History
Midleton G.A.A. - The Story.
The concept of a Gaelic Athletic Association was first mooted in 1883 when a sub committee of the Irish Republican Brotherhood was formed with the ideal of creating a National Athletic body. Midleton man, P.N Fitzgerald was one of the committee members who eventually set up the Gaelic Athletic Association and thus Midleton’s love affair and commitment to the G.A.A. was established.
The club was formally affiliated to the association, when at the third meeting of the fledgling organisation, held in Thurles on the 17th January 1885; Jeremiah J Coffey formally registered the club as Midleton Football club.
The club blossomed in the early years and in 1890 brought the first senior football All Ireland title to Cork under the captaincy of Jim Power. This was an historic year in the annals of Cork G.A.A. as the hurlers, under the Aghabullogue banner also brought the hurling title to the Leeside.
Exactly 100 years later their modern day counterparts repeated this historic feat of winning the two All Ireland senior titles in the one year. Two Midleton players, Kevin Hennessy and Ger Fitzgerald, were instrumental in guiding the hurlers to their victory in 1990.
In 1914 and the historic year of 1916, Midleton Senior hurlers came to the fore winning two senior hurling counties. It was to be 67 long years before that feat was repeated. In the intervening years the clubs fortunes waned and even though there were some sporadic successes, the club failed to find a consistency in winning county titles. All the while the club continued to supply the county team with star players with Christy Ring being a club member when he played with the Cork minors in 1937.
In 1927 Cork proposed the setting up of a minor championship and in the first year of the competition in 1928 Midleton man Larry Horgan had the honour of captaining the first ever team to win an All Ireland minor hurling championship. Following him Willie Campbell played a major part in Cork’s winning four in a row team of the early 1940’s Gerald Murphy was the clubs most prominent player in the 50’s, while one of the greatest clubmen in its history, Paddy Fitzgerald, played a starring role for the county team throughout the 60’s.
The club purchased its present location from Lord Midleton in 1958 and has continuously upgraded its facilities in the meantime to make it the capital of sporting venues in East Cork and one of the finest arenas in the country.
In 1975 the clubs pavilion was opened and since its completion has played a vital role for the GAA and other sporting and cultural organisations within the greater East Cork area.
Following this, the club entered its’ greatest period in its history on the playing fields. When the intermediate hurling county was annexed in 1978 the club went from strength to strength culminating in winning the All Ireland Senior hurling title in 1987. Along the way, every county hurling title was won from underage to senior with the 1983 victory over St.Finbarrs being the most treasured. This was beyond the wildest dreams of anyone within the club, but the players proved it was not a one off wonder when they fulfilled their potential by winning three other county titles in 1986, 87 and 91 beating the cream of Cork hurling along the way.
By winning the title in 1983 the club were rewarded with the captaincy of the Cork team for 1984, the centenary year of the Association. In that year the club became only the second club in the history of the G.A.A. to provide All Ireland winning senior captains in both hurling and football when John Fenton captained Cork to All Ireland victory over Offaly in Thurles. There were five other Midleton players on the Cork panel that year with Joe Desmond being chairman of the selection committee.
The 1980’s and early 90’s were great years for the club but after the feast came some lean years. However, following tremendous work at street league level and in the schools success is starting to flow again. While the expanding population around the area will bring its own opportunities and problems the members of Midleton G.A.A. club are determined to keep the flag of the association flying proudly within the town and where ever the games of hurling and football will take them.