill of the feel and the tingle in their fingers of the impact of ash on leather, as long as hurling is played the story of Christy Ring will be told. And that will be forever.^[16]"

It was also related that Professor Seán Ó Tuama heard an old Cork lady say at his funeral. "Tis a sin to bury that man"

Tributes

• A film about Ring's life was produced by Gael-Linn in 1964 and Val Dorgan wrote his biography in 1981, both works entitled "Christy Ring".

• He has also been commemorated by a life-size statue in his native village of Cloyne, and the "Christy Ring Bridge" over the River Lee in Cork remembers his achievements. One of Cork city's principal GAA stadia, Páirc Uí Rinn (Ring Park in English), is named in his honour.

• In 2005 the GAA commemorated Ring by creating the Christy Ring Cup, a hurling award for the tier 2 winning team. The inaugural Christy Ring Cup final was played on Sunday, 14 August 2005 between Down and Westmeath. The score was Westmeath 1–23, Down 2–18.

• In 2006 a life-sized statue of him was revealed outside Cork airport's new terminal commemorating his achievements. The statue is of him swinging a hurley outside the arrivals wing at the airport.

Quotes

• 'I always liked to do the impossible.'

• 'Let no one say the best hurlers belong to the past, they're with us now and better yet to come.'

• 'Small cut, big bandage. Big cut, no bandage.'

Honours

Cork

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (8): 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1952, 1953, 1954
  • Runner-up (2): 1947, 1956
• Munster Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (9): 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946, 1947, 1952, 1953, 1954, 1956
  • Runner-up (8): 1940, 1941, 1948, 1950, 1957 (sub), 1959, 1960, 1961
• National Hurling League:
  • Winner (3): 1939–1940, 1940–1941, 1952–1953
  • Runner-up (1): 1948–1949

See also

• List of All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship medal winners
• List of people on stamps of Ireland

Bibliography

• Val Dorgan, Christy Ring, (Ward River Press, 1980).
• Brendan Fullam, Captains of the Ash, (Wolfhound Press, 2002).
• Tim Horgan, Christy Ring: Hurling's Greatest, (The Collins Press, 2007).
• Colm Keane, Hurling’s Top 20, (Mainstream Publishing, 2002).
• Éamonn Sweeney, Munster Hurling Legends, (O’Brien Press, 2002).

References

Further reading

• Tim Horgan, 2010, 'Cork's Hurling Story', Collins Press

Sporting positions
Preceded by Seán Condon	Cork Senior Hurling Captain 1946	Succeeded by Seán Condon
Preceded by Jim Young	Cork Senior Hurling Captain 1950	Succeeded by John Lyons
Preceded by Paddy Barry	Cork Senior Hurling Captain 1953–1954	Succeeded by Vincy Twomey
Preceded by Tony O'Shaughnessy	Cork Senior Hurling Captain 1956	Succeeded by Tony O'Shaughnessy
Achievements
Preceded by John Maher (Tipperary)	All-Ireland Senior Hurling winning captain 1946	Succeeded by Dan Kennedy (Kilkenny)
Preceded by Paddy Barry (Cork)	All-Ireland Senior Hurling winning captain 1953–1954	Succeeded by Nick O'Donnell (Wexford)
Awards and achievements
Preceded by Tony Wall (Tipperary)	Caltex Hurler of the Year 1959	Succeeded by Nick O'Donnell (Wexford)

Cork – 1941 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (12th title) 1 J. Buttimer 2 W. Murphy 3 B. Thornhill 4 A. Lotty 5 W. Campbell 6 C. Cottrell 7 D.J. Buckley 8 J. Barrett 9 J. Lynch 10 C. Ring 11 C. Buckley (c) 12 J. Young 13 J. Quirke 14 T. O'Sullivan 15 M. Brennan Subs used 16 P. O'Donovan for J. Lynch 17 J. Ryng for M. Brennan Subs not used 18 T. Slattery 19 D. McCarthy 20 D. Beckett Trainer J. Barry Selectors S. McCarthy P. Collins D. Barry-Murphy S. Óg Murphy W. Walsh Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1940-1949 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1942 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (13th title) 1 N. Porter 2 W. Murphy 3 B. Thornhill 4 C. Murphy 5 A. Lotty 6 D.J. Buckley 7 J. Young 8 J. Lynch (c) 9 P. O'Donovan 10 C. Ring 11 S. Condon 12 M. Kennefick 13 C. Tobin 14 J. Quirke 15 D. Beckett Sub used J. Buttimer for N. Porter Subs not used C. Cottrell J. O'Neill J. Buckley B. O'Regan J. Kenny Trainer J. Barry Selectors J. Leahy P. Collins J. Foley T. McCarthy D. Connolly Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1940-1949 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1943 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (14th title) 1 T. Mulcahy 2 W. Murphy 3 B. Thornhill 4 C. Murphy 5 A. Lotty 6 D.J. Buckley 7 J. Young 8 J. Lynch 9 C. Cottrell 10 S. Condon 11 C. Ring 12 M. Kennefick (c) 13 J. Quirke 14 T. O'Sullivan 15 M. Brennan Subs used 16 P. O'Donovan for S. Condon 18 B. Murphy for T. O'Sullivan Subs not used 17 J. O'Sullivan 19 P. Hayes 20 P. Healy Trainer J. Barry Selectors S. Óg Murphy S. McCarthy W. Walsh D. Barry-Murphy D. Coughlan Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1940-1949 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1944 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (15th title) 1 T. Mulcahy 2 W. Murphy 3 B. Thornhill 4 D.J. Buckley 5 P. O'Donovan 6 C. Murphy 7 A. Lotty 8 J. Lynch 9 C. Cottrell 10 C. Ring 11 S. Condon (c) 12 J. Young 13 J. Quirke 14 J. Morrison 15 J. Kelly Sub used 17 P. Healy for C. Murphy Subs not used 16 W. Campbell 18 M. Fouhy 19 C. Dorgan 20 M. Brennan Trainer J. Barry Selectors S. Óg Murphy S. McCarthy W. Walsh D. Barry-Murphy D. Coughlan Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1940-1949 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1946 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (16th title) 1 T. Mulcahy 2 W. Murphy 3 Con Murphy (Valley Rovers) 4 D. J. Buckley 5 P. O'Donovan 6 A. Lotty 7 J. Young 8 J. Lynch 9 C. Cottrell 10 P. Healy 11 C. Ring (c) 12 Con Murphy (Bride Rovers) 13 M. O'Riordan 14 G. O'Riordan 15 J. Kelly Subs not used 16 S. O'Brien 17 D. Creedon 18 J. Lyons 19 S. Condon 20 E.J. O'Sullivan Trainer J. Barry Selectors J. Leahy P. Collins J. Corkery T. Creedon Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1940-1949 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1947 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship runners-up 1 T. Mulcahy 2 W. Murphy 3 C. Murphy (Valley Rovers) 4 D. J. Buckley 5 P. O'Donovan 6 A. Lotty 7 J. Young 8 J. Lynch 9 C. Cottrell 10 S. Condon (Capt.) 11 C. Ring 12 C. Murphy (Bride Rovers) 13 M. O'Riordan 14 G. O'Riordan 15 J. Kelly Subs not used 16 E.J. O'Sullivan 17 D. Creedon 18 M. Fouhy 19 J. Thornhill 20 W. J. Daly Trainer J. Barry

Cork – 1952 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (17th title) 1 D. Creedon 2 G. O'Riordan 3 J. Lyons 4 T. O'Shaughnessy 5 M. Fuohy 6 V. Twomey 7 S. O'Brien 8 J. Twomey 9 G. Murphy 10 W. Griffin 11 W.J. Daly 12 C. Ring 13 L. Abernethy 14 L. Dowling 15 P. Barry (c) Subs used J. Lynam for L. Abernethy M. O'Riordan for W. Griffin Subs not used J. O'Grady M. Finn M. O'Connor Trainer J. Barry Selectors B. Murphy P. Collins J. Barrett D. Barry-Murphy S. Óg Murphy Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1950-1959 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1953 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (18th title) 1 D. Creedon 2 G. O'Riordan 3 J. Lyons 4 T. O'Shaughnessy 5 M. Fuohy 6 D. Hayes 7 V. Twomey 8 J. Twomey 9 G. Murphy 10 W.J. Daly 11 J. Hartnett 12 C. Ring (c) 13 T. O'Sullivan 14 L. Dowling 15 P. Barry Subs not used J. Lynam M. O'Connor M. Cashman D. O'Leary J. Clifford T. Kelly Trainer J. Barry Selectors A. Scannell P. Collins J. Barrett D. Barry-Murphy S. Óg Murphy Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1950-1959 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1954 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (19th title) 1 D. Creedon 2 G. O'Riordan 3 J. Lyons 4 T. O'Shaughnessy 5 M. Fuohy 6 V. Twomey 7 D. Hayes 8 W. Moore 9 G. Murphy 10 W. J. Daly 11 J. Hartnett 12 C. Ring (c) 13 J. Clifford 14 É. Goulding 15 P. Barry Subs used 20 T. O'Sullivan for P. Barry Subs not used 16 J. Brohan 17 D. O'Sullivan 18 M. Cashman 19 S. O'Brien Trainer J. Barry Selectors A. Scannell P. Collins J. Barrett D. Barry-Murphy S. Óg Murphy Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1950-1959 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1956 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship runners-up 1 M. Cashman 2 J. Brohan 3 J. Lyons 4 T. O'Shaughnessy (c) 5 M. Fuohy 6 W. J. Daly 7 P. Philpott 8 É. Goulding 9 P. Dowling 10 M. O'Regan 11 J. Hartnett 12 P. Barry 13 C. O'Shea 14 T. Kelly 15 C. Ring Subs used V. Twomey for T. O'Shaughnessy G. Murphy for J. Hartnett Subs not used W. Walsh J. Daly P. Healy Trainer J. Barry Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1950-1959 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1976 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (22nd title) 1 M. Coleman 2 B. Murphy 3 P. McDonnell 4 M. O'Doherty 5 P. Barry 6 J. Crowley 7 D. Coughlan 8 G. McCarthy 9 P. Moylan 10 M. Malone 11 B. Cummins 12 J. Barry-Murphy 13 C. McCarthy 14 R. Cummins (c) 15 S. O'Leary Subs used J. Horgan for P. Barry É. O'Donoghue for S. O'Leary Subs not used M. O'Connor D. Burns B. Óg Murphy J. Allen S. Lucey Coach B. Troy Selectors F. Murphy J. Brohan C. Ring D. Murphy D. Hurley Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1970-1979 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1977 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (23rd title) 1 M. Coleman 2 B. Murphy 3 M. O'Doherty (c) 4 J. Horgan 5 D. Mac Curtain 6 J. Crowley 7 D. Coughlan 8 T. Cashman 9 T. Crowley 10 M. Malone 11 G. McCarthy 12 J. Barry-Murphy 13 C. McCarthy 14 R. Cummins 15 S. O'Leary Subs used P. Moylan for M. Malone T. Murphy for G. McCarthy Subs not used P. Horgan D. Burns J. Cronin P. McDonnell T. O'Brien Coach B. Troy Selectors F. Murphy J. Brohan C. Ring D. Murphy J. Clifford Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1970-1979 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Cork – 1978 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (24th title) 1 M. Coleman 2 B. Murphy 3 M. O'Doherty 4 J. Horgan 5 D. Mac Curtain 6 J. Crowley 7 D. Coughlan 8 T. Cashman 9 P. Moylan 10 J. Barry-Murphy 11 G. McCarthy 12 T. Crowley 13 C. McCarthy (c) 14 R. Cummins 15 S. O'Leary Subs used J. Allen for T. Cashman É. O'Donoghue for S. O'Leary Subs not used P. Horgan D. Burns J. Cronin J. Fenton Coach B. Troy Selectors F. Murphy J. Brohan C. Ring D. Murphy T. Mullane Partial Reference: Cork GAA website Inter-County SHC Results and Teams. 1970-1979 Information from Peter Devine. Accessed 17 July 2010.

Texaco Hurler of the Year 1958: Tony Wall 1959: Christy Ring 1960: Nick O'Donnell 1961: Liam Devaney 1962: Donie Nealon 1963: Séamus Cleere 1964: John Doyle 1965: Jimmy Doyle 1966: Justin McCarthy 1967: Ollie Walsh 1968: Dan Quigley 1969: Ted Carroll 1970: Pat McDonnell 1971: Babs Keating 1972: Eddie Keher 1973: Éamonn Grimes 1974: Pat Henderson 1975: Chunky O'Brien 1976: Tony Doran 1977: Denis Coughlan 1978: John Horgan 1979: Ger Henderson 1980: Joe Connolly 1981: Pat Delaney 1982: Noel Skehan 1983: Frank Cummins 1984: John Fenton 1985: Eugene Coughlan 1986: Ger Cunningham 1987: Joe Cooney 1988: Tony Keady 1989: Nicky English 1990: Tony O'Sullivan 1991: Pat Fox 1992: Brian Corcoran 1993: D. J. Carey 1994: Brian Whelahan 1995: Seánie McMahon 1996: Larry O'Gorman 1997: Jamesie O'Connor 1998: Brian Whelahan 1999: Brian Corcoran 2000: D. J. Carey 2001: Tommy Dunne 2002: Henry Shefflin 2003: J. J. Delaney 2004: Seán Óg Ó hAilpín 2005: Jerry O'Connor 2006: Henry Shefflin 2007: Dan Shanahan 2008: Eoin Larkin 2009: Tommy Walsh 2010: Lar Corbett 2011: Michael Fennelly 2012: Henry Shefflin

Hurling Team of the Century   All-Ireland winners Goalkeeper Tony Reddin Full-backs Bobby Rackard Nick O'Donnell John Doyle Half-backs Jimmy Finn John Keane Paddy Phelan Midfielders Lory Meagher Jack Lynch Half-forwards Christy Ring Mick Mackey Jim Langton Full-forwards Jimmy Doyle Nicky Rackard Eddie Keher   Non All-Ireland winners Goalkeeper Seánie Duggan Full-backs Jim Fives Noel Drumgoole John Joe 'Goggles' Doyle Half-backs Seán Herbert Seán Stack Colm Doran Midfielders Joe Salmon John 'Jobber' McGrath Half-forwards Josie Gallagher Martin Quigley Kevin Armstrong Full-forwards Jimmy Smyth Christy O'Brien Mick Bermingham See also: Gaelic football, hurling and camogie positions

Hurling Team of the Millennium Goalkeeper Tony Reddin Full-backs John Doyle Nick O'Donnell Bobby Rackard Half-backs Paddy Phelan John Keane Brian Whelehan Midfielders Lory Meagher Jack Lynch Half-forwards Christy Ring Mick Mackey Jim Langton Full-forwards Eddie Keher Ray Cummins Jimmy Doyle See also: Gaelic football, hurling and camogie positions

Cork – Hurling Team of the Century (2000) Goalkeeper Ger Cunningham Full-backs Jamesy Kelleher Seán Óg Murphy Brian Corcoran Half-backs Tom Cashman Jim O'Regan Denis Coughlan Midfielders Jack Lynch Gerald McCarthy Half-forwards Eudie Coughlan Josie Hartnett Christy Ring Full-forwards Johnny Quirke Ray Cummins Paddy Barry

Munster – Hurling Team of the Millennium (2000) Goalkeeper Tony Reddin Full-backs John Doyle Brian Lohan Denis Murphy Half-backs Jimmy Finn John Keane Jackie Power Midfielders Jack Lynch Phil Grimes Half-forwards Jimmy Doyle Mick Mackey Christy Ring Full-forwards Jimmy Smyth Ray Cummins Paddy Barry

125 Greatest Hurlers of the GAA 1: H. Shefflin 2: C. Ring 3: Jimmy Doyle 4: D. J. Carey 5: E. Keher 6: N. Rackard 7: B. Whelahan 8: M. Mackey 9: L. Meagher 10: T. Walsh 11: N. English 12: J. Cooney 13: John Doyle 14: J. Lynch 15: N. O'Donnell 16: N. Skehan 17: Bobby Rackard 18: J. Fenton 19: G. Henderson 20: J. Keane 21: P. Hartigan 20: B. Lohan 23: J. Finn 24: R. Cummins 25: T. Reddin 26: F. Cummins 27: J. Connolly 28: É. Cregan 29: P. Phelan 30: J. McKenna 31: J. Barry-Murphy 32: J. J. Delaney 33: D. Coughlan 34: J. Langton 35: J. Power 36: G. Cunningham 37: Billy Rackard 38: L. Devaney 39: P. Finnerty 40: D. Martin 41: P. Henderson 42: C. Hayes 43: J. Smyth 44: P. Grimes 45: P. Larkin 46: G. McCarthy 47: T. Cheasty 48: T. Doran 49: S. McMahon 50: D. Nealon 51: N. Wheeler 52: N. Hickey 53: M. Roche 54: L. O'Brien 55: K. McGrath 56: T. O'Sullivan 57: É. Grimes 58: B. Corcoran 59: S. Power 60: J. Hennessy 61: P. Kenny 62: O. Walsh 63: M. Keating 64: J. O'Connor 65: D. Fitzhenry 66: M. Byrne 67: L. Fennelly 68: E. Kelly 69: L. Enright 70: M. Cleary 71: P. Barry 72: T. English 73: Eudie Coughlan 74: M. Hanamy 75: P. McInerney 76: T. Wall 77: D. Fitzgerald 78: P. Fox 79: T. Cashman 80: Eugene Coughlan 81: T. Doyle 82: B. Cody 83: C. McCarthy 84: Pat Delaney (Kilkenny) 85: J. English 86: D. Murphy 87: B. Fitzpatrick 88: S. Óg Ó hAilpín 89: M. Kavanagh 90: M. Ryan 91: J. Horgan 92: M. Quigley 93: G. Kirby 94: S. Linnane 95: S. Durack 96: S. O'Leary 97: M. Jacob 98: P. Horan 99: I. Clarke 100: B. Cummins 101: J. Deane 102: J. Leahy 103: T. Keady 104: G. Howard 105: M. O'Doherty 106: W. O'Connor 107: B. O'Connor 108: J. Dooley 109: E. Brennan 110: G. O'Connor 111: F. Loughnane 112: M. Storey 113: M. Comerford 114: T. Mulcahy 115: J. Gallagher 116: S. Cleere 117: A. Daly 118: T. Ryan 119: T. Browne 120: D. Quigley 121: Pat Delaney (Offaly) 122: A. Flynn 123: S. Stack 124: L. Dunne 125: J. Salmon

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