|
BANTEER
SPORTSFIELD has been the venue for many an important GAA match and Sports
meeting over the past 50 years. The name of Banteer is synomonous with Sports meetings which were held in
Banteer from as early as May 1886, when the inaugural Sports meeting was held. While this was the first meeting at Banteer, attention to detail was its
forte. A tent was provided
for competitors, which was favourably commented on by “The Cork Examiner”
who reported that it was “well worthy of the attention of Committees of other
Sports”.
It was indeed at the
1888 event that the future World Champion, Denis Horgan of Fermoyle,Banteer
secured his first win in the 16 lb shot at seventeen years of age.
Since the late
1800’s up to 1987, Banteer Sports was held mostly every year in various
locations such as Daniel O’Callaghan’s field (Kanturk Road), near the old
Church at Inchidaly, Buckleys field (across from new School) and from 1952 at
Banteer Sportsfield.
On 20th
October 1890, Laune Rangers and Midleton
played a Munster Football final at the Banteer venue (Near Canon’s Bridge)
with Midleton emerging as winners and subsequently went on to
win the All –Ireland final. The Banteer venue was also convenient for travel as it was adjacent to
Banteer Railway Station, and was also served by a Newmarket to Banteer rail line
which was opened in 1891.
At the 1894 Sports
meeting, there was a record attendance of six thousand people.
In the late 1800’s, cycling was also introduced to Sports meetings and
the last meeting held on a grass track was in 1898, with the local committee
building a track of cinders for the 1899 meeting.
The amount of work
involved in constructing a cinders track in the late 1800’s with primitive
equipment, is a tribute to the people of the area at the time, for the pride
they had in its annual sports meeting.
Banteer sports, over
the years, was always renowned for its fine weather but in 1903 its luck ran
out, when the meeting was abandoned due to a downpour.
The 1909 sports which
took place on 2nd August 1909 was advertised as the Grand Jubilee
celebration, to acknowledge Canon Morrissey’s silver Jubilee as President of
the Sports committee. The
Officers and committee on this occasion were:
|
President |
Rev. A Canon Morrissey PP
|
|
Vice
Presidents
|
Rev. J. Fouhy CC Banteer, Rev M. Coughlan CC
|
|
Handicapper and
Starter
|
J.J. Buckley
|
|
Cork Press
Stewards
|
C.M. Twomey NT Lyre. P.J. Halliden Lyre, P.C. Linehan Banteeer, G.
Cashell Derrinagree.
|
|
Lap
Keepers
|
M. O’Sullivan Clonmeen, E. Condon Duinch, D. Fitzgerald Gortmore.
|
|
Call
Stewards
|
J. Murphy Clonmeen, D.V. Sheehan Banteer.
|
|
Judges
|
W. O’Gorman Maule, Boherbue, J.A. Archdeacon Gortmore, M. Aherne
Banteer West, P. Keller Loughlea, D.M. O’Callaghan Banteer House, C.J. Buckley
Glen South, J.H. Humphreys Lyre, D.P. O’Hanlon Gurteenbeha.
|
|
Referee
|
C.M. O’Callaghan, Altamount House, Millstreet.
|
|
Committee |
S. O’Brien Duinch, P.P. O’Sullivan
Banteer, E. O’Neill Gortmore, J. Sullivan Gortmore, M. Barrett Gouganes, J.
Sullivan Kanturk, D. Foley Derry , C.J. Linehan Lyre, W. Barry Coolroemore, C.
Murt Kelleher Clonmeen, P. Neill Railway Inspector Banteer, J.J. Buckley
Inchidaly, P. Fitzgerald Curragh (NT Kilcorney), A Deady Banteer, D.R. Aherne
Banteer West, J.T. Twohig Tooreen,
D. Carroll Shronebeha, J.J. O’Connell Ballymaquirke, P.J. O’Callaghan
Gouganes, M. Kenny Charlesfield, J. Behan Derry. |
|
Secretary |
J. Sheehan N.T. Banteer.
|
During
the years 1917 to 1922, the sports were not held because of the troubles
but were again resumed in 1923. The
1925 meeting was again postponed but it bounced back the following year and the
organising committee comprised
:
|
President |
Rev. M. Canon Brew PP
|
|
Vice
Presidents
|
Rev. D. Cronin CC Rev Dl McCarthy CC
|
|
Handicapper/Starter
|
J. J. Buckley. Cork.
|
|
Hon.
Secs
|
Daniel Hinchin M.C.C., C.J. Buckley
|
|
Committee |
Messrs. James
Behan, Michael O’Sullivan, W. O’Riordan, C. M. Kelleher, C. O’Brien, John
Coleman, Jerh. Cronin, Patrick keller, D.J. Murphy, Daniel O’Sullivan, Wm.
Riordan, Daniel Geaney, Thomas Linnane, John Cronin, Daniel Kelleher, Donal
O’Sullivan, John Archdeacon, T. Lehane, Jerh. Hinchin, Denis Mulchinock, P.P.
O’Sullivan, Thos. Harrington, Michael Grady, James O’Connor,Hugh Kelleher,
J.Barry, Wm.Coleman, Patrick Harrington, Patrick Linehan, N.T,
Jerome O’Callaghan, ,C Cronin, P.J. O’Neill, Timothy O’Connor,
James Hinchin, T. McAuliffe, C. Looney, A. Deady, Denis Cahill, J. Nolan, James
Barry, John O’Connor, John Taaffe, N. O’Connor, John Fell, D. Kennedy, W.
Kennedy, J. Lehane, W. Sheehan, J. O’Brien, W. Moynihan, John Behan, James
O’Brien, David Cahill, P. Sullivan, Jerh. Barry, Patrick Lehane, T. Buckley,
T. Mannix D. Lehane, D.O’Callaghan, D.C. O’Callaghan, P. Lehane, J.
O’Brien, E.Lucey, D. McCarthy. |
The boys race confined
to the parish was again the focus of local attention, victory on this occasion
going to Con Lucey from T. Sullivan and P. Guiney. In the 880 yards novice, victory went to Dan Sheehan Kilcorney, who later
farmed the adjoining farm to Horgan’s at Fermoyle.
He also competed in the one mile open,where he was beaten by just half a
yard by M.Collins, Blarney.
Dr. Pat O’Callaghan
made amends for his previous unsuccessful participation by recording a double in
the 56lbs over the bar and the high jump. Almost exactly two years after his
successful participation at Banteer, Pat O’Callaghan’s name was to become a
household name, with his hammer victory in the 1928 Amsterdam Olympics.
The revival of Banteer
Sports again in 1938 brought huge crowds to Banteer, with the sports now being
held in Buckleys field.
The 1950 meeting was
the last to be held in Buckleys field and the attendance broke all records.
The last
meeting at Buckley’s field heralded the need for a
new location. As the cost of
developing the existing location was not feasible, two adjoining fields of the
Parish lands and adjoining the railway station were made available by the Parish
priest, and with the expertise of Engineers O’Keeffe & Busteed, Newmarket
the local supporters again went into action to provide an even better facility
for athletics than had been provided over sixty years before. Progress continued apace in the excavation and levelling of the new
sportsfield with an oval cinder track banked at the ends for safety of cyclists,
and an inner grass track. The
entire venue was surrounded by secure fencing to prevent incursions and danger
of serious injury, particularly during cycle races.
On 29th
June 1952, another milestone in the proud athletic history of the area was made,
when the new sportsfield was officially opened and staged its first sports
meeting. In his address
of welcome to the huge attendance of both spectators and athletes, Canon Murphy,
as President of the Sports Committee, remarked “When the first Banteer Sports
Committee organised their first Sports meeting sixty six years ago, they had set
a standard of organisation, efficiency and attention to detail, which resulted
in the continued success of the sports, through the decades.
The tradition established by them has been handed on to their successors,
even to the second generation removed… the
very success of their meetings, however, proved an obstacle to their
continuation, because, with the development of modern transport, the number of
competitors became so great as to be unwieldy within the limited capacity of
former sportsfields… They now
have a track which, even large centres of population would be proud to
possess… It was the backing and support of the people of Banteer which was the
mainstay of the work. It was
almost entirely due to the manner in which they rallied that the dream of the
perfect track had become a reality.”
Banteer sports
continued to grow in stature during the 1950’s and the venue got its just
reward when it staged the All-Ireland championships in 1965 and again in 1966
with the National championships also being held in Banteer in 1970 and 1972
In 1986 Banteer
celebrated 100 years of sports meetings
Football and hurling
have been played in Banteer and Lyre since the early 1900’s. In 1912, local farmers made some of their fields available for games.
In 1929 Sargeant Kelly a Galway man, formed the first Hurling Club. In 1937, Banteer competed in their first Junior Football championship and
won the Championship as well as the Examiner Cup.
They won their first novice Football Championship in 1951 (St Furseys)
and again in 1953. At
the end of the 1950’s a decision was taken to form a football club at Lyre to
complement the strong Hurling club at Banteer with Billy Barry Coolroemore as
Chairman.
Lyre Junior B Footbal
team won championships in 1983 and 1992 with Leagues in 1986, 1989 and novice
football leagues in 1978 and 1982.
Four under 21 B
Football championships were won in 1980/86/89/93 with a Minor B championship in
1992.
In Junior Hurling,
Banteer have won 5 Junior championships in 1952,55,56,57 and 1995 with two
leagues in 1989 and 1994,
2 Junior B
Championships 1995/96, 1 junior B league 1994 and 10 under 21
championships 1980/85 – 91, 93,95 and 7 minor hurling championships 197l, 85
– 88, 96, 97, 1 minor hurling league 1992.
In 1995 at the
Banteer/Lyre GAA Social, the hurling teams of the fifties were honoured with
special presentations being made to each member . 1995 was also a
historic year for Banteer/Lyre Juvenile club in that they won the under 12
hurling and football championship in the same year.
Banteer/Lyre Juvenile
clubs were formed in the sixties and after the club won their first under 14
title in the seventies, the club went through a purple patch and title followed
title. One year during
the mid eighties, Banteer won every grade from Under 12 to under 21 Hurling and
also had the distinction of winning 7 Under 21 titles in a row between 1985 –
1991.
In more recent years,
Banteer/Lyre Juvenile Club have been successful in winning under 14 and under 16
titles.
|
