BY MATTHEW HURLEY
DIARMUID Ó Mathúnas have realised their dream.
Last weekend, they won their sixth Flyer Nyhan crown, their first in 14 years as they were crowned Carbery junior A hurling champions, and this success was thoroughly deserved.
The Castletownkenneigh club has played 12 competitive hurling games in 2024, winning 11 of them. They had a 100 percent record in the Carbery junior A hurling Division 1 league that they also won – played seven, won seven. The drawn Carbery JAHC final against Ballinascarthy was the only game they failed to win all season.
The consistency levels of Mathúnas this year have been rewarded.
Clonakilty were the 2023 Carbery champions, yet Mathúnas beat them well in the championship, 2-22 to 0-12 in Enniskeane at the end of August.
Ballinascarthy won three of the last five Carbery championships before this year, yet Mathúnas got the better of them.
Every challenge presented to them, they passed.
In defence and attack, Mathúnas have excelled. In league and championship this season, they scored 13 goals while they conceded just five, only two of those in the knockout phase in the championship.
Caolan O’Donovan hit 1-37 in the championship, epitomising his accuracy from frees. Kevin O’Donovan hit 3-10 from play in their run to glory, including 1-3 in the final replay. Jamie Lucey and Gearoid O’Donovan were two other scorers to record big championship tallies.
They weren’t just reliant on one player, the whole team pitched in.
In defence, Jeremiah Hurley, Robbie Lucey and Jack O’Callaghan led the charge while Micheal O’Driscoll in goal was a key cog in their title quest.
Most notably of all though, the balance they made between hurling and football this season was admirable.
Not many sides in the division can afford to do well in both codes or so it was believed.
Mathúnas quashed those beliefs.
Even with a largely same squad in both, they got to two finals. They came out the wrong end of the Kilmacabea game in football but still put up a great fight throughout that championship. For the efforts being put in this year, they deserved at least one Carbery crown and they got it.
It could be a lesson for other dual clubs in the division that doing well in both is not impossible. Newcestown and Bandon have shown well in that department in this division but with a larger pick to that of Mathúnas or St Mary’s, who reached both deciders in 2021. Those are the clubs that need to be admired.
Mathúnas face Ballinora in the Cork JAHC quarter-final this Sunday at 2pm in Ovens. The winners face Tracton in the semi-final.
The Muskerry JAHC winners are familiar to West Cork hurling fanatics after they beat Clonakilty at the same stage last year, 1-23 to 0-11. They only lost to Nemo Rangers by a point in the semi-final, 2-12 to 1-14. Shane Kingston is one of their main players and played for Cork in their All-Ireland U20 hurling triumph in 2023.
The Muskerry division beat Carbery in the Cork Premier SHC college/divisional section this year too with Gearoid O’Donovan, Jamie Lucey, Robbie Lucey and Nick Hilliard all played for Carbery in that match.
There is an argument that Mathúnas will be going in as underdogs but this is a tag that suits them.
The obstacles the club had to go through in going for both codes and their tag going into the hurling final being two examples to back it up.
Whatever happens in that county championship encounter though, this team will be described as heroes for years to come. They have brought joy to the whole Castletownkenneigh area and are worthy Carbery champions.
