Dan Moylan

Dan "Cooper" Moylan (born 1915) was an Irish hurler who played as a right corner-forward for the Cork senior team.

Moylan made his first appearance for the team during the 1938 championship and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until he left the panel after the 1940 championship. During that time he won one Munster medal as a non-playing substitute.

At club level Moylan was an eight-time county club championship medalist with Glen Rovers.

Playing career

Club

Moylan played his club hurling with the famous Glen Rovers and enjoyed much success during a golden age for the club.

In 1934 Moylan had joined the Glen Rovers senior hurling team that had qualified for only their second ever championship decider. A 3-2 to 0-6 defeat of four-in-a-row hopefuls St. Finbarr's gave Moylan a coveted championship medal.^[1] He added a second championship medal to his collection the following year when Carrigtwohill gave Glen Rovers a walkover in the championship decider.

The Glen continued to dominated Cork hurling once again in 1936. In spite of having two players sent off, Moylan won a third successive championship medal following a decisive 7-5 to 4-2 defeat of Sarsfield's.^[2]

Having been granted a walkover by the same opposition two years earlier, Glen Rovers faced Carrigtwohill in the county decider of 1937. The dominance continued and a 3-5 to 1-0 score line gave Moylan a fourth championship medal.

In 1938 Glen Rovers set out to make history by besting Blackrock's twenty-five-year-old championship record. Midleton stood in the way of a fifth successive championship title, however, a comprehensive 5-6 o 1-3 score line secured the victory and gave Moylan his fifth championship.

The success continued once again the following year as Glen Rovers faced Blackrock in their first championship decider meeting in almost a decade. A 5-4 to 2-5 win for the Glen gave Moylan a sixth successive championship medal.^[3]

Sarsfield's stood in the way of Glen Rovers securing a seventh successive championship in 1940. In one of the most high-scoring county finals of all-time, Moylan won his seventh championship medal following a 10-6 to 7-5 defeat of Sars.^[4]

In 1941 Glen Rovers reached an eighth successive decider. In a game that set them apart from all other teams, the Glen continued their stranglehold of club hurling in Cork by claiming the victory following a 4-7 to 2-2 defeat of Ballincollig.

Inter-county

Moylan first played for Cork in the minor grade in 1933, however, his one year with the team ended without success.

Five years later in 1938 Moylan made his goal-scoring senior debut for Cork in a Munster quarter-final defeat of Limerck. He was a regular member of the starting fifteen that year.

In 1939 Cork made a breakthrough in the provincial championship after nearly a decade in the doldrums, however, Moylan was dropped from the starting fifteen. In spite of this he collected a Munster medal as a non-playing substitute as Cork defeated Limerick by 4-3 to 3-4. Moylan was an unused sub in the subsequent All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. In one of the most iconic championship deciders of all-time, played on the day that World War II broke out, the climax of which was played in a ferocious thunder storm. Cork were defeated on a score line of 2-7 to 3-3.^[5]

Moylan fought his way back onto the Cork starting fifteen in 1940, however, he left the panel at the end of the season.

References