1961 Hurling Final: Why were Coolderry given a walkover?

[DAF]

I notcied in todays programme that Coolderry won the championship in 1961 due to being given a walkover by Drumcullen.Walkovers in big games were reasonablycommon in the early years of the GAA but 1961 seems a bit late for this to happen.Anybody have any idea why there was a walkover in this game.

[Plain of the Herbs]

I came across this when looking at newspaper archives a while back. From memory, the Final was fixed and Drumcullen looked for a postponement on the grounds of player unavailability (a combination of injuries and players abroad and the like). Coolderry refused to agree to the postponement. The County Board sided with Coolderry, everyone stubbornly dug their heels in, and as the Final date approached it became apparent there wouldn’t be a Final. Final day passed and Coolderry were awarded the title.

You probably have to look at the way things were done at that time. Club hurling in Offaly was a very bitter bitter place. Rivers of Blood. A man told me recently that it often happened that, as the teams left the field to return to the dressing rooms which were in the corner of the pitch) a stray comment could quickly lead to a vicious stroke of a hurl into the head. It wasn’t unheard of for victims to be Anointed by a Priest as they lay injured. It certainly is a part of the game that is thankfully gone and should never, ever return.

There was also a bitter rivalry between Coolderry and Drumcullen. Drumcullen were defending Champions in 1961 having won 7 titles in the previous 11 years with Coolderry winning just twice in that time, so there would probably be an impatience on Coolderry’s part to see the back of them. He sides met in the next two Finals, Coolderry winning both.

For the record, Coolderry beat Shinrone in a replayed semi-final that went to extra time 4-16 to 5-9, after a 4-6 each draw. Drumcullen beat Kilcormac 5-12 to 2-3 in their semi-final.