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Silver Jubilee celebrations planned for St. Brendan's Basketball All Ireland

May 5th, 2013
by Eamonn Keogh

 A SPECIAL event to celebrate the silver jubilee of the St. Brendan's College Killarney All Ireland Basketball victory in 1988 will take place at The Malton Hotel, Killarney on Friday 17th May.

The St. Brendan’s team clinched the All Ireland Senior Colleges 'A' Basketball Championship title on January 31st 1988 and preparations are at an advanced stage to mark the 25th anniversary of the success. Details of the event were outlined at a launch function which was attended by school representatives, former players and sponsors in The Malton Hotel on Sunday night.

The 1988 team plan to roll back the years and play the current St. Brendan's school team in a novelty challenge match on May 17th at 3.00 PM. in St. Brendan's College Gym. This will be followed by the official 25th anniversary function in The Malton Hotel Killarney at 8.00 PM.

Speaking at the launch, coach of the winning team and former Irish International Tim Regan recalled the proud tradition of basketball in St. Brendan's College and the factors that contributed to St. Brendan's recording their first and only All Ireland senior title. He said that the construction of the sports hall in 1979 marked the beginning of a new era of basketball in the college and paved the way for the emergence of St. Brendan's as a formidable force in colleges basketball throughout the 1980s.

"The college entered its first basketball competition in 1968 but it really took off in 1979 with the new gym. It was also the home venue for the very successful Gleneagle Killarney national league team and young players were inspired to take up the game. St. Brendan’s won several Munster titles and reached two All Ireland senior semi-finals during the 1980s before we finally made that big breakthrough in 1988 ," he said.

Paying tribute to the All Ireland winning team , Tim said he was privileged to coach an exceptional group of players that brought great honour and pride to the school, their families and the town of Killarney. He also paid tribute to all the players and coaches of all school teams throughout the years and singled out the enormous dedication and contribution of Fr Jack Fitzgerald, who coached several school teams during the late 70s and 80s.

Tim Regan also praised the important association of Dawn Milk with the St. Brendan's 1988 team and with Kerry Schoolboys basketball during that golden era and thanked Dawn Dairies Killarney Manager Gerard Coughlan for their fantastic sponsorship over the years and for agreeing to get involved again with the 25th anniversary celebrations. He also expressed gratitude to St. Brendan's sports sponsor The Malton Hotel and General Manager Conor Hennigan for hosting the silver jubilee event and offering a special rate. He also acknowledged the encouraging cooperation and support from St. Brendan's Principal Sean Coffey and former President Fr. Dan O'Riordan.

Speaking on behalf of his former teammates, Cormac O'Donoghue, captain of the St. Brendan's 1988 team said all the players were looking forward to celebrating the 25th anniversary and renewing acquaintances. He thanked sponsors Dawn Milk and The Malton for supporting the event and said that the All Ireland win in 1988 still remains his greatest sporting achievement.

" It was a great honour to captain an All Ireland winning team but I was fortunate to be surrounded by a great bunch of players and we also had an advantage over most teams having such a remarkable coach in Tim Regan, who was a basketball hero to all the players because of his status as a former Irish International.," said Cormac, who also represented Ireland at senior level and has enjoyed a distinguished playing and coaching career.

Dawn Dairies General Manager Gerard Coughlan said his company were delighted to be associated with the silver jubilee celebrations and recalled some of the glory days of Irish basketball during the 1980s when Dawn Milk also had such a prominent role with schools and national league basketball.

"Dawn Dairies has a long association with St. Brendan's and Kerry Schoolboys Basketball and it is very fitting that the team is being honoured. We supported St. Brendan's during their All Ireland campaign 25 years ago in an era when the Dawn Milk Blue Demons team was the top team in the national league. I was also very pleased at the time that a number of that St. Brendan's team went on to have impressive basketball careers and also featured very prominently on the St. Paul's Killarney Superleague team that we sponsored under the Kerry Spring Water banner during the 1990s," he said.

Malton Hotel General Manager Conor Hennigan said that The Malton have established a very strong relationship with St. Brendan's through their role as sports sponsor and they were thrilled to be hosting a celebration for a winning team. " There has been tremendous work done by several teachers and staff in St. Brendan's with dedicated teams and competitors in the school for many years and is important to acknowledge these sporting accomplishments. I congratulate the St. Brendan's team of 1988 and hope that this event will inspire more sporting success for the school in the near future again. We look forward to welcoming everybody to The Malton on May 17th, " he stated.

St. Brendan's College Principal Sean Coffey said that the silver jubilee function will be a fitting tribute to a fantastic team that brought enormous pride to the school 25 years ago. "We have a very proud sporting tradition in St. Brendan's and it is always important to recognize and mark these magnificent achievements. We are delighted that the silver jubilee event is going ahead and it is a great opportunity for everybody involved to celebrate," he said. He also paid tribute to the great coaching work and dedication by the teachers and staff that continue to keep St. Brendan's very competitive in all sporting codes.

The St. Brendan's team that achieved success in 1988 had to endure a campaign in Kerry, Munster and the All Ireland Championship.

The season commenced on October 15th 1987 when St. Brendan's came out on top to win the Dawn Dairies/ Kerry Schoolboys Basketball Blitz in St. Brendan's Gym. The home side enjoyed victories over Mercy Kanturk, Tralee CBS, Colaiste Padraig Castleisland and Killarney Community College to progress to a Munster semi-final meeting with Crosshaven. This was played on Wednesday November 11th 1987 in Macroom and St. Brendan's enjoyed a comfortable 83- 58 victory. This win meant St. Brendan's progressed to the Munster final and it also secured a place for in the All Ireland Championship top eight.

November 11th 1987 was a very historic day in Irish sport. While St. Brendan's secured their place in the All Ireland Championship, it was also the same day that an unknown Scotsman called Gary Mackay scored an 87th minute winner against Bulgaria for Scotland. It was a goal that knocked Bulgaria out and secured a place for the Irish soccer team in the Euro 88 Finals.

However in the Munster Colleges final on December 13th 1987, St. Brendan's actually lost out 93-86 after over-time to North Monastery in the Neptune Stadium, Cork. Played as a curtain raiser to a top flight National League game, it was the Cork side who led 41-40 but St. Brendan's stayed in touch to tie the game at 82 points each at the end of normal time. North Mon enjoyed a slight advantage in the extra time period and held on to win by a seven point margin, 93-86.

St. Brendan’s scorers: Cormac O'Donoghue (31), Liam O'Connor (15) Colman O'Shea (14), Connie O'Leary (14) and Aidan O'Shea (11). North Mon: Ian McLean (31), Mark Long (27), Stephen McCarthy (17) and Gordon Fitzgerald (12). The All Ireland Colleges Championship at St. Declan's College Cabra, Dublin on January 30th and 31st 1988 attracted the top two teams from each province with teams divided into two groups of four. In their pool games St. Brendan's started well defeating Leinster Champions Patrician Newbridge 55-50. In the other pool games St. Brendan's defeated St. Mary's Galway 51-42 before disposing of La Salle Belfast on a 60-45 scoreline.

As group winners, St. Brendan's advanced to a semi-final meeting with St. Joseph's Galway and came out on top winning 88-75. The All Ireland final was an all Munster encounter again between St. Brendan's and North Mon. The Cork side led 41-38 at the interval but St. Brendan's gradually got on top in the second half and held on to win 84-78. St. Brendan's top scorers: Cormac O'Donoghue (24), Colman O'Shea (24), Liam O'Connor (14), Aidan O'Shea (12), Connie O'Leary (8). North Mon: Mark Long (24), Stephen McCarthy (22), Ian McLean (20). St. Brendan's 1988 Team: Mark Cooper, Gerard Flynn, Eamonn Keogh, Timmy Leen, Timmy Looney, Niall O' Callaghan, Liam O' Connor , Cormac O' Donoghue (Captain), Connie O' Leary, Aidan O' Shea, Colman O' Shea, Simon O' Shea. (Pat Sheehan was on the panel for the Kerry and Munster campaign but missed out on the All Ireland finals due to injury) Tim Regan, Coach

Following the All Ireland victory for St. Brendan's in 1988 various celebratory events took place. Upon arriving home at Killarney Railway Station on the Sunday night of the final, family, friends and fellow students gave the winning team a rousing reception and they were paraded through the streets of Killarney.

The late Killarney UDC Cllr Sean O'Keeffe proposed a special vote of congratulations for the team at the town council meeting on Monday February 1st and it was adopted unanimously by all councillors. The late Bishop of Kerry Diarmuid O'Suilleabhain and St. Brendan's College President Fr Dan O'Riordan hosted a special reception for the team at the school on Tuesday February 2nd 1988.

Dawn Dairies, main sponsor of the Kerry Schoolboys Basketball during that era, also honoured the All Ireland champions with a special celebratory dinner at Nick's Restaurant, Killorglin.

On March 12th 1988 the St. Brendan's winning team and Coach Tim Regan were honoured with a Killarney Sports Star award.

This was a first and only All Ireland Colleges Senior 'A' Basketball Championship title for St. Brendan's Killarney. The school has won three other All-Ireland basketball titles in other age categories since that historic victory in 1988 . These were an U16 National Cup in 2005, a First Year title in 2006 followed by a Second Year title in 2007.

Tim Regan is emphasizing that the silver jubilee function on May 17th is an ideal opportunity for everybody associated with basketball in St. Brendan's College over the past 45 years to have their own 'gathering' event and appealed to them to come along and take part in the celebrations.

"While the function is honouring the 1988 team, we also want to remember all the players and coaches that have contributed to the growth and development of basketball in St. Brendan's from 1968 to 2013. It will be a great opportunity for everybody to get together for what will be a real Basketball Gathering" he added

As school sports sponsor The Malton Hotel is offering a very special deal of €25 per person for a three course meal, tea/coffee. Tickets for the event can be booked directly from The The Malton at 064 66 38000.

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