A GLIMPSE AT A SIXTIES SPORTS
A GLIMPSE AT A ‘SIXTIES' SPORTS
by John Walshe
This article, by John Walshe, appeared in the Meet Programme Booklet for the 69th Cork City Sports, July 5th 2022
The little programme is faded now, but its 32-page content casts a nostalgic look back at what the Cork City Sports were like in the 1960s. Held 56 years ago on exactly the same day and date – Tuesday July 5th – as this year, the price on the cover was just 6d (six old pence)
A massive number of 35 events were catered for at the UCC Mardyke Gaelic Grounds, commencing with the long jump at 6pm and concluding with the international relay at 9.40pm. Remarkably, most of the events were sponsored with such names as ‘Sunbeam Hundred’ (100 yards), the ‘Keane Two-Twenty’ (220 yards), the ‘Elvery Four-Forty’ (440 yards) and the ‘Cor-Tex’ pole vault. One event introduced to the sports for the first time was the ‘hop, step and jump’ – now of course known as the triple jump
The following day’s Cork Examiner had extensive coverage and the bold heading on top of the page which stated ‘T. O’Riordan’s Fine Mile In City Sports’ is a rather poignant memory in view of the recent passing of that great athlete and journalist, Tom O’Riordan. The report went on: “Ireland’s Olympic representative, Tom O’Riordan, of Donore Harriers, ran what was virtually an exhibition mile last evening in 4min 11.2sec. On a grass track, even one as excellent as the Mardyke, this was a first-class performance.”
That mile event, in what was to be the highlight of the meeting, was reduced to just two competitors – O’Riordan and the American Army’s Les Massey. Held a year before the formation of BLE, the split in Irish athletics was still very evident as permission for AAU athletes to compete in what was a NACAI promotion was not forthcoming. However, this didn’t spoil what was an enjoyable evening for the large crowd as they witnessed a home victory in the 1500m Irish championships which Dick Hodgins of UCC won in convincing fashion from Bobby Buckley of Grange
As was the custom back then, only the winners’ time was given which was a personal best of 3:54.6 for the UCC athlete. “I didn’t expect such an easy win and felt quite fresh and very strong all through,” admitted Hodgins, who would go on to win the BLE national marathon nine years later and then give many years of service to the
City Sports as Meet Director and Chairman before his death in March of 2016
Cycling was a big part of all sports back in the 1960s and the American Trophy for the outstanding competitor at the Mardyke went to Barry Dorgan. The Blarney man took victory in the Irish two-mile championship where he defeated Eddie Dunne from Setanta in a time of 5min 16.2sec
The small number of women’s events on the programme were dominated by Shona Murphy of UCD. She won the 100 yards from the Jeffords’ sisters, Mary and Phyllis from Leeside Ladies, and also took the 440 from her UCD team-mates, Amy Barry and Niamh O’Brien
The Examiner also reported that “right at the end of the meeting, J. Cashel Riordan, St Finbarr’s, made a triumphant return to the Mardyke with a scintillating 440 yards run in 49.6 seconds – just 0.2 sec outside the record and the fastest time returned in NACA for quite some time.”
And finally, back to that little programme which had just two full-page adverts – one for CMP Dairy (‘to win, you must be fit, to be fit – drink milk’) while the back page was given over to T. O’Gorman & Son, ‘Hat and Cap Manufacturers’, Exchange Street
But on the list of notices on page 31, the number 8 and last certainly caught the eye and goes to show what a different era it was back then – it simply stated ‘Cigarettes presented by P.J. Carroll & Co. Ltd.!
Cork City Sports Programme - July 5th 1966
Download 1966 Cork City Sports Programme
