Munster Council to rule on long-running Knocknagree vs Rathmore GAA catchment dispute

There are a small number of players registered with Rathmore who Knocknagree claim reside in their catchment area on the Cork side of the county boundary line

Knocknagree say a ruling against them "would inevitably spell the end of our club as a viable unit after many years of hard work to keep it as the heart of our community". Pic: Larry Cummins

Munster Council will this evening rule on a long-running catchment area dispute between a pair of neighbouring clubs, Knocknagree and Rathmore, situated on either side of the Cork-Kerry border.

After failed discussions between the clubs and subsequent involvement by Munster Council over the past five years, the provincial body looks set to make a judgement on a small number of players registered with Rathmore but who Knocknagree claim reside in their catchment area on the Cork side of the county boundary line.

Rathmore have insisted, in correspondence seen by the Irish Examiner, that the players in question hold County Kerry addresses.

Knocknagree are also contesting, on the same catchment area grounds, the Rathmore membership of another small number of players, but Rathmore have set out that these particular players are either no longer members of Rathmore GAA, or are not yet U12, have not established their first club, and therefore shouldn’t be considered in this dispute.

If Munster Council uphold the Rathmore membership of the players under investigation, Knocknagree fear this will turn half of its catchment area into an open area where players are free to choose between themselves and Rathmore, decimating the Cork club in the process.

Knocknagree and Rathmore sit on either side of the Cork-Kerry border. Knocknagree, although situated on the Cork side of the border, is part of the larger parish of Rathmore.

The disputed area, according to Knocknagree, represents the bottom half of the club’s catchment area, and has done so since a 1976 Munster Council ruling on a county bounds dispute of that time between the two clubs.

In a bid to resolve the latest dispute, ongoing for over five years now, Munster Council proposed in January of last year a partial open area on both sides of the border, within which players were eligible to register with either club. Knocknagree were not agreeable to this proposal.

The addresses of the players under investigation have become a major point of disagreement in the respective correspondence sent to Munster Council.

Rathmore have stated that all relevant addresses are ‘Rathmore, Co. Kerry’, and are registered as such in the GAA Foireann system. Knocknagree argue that while these players have a Rathmore postal address, “it is an uncontested fact” that they all live in County Cork.

“The impression is being given that players living on either side of the Cork/Kerry border are or have been for years choosing to play for Rathmore or Knocknagree as they see fit. This is entirely untrue in regard to our club,” Knocknagree wrote in their correspondence.

“The issue of eligibility was permanently decided by Munster Council in 1976 when they made a final ruling on the county bounds dispute of that time between the two clubs. From that time, the two clubs honoured the decision of the Council that you had to play in the county of your permanent residence. To switch counties, you would have to provide proof of appropriate change of address. To our knowledge, those inter-county transfer requirements have not changed.” 

Rathmore, in their letter, outline how the players in question “live adjacent to Rathmore” and “are geographically much closer to Rathmore village than they are to Knocknagree village and would have to travel through Rathmore on their way to Knocknagree 5 kilometres away.” 

The Rathmore letter continued: “We understand the demographic issues they [Knocknagree] are currently experiencing and under no circumstances would we wish to be a contributing factor to Knocknagree GAA’s lack of playing numbers. We would like to stress that at no point have Rathmore GAA members sought or enticed players from Co Cork to play with our club.” 

Knocknagree, in concluding their letter, have warned the future viability of the club would be at stake if another club is granted access to half their catchment area. They also claim it would set a precedent for counties “to cross borders as they see fit”.

“This very case of proposing to halve the Knocknagree catchment area, while adding to a Rathmore area which is one of the fastest growing in Kerry, would be disastrous for our future,” Knocknagree stated.

“The area in dispute represents nearly half of our current playing [senior] squad, all of whom were happy to play for Knocknagree, once both clubs honoured that ruling. If the ruling was now to be changed, it would inevitably spell the end of our club as a viable unit after many years of hard work to keep it as the heart of our community.”