Golden Jubilee Year 1974

Fifty Golden Years

A Golden Jubilee is a major event in the life of any club, and requires to be celebrated in a fitting manner, and it was indeed a gala occasion at Garryvoe Hotel on a recent Saturday night when Castlemartyr men and women and their friends celebrated the fiftieth anniversary of the club's foundation in 1924. More than three hundred people attended the dinner. It was a happy occasion. The men of Castlemartyr had much to be proud of. It was a night of memories with more than a touch of nostalgia as old timers met again and recalled the deeds of other days, deeds that developed the character of Castlemartyr and set the course for their hurling.

For Castlemartyr men of today it must have been a history lesson and they cannot fail to have been inspired by the parade of men whose dedication and loyalty no less than their skill made Castlemartyr one of the great clubs of East Cork in a era of great club hurling. To pay tribute to Castlemartyr and their fifty years of work for the G.A.A- and hurling, there were many distinguished guests.

Con Murphy, hon. secretary of the County Board, was there, and was obviously impressed by it all. Gene Fitzgerald, T.D., vice-president of the County Board was also present, as was Munster Council representative, Denis Conroy, footballer Eamonn Young, East Cork Board Chairman Derry O Brien, and Secretary Seamus O'Flynn.

But pride of place among the guests went to the men of yesterday who brought Castlemartyr into existence. They carried their years well. You think of Castlemartyr and inevitably you think of Will John Abernethy, a man who set standards as well as targets for Castlemartyr hurlers. On that night Will John was cast in a new role when he replied to the toast of "The Guests," a toast incidentally moved with humour and pathos by Denis Conroy. And those who have gone to their reward were not forgotten in this night of memories. A special tribute though was for the O Brien brothers Dave and Felix, Davy Lawton, Ted O Sullivan and Raymond Nugent.

Club Chairman, Paddy Walsh, presided over the gathering. The toast of the G.A.A. was proposed by Con Murphy and Eamonn Young replied in a manner that must have imbued the younger men with the need to make Castlemartyr worthy of its past. Seamus O'Flynn proposed the toast of the club and John Barry N.T responded, but that was only the beginning. The hours that followed were used by many to dance and sing, for more the time spent ranging back over the years. It was a night of memories – A night to remember.