Sleeping giants bid to rekindle magical days at headquarters
Named for one of the peaks in the adjacent Ballyhouras that overlook both parishes, The Black Rock, the outfit is an amalgamation of Kilfinane and Ardpatrick – town and village respectively – in the south of the county.
The GAA has been a constant presence in both parishes, hurling the game of choice.
In 1897 Kilfinane won an All-Ireland title, beating Tullaroan of Kilkenny in the final, after overcoming Cork’s Blackrock in the Munster decider. From January 1896 when they lost to rivals Ballyhea, to July 1902, a spell of over six years, according to the history books, Kilfinane ‘never knew defeat’.
During that time they won 11 titles, including the All-Ireland, the Croke Cup (a sort of unofficial All-Ireland), the Munster title, and two Limerick senior counties. In their ranks they had James ‘Sean Óg’ Hanley, a powerful blond-haired giant of man at full-back, who became one of hurling’s earliest stars; also on the team was Tom ‘Goatee’ Brazil, so called not because of the shape of his beard but because, according to Pat Heffernan (current team selector, father of a son by the same name who plays in goal), “He used to catch, kill, skin and butcher the wild goats up on the Black Rock!”
From the heady days of the late 19th century, the hurling fortunes of Kilfinane/Ardpatrick have since been up and down, but regardless of how the club itself was faring it was still producing great hurlers.
Heffernan recalled: “You had the Shaughnessys, Jimmy Brien, Maurice O’Regan and Thomas McCarthy who won All-Irelands with Kilkenny in the 40’s; you had Jim McCarthy, with Mackey’s team, went to America in 1940 – he was a mighty man. You had Jimmy Fitzgerald, Stephen McGrath, Stephen Palmer, and many more hurlers who would hold their own in any company.”
Pat himself was in that august company, played in a minor All-Ireland final with Limerick in 1963, then played U21, intermediate and senior the following year, while still a teenager, but his career was blighted, ultimately, by injury. His own early days, however, were a struggle: “We had only U14 and U16 in the club, nothing after that. I remember one year when one man arranged a challenge match for us against Glenroe, but getting there was the problem. He’d take three of us on his bike halfway there, maybe one more on the handlebars if he was a small fella, then leave us to walk on ahead so he could head back to Kilfinane to collect three more.
“When he got tired, he’d let someone else take over – that’s what was done to try and get a bit of hurling going. Fr. Howard came in then and did great work in the late fifties, and from there, we started to rebuild.
“In 1972 the current club was formed and in ‘75 we won the south, our first success which was a huge boost. We won that again in ‘75, ‘80 and ‘81, were beaten in the final of ‘82 but came back to win the county that year. That was our first and only junior county until last year.”
The good times were back in Kilfinane/Ardpatrick, as success followed success – minor titles, U21, then intermediate in 1993.
He continued: “There were some great players on those teams also, fellas like Jackie McCarthy, who won three-in-a-row senior with Kilmallock at centre-back but came back to us, then Richard Connolly, John O’Neill, Pat McCarthy, Dick Ryan, Pakie McCarthy, Eamonn Sullivan – Tommy Quilty was a great hurler. Unfortunately a few went off to America, but that was an old story for Kilfinane. Emigration killed a lot of our teams down the years. Eventually we were relegated back to intermediate, and then to junior, and that’s where we were until last year.”
Last year, another junior county title was won and another long journey to another All-Ireland final followed.
Unlike 1897, however, this one will be played in Croke Park, but it won’t be their first trip to headquarters.
Blackrock made a reconnaissance visit last week and even held a training session on the hallowed sod.
“That was great vision by the club,” says Pat. “We also got a great talk from Jason Sherlock on how to approach Croke Park, not to be overawed by the stadium or the occasion.”
Driving the team bus on that occasion, driving it again this Saturday, is Kevin Griffin, himself a former star with the club. “Unfortunately,” he says, “I peaked at 14, the year we got to the county final but were beaten by Claughaun – I retired a few years after that!” Retired from playing, but has remained true to the club as a supporter, is now, as Griffin Coach Hire, the main club sponsor.
A measure of how big this is, to places like Kilfinane and Ardpatrick? “We’re taking six buses to Dublin on Saturday. We have around 220 people travelling; many of those are staying overnight with the team and coming back on Sunday morning.”
Magical days.
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