How do you explain the magnitude of Knocknagree’s rise to Cork football's top tier?

“You need a bit of luck, but you need a big buy-in. We have a great culture, we have a great respect between one another. Players will go to hell and back for us."

Mon, 27 Oct, 2025 - 06:29

John Coleman

How does one fully explain the magnitude of Knocknagree’s ascension into the top tier of football in Cork? Of course, they’re not the first team to make the quantum leap from junior to senior football in Cork. There was Rockchapel, for example, from their own corner of the world who won the Junior County in 1987 before winning the Intermediate County two years later.

Two steps to heaven for the Rock, but Knocknagree’s county titles in 2017 and 2019 only brought them to Premier Intermediate level, two steps shy of the Holy Land. The Premier Intermediate triumph of 2020 left them with one rung of the ladder to climb, and if we’re honest, most clubs would be happy enough with that.

Obviously, Knocknagree are not most clubs. As their greatest son, John Fintan Daly, often reminds us, they are operating from half a parish on the border with the footballing behemoth of Kerry. In losing the 2022 and 2024 SAFC finals to St Michael’s and Carrigaline respectively, the juxtaposition of where they were operating from was quite apparent. Urban versus rural, how could half a parish compete with the numberless infinities of suburbia and satellite towns? Weren’t they not just great for getting that far?

Daly makes the impossible sound so simple.

“You need a bit of luck, but you need a big buy-in. We have a great culture, we have a great respect between one another. Players will go to hell and back for us.

“You know, I had one player that came home on a Sunday morning recently, I won't mention him, he drove from Dublin to be at an A-versus-B game and drove back to Dublin again, because he knew it was important. That's just an example.

“We have a fantastic new €900,000 complex and we train every Sunday morning. We have a video review, then we go out, and we play. We come back in, and breakfast is ready for us at the table. There are seven or eight fantastic ladies there. I won't mention individual names, but that's all part of it.

“I know people give me a hard time, always keep saying that we're a small unit, but it's quality. It's about mentality and attitude and what you can achieve with something small.”

In Cill na Martra, Daly and Knocknagree can see the mirror image of themselves. Familial units testing the limit of what they can do. Even the half-time games showed what both communities are about. Just the two games, boys and girls together, showcasing how the parish is always far, far bigger than the sum of its parts.

In the end, Knocknagree have just been knocking around that bit longer, and that experience proved pivotal. In the aftermath Daly made reference to the respect he has for the way football is played over the border, and he took great satisfaction in how they played to the occasion. Some of their football was sublime in the opening period as they kicked 2-8 off play.

In the middle of it all was Eoghan McSweeney. The centre-forward knitted everything together and after the game his bellowing of “c’mon Knocknagree” in the midst of his band of brothers said all that needed saying. He still had time to try and make sense of the impossible, however.

“You know, there's a great culture. And that's brought from the fellas behind you there. And John F. It's just, I don't know, I'm stuck for words at the moment. It's unbelievable. But this is probably the sweetest one we've had yet. And we've had a lot of them.

“But this one has been a long time coming. And I suppose we feel like we deserve it. And just to be mixing it with the two of the teams that are going to be out there just there now. And your Castlehavens and your, name them all. It's just, it's magic.”

Next year they will dance with the biggest and best, joining Newcestown and the Haven in the rural group and in both clubs they can see the template for even larger possibilities. That’s for later, however. This one is all about the present, the future will look after itself, and Daly will never forget the past, how could he?

“On a day like this, I’d like to pay tribute to one of my greatest players from the past. Dinny Rory O’Connor was a huge part of our success in the 1970s and 80s. He’s one of nine brothers. There were five or six nephews and sons playing here today, but Dinny is in hospital, and would love to be here. We wish him the best, because we haven’t forgotten you Dinny, and what you’ve done for our club.”

Aithníonn ciaróg ciaróg eile.

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