Page 19 - Irish Examiner USA

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Cork in the 1967 champi- the game is often cited as a Paddy Joe, and two sisters —
onship quarter-final. contributory factor in the Katie and Mary Agnes. IRISH
Over the course of his sen- decline of the championship; His family later moved to
ior championship career in retirement from playing Cloyne where they occupied
Ring estimated that he Ring became involved in a house on Spittal Street, EXAMINER a
played in 1,200 games. team management and commonly referred to as Spit
Christy Ring made his coaching. Lane. His father worked as
debut on the inter-county As a mentor to the St. gardener for local landown- |
scene at the age of sixteen Finbarr’s College senior ers and, as a for-
when he was picked on the team, he guided them to mer Cloyne hurler, he October
Cork minor panel for the All- their first two All- instilled a passion for the
Ireland final. In spite of vic- Ireland and Harty game in his young son by
tory, he was denied an All- Cup triumphs in 1963 and taking him to club games 28th,
Ireland medal as he was 1969. in Cork, making the eight-
Cork’s last non-playing sub- At club level Ring was een-mile journey by bicycle 2020
stitute. Still eligible for the instrumental as a selector with his son on the cross-bar.
grade in 1938, Ring collected with Glen Rovers when they Ring was educated at the
a set of All-Ireland claimed their inaugural All- local national school in
and Munster medals as a Ireland title in 1973, having Cloyne, where he was noted
member of the starting fif- earlier annexed the Munster as a quiet but diligent pupil.
teen. and county senior champi- On one occasion, the school
An unsuccessful year with onship titles. master, Maurice Spillane,
the Cork junior hurlers fol- It was with the Cork sen- offered a prize of a hurley
lowed before he made his ior team that he enjoyed his and sliotar to the boy who
senior debut during the 1939- greatest successes as a selec- would get the highest grade
40 league. Over the course of tor. After an unsuccessful in the school. Ring applied
the next quarter of a century, campaign in his first season himself diligently and got
Ring won eight All-Ireland on the selection panel in first place from among forty-
Christy four championships in-a-row following year before being time Ring received no sec-
medals, including a record
eight pupils.
1973, Ring was dropped the
As was common at the
reinstated in 1975. Over the
from 1941 to 1944, a lone tri-
years
ondary education and left
three
umph in 1946 and three
next
Cork
Ring championships in-a-row claimed three successive All- school before the age of four-
teen. His first job was as an
from 1952 to 1954.
Ireland titles.
The only player to lift
apprentice mechanic with
Ring was most famous for
the
Liam
McCarthy
Cup three times as captain, his scoring prowess, physical the Williams firm
strength and career longevi-
in Midleton, before he later
Ireland’s Greatest Hurler he was denied a record- ty. He remains the only play- moved to Cork city where he
found work as a lorry driver
er to have competed at inter-
breaking ninth All-Ireland
medal in 1956 in what was county level in four different with Córas Iompair Éireann,
He was my boyhood hero the time. his last All-Ireland final decades. that would be known as
legend Christy Ring who would Born in Cloyne, County appearance. Often the target of public CIE. In 1953 Ring became a
have been 100 years old on Cork, Ring first played com- Ring also won attention for his hurling delivery driver with Shell
October 30, RIP. He was also petitive hurling following nine Munster medals, exploits, in private Ring was Oil.
an icon for the Gaelic Athletic encouragement from his four National Hurling a shy and reserved individ- Ring was just twelve
Association of Ireland, so here is local national school teach- League medals and was ual. A teetotaler and non- years-old when he played in
a little bit of history on this ers Michael O’Brien and named Hurler of the Year at smoker throughout his life, his first minor game for
great man. Jerry Moynihan. He first the age of thirty-eight. He he was also a devout Roman Cloyne. Playing in goal he
Nicholas Christopher appeared on the Cloyne played his last game for Cork Catholic. received a baptism of fire
Michael “Christy” Ring (30 minor team at the age of in June 1963. Ring’s sudden death in against Sarsfields. Two years
October 1920 – 2 March twelve before later winning a After indicating his will- March 1979 and the scenes later he was at right wing-
1979) was an county minor championship ingness to line out for the which followed at his funeral forward and claimed his first
Irish hurler whose league medal with the nearby St team once again in 1964, were unprecedented in Cork medal when Cloyne won the
and championship career Enda’s team. A county junior Ring failed to be selected for since the death of the mar- annual Glenbower tourna-
with the Cork senior team championship medal with the Cork team, a move tyred Lord Mayor Tomás ment.
spanned twenty-four years Cloyne followed, however, a which effectively brought his Mac Curtain in 1920. He was As Cloyne were unable to
from 1939 to 1963. He estab- dispute with club officials inter-county career to an posthumously honored by field a minor team by the
lished many championship saw Ring join Glen end. being named on the Hurling end of the decade, Ring
records, including career Rovers in Blackpool in 1941. After being chosen as a Team of the Century in 1984 joined the St.
appearances (65), scoring Over the next twenty-six substitute on the Munster and the Hurling Team of the Enda’s amalgamation
tally (33-208) and number of years with the club, Ring inter-provincial team in Millennium in 2000, while he from Midleton in 1938. He
All-Ireland medals won (8), won one Munster medal and 1941, Ring was an automatic was also named as the won a county minor champi-
however, these records were fourteen county senior choice on the starting fifteen Century’s Best Hurler in onship medal in this grade in
subsequently bested championship medals. As for the following twenty-two the Irish Times. 1938 following a 5–3 to 4–0
by Brendan Cummins, Eddie a Gaelic footballer with the years. He scored 42-105 as he Ring was the second win over the Seán Clárach’s
Keher and Henry Glen’s sister club, St. won a record eight- youngest son of Nicholas club from Charleville.
Shefflin respectively. Nicholas’, he also won een Railway Cup medals dur- and Mary (née Lawton) Ring’s impressive form
Ring is widely regarded as a county senior champi- ing that period, in an era Ring, and was born on 30 with St. Enda's was replicat-
the greatest hurler in the his- onship medal. when his skill and prowess October, 1920 at Kilboy ed with the Cloyne junior
tory of the game, with many He retired from club hurl- drew crowds of up to 50,000 Cross, less than a mile from team that reached their first
former players, commenta- ing at the age of forty-six fol- to Croke Park for the annual the small village of Cloyne in East Cork final. The Ring
tors and fans rating him as lowing a victory final on St. Patrick’s Day. rural East Cork. He had two brothers were prominent
the number one player of all over University College Ring’s retirement from brothers, Willie John and from the start, with Willie