History - So Far So Near

1934-1939

Carrig regrouped for the 1934 championship and Eire Og didn’t pose any difficulties in the first round. In the next round against Muskerry, however, they didn’t see what was coming and were stunned for much of the first half.

Approaching half time they trailed by 11 points, until a goal by Bobby Ryng finally settled them. Another goal by Ryng just after the break set their comeback in motion and with a quarter of an hour left Carrig‘s deficit was reduced to three points. The only score in the next fourteen minutes was a Carrig point, but with the final seconds ticking away they pilfered victory with a goal. Inevitably, Ryng was the thief.

The county semi-final on September 16th pitted Carrig against the Barrs again, The teams met four months earlier in the Ballygarvan Church Tournament when the Barrs won by 3-6 to 1-3, asserting a superiority which was familiar from two successive county finals. A crowd of 12,000 at Riverstown though suggested that Carrig were still regarded as serious challengers to the champions. The run of play said as much.

The match started in frenzied fashion. Carrig found the net after what the Examiner described as a “spectacular move” and shortly afterwards a player from both sides was ordered off. Carrig led at the break, 1-2 to 0-2, but thereafter nothing separated the sides. Three times in the third quarter Carrig had a lead pegged back by the Barrs until, at last, the champions took the lead with a goal. For the first time in the match Carrig didn’t have an answer and the Barrs added a further point to win by four, 3-5 to 2-4.

John Barry, Jim ‘Daw’ Edwards, Bobby Ryng, Jackie O’Keeffe, John Barry John Loftus, Paddy O’Donovan, Tommy O‘Donovan, Harry Lynch, Jimmy O‘Leary, Danny McCarthy, Tom Barry, Denis Barry, Mick McCarthy, Tony Pratchkie.

The year was marked, however, by a hugely significant victory in the Schools’ Shield final, Carrig’s first. Their victims in the final were St. Patricks from Greenmount, a remarkable feat for a school of Carrig’s size. In a display of thriftiness, borne out of the economical hardship of the times, a number of Carrig players wore shrunken jerseys of the1918 senior championship team. Three years later Carrig reached the final again, but this time St. Patricks got their revenge.

The games also thrived on other fronts during the 1920s and 30s. Parish leagues were a significant feature and at least two inter-firm teams fielded (Ahern’s Sand and Gravel and O’Connell’s) and there was a very active Camogie club.

Unlike other years Carrig didn’t enjoy the consolation of a significant representation on the Cork team. John Barry (NT) was the only Carrig man picked to play against Limerick in the Munster championship; Cork lost, 3-4 to 2-2.

Still, the Carrig team showed no signs of breaking up and a first round draw against Carbery in the 1935 championship didn‘t hold any dread. By half time Carrig were 4-3 to 0-2 in front and at the finish it was 7-5 to 0-4.

Carrig had to wait four months for the next round and in the meantime they played the Barrs in what was the original Eucharistic match. Ahane from Limerick were unable to travel, Glen Rovers were experiencing some internal problems and declined the invitation so Carrig were asked to step in. The Barrs won by 3-2 to 1-4, though it would be unsafe to assume that the Barrs had it easy. Throughout the 1930s the Barrs and Carrig met at least three or four times a year and according to John Barry (teacher) the Barrs never relished it.

He met an old Barrs player in town one day and they got talking about old times. ” ‘Do you remember Iodine Sunday,’ he said to me. ‘No’ says I. ‘Well we do. I don’t know what name ye had for it in Carrigtwohill, but in the Barrs we always referred to the day we played ye as Iodine Sunday because every man on our team would have to be treated with iodine afterwards.” It would have been unlike Carrig to hold back.

Carrig‘s second round against Blackrock was played at the Athletic Grounds in the first week of September. The prospect of playing Carrig appeared to trouble Blackrock so much that they lured their great Cork player Eudie Coughlan out of retirement. His performance was acclaimed by the Examiner, but not even he could save Blackrock and his presence only added kudos to Carrig’s victory.

Carrig played against the wind in the first half, but still led at half time, 1-1 to 0-3. After the break, though, two goals from frees by Coughlan put the Rockies in front and Carrig were rattled. “Carrig’s play became scrappy,” reported the Examiner, “there was much missing and they also registered a number of wides.”

A goal from Tom Barry, though, altered the course of the match. Bobby Ryng followed it with another goal and in their surge to victory Carrig added three points without reply to leave it 3-5 to 2-5 at the end: “Carrig beat Blackrock and beat them well,” concluded the Examiner. “In the last phase of the game the Rockies suddenly flagged while in the lead and Carrig quickly availed of their chance.”

In the semi-final against Midleton two weeks later Carrig left nothing to chance. Two goals from ‘Daw’ Edwards, another from Mick McCarthy and a thundering performance from Torn Barry lifted Carrig into a 3-2 to 0-1 lead at half time. Bobby Ryng picked up a fourth goal after the break from a long range shot and Midleton were broken.

The fierceness of the match though was undiluted by the scoreline. Tom Barry suffered a blow to the mouth which required treatment and one passage of play in the second half ended with three players needing attention and one Midleton player forced to go off. In the heat of the ensuing exchanges Bobby Ryng pulled out of turn and was ordered off. What had seemed like a straight-forward 4-3 to 1-1 victory had, all of a sudden, produced complications.

Carrig: Tom Barry (c), John Barry, John Barry, Jackie O‘Keeffe, Bobby Ryng, John Loftus, Tommy O’Donovan, Paddy O’Donovan, Danny McCarthy, Mick McCarthy, Jim ‘Daw’ Edwards, Jimmy O’Leary, Denis Barry, Tony Pratchkie, Harry Lynch.

Glen Rovers, who had won their first county championship a year before, beat Sars in the other semi-fìnal and the final was fixed for three weeks later. Because of injuries to John Barry (the runner) and Mick McCarthy from the Midleton match Carrig sought a postponement. The suspension of Ryng would obviously have been on their mind too, but it wasn’t offered as part of their case.

Glen Rovers were agreeable to a two week postponement, but the county board took a different view. At a county board meeting on October 2nd the chairman, Sean McCarthy, said that the match would have to go ahead. “The chairman said that he felt for Carrigtwohill,” according to the Examiner, “but both clubs were equally handicapped. There was no proviso made when the match was being fixed regarding injuries to players or anything else. The match was fixed un-conditionally and would have to stand.“

John Barry (teacher) was Carrig‘s representative at the meeting and he said that the matter had been carefully considered at a club meeting. “The meeting agreed,” said Barry, “that, in the interests of the club and the team, they could not turn out a team on the date fixed. Carrigtwohill were not in the position of other senior clubs.”

“They could not provide substitutes for players who had been suffering from injuries and other causes. The club would feel ashamed to give a display that was not in keeping with its reputation.” And so it was. The county final was never played and the Glen were declared champions. Carrig acted in defence of their honour, but a third county final in four years passed without victory.

It is impossible to say whether the events of 1935 had any bearing on the following year’s championship but Carrig‘s form never reached the same level. At the end of May they comfortably beat Eire Og, 6-5 to 1-1, in the second round of the championship, having got a bye in the first round; but the Examiner was underwhelmed.

“The standard was not as high as expected,” said the report. “The tackling was so close that there was little room left for fancy stick work. If a player missed his first opportunity of lifting the ball it was almost a certainty that he would get no second chance. Ultimately, it was the calibre of Carrig‘s big guns that proved too much for the opposition and their forward line proved to be the deciding factor in the game.“ Mick McCarthy headed the scoring with 2-2 and ‘Daw’ Edwards grabbed a couple of goals as well.

Carrig were favourites for their semi-final against Sars at the Athletic Grounds, but Carrig were lethargic and Sars pounced on their opportunity: “Carrig never seemed to reach the standard of play set by the Riverstown team, who were the better trained side and combined with greater effectiveness,” reported the Examiner. “Faster on the ball and putting every opening to the best advantage Sars deserved their win.”

At the end of a stern first half a Mick McCarthy point was, amazingly, the only score of the game, but that was to change. The first four scores of the second half were all for Sars as they went into a 1-3 to 0-1 lead. In the context of the match it was a huge lead and, given the tone of the exchanges, there didn’t appear to be much chance of things opening up.

“The clashes were launched with much vigour,” reported the Examiner, before hinting at exactly how much vigour: “Accidents were not infrequent in the course of the contest and substitutes had to be found.”

Carrig pressed hard in the closing stages, but after three successive wides, their pressure only yielded a point and Sars held out for a 1-3 to 0-2 victory. A year later the exchanges would involve hostility on a different scale.

Carrig: Jackie O’Keeffe, John Barry, John Barry, Jimmy O’Leary, Donal McCarthy, John Loftus, Danny McCarthy, Paddy O‘Donovan, Tom Barry, Tony Pratchkie, Bobby Ryng, Tommy Leahy, Jim ‘Daw’ Edwards, Tommy O’Donovan, Mick McCarthy.

The 1937 season began inauspiciously with a first round match against Mallow at the end of April. The hurling, according to the Examiner, “was hardly ever up to championship standard.” Mallow threatened for a while, but their challenge was soon strangled and in the second half “the Carrig backs were practically idle as the ball hardly ever came their way.”

The match saw Denis Conroy make his senior championship debut for Carrig and he scored two goals in the 3-3 to 1-1 victory. Evidently unaware of the budding significance of Conroy, however, the Examiner looked to the heavens for diversion.

“A little extra interest was provided by an aerial display of planes by the Irish Aero Club, operating from the aerodrome nearby, and these constantly circled the field,” it reported, indicating that the journey to Fermoy had at least one compensation.

Carrig’s second round meeting with Blackrock in the middle of July, however, was exhilarating. Once again Blackrock exhumed Eudie Coughlan from retirement, this time saving him until the beginning of the second half when the sides were level at 1-3 apiece. Once again, though, he was powerless to save the Rockies and his point turned out to be their only score of the second half as Carrig won emphatically.

“Carrig were in great form,” said the Examiner “and looked the better trained side. They drew away from their opponents in the second half to win somewhat surprisingly by 4-6 to 1-4. On the basis of this victory Carrig would now be looked upon as likely finalists.”

What happened next was the most extraordinary saga in the history of the club. The county semi-final against Sars would take three matches, heated county board meetings and Munster Council arbitration before the teams were finally separated.

The first match was played on the last Sunday of August at the Athletic Grounds before a crowd of 6,000. Sars looked to be heading for a runaway victory, until goals from Bobby Ryng and Denis Conroy brought Carrig level mid-way through the second half. Sars, however, surged again taking the match with a goal and a point in the last minute. Or so they thought.

In an amusing pantomime before the match Sars supporters released a dog in their colours and a rabbit in Carrig colours, but as soon as the match finished the roles were reversed. Convinced about an illegality in the Sars team, Carrig pursued their case to the county board. When it was thrown out there they went to the Munster Council. The posters advertising the county final between Glen Rovers and Sars were already on display in the city when Carrig were finally granted a replay, a full two months after the disputed match.

Understandably, the Athletic Grounds was packed: “Notwithstanding the heavy pitch, the match fulfilled all the ingredients of what is generally referred to as a needle game,” according to the Examiner.

“Nevertheless the play never stepped outside the bounds of good, robust hurling, and though hard knocks were given and taken, there was scarcely a mean or unsporting tackle in the hour’s play.”

A goal from a 70 yard free from Tom Barry and a point from Bobby Ryng got Carrig off to a flying start, but their wings were soon clipped and they didn‘t score again before half time as Sars ran into a 3-2 to 1-1 lead.

A Denis Conroy goal started Carrig’s comeback and a Johnny Horgan goal finished it to leave Carrig clinging to a one point lead as full time approached. Sars however had one last kick in them and they equalised with a free in the dying seconds, 3-3 apiece.

According to the Examiner Tom Barry was “without doubt the outstanding player on the field.” One of the frees he pointed was from over 80 yards, a remarkable strike considering the weight of the old sliotars and how much heavier it would have been on a wet October day: “the crowd cheered the feat unstintingly,” said the Examiner.

“If ever there was a hero seen in the finish of a game it was Tom Barry,” the report continued. “Whether putting his forwards in possession or relieving the pressure on his much harassed defence he reproduced in no small measure the form that he displayed against Kilkenny in the never to be forgotten three match All Ireland final of 1931.“

The replay took place a week later, again on a bad day which was perceived to be an advantage to Carrig. For the first half there was nothing between the teams; for the first quarter of an hour neither team registered a score and for the next quarter the lead changed hands five times with goals from Tommy O’Donovan and Denis Conroy helping Carrig into a half time lead, 2-2 to 2-0. ‘

Early in the second half Sars added a point, but it turned out to be their last score of the match. A Johnny Horgan goal stretched Carrig’s lead, and though Sars rallied for a while, goals by Bobby Ryng and Tommy Leahy put Carrig in the clear. Then the match took a turn for the worse.

“This brace of goals to Carrig did not improve the tempers of their opponents,” reported the Examiner, “and the referee decided on stern measures. A Sarsfield player was ordered to the sideline and the notching of a further point for Carrig by Tom Barry was the signal for another incident.

“A second player on the Sars side was ordered off, but, as he apparently refused to leave the pitch, play was held up for several minutes. Players came to blows and for a time it appeared that the game would not be finished. Matters went to the stage that Sarsfields gathered together as if to walk off. Better counsel prevailed, however, and though the game was resumed play became scrappy.” More than two months after the first ball was struck Carrig had finally won, 5-5 to 2-1.

The great rivalry between Carrig and Sars in the 1930s is celebrated in song. We are unaware of the author of this ballad but we believe it was inspired by the third match in 1937 and it is worth recording.

The morn it was dreary and it threatened for the rain
When the team left Carrig and their followers went by train
They were ready for the battle – they were there to do or die
No matter if ’twas raining, no matter if ’twas dry

With heavy hearts and Loftus short it was an awful thing
John Barry played at centre back and Sloane was on the wing
McCarthy and O’Donovan they were the first to shine
They gave the crowd their tanner’s worth with their play along the line

And sturdy Denis Conroy who was doing his little bit
He dodged around Bob Lotty‘s back and found the Sarsfield‘s net
Jim Regan whistled up half-time with excitement running through
For Carrig were three points ahead – they‘re the pride of the gold and blue

Now on the field again they came – lined out there face to face
Jim Regan got them going again and each man took his place
Tom Barry got the leather and he neatly did the trick
He outfoxed crafty Spencer when he sent it in so quick

With a mighty stroke Ryng took it with a whirl
And in the twinkle of an eye the flag did unfurl
They’ll score again, they’ll score again, you could hear the follower’s shout
But as quickly as Sars sent them in Jackie O’Keeffe sent them out

And up the field they rushed again like soldiers in a fray
For Ryng had scored another goal, the last he scored that day
Now Sarsfields’ eyes were shining and how proudly did they blow
They thought that they would win the match, six minutes yet to go

Now Carrig belts were tightened and Ryng he softly swore
He’d never leave the Park that day ’till he’d rise the green flag once more
And sure enough his words did he prove, he took both man and ball
For Healy ducked his parting shot when he burst the net and all

‘Twas then he made the Cork Park ring, the battle soon was ended
For Dan he was to leave the field, so badly hurt and winded
Now Spanish he took off his coat to help the boys to win
And one remark is all he made that we’re going to do it again

Now Riordan boy, get going don‘t mind the mud or dirt
For the Rockies swore young lad the Sarsfields call you shirt
Now game and manly you did your part, for you heard Horgan calling
And quickly and sure you passed the ball while Fenton he went sprawling

Denis, Tommy and Bobby were close in round the square
Jim Donovan he was shouting, you could hear him anywhere
For up again the green flag flies, the angels heard the shout
For Carrig put it through the ropes, while Sars were down and out

The singularly resonant voice of Jim Donovan from Milebush, mentioned in the last verse, was a widely known feature of Carrig matches in this era and for many years afterwards. His protestations usually began with “Mr Referee“ and there the formalities would have ended. Jim, together with his brothers John S and Myles played Hurling for Carrig in the early years of the century.

After a summer of tension and triumph the county final against Glen Rovers was a terrible anti­climax. The Glen, who had been champions for the previous three years and who would be champions again for the next four, overwhelmed Carrig in front of 15,000 people at the Athletic Grounds.

The Glen scored a goal in one of their first attacks, but Carrig managed to keep the scoring down until half time. A teenage Jack Lynch added one of the Glen’s points from a 70 to leave it 1-2 to 0-0 at the break. Jackie O’Keeffe in goal and the full back line of Willie Sloane, John Barry (teacher) and Jimmy O’Leary were all complimented by the Examiner, but they were unable to keep the Glen at bay.

“The Glen revealed form which never left the issue in doubt,” reported the Examiner. “The game was played at a cracking pace and top speed hurling kept the crowd on its toes, particularly in the first half. The hurling became more intensive in the second half but while Carrig were having the ill-luck of the play the champions were definitely on top.”

By the time Denis Conroy got Carrig‘s only score of the match, a goal in the closing minutes, the Glen had 3-5 on the board and that was how it finished.

Carrig: Jackie O’Keeffe, Willie Sloane, John Barry, Jimmy O’Leary, Paddy O’Donovan, John Barry, Willie Cummins, Tommy O’Donovan, Tom Barry, Danny McCarthy, Johnny Horgan, John Loftus, Bobby Ryng, Tommy Leahy, Denis Conroy.

Paddy O’Donovan and John Loftus played on the Cork team beaten by Tipperary in that year’s championship; Jimmy O’Leary was a sub having earlier played in the National League decider which Cork lost to Limerick. Willie Sloane won a Munster medal as a sub with the Cork Juniors in 1937.

Defeat in another county final would have broken many teams but Carrig gathered their strength once again. They were drawn against the Barrs in the first round of the 1938 championship. When the teams last met it was in the final of the Lawton Cup at the end of 1937. That was a cup presented to the Carrig club by the Rev E Lawton, a native of Carrig who had become a parish priest in Glasgow. In that meeting the Barrs had won easily and Carrig were accused by the Examiner of being “rather too inclined to dally on the ball.” It would be unlike Carrig however, to dally when the Championship came.

A crowd of 5,000 witnessed the meeting of the Barrs and Carrig in Midleton and, according to the Examiner, were treated to a “thrilling” match. The sides were level at half-time, 2-1 apiece, with Willie Tabb making his Championship debut for Carrig, getting the first of his two goals. The Barrs pulled four points clear early in the second half, but Carrig got the next six scores, four of them goals, to race ten points ahead. The Barrs rallied again, but the game was out of their reach, 6-3 to 4-3.

“On the general run of play Carrig fully deserved their victory,” according to the Examiner, “which was brought about by a grim determination to win which seemed to be the key note of each and every player.”

It was nearly four months later before Carrig met Blackrock in the second round on the last Sunday of August. Throughout the 1930s Carrig’s record had been good against the Rockies, but on this day the record snapped.

Nothing much separated the teams for most of the match. The accuracy of Danny McCarthy from play and frees meant that Carrig were only two points behind at half time, 2-2 to 0-6, and that margin was reduced to a point early in the second half. Blackrock added 1-3 before Willie Tabb got Carrig’s first goal of the match but they added 2-1 before Carrig got their next. Blackrock had not won as easily as 5-6 to 2-7 would suggest, but they had won decisively nonetheless.

Carrig: Jackie O’Keeffe, Willie Cummins, John Barry, Willie Sloane, Tommy O’Donovan, John Loftus, Mick O’Loughlin, Danny McCarthy, Paddy O’Donovan, Jim ‘Daw’ Edwards, John Horgan, Tom Barry, Willie Tabb, Bobby Ryng, Tommy Fahy.

Despite beating the Barrs in the 1938 championship Carrig weren‘t expected to do so again in the first round of the 1939 championship. In the event there was no doubt about the outcome.

Playing against the sun and the wind Carrig led at half time by a point, 1-2 to 1-1; Tommy Leahy got Carrig’s goal and Jackie O’Keeffe made a couple of spectacular saves. “From early in the second half” said the Examiner, “it was evident that Carrig were into their full stride. They had the measure of the opposition and they stayed the pace much better.” Bobby Ryng grabbed a couple of goals in quick succession to smooth Carrig’s way to a 3-6 to 1-2 victory.

Between the Barrs match at the end of April and the semi-final against Blackrock in the middle of September Carrig did well in tournaments. In June they crushed Mallow, 8-3 to 1-4, and a few weeks later they confirmed their superiority over the Barrs at the Castlemartyr pitch opening, beating them 5-1 to 1-7.

It was Cork’s involvement in the championship which delayed Carrig’s semi-final. Cork beat Limerick in the Munster final and went on to play Kilkenny in the All Ireland final. That summer Carrig had two players on the Cork panel, Bobby Ryng, an established member of the team, and a 21 year old Willie Tabb in his first season with Cork.

Neither man was from Carrig. Tabb had joined from Cobh in 1938 and Ryng had joined from Ballinacurra in 1932. During the 1930s, however, Ryng became one of the greatest players ever to wear the Carrig jersey.

As an exceptional 15 year old, he first played for the Cork team that won the minor All Ireland hurling final in 1928. Midleton CBS had good teams at that time too and he won Munster colleges medals in 1929 and 1930. He was still a schoolboy when he wreaked havoc with the Carrig defence in the Glenbower Tournament in Killeagh in 1930. Suitably impressed, Carrig persuaded him to join two years later and his inexorable rise continued.

Picked for the Cork juniors against Waterford in 1932, the senior selectors didn’t need a second look and he was started at corner forward in the Munster championship that summer. Cork, however, were beaten by Clare in the Munster final and Ryng had his taste of disappointments to come. It would be seven years before Cork reached a Munster final again.

Though the summers with Cork were short there was plenty to fill his time. As well as playing hurling for Carrig he was an accomplished footballer and spread his talent around. Starting off with Midleton he went on to play with Millstreet, reaching a county football semi-final with them, and when his work took him to Kerry he graced the jerseys of Dr Crokes in Killarney and Laune Rangers in Killorglin.

‘Towards the end of the 1930s things improved for Cork again. In 1938 they beat the great Limerick team led by Mick Mackey, only to lose to Waterford. “If we had beaten Waterford,” Ryng said years later, “I’m convinced we‘d have won the All Ireland because Clare and Dublin were the only teams left.” A year later Cork beat Limerick again, this time in the Munster final, and went on to play Kilkenny in the All Ireland final.

The match was played on the day World War Two broke out, but it became famous as the “Thunder and Lightning” final. Ryng roomed that weekend with Jack Lynch, the Cork captain, and they were woken by the thunder on the morning of the match. Such was the racket that they feared Dublin was being bombed. Ryng started the match at corner forward and Willie Tabb was picked on the wing, having come on as a sub against Limerick in the Munster final.

“The ball wasn’t travelling from the kitchen here into the room,” remembered Tabb. “You know the balls that time they were like a bag when they got wet. They changed the ball about seven or eight times that day. It should have been abandoned, it shouldn’t have been played at all.” After a bad first half Cork rallied after the break but they still lost by a point, 2-7 to 3-3.

The only consolation for Cork was victory in the minor final against the same opposition, with Willie Cummins from Carrig playing corner back. It was Cummins’ second All Ireland in succession, having played left half back on the team that beat Dublin a year before.

Both Ryng and Tabb won National League medals with Cork the following year, Ryng’s second medal, but only Ryng remained when Cork won the All Ireland in 1941. He finished his career playing junior with Ballinacurra. Not yet 30, enough remained of his enormous powers to lead them to an East Cork championship in 1942.

Ryng’s last championship match for Carrig was the 1939 semi-fìnal against Blackrock. The match took place at the Athletic Grounds, despite a vigorous objection from Carrig. A feeling of injustice in the club at having to play city teams at city venues existed for many years before.

Nine days before the match the Examiner reported on a club meeting which included a “heated discussion (on the issue) in the course of which it was pointed out that the venue selected was recognised as Blackrock‘s training ground and that the chairman of the county board had recently stated that all matches should be played at neutral venues. It was considered very unfair to Carrig when up-to-date pitches such as Fermoy, Midleton and Riverstown were available.”

It was decided to leave a decision on whether to play or withdraw to a poll of the senior panellists and by a margin of nine to seven they decided to fulfil the fixture.

Carrig played but they didn’t perform. Supported by the wind, Blackrock took control of the match in the half first and Carrig never wrested it from them. Though a Johnny Horgan goal for Carrig opened the scoring, they were three goals behind by half time.

Carrig hit the crossbar early in the second half, but it only served to rouse the city team and they rattled in three goals before Carrig scored again. Late goals by Bill Tabb and Mick McCarthy drew hardly any of the sting from a 7-5 to 4-1 beating. A strapping 19 year old forward from Ballinacurra called Ted Sullivan had scored three of the Rockies’ goals; the wicked irony was that Sullivan had offered to play for Carrig. At different times in the 1930s Carrig fielded half a dozen players from outside the parish, but to their cost Carrig had let Sullivan’s offer pass.

Carrig (Seniors): Jackie O’Keeffe, John Loftus, John Barry, Willie Cummins, Tommy O’Donovan, Paddy O’Donovan, Tom Barry, Danny McCarthy, Tommy Leahy, Willie Sloane, Bobby Ryng, Jim ‘Daw’ Edwards, Willie Tabb, Johnny Horgan, Mickey McCarthy.

The junior team beat Watergrasshill in the first round of the East Cork championship but fell in the next round to Cloyne. With a young Christy Ring in the team they went on to win the county championship.

Carrig (Juniors): Denis Conroy, Johnny Morey, Paddy O’Donovan, Denny Linehan, Mossie Fitzgerald, Sean Fouhy, M O’Donovan, Jimmy O’Leary, Jack Barry, Danny Horgan, Richie Lynch, C O’Donovan, Willie Conroy, L O’Riordan, P Lynch.

Carrig fielded a junior football team this year too and beat Little Island by two points in the first round, before John Mitchels ended their interest by 4-9 to 2-0 in the second round.

The senior’s defeat by Blackrock was a watershed for the club. Tom Barry retired, Bobby Ryng returned to Ballinacurra, John Loftus – a native of Brooklodge went back to Mayfield and arguably the greatest team in the history of the club broke up without winning a county. Carrig applied to the county board to be regraded to junior for the 1940 championship and their request was granted.

A golden era had closed.