LONG READ: Why Tipperary versus Cork is a derby made for Araglen GAA Club

Founded in 1968, Araglen GAA fields both hurling and gaelic football teams and is part of the Avondhu division in Cork.

While Gaelic games may have been played in the Araglen area since the foundation of the GAA, and Gaelic football and hurling teams fielded locally from the early 20th century, Araglen GAA was officially established in 1968 with the amalgamation of Araglen Hurling Club and St. Michael’s Gaelic Football Club.

Although geographically located in Tipperary and featuring some Waterford representation, it was decided to affiliate to the Cork County Board.

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The club fielded teams at Junior B divisional level throughout the 1980s and 1990s, with the first major success arriving in 1999 with the Cork Junior B Hurling Championship title.

Araglen also won the Cork JCFC title in 2021.

It is in fact the only club in existence which is situated in the Rebel County, and players must then cross the border to play on their pitch which resides in Tipperary.

It’s understandable then, with the first-ever All-Ireland SHC Final set to take place between the two sides this weekend, that tensions and banter are running high within the club, as Chairman Alan Hegarty told the Tipperary Star.

“Well I suppose from a club point of view, you could say the situation is awkward,” he began.

“Obviously we’d have members from both Cork and Tipperary, and we’d even have Waterford natives who would have an interest in it too. Where we are and what we are leaves us in an unusual position when it comes to Sunday.

Alan went on to explain one unusual factor about Araglen which might just about tip the village in Cork’s favour.

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“Another unusual thing for us is that we have a hurley maker in the area, Fitzgerald Hurleys, and the thing there is that he actually supplies up to 10 of the Cork panel with their hurleys for the match in Croke Park.

“I know for a fact that the Cork goalkeeper Patrick Collins from Ballinhassig, Blarney’s Mark Coleman, the two Downeys (Eoin and Robert of Glen Rovers), and St Ita’s Séamus Harnedy all use Fitzgerald Hurleys which are made here in Araglen. And just to really hammer home how unusual that is, when you come out of Fitzgerald’s gate and you go ten yards up the road, you cross the border into Tipperary.”

Alan went on to say that another unusual sight, a house bearing both a Cork flag and a Tipperary flag, is actually not that uncommon in Araglen.

“I put two flags up in the house yesterday, one Cork and one Tipp one. All we have in the village nowadays is a pub which I suppose isn’t really in the village itself, and then a church obviously. We used to have a few pubs, a couple of shops and a post office, but that’s just the way things have gone in recent years.

“But absolutely you could see Tipp and Cork flags sticking out of the cars and house windows of Araglen locals.”

“In the end look it’s all good fun, it’s not lifechanging if we don’t win, but of course we’d prefer Cork to win!”

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