Dr O’DONOGHUE CUP: EAST KERRY GAA SENIOR CHAMPIONSHIP

jointly sponsored by the Aquila Club & Dr O’Donoghues Family

The Dr O’Donoghue Cup is the most coveted prize in the East Kerry GAA District and honours the late Dr. Paddy O’Donoghue. It is presented annually to the winners of the East Kerry GAA Senior Championship.The high esteem in which this championship is held is reflected in with the presentation of East Kerry All Star Awards, which commenced in 2010 and continues to date. See separate sections on the web site for further information on these awards. A man of the match award is presented at all games starting at quarter final stage, kindly sponsored by The Aquila Club, Gleneagle Hotel.

Dr O’Donoghue was born in Glenflesk. He was educated at the local National School, at Presentation Brothers Cork and later qualified as a Medical Doctor at University College, Cork and practised in Killarney. He gave outstanding service to the G.A.A. as a player and administrator. He was President of the East Kerry Board from 1935 until his untimely death on January 4^th 1948 at the age of 47 years. During his career as a doctor in Killarney he won the affection of all sections of the community and was known to give his services free of charge to G.A.A. players. His son, Michael, ran the Park Place Hotel, which was located at High Street, Killarney and was a popular rendez-vous of G.A.A. members and venue for East Kerry Board meetings (1988 O’Donoghue Cup Final Programme).¹
The decision, to purchase a cup to honour Dr O’Donoghue and to present it to the winners of the East Kerry Senior Championship, came about as a result of a number of decisions and actions (The Story of the O’Donoghue Cup 1954 -2003, John O’Leary ed).²

Following the death of Dr O’ Donoghue, a broadly based, representative committee was formed under the auspices of the East Kerry Board of the GAA. Its aim was to provide a suitable memorial to the doctor in recognition of his services to the community (The Story of the O’Donoghue Cup 1954-2003, John O’Leary ed).³

The Officers of the committee were Former T.D., Danny J O’Donoghue, Barraduff (Board Chairman), Vice Chairman Danny O’Sullivan, Drombrick, Beaufort, Joint Honorary Secretaries Michael Moynihan and Paddy Murphy, as well as future TD and Minister, Michael Moynihan and Treasurer Pat O’Meara, College Street. Other members of the committee included Very Rev. Jer J.J. Murphy and Paddy O’Donoghue M.P.S.I.³

A house to house collection was organised throughout the area that the doctor had served. As the response was magnificent and a huge sum of money was raised, three memorials were put in place to honour Dr O’Donoghue. These were a 10ft high Celtic Cross with inscription, over Dr O’ Donoghues Grave, in the new cemetery, Killarney, (which was blessed by Rev. Dr. Denis Moynihan), two Stained Glass windows in the Church of our Lady of the Valley, Black Valley and a Marble High Alter, in Dr O’ Donoghue’s Native church in Glenflesk.³

The O’Donoghue Memorial committee had money left over after these three projects had been completed and parallel with this another development took place. At the annual convention of the East Kerry Board on 24th January 1954, a motion from St Josephs, Rathmore, ‘that a perpetual cup be awarded to the winners of the senior championship was referred to the first meeting of the incoming board. Consequently, together with the East Kerry Board and with the agreement of Dr O’Donoghue’s family,  it was decided that a fourth memorial to Dr O’Donoghue would be in the form of a perpetual trophy, which would be a silver cup. This cup, to be known as the O’Donoghue cup, would be presented annually to the winners of the East Kerry Senior Championship. Danny Jim O’Donoghue, on behalf of the memorial committee, purchased the silver cup in Cork and presented it to the East Kerry Board. Appropriately, the first winners of the O’Donoghue Cup was Legion Club, for which Dr O Donoghue had been President for many years.³

The format of the O’ Donoghue Cup Championship competition was changed to championship knockout competition format in 1966. It had been played in a league format from its inception in 1954,up to that. This change came about by motion at the AGM of the Board on 26 January 1967, when similar motions from Gneeveguilla, Glenflesk and Spa clubs were compressed into the following amendment, that was passed unanimously: That the O’ Donoghue Cup be played as a knockout Championship……³

The Finalists and the scores from 1954 to date for the O’ Donoghue Cup East Kerry Senior Championship are listed below

__________________________________________________________________

ROLL OF HONOUR O’DONOGHUE CUP

(East Kerry Senior Football Championship)

• Game awarded to Dr Crokes

Note: The above results from 1954 to 1999 are taken from the 1999 O’Donoghue Cup Programme; 1999 to 2003 from The Story of the O’ Donoghue Cup(1954 -2003) edited by John O’ Leary; and 2003 to 2013 courtesy of Michael Pigott, East Kerry Board Assistant Secretary. _____________________________________________________________________

References

1. Programme for the 1988 O’Donoghue Cup Final
2. The Story of the O’Donoghue Cup 1954 ed-2003, John O Leary, -pages 14, 15
3. The Story of the O’Donoghue cup 1954 -2003, John O’Leary ed.