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Cobh Pirates R.F.C. |
Colours: Shirts: Black Shorts: Black Hose: Black with white trim |
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Cobh Pirates RFC Brief History
The Beginnings Proper
“A meeting was held last evening in the Queen’s Hotel (Commodore) Queenstown
by a number of football players from areas including Monkstown and Rushbrooke,
when all arrangements were made to commence practice and arrange matches
for the coming season. It was decided to call the club “The Pirates”.
J P Harris was selected Captain and J McNamara, Secretary”. As recorded
in the “Cork Constitution” of the 9th October, 1890. “The Pirates” as
a club in name, had arrived but it was to have a fractured history of
playing rugby throughout the next three decades.
1924 Pirates – The Modern Beginnings
Here the name Queenstown was no more having been changed by the Urban
District Council of 1920 and the Cove of Cork was renamed Cobh. Up in
the council field in Glenanar, where (O’Sullivan’s Place is now situated)
vague stirrings of a rugby club could be observed by interested observers.
Paddy Dillion, his brother Louis and their cousin Tossie Love were amongst
those who banded together to re-form
“The Pirates” rugby club.
Alas, it was short lived, and the demise of the “Pirates of 1924” in circa 1927 has taken on legendary proportions over the years.
A “Bon Voyage” party for Paddy Dillion, leaving to take up a new job in America, must have been quite an occasion.
A discreet veil has been drawn over the proceedings, which involved an “American Wake” of major proportions in the Imperial Hotel (Atlantic Inn) and a fleet of taxis to take the inebriates home. All charged to the club naturally enough and naturally the club coffers were empty. Cobh Pirates r.f.c History 1890–2006 Archie Paton, Proprietor of the hotel, was not one to bear a grudge, however but business is business and though his son Jim was to Captain Cove R.F.C. in the thirties, the Pirates club went into liquidation to escape irate creditors, both large and small! They were not to reclaim their Pirate heritage until 1944, but despite this inconvenience, it was hard to keep a good club down!
Revival
On 19th September, 1944 the “Examiner” carried a report that “the Cove
Pirates Rugby Football Club which is in the past distinguished itself
by defeating every club it played against, has been revived and erected
for the Munster Junior League and Cup. Practice starts immediately at
the Paddock, which has been secured as a home ground in preparation for
their opening league fixture in fortnight’s time”.
Taste of Success
At the end of their first season back in competition, Pirates finished
in mid-table position in the Junior League (which also included Cork Constitution,
Highfield and UCC). In the Junior Cup, a first round win over the 3rd
Battalion led to a Cork area semi final against Highfield, Cobh put up
a hard fight against the eventual Junior Cup winners, but success was
looming for the Pirates.
On Sunday, 1st April, 1945, Cobh won the County Cup for the fist time under the banner of the Pirates. Defeating Charleville on the score of 5pts. to nil.
Two weeks later, the “Double” was achieved for the first time ever when “Pirates” again defeated Charleville in the O’Neill Cup Final, this time at the Paddocks by 6pts. to 3pts. Joe Kidney scored first, Christy Ryan scored the second, while Jim Denvir, Secretary of Charleville and a Cobh man by birth, scored for the gallant men of Charleville.
Taken from Skull and Cross-Bones – The Cobh Rugby Story by John M. Kidney
1990.