ECHO LIVE : DYLAN O’ CONNELL - 13th Sept 2023

Bantry Blues county football success part of the western dominance in 1990s 

IT'S 28 years since Bantry Blues overcame Duhallow and qualified for the Cork Senior Football Championship final, where they beat Muskerry and took home the trophy for the first time in their history.

BANTRY BLUES v DUHALLOW. TSB CORK COUNTY SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL. The Bantry Blues team T.S.B. Cork County S.F.C. at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. PIcture Dan LInehan

IT'S 28 years since Bantry Blues overcame Duhallow and qualified for the Cork Senior Football Championship final, where they beat Muskerry and took home the trophy for the first time in their history.

This was during a high point for west Cork football, a five year period that saw the Andy Scannell Cup regularly passed around between sides from Carbery. 

It started with Castlehaven beating O’Donovan Rossa in the 1994 final and ended with Bantry Blues winning their second county title against Duhallow.

Those clubs had such a hold over the competition, that only one side from the city was able to get to the final during that spell. 

BANTRY BLUES v DUHALLOW. TSB CORK COUNTY SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL. Padraig O'Regan, Bantry bursting past Andreas O'Sullivan of Duhallow during T.S.B. Cork County S.F.C. at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. PIcture Dan LInehan

That was UCC in 1996, and Clonakilty made easy work of The Students by defeating them 1-09 to 0-10 in the final at Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

1995 was Bantry Blues’ time, the year that the finally got to stand up alongside the likes of O’Donovan Rossa and Castlehaven. 

They won the Andy Scannell Cup after losing two finals up until that point, with 1981 the most recent. 

That one was a major cause of frustration to those around the town as Nemo Rangers scored 3-11 while Bantry put over just six points on the day.

What made 1995 even better was that the club was back up in the senior ranks after winning the 1993 edition of the Cork Intermediate Football Championship. 

Bantry adapted to the grade seamlessly and reached the quarter finals during their first season back in the top flight. 

It was a respectable season for the west Cork club, and very few thought they would go from there to county champions within twelve months.

Bantry’s first game of the 1995 championship was against St Finbarr’s in Clonakilty, and they won 2-06 to 0-07. 

That put the club through to the second round where Carbery awaited. The two teams drew at the home of O’Donovan O’Rossa in Skibbereen and Bantry got the better of the divisional side in a replay at the same venue.

That set up the game against Duhallow, a club that reached the quarter finals of the Cork Senior Football Championship in 1994 and lost to eventual winners Castlehaven in a replay.

Bantry lined up as follows for the semi-final: D McAuley; E McCarthy, M O’Connor, T O’Mahony, P O’Regan, S Maloney, N Twomey, D O’Neill, M Moran, S McCarthy, P Goggin, G Barry, P O’Rourke, K Harrington, S Dineen.

The game opened up with a battle for possession in midfield and Duhallow came through this and went into an early three point lead. Paul O’Rourke put over Bantry’s first score of the semi-final in the ninth minute and the divisional side immediately restored their advantage through Jimmy Dennehy putting the ball over from open play.

BANTRY BLUES v DUHALLOW. TSB CORK COUNTY SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL. Bantry Captain Damien O'Neill holding the trophy aloft after his side defeated Duhallow in the County Football Championship final at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. Picture Dan LInehan

That triggered something in the Bantry team as they clicked in the middle of the park with the kick-out. 

A big reason for this was the presence of Damien O’Neill and Michael Moran in midfield, with the pair working in tandem to control the traffic in the middle of the park.

Despite this, they were unable to turn their possession into scores with the ball going wide eight times in the opening 30 minutes of play.

That isn’t to say that Bantry were struggling up front. 

They were raising white flags, the issue was creating a sizeable gap between themselves and Duhallow. 

As the club tried to navigate these setbacks, Stephen Dineen changed the game by setting up a goal that gave Bantry the lead for the first time.

This came from the left corner forward chasing a ball down as it rolled out of play and crossing it to Paddy Goggin. 

The centre forward punched it in and that gave Bantry a 1-3 to 0-5 half-time lead.

Duhallow came out from the break and went ahead through a brace from Mark O’Sullivan. 

Niall O’Connor followed that up by converting a free, and the divisional side went two points up.

BANTRY BLUES v DUHALLOW. TSB CORK COUNTY SENIOR FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL. The Bantry blues team in their dressing room after winning the T.S.B. Cork County S.F.C. at Pairc Ui Chaoimh. PIcture Dan LInehan

Bantry ‘lifted their game excitingly’ and finished with a flourish. 

They kicked over four points without a reply in the final seven minutes, with Kevin Harrington starting this burst. 

Moran and O’Neill got the next two and O’Rourke got the final score. 

That gave Bantry a two point victory and made sure that they were through to their first Cork Senior Football Championship final since 1981.

The club had to wait two weeks to find out who they were playing. Muskerry knocked out Nemo Rangers on the other side of the draw, meaning Bantry had to once again play a divisional side that season.

That was a totally different challenge for the west Cork club, but they managed to win 0-10 to 0-08.

The championship finished off with Andy Merrigan going to Bantry, and Stephen Dineen was second top scorer with 1-14 kicked in the competition.

There was no run in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship as Bantry lost to eventual All-Ireland winners Laune Rangers by a single point at Wolfe Tone Park. 

That was just a small blemish on another wise historic year for the club.