The Coughlans of Blackrock

The Coughlans of Blackrock.

By Plunkett Carter.

No other part of Ireland has conceived such a high concentration of great hurlers or sports personalities as Blackrock. It's quite incredible that the suburb could boast of having so many famous stars among its denizens.

Think I'm exaggerating?

Well, then, get this for a long list - Ahern's Balty and Gah, seven all Ireland winning Coughlans, Curtis Murphy, Cashmans, Buckleys, Deleas, Kidneys, Scannells, O'Connells, O'Learys, Hayes', Flahertys, I'm talking about All-Ireland winners here. Then there were soccer internationals, Mick McCarthy and Timothy Jim O'Keeffe, oh, and Ballintemple's Florrie Burke too.

What is it about this parish that spawned some of the countries greatest stars? Is there something in the water that we should be bottling? Blackrock was described by writer John Power as an unpretentious but pretty village set back at the seaward end of a large residential suburb, open, bright, healthy with salt water stealing up to the hall doors.

Viewed from some angles, it is even beautiful, especially when seen from a boat in Lough Mahon, with its picturesque white castle standing guard over the waterfront, and the Marina, one of the best promenades in Ireland, to the right, serving as a sedate side entrance to Cork city.

Blackrock people have always been intensely proud of its hurlers and when in full flow they might on occasions tend to exaggerate a weeny bit, embellish a little and maybe trifle with scores but few will argue with their claims to being the best hurling village in Ireland.

And one family, the Coughlans, has contributed enormously to the history of hurling. They lived just a little tap of a sliotar from the pier in Convent Avenue and out of that house, number 4, came some of hurling's greatest exponents - father John and his fishermen sons Patrick (Parson), Denis (Lyonsie), Jer (Big Jer), Dan and Tom (Honest Man). Renowned writer and radio commentator Carbery (Paddy Mehigan), who won a county with the Rockies, recalls that John and his five sons all played on the same Rockies team and 15 or 16 all-Ireland medals, including three camogie, signifying the highest honour in Ireland, were brought into that little house in Convent Avenue. I say 15 or 16, as early records were not entirely reliable and actual All-Ireland winning teams vary from one publication to another and sometimes do not correspond with the published team photos.

The men of the sea, Coughlans, O'Learys, Kidneys, John Cashman, Buckleys, Norbergs, Deleas and Ahernes, were all outstanding hurlers. The Coughlans were skilled salmon fishers in the Lee Estuary and owned five or six oar boots specially built for river work When they weren't hurling they rowed with Blackrock Boat Club.

Hours, days, years in the seas fighting God's elements, making the wind their handmade and the tide and wave their accomplices in catching fish.

They knew storm, thunder, lightening; lashing frothing mad waters and nought beneath their feet but the calked timber of their open boots. With fingers that hardened with their first and last blistering in late childhood; with hands that were made to haul salted nets and grip thick oar handles with; with wrists, arm, legs, back and shoulder muscles loose and strong with labour, with minds only too familiar with danger and quick correct decision, is it any wonder that these men excelled in the game of their choice; a game that called for the very qualities their livelihood fitted them with, wrote John Power

Second eldest of the Coughlans Denis "Lyonsie", one of three Blackrock players, along with Dinny Scanlon and John Cashman were invited by Redmonds to represent Cork in the All-Ireland campaign.

This trio were the first to bring All-Ireland medals to Blackrock when Cork beat Dublin at Clonturk in the 1892 final. Denis was over six feet tall and strong as an ox. His earnestness, skill and lengthy pucks made him invaluable on any team.

Sadly, Denis was badly affected by a training ground incident when, while preparing for a Cork match, he accidentally hit another great player while both were pulling on a dropping ball and the blow from the hurley proved fatal. Denis went to his eternal award in the prime of his life and was only 31 years old when he died in July 1903.

Next in line was mighty Dan, over 6ft in height, barrel chested, and a more skilful hurler would have been hard to find. He joined his brother Pat on the Cork team which completed the first three-in-a-row in 1894. After a hard earned win over Tipp in the Munster final they gave Dublin an unmerciful hammering in a one sided final.

Dan, along with his brother Tom, was on the side which defeated Dublin after a replay in the All-Ireland home final in 1902 and though originally chosen for the final proper he withdrew at the last moment through injury; he must have had broken a limb as they were no hamstrings as such in those days and those old timers didn't lie down easily.

One of P D Mehigan's (Carbery) abiding memories of Dan was seeing him strike a ball from his own end line in Turner's Cross which went beyond the goal-line at the other end. In 1905, when salmon fishing declined on the Lee, Dan emigrated when still in the prime of his hurling career.

Jeremiah was said to be a shy, gentle man who in the beginning did not have the same enthusiasm as his brothers for hurling. There was a time, I am told, when to be a Blackrock man and not a hurler was unheard of; and Jer after being coaxed into action impressed with the Rockies when they won their fifth county in 1897.

After that it was a case of "anything you can do I can do better" as he exceeded all expectations and became a feared centre half forward and won an All-Ireland with Cork in 1903 when London were outclassed at Jones' Road. Jeremiah died in July 1939.

Youngest of the brothers Tom was a centre back with an uncanny sense of positional play. County champions Dungourney, Cork's representatives in 1902, sought him for the All-Ireland campaign which turned out to be one of the most exciting to date and, after great victories over Limerick and Galway, they nearly came a cropper in the Home final against Dublin who deservedly forced a replay.

Cork learned more from the drawn game and were comfortable winners in the replay after which they blew London off the park in the final itself. Tom won his first county the year after when the Rockies beat the Barrs and later added a second All-Ireland to his collection when Cork easily disposed of Tipperary, Kilkenny and London in the All-Ireland series. He captained the Rockies to county championship victories in 1908 and 1911 and retired after leading Cork to victory over Galway in the delayed 1910 Croke Cup final. He died in Nov 1948.

The eldest of the Coughlans was Pat, Lord Mayor of the village, affectionately known as Parson; all the splendour and all the wonder of the village was cradled with him. Generally regarded by his peers as one of the finest defenders of his era he was lionhearted, courageous and excelled in the fiercest of encounters.

When the GAA began he was Blackrock's first captain and won All-Irelands with Cork in 1903 and '04. Parson was also a popular referee and took charge of the county final in 1896 when Ballyhea beat Ballygarvan. Parson, who married Nora Dorney sister of Rockies stars "Bill Bill" and "Down Down", lived to see sons Eudie and John continue the family tradition by winning seven All-Ireland medals with the county and his daughter Kitty, an all-time camogie great, complete a 3-in-a-row between 1939-'41.

The boys went to the old St Michael's School just behind the Leaping Salmon bar on the Blackrock Road and learned the rudiments of hurling from their father and uncles in the company of friends Gah and Balty Aherne, the O'Connells and the Scannells in the Pound (waste ground near the pier) and the Quarry at Beaumont.

After completing his national schooling Eudie cycled daily to the North Mon where he continued his education at a time when rugby was the preferred sport in that famous academy. John's son, Willie, who continued the great Coughlan tradition when starring on the Rockies county winning side in 1961, told me that his dad was christened "Ballyhea" as he was born on the morning of a famous victory over Ballyhea.

As teenagers Eudie and John regularly rowed their father's boat from Blackrock to Belvelly, just beyond Fota, where they fished for salmon, flounders and mussels before rowing up to the city to sell their haul.

Eudie, who was two years younger than Ballyhea, was called on to the Cork panel in 1919 when just 19 years old and was a sub on the team which ended a 16 year barren spell by defeating Dublin, giving the county its first success in a 15-a-side final when they wore the famous 'blood and bandage' gansies for the first time.

He inherited the finest attributes of the Coughlans and became a regular on the team from the following season on. There was great rejoicing in Cork and particularly in Blackrock who supplied ten of the side which gave Cork their eighth All-Ireland when they beat Kilkenny in 1926.

Eudie and John shared in the great triumph; Eudie cemented his reputation as a flying skilful half forward while John was soundness personified between the posts where he was cool, eagled eyed and courageous which you had to be in those days dealing with hard hitting marauding forwards, as keepers then didn't have the protection now afforded to their modern day counterparts.

Declan Hassett interviewed Eudie for "The Rockies-A History of Blackrock Hurling" compiled by Paddy Madden: the veteran forward, referring to the 1982 All-Ireland when Kilkenny beat Cork, remarked "do you think that Skehan would pick up the ball in the square and clear it like he did - he'd be blown into the back of the net, ball and all; the Cork team was not physical enough, when we played our ribs would be black and blue for a fortnight after."

Eudie went on to win further medals in '28 and '29 when they recorded a double over outclassed Galway teams. Cork's fortunes dipped dramatically in 1930 but the following year they made a splendid recovery when, under Eudie's captaincy, the Rebels took the Munster title from Tipperary.

Then, three times in all, Cork and Kilkenny crossed camáns for the championship. Cork midfielder Jim Regan, talking to Tim Horgan for the 'Cork Hurling Story', described Eudie Coughlan's equalising point in the first game of the 1931 epic as the greatest score he ever saw "Eudie won a ball out on the wing and sprinted goalwards, as he did so he slipped and fell.

We thought it was all over at that stage, but to everyone's amazement, he struck the ball while on his knees and it flew over the bar".

Historians say that the first replay was the greatest of all time and in previewing the third match (second replay), "An Camán" (The Organ of Irish Ireland) said writers vied with each other in heaping on the superlatives.

They strained and stretched their vocabulary in a vain attempt to put into words some notion of what they felt and witnessed. Attempts to define the spectacle was given up and detailed accounts of the play began which, according to An Camán, was a hopelessly inadequate still life method of giving a picture of the vital, tense, sustained effort of two superb teams to wrest and hold the victory for their county. Without mentioning even one of the gladiators names An Camán continued.

'The straining, terrific, lightening pace and dash equalled only by the deadly precision and skill; the wavering uncertainty, now one team now another racing forward to take the lead, the ultimate issue always uncertain in the ebb and flow of fortune.

What hurricane attacks; again and again the forwards swoop down to the attack; again and again they are held, checked and rolled back. The games are elemental. Hurleys shivered and tossed up on the line like the wrack of the storm.

Peal upon peal of defending applause rend the heavens from the vast concourse followed by tense pin-drop silence as some fatal shot is taken, which may bring the final victory, to be again swallowed up by thunderous applause as the onlookers are thrilled by some new feat of daring skill.

Take any few moments of the play and the ball has traversed the length and breadth and every corner of the field - such is the terrific and bewildering pace! Make an attempt to single out some special names for praise, and in a moment the whole field of players have been named - such is their amazing and uniform skill.

In the third encounter, as the November evening drew to a close, Cork emerged as the winners with a comfortable 10 point margin which failed to do justice to the mighty effort put in by Kilkenny who had to compete without inspirational captain Lowry Meagher. Eudie was Cork's hero; roving up and down his wing, pulling accurately on flying balls, darting into the centre to intercept, placing and receiving, he never fumbled those match winning passes.'

When Cork born Dr Wilson, Bishop of Bagmayo, East Africa presented the McCarthy Cup to Eudie he said 'May God preserve the men who gave such a splendid exhibition. It was a great credit to any team - and a credit to Ireland.'

Eudie was nominated as captain again the following year but declined the offer and, instead, sensationally retired from inter county hurling, a decision precipitated by the action of the Board to take the selection of the Cork team from Blackrock.

Eudie was a hurling immortal and a unanimous choice on the "Team of the Century". There were a few controversial moments in his illustrious career; he was sent off a few times, once in the famous county final of 1926 and on another occasion after "clocking" an umpire who refused to raise the white flag for what Eudie thought was a Blackrock point.

John (Ballyhea) also felt it was an opportune time to go and several others followed suit. Their retirement brought to an end another golden era in Cork hurling. Eudie continued to play for his club and his love for the game couldn't have been exemplified more than in 1961 when, in an emergency, he lined out with the Cork Harbour Board in an Inter-Firm championship match alongside players who weren't even born when he won his last All-Ireland in 1931.

Eudie died in 1987 at the grand old age of 87 while Ballyhea went to his eternal reward in 1967 on his birthday.

Some famous families adorn the GAA history record books; the three Doyles of Mooncoin accumulated 18 medals, the Walsh brothers of Tipperary trail not too far behind followed by the Graces of Tullaroan and the Mahers of Tubberadora.

The Hendersons of Kilkenny and the Leahys of Tipperary - four of them won Celtic Crosses but none can compare with the Coughlans of Blackrock who provided seven great Gaels, all who have brought All-Ireland senior medals across the threshold of number 4 Convent Avenue. This achievement is unequalled or likely to be in the foreseeable future.

Plunkett Carter 2007.