Rebels mourn passing of legendary Young, the ‘father figure’ of football

EAMONN YOUNG, who died in his 80s yesterday, was respected by generations of Cork followers as the father figure of football in the county.

He achieved fame as a player of outstanding ability, not only with Cork — being a member of the 1945 All-Ireland-winning side — but Munster and the Army.

And, while he will be best remembered as a footballer, he won two All-Ireland minor hurling medals, in 1938 and 1939.

Having won an NHL medal in 1940, he captained the first Cork football team to win the league in 1952, giving him a unique distinction that was not matched until Jimmy Barry-Murphy, Christy Ryan and Teddy McCarthy achieved it almost 30 years later.

Under the pen name “Rambler,” he contributed a popular weekly column to the Evening Echo and the then Cork Examiner and wrote for other GAA magazines, notably Gaelic Sport.

From Dunmanway, he was a member of a well-known sporting family, his father Jack playing in Cork’s second All-Ireland senior football title in 1911. His brother Jim won five All-Ireland senior hurling medals with Cork and was a Glen Rovers stalwart in their golden years — Eamonn involved before going to school in the Augustinian College in Dungarvan.

It was there he won his first All-Ireland minor hurling medal and Interprovincial colleges hurling medal.

In 1939, in addition to winning his second minor hurling medal, he was a member of the minor football team which won a first Munster title — followed in 1940 with a junior football medal.

From that year forward he focused solely on football and represented Munster over 12 years, winning the Railway Cup in 1941. He won three Cork senior football championship medals with (Army team) Collins and after returning to his native Dohenys, a county junior football medal in 1966 at the age of 46.

The late Donie O’Donovan, of the 1945 All-Ireland winning team and trainer of the successful 1973 side captained by Billy Morgan said: “While he was a small man, he was a giant in any team. To me he was the greatest.” Young trained the Cork side which won a second league in 1956 and which contested the All-Ireland final that year and in 1957. He was a selector in 1966 when Cork won a Munster title and was a selector under Billy Morgan in the 90s. After retiring from the Army, he took up teaching, at Colaiste An Spioraid Naoimh and was a Munster Council football coach. He achieved proficiency in squash, playing it over a length period in his later life.