Kilcummin to relive crowning glory of ‘73

Kilcummin GAA, winners of the O’Donoghue Cup in 1973, will return to the Fáilte Hotel on College Street on Saturday, August 26 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of that historic win over Glenflesk.

Seán Kelly MEP and Billy Doolan, president of the club, were players on the ’73 winning side and have been working for several months planning this reunion. The response has been magnificent according to a spokesperson for Kilcummin.

Fortunately, most of the 1973 panel are alive and well. Those few members who have passed away will not be forgotten and will be represented by family members. Former goalkeeper Seán O’Connor will be travelling from Australia where he has lived since 1973. Monty O’Sullivan comes in from Boston. John O’Sullivan’s wife is travelling from London and oth- ers will travel from Dublin, Kildare, Cork and Limerick. The majority live locally. The venue had to be the Fáilte where they celebrated long and well 50 years ago. All the arrangements are in place by Eileen O’Callaghan and Botty, of course.

The planned schedule is mass at 5.30pm, team photograph at 6.30pm, reunion dinner at 7pm, and then it will be a night of reminiscing and nostalgia for glory days gone by with ceol, caint and craic go maidin Dé Domhnaigh.

1973 was Kilcummin’s most successful year on the playing fields as they won the Kerry Junior Championship, Division 3 of the County League, and the O’Donoghue Cup, which takes pride of place. The only title that eluded them was the East Kerry League. They were beaten in the final by a single point. In the O’Donoghue Cup campaign they defeated Firies and Rathmore. A late point by Dan O’Connor edged them past game to them. They cut lanes through an overburdened Kerry defence, running riot even from the half back line. Not just that but they scored regularly, especially Hannah Tyrrell who led the way with an outstanding 0-8, all of which came in the opening half.

Dublin were in control right from the start and added to the All-Ireland victory by their male counterparts. It was double pain for Kerry.

Louise Ní Mhuircheartaigh was once again the top scorer for Kerry, ending with 1-7. It would have been more only for the double marking of the Kerry star and the tenacious tackling that often tipped over into illegalities. Too often those tackles went unpunished. Kerry battled bravely in the second half but even when they scored Dublin hit back with suckerpunch points. It was a big disappointment, compounding the pain of the Sam Maguire going Liffeyside. It’s hard to take losing two All-Ireland finals in a row.

Full credit to the Kerry LGFA for a great year but the icing for the cake never looked like arriving in this final.

CELEBRATION: 1973 was Kilcummin's most successful year on the playing fields as they won the Kerry Junior Championship, Division 3 of the County League, and the O'Donoghue Cup.

Dr Crokes and that was a huge psychological boost achieved through Man of the Match Johnny Healy. For the final, Fr Brian Kelly had them in top shape, but it still ended in a draw. They held a nine-point lead at one stage. Heading for an historic win with only seconds to play, the great Glenflesk and Kerry stalwart Derry Crowley sent a rasper to the net to tie the scores on 2-10. They had to do it all again in the replay three weeks later. Kilcummin made no mistake this time winning comfortably 1-9 to 0-7. The goal was vital, scored by captain Dan Dwyer, who dribbled the ball Maradona-style for 40 yards before planting it past Glenflesk goalkeeper Freddie Bartlett.

That and more, much more will be recalled in this night of nostalgia down memory lane for the Kilcummin men of 1973.