The Canon and the car that drove Cork to the first leg of historic double

Canon Michael O'Brien

Full credit was given to the late Canon Michael O’Brien for his role in Cork’s senior hurling title in 1990 by stars such as Teddy McCarthy, Tomas Mulcahy and Kevin Hennessy.

Speaking to Anthony Daly for a special broadcast to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the historic Cork double, Mulcahy, who captained Cork to the first leg, acknowledged the truth behind the famous story of O’Brien arriving to an early team training session in a white car with a license plate that read 90 C 27 — a tale that grew in significance as that season wore on.

O’Brien had been appointed manager after a lengthy apprenticeship, which included stints with underage county teams as well as club and colleges sides.

“He came to training in an Opel Manta, with alloys, which were a big deal at the time,” said Mulcahy.

“But it was about more than the registration or the alloys.

“The screech of the brakes when he came around the corner — he loved the bit of flash and the speed. But the players, when they saw the car, were certainly asking the question, ‘what’s he at?’ 

 “And he was up front about it, he’d say ‘1990 for the year, C for Cork and we have 26 All-Ireland titles but that’ll be up to 27 this year.’ 

“He was very strong on that. He started getting into fellas’ heads. Maybe some fellas laughed when they heard it. I wasn’t thinking like that after where I’d come from in 1989 (dropped from panel).” 

Kevin Hennessy said O’Brien’s personality shone through even with peripheral issues: “There’d be 20 or 30 people who’d come down the Páirc every night we were there, just watching the team train.

One night a chap came in and said, ‘Father, there’s a Galway-registered car outside’. We were playing Galway in the All-Ireland final. He got the lads to check out who was driving it and who was in the crowd from Galway.

The players also credited team coach Gerald McCarthy’s input to the All-Ireland victory.  

“I wouldn’t have worked under him before that,” said Mulcahy.

“But as a player, my God — a man to admire. One of the greatest players Cork ever produced, for the style he brought to the game, the ability to take the ball out of the air — not into the hand — and to hit it. 

“I’d have worked with him in 1982 and 1983, when we lost (All-Ireland finals),” said Hennessy.

“He was a very good coach. I thought the best coach of all that I deal with was Justin McCarthy, with Gerald a very tight second.” 

The early signs that season weren’t too promising, however.

“Cork didn’t take the league that seriously,” said Mulcahy. “If fellas were involved in the club they wouldn’t be involved.” 

For dual star Teddy McCarthy, balancing the commitments to both county sides was a challenge — he took the opportunity to address rumours that he sometimes told the hurling management he was training with the footballers, and vice versa.

“I don’t know where that came out of,” said McCarthy. 

“I remember my mother, God rest her, saying to me ‘you can’t keep this up, going out training every night’.

“We’d been beaten in the 1987 Munster (hurling) final, which left the path open for football, and the same in the 1988 Munster (hurling championship). So it wasn’t as bad as people made out.

Probably coming into 1990 it was getting a bit more difficult, but the managements were good, and you usually had two weeks between the games unless there was a draw.

“And Denis Walsh was with me. It wasn’t as difficult then as it would be now.” 

The players were speaking in aid of the Go Red for Cork campaign. You can donate at idonate.ie/goredforcork or by texting Marymount to 50300 to donate €4. 75% of funds go to Marymount Hospice with 25% going to Cork GAA.