Cork PIFC final: 'Newmarket-Kanturk was always a big one for us'

Kanturk GAA chairman Kieran Fitzgerald. Picture: John Tarrant

We might as well begin where Kanturk ends. Or where Newmarket ends. Or where both begin. Or end.

Tomorrow’s Premier IFC final in Páirc Uí Chaoimh features the two north Cork clubs. They’re separated by five miles of country road, so where is the Checkpoint Charlie that divides their respective territories?

“I’d go by where people go to cast their votes in elections,” says Newmarket chairman Sean Irwin. “On that basis, maybe Ballydrochane bridge on the main road might divide the two places.

“That’s just me judging it, that people on one side might say ‘I’m in Kanturk territory’ and on the other say they’re in Newmarket.”

Kanturk chairman Kieran Fitzgerald agrees: “There’s no official border, no point where we’re looking over at them and they’re looking back at us.

“Sean’s right about the bridge. That’s probably the dividing line.” Surprised by the harmony ahead of a county final/local derby? Don’t be. Both clubs are frank about their desire for silverware but, as both chairmen say, the rivalry isn’t rancorous. Part of that is shared education. Coláiste Treasa in Kanturk was a joint destination for many of tomorrow’s players.

“In my time some would have gone to school over in Boherbue,” says Irwin.

“Now a good shot of the kids here would go in to Kanturk to secondary school.

“The players would know each other very well — obviously they’d be in secondary school together, a lot of them, and would have competed against each other at underage level — and played together in rugby and soccer with Kanturk, too.

“I know that some of them live together when they’re in college as well. I shared a house with Kanturk people myself when I went to college.”

That familiarity draws toxins out of the rivalry. So does the fact that the two clubs’ adult teams haven’t seen much of each other in over two decades. “I think it’s our first game — between our first teams, say — that we’ve played against each other since 1998,” says Irwin.

“We’re only a few minutes’ drive apart but we played each other in the Duhallow semi-final that year and haven’t met since. Some of the lads playing tomorrow weren’t even born then.” Fitzgerald teases that out further: “In a lot of ways the current rivalry might be driven more by the likes of us — former players — given the two current panels would know each other so well.

“Newmarket-Kanturk was always a big one for us when we were playing because we’re near neighbours, but even then that rivalry was well within what you’d call acceptable parameters. There was never animosity after the game.

“I know it’s the cheesiest line ever but we always had huge respect for Newmarket.

“They had serious players in the 90s, Danny [Culloty] and Mark O’Sullivan were the marquee names, and there was always a good tussle — but with no animosity after that. We’d have been friendly with Danny and Mark and those lads in our own time.”

(Socialising together helped. As Irwin puts it: “The Kanturk lads would know the way up to the Hiland here in Newmarket, and we’d know the way down into Kanturk ourselves”).

The politeness isn’t a judicious pose the week of a big game. When Irwin says not playing each other that often at adult level has “maybe kept the temperature down” in the rivalry, he offers concrete evidence of the good relationship between the clubs.

“There were a good few of us went up from Newmarket to Páirc Uí Chaoimh a couple of weeks ago to support the Kanturk hurlers in their game with Fr O’Neill’s [the Cork Senior A Hurling final], a game they won and deserved to win.

“Also, John Fitzpatrick from our club has lived in the States for a good few years and he got hurt in a work accident out there a while back. We were raising money for him and got great support from all over north Cork and beyond.

“And Kanturk were part of that as well. Aidan Walsh gave us a couple of jerseys to raise funds for him, for instance.”

For his part, Kieran Fitzgerald came out of the Kanturk clubhouse last Monday evening after a committee meeting and saw a few lads head into the ball alley nearby. Not all of them were Kanturk players.

“Colin Walsh and Grantis Bucinskas were going into the ball alley and they were accompanied by Hugh O’Connor from Newmarket.

“They’re the best of friends, and that shows you something. When I saw it I felt that it was good to see.

“There’s the fact that Duhallow is strong at the moment too in the senior championship, so a lot of them are playing together for the division. I was a selector with Duhallow and would have seen how well they got on, which they’d have to do given how well the division has gone in the last couple of years.”

Three o’clock tomorrow will tell a lot, but both towns have enjoyed the last week or two. “We obviously want to win on Sunday, absolutely, and Kanturk the same,” says Irwin. “But getting to the county final has given the place a great lift. The colours are up on every bush and tree in the place, it’s a trip up to town for everyone to look forward to, the neighbours are involved as well...

“With Covid in the background it’s particularly important. Last year you could see the boost everyone around the place got when the games came back and now it’s great to be facing into the weekend that’s in it.

“Everyone wants to be king of their own patch,” says Fitzgerald.

“There’d be something wrong if you weren’t motivated to win. And I can get that sense around the town — no more than there is in Newmarket, I’m sure — that people are looking forward to Sunday.

“Do I have respect for the Newmarket lads? Absolutely, we have massive respect for them. Do we want to beat them tomorrow? Absolutely — and they want to beat us.

“But there’ll be no hard feelings after.”