New book highlights 100 years of Seandún GAA, 1925-2025

A new book has been recently launched entitled ‘Seandún, 1925-2025, Celebrating 100 Years of City Division GAA’.

It is an important reflection on the life and times of Seandún, a century old organisation, which has given much to the city and region of Cork, and has ultimately given great days and great memories to all who engaged with it.

This impressive book, which is rich in historical detail, has done a superb job in recreating sports reports and gleaming from the respective conversations and write-ups from the member clubs of Seandún as well as reminisces on old photographs.

What is also important in this book is that when one gets under the skin of the historical detail of Seandún and its journey over 100 years – some of the key character aspects keeping the story together, keeping the storyboard together are varied and very important. The personal connections, the pride, the identity, the supporting each other and the togetherness matter are very apparent across the stories within the book.

The book, researched by historian Peter Devine and a fab book committee, denotes that prior to the start of the division, city clubs competed in the open county championships and were represented at the County Board. There was a Junior Board in existence which organised only city competitions, with the champions of the north and southsides meeting.

Leagues were played irregularly in the early days, and it often took a few years to finish a competition. The shortage of grounds must have been one of the main reasons, but another was the process of training. It was normal for a club to have hurling practice every evening, practice matches and only the occasional championship match.

The Seandún division in the early Irish Free State was established to improve the administrative organisation of the GAA in Cork and to arrange competitions for the ever-increasing number of clubs, particularly at junior level. Respective competitions in both hurling and Gaelic football were organised in 1926.

The book details that four main competitions were played from the outset and these were the junior and minor hurling and football championships. Two additional competitions were created for juniors in the leagues and Brothers Sheares Cups. Due to lack of grounds, these did not start until the championships were completed and certainly took a few years to be concluded.

There were long drawn-out minor leagues as well. There was a separate board set up in 1929 to cater for minors, and another one in 1937, of which long serving board chairman, Dan Murphy.

When the Seandún division was established, there were great number of interested clubs who wanted to get involved in leagues in particular between each other. There were 57 teams involved in leagues against each other in 1928 with 45 in 1932. In 1936 only 41 teams took part in the championships.

Perhaps the formation of the juvenile section in 1939 reversed things and assembled large numbers of players available. The creation of the under 15 committee in 1951 strengthened the roots still further.

The new book further outlines that hurling would seem to have been more popular in the early days of the division, with football seen as an inferior kin.

The skilful play of the St Anne's club in the 1930s set a new football par, while St Nicholas were strong in minor and Brian Dillons juniors were also good.

The book notes: “The emergence of the St Finbarr’s as a minor force in 1941, with their juniors also useful, carried the game further afield. Commercials, St Vincent's and St Patrick's, also played football of a high order around this time. All these clubs aided to make football stand shoulder to shoulder in popularity with hurling.”

On the growing interest of the division leagues, the book denotes: “Official records are possibly more reliable now than the recollections of those who lived through the early years of the City Division, but people can supply the atmosphere. It seems that there was a more carefree approach to games then, and a better sense of fun. Maybe the economic situation played its part. Whatever the reasons there was great interest and great involvement.”

There is a large section in the book dedicated to exploring the fact that for many years, the scarcity of grounds was a big obstacle. This was overcome in the early years by taking some games to neighbouring venues, like Riverstown and Blarney. It was agreed in 1933 to end this practice. The other pitches then accessible were the Mardyke and the Cork Athletic Grounds, together with Nemo Rangers' rented pitch.

Due to a dispute between Nemo and the County Board, this was lost to the association, and it is now Turner's Cross soccer pitch. Fortunately, the Douglas field became available around this time and it filled the gap left by the loss of Turner's Cross.

In 1933 there is a record of a friendly between School of Commerce and Hillside at a venue in Ballinlough (not today’s divisional ground) and there seemed to be a field in Mayfield. The majority of the division games were played at either the ‘Park’ or the Mardyke. The scarcity of grounds meant that championships had to be finished before leagues could commence, and it often took years to finish the latter.

The new book highlights that there was always a vision that the division would have its own ground. These hopes were pursued actively by Dan Murphy and Derry Maher when they were appointed chairman and honorary secretary respectively.

In 1946 there is a record of an interview with the lord mayor about acquiring a ground for the division. Hopes were high when in 1950 Deer Park was bought for the city. Soon afterwards it was sold to the Christian Brothers, who had also bid at the auction.

The year 1951 coincided with the securing of an alternative venue at Togher. Dressing rooms were built there, but though further development was planned, it never took place. Few championship games were played there, leagues and cups mostly being accommodated for.

Meanwhile, land at Kilbarry had been acquired, and three pitches were laid out. It was at the venues of Togher and Kilbarry that the city leagues, reorganised in 1952, went from strength to strength. In 1956 the G.P.C. were given permission to seek an alternative ground, as St Finbarr's (without a headquarters) wanted Togher.

There is a large section in the new book on the large amount of activity at the Ballinlough pitch, which was purchased in 1957, and after development, was opened in September 1960. Since then, it has been the proud headquarters of the Seandún division.

'Seandún, 1925-2025, Celebrating 100 Years of City Division GAA’ is available from the Seandún GAA Division committee at seandungaa.ie.