In the year 1886 the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association was formed and in that same year Inniscarra GAA club was also founded. A local Inniscarra gentleman, Thomas O’Sullivan, was elected to the newly formed county board and was also elected to the board of the new local club which sports to this day the blue and white colours.
Over the years the club’s fortunes on the field, like most others, has waxed and waned, but the club itself and its members have grown from strength to strength. The club covers a vast tract of land that runs east along the river Lee towards Ballincollig, north towards Matehy and west towards Berrings, with the club facilities and pitches setup in Ballyanly, where the local community center and playground is situated.
Inniscarra GAA club has an abundance of silverware, and everyone is hopeful that the team will add to that winners list next Sunday, 19th October 2022, when they take on Castlemartyr in the premier Intermediate hurling final in Pairc Úi Chaomih, where they are hoping to secure the club’s first win at adult level.
Inniscarra’s Colm Casey and Ballinhassig’s Michael Collins in a tussle for the ball in the Co-op Superstores Cork PIHC at Cloughduv. Picture: Denis Minihane.
Inniscarra have played in two previous Intermediate hurling finals; they last played in 2003, where they were beaten by Bride Rovers and before that they lost to Tracton in 1999. In 1975 Inniscarra played in the final of the Cork Junior hurling championship and emerged victorious in this year.
Inniscarra have had a bit more luck with the Mid Cork Junior A Hurling Championship, started in 1926, winning the title nine times in total, the last time being in 2020.
The PIHC campaign in 2022 has been a roller-coaster for both the team and the fans alike, with many anxious, nail-biting moments during some thrilling matches. There is a heightened sense of excitement and anticipation in the community with blue and white flags and bunting in abundance at strategic points throughout the parish. No doubt there will be a huge crowd in Pairc Úi Chaoimh to cheer the team on next Sunday and with a bit of luck there will be some additions to the club’s roll of honour!
In the words of the club Chairman, P. Buckley, from 1903, which ring true today as it did over a hundred years ago, when he said that
“He was sure that the boys of today would in the near future bring back again the name which so often rang on the green hills of Cloghroe, “Inniscarra for ever.””
Cork Examiner – Thursday 19 February 1903
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