Club, Sweat and Tears: The Newtown Story

Every county in Ireland has it’s own fabled GAA club. Approaching the town of Charleville in North Cork from any direction green and gold bunting starts to appear on gates, gable-ends, telegraph poles and odd nooks and crannies along the roadsides. Leaving Charleville heading west, the bunting become epidemic. Shortly you arrive in Newtownshandrum, the smallest hurling superpower in Ireland. This is the story of this small hurling club’s rise from near total obscurity to national renown in a period of ten years. How did half a small rural parish in North Cork, population less than 800, produce a team of club hurlers to beat the best? Irish Examiner GAA correspondent Diarmuid O'Flynn goes behind the scenes to uncover the inside, intimate story. He discovers part of the answer lies in tradition but just as important is the role of fate, the confluence of other separate but ultimately binding events. Bernie O'Connor, an outstanding hurler with Meelin, also in North Cork, and Cork, marries Kathleen O'Mahony from Newtown and they set up home in Kathleen’s native village. Twins are born, Ben and Gerry, other sons follow, all outstanding hurlers (a daughter, Paula, excels at camogie, winning All-Ireland medals with Cork). The twins start school on the same day in 1985 as seven other boys, all nine become top-class club hurlers. Waiting on the wings are slightly older players, such as John McCarthy and Pat Mulcahy, just enough to supplement the miracle class of 1985. Bernie turns out to be an outstanding and revolutionary hurling coach. The result is hurling alchemy, county and All-Ireland championships and All-Star awards.