1978 Cork Senior Football Championship
| Dates | 9 April – 17 September 1978 | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Teams | 20 | ||
| Champions |  Nemo Rangers (5th title)Brian Murphy (captain) | ||
| Runners-up |  St Michael's | ||
| Tournament statistics | |||
| Matches played | 35 | ||
| Goals scored | 99 (2.83 per match) | ||
| Points scored | 545 (15.57 per match) | ||
| Top scorer(s) | Dinny Allen (2-36) | ||
| |||
The 1978 Cork Senior Football Championship was the 90th staging of the Cork Senior Football Championship since its establishment by the Cork County Board in 1887. The championship began on 9 April 1978 and ended on 17 September 1978. It was the first championship to use a group stage format followed by a knockout phase.
Nemo Rangers entered the championship as the defending champions.
On 17 September 1978, Nemo Rangers won the championship following a 1-09 to 1-03 defeat of St Michael's in the final.[1] This was their fifth championship title overall and their second title in succession. It was the first time that two teams had qualified for the final having earlier lost a match. St. Michael's became the first team since Fermoy in 1944 to lose three finals in-a-row.
Dinny Allen was the championship's top scorer with 2-36.
Format change[edit]
Since its inception in 1887 the championship had been played on a straight knock-out basis. If any team was defeated at any stage it meant automatic elimination. This system was deemed the fairest as the county champions would always be the team who won all of their games. There were some problems with this system and a special committee was established to examine the standard of competing teams. At the County Convention on 5 February 1978, delegates voted by 138 to 83 in favour of changing the format of the championship. The new format incorporated a group stage involving four different divisions followed by a knockout stage.
Team changes[edit]
To Championship[edit]
Promoted from the Cork Intermediate Football Championship
From Championship[edit]
Declined to field a team
Results[edit]
Division 1[edit]
Table[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L SF SA Diff Pts 1 
St. Finbarr's4 4 0 0 7-30 2-33 12 8 2 
Nemo Rangers4 3 0 1 11-45 3-21 48 6 3 
St Michael's4 2 0 2 8-30 6-32 4 4 4 
St. Nicholas'4 1 0 3 3-25 14-30 -38 2 5 
UCC4 0 0 4 6-25 10-39 -26 0 Green background The top-placed team qualified for the semi-final stage of the championship proper.
Yellow background The second and third-placed teams qualified for the quarter-final stage of the championship proper.
Results[edit]
| 14 April 1978 | University College Cork | 2-05 - 3-10 | St Michael's | Ballinlough Stadium, Ballinlough |
| H Moynihan 1-1, C Kearney 1-0, S Walsh 0-3, B Kearney 0-1. | T Cashman 1-6, T Lyons 2-2, B Field 0-1, D McCurtain 0-1. |
| 15 April 1978 | St. Finbarr's | 1-07 - 0-08 | Nemo Rangers | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| C Ryan 1-1, F Twomey 0-2, D Burns 0-1, R Kenny 0-1, C Myers 0-1, J Barry-Murphy 0-1. | D Allen 0-4, K Brady 0-1, D Murphy 0-1, T Dalton 0-1, D O'Driscoll 0-1. | Referee: J Dennigan |
| 29 April 1978 | St. Finbarr's | 2-08 - 1-09 | University College Cork | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| J Barry-Murphy 1-3, J Allen 1-0, C Ryan 0-2, E Fitzpatrick 0-1, C Myers 0-1, F O'Mahony 0-1. | S Walsh 1-1, H Moynihan 0-2, M Kerins 0-2, C Mangan 0-1, J Meyler 0-1, C Kearney 0-1. |
| 30 April 1978 | St Michael's | 4-08 - 1-08 | St. Nicholas' | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| E O'Donoghue 2-1, T Cashman 1-1, D McCurtain 1-0, P Kavanagh 0-3, B Field 0-2, P Crowley 0-1. | T O'Brien 1-2, F O'Sullivan 0-1, J Buckley 0-1, G O'Sullivan 0-1, G O'Callaghan 0-1, D O'Donoghue 0-1, R Whitley 0-1. |
| 5 May 1978 | St. Nicholas' | 1-07 - 2-03 | University College Cork | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| G O'Callaghan 1-1, F O'Sullivan 0-3, T O'Brien 0-1, J O'Neill 0-1, J Buckley 0-1. | J Meyler 1-0, H Moynihan 1-0, C Kearney 0-2, C Mangan 0-1. |
| 13 May 1978 | Nemo Rangers | 4-14 - 1-08 | University College Cork | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| D Allen 1-6, D Linehan 1-2, C Murphy 1-1, T Dalton 1-1, J Barrett 0-2, D Murphy 0-1, J Kerrigan 0-1. | C Kearney 1-1, L Gould 0-3, S Murphy 0-1, J Meyler 0-1, D Nyhan 0-1, F Coffey 0-1. |
| 4 June 1978 | Nemo Rangers | 6-10 - 0-01 | St. Nicholas' | Ballinlough Stadium, Ballinlough |
| S Coughlan 1-2, N Morgan 1-2, D Linehan 1-2, J Barrett 1-0, R Whitley 1-0 (og), D Allen 0-2, D Murphy 0-1, T Dalton 0-1. | J O'Sullivan 0-1. |
| 4 June 1978 | St. Finbarr's | 2-06 - 0-07 | St Michael's | Ballinlough Stadium, Ballinlough |
| M Lynch 1-1, J O'Callaghan 1-0, E Fitzpatrick 0-3, J McCarthy 0-1, C Ryan 0-1. | B Field 0-3, T Cashman 0-1, E O'Donoghue 0-1, R Cummins 0-1, C O'Leary 0-1. |
| 14 June 1978 | St. Finbarr's | 2-09 - 1-09 | St. Nicholas' | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| J Barry-Murphy 2-0, |
| 16 June 1978 | Nemo Rangers | 1-13 - 1-05 | St Michael's | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| D Allen 0-10, D Geary 1-0, S Coughlan 0-1, D O'Driscoll 0-1, T Dalton 0-1. | B Field 1-0, D Buckley 0-3, T Cashman 0-1, R Cummins 0-1. |
Division 2[edit]
Table[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L SF SA Diff Pts 1 
Clonakilty3 2 0 1 6-28 4-23 11 4 2 Millstreet3 2 0 1 4-31 4-26 5 4 3 
Bishopstown3 2 0 1 3-24 3-26 -2 4 4 
Dohenys3 0 0 3 5-13 9-31 -30 0 Yellow background The first and second-placed teams qualified for the quarter-final stage of the championship proper.
Results[edit]
| 16 April 1978 | Millstreet | 0-09 - 1-10 | Bishopstown | Castle Grounds, Macroom |
| T Kennelly 0-4, B McSweeney 0-2, M Gilsenan 0-1, D Kelleher 0-1, J Kennelly 0-1. | J Crowley 1-3, T O'Reilly 0-3, J Lynch 0-2, E Murphy 0-1, D O'Connor 0-1. |
| 16 April 1978 | Clonakilty | 2-08 - 1-05 | Dohenys | Rossa Park, Skibbereen |
| J O'Neill 1-1, J O'Donovan 1-0, P Griffin 0-3, P O'Regan 0-2, F O'Regan 0-1, P Gavin 0-1. | D O'Herlihy 1-1, C O'Rourke 0-4. |
| 29 April 1978 | Bishopstown | 0-08 - 0-06 | Dohenys | Cloughduv |
| J Crowley 0-3, T O'Reilly 0-3, J Lynch 0-1, B Murphy 0-1. | J Carroll 0-1, J Collins 0-1, B O'Rourke 0-1, C O'Rourke 0-1, D Collins 0-1, V Sullivan 0-1. |
| 14 May 1978 | Millstreet | 1-12 - 1-09 | Clonakilty | Castle Grounds, Macroom |
| T Kenneally 0-7, J Kenneally 1-2, D Kelleher 0-2, B McSweeney 0-1. | D McCarthy 1-0, P Griffin 0-3, P Coogan 0-2, TF Hayes 0-2, J O'Donovan 0-2. |
| 18 June 1978 | Millstreet | 3-10 - 2-07 | Dohenys | Castle Grounds, Macroom |
| J Kenneally 1-1, D O'Connor 1-1, D O'Shea 1-0, M McSweeney 0-3, T Kenneally 0-3, D O'Hare 0-2. | D Collins 1-2, V O'Sullivan 1-2, D Herlihy 0-2, C O'Rourke 0-1. |
| 18 June 1978 | Clonakilty | 3-11 - 2-06 | Bishopstown | Kinsale |
| J O'Donovan 3-1, P Griffin 0-4, D McCarthy 0-2, P O'Neill 0-1, J O'Neill 0-1, P Coogan 0-1, F O'Regan 0-1. | T O'Reilly 1-1, E O'Connoor 1-0, M Fleming 0-1, J Crowley 0-1, J Walsh 0-1, J Lynch 0-1, D O'Connor 0-1. |
Playoff[edit]
| 8 July 1978 | Millstreet | 2-09 - 0-05 | Bishopstown | Coachford |
| T Kenneally 1-4, D O'Shea 1-0, D O'Driscoll 0-1, D O'Connor 0-1, D Kelleher 0-1, T Burke 0-1, J Kenneally 0-1. | T O'Reilly 0-2, D Coakley 0-1, E Murphy 0-1, J Crowley 0-1. |
Division 3[edit]
Table[edit]
Pos Team Pld W D L SF SA Diff Pts 1 
Naomh Abán3 3 0 0 4-29 2-17 18 6 2 Glanworth3 2 0 1 6-25 4-26 5 4 3 Bantry Blues3 1 0 2 5-27 5-20 7 2 4 
Na Piarsaigh3 0 0 3 5-13 9-31 -30 0 Yellow background The first-placed team qualified for the quarter-final stage of the championship proper.
Results[edit]
| 16 April 1978 | Bantry Blues | 1-11 - 3-08 | Glanworth | Innishannon |
| D Barron 1-3, F Carroll 0-3, D Hunt 0-2, V McCarthy 0-2, P McCarthy 0-1. | J O'Brien 2-1, A Fahy 1-1, J Courtney 0-3, D Courtney 0-2, K Ahern 0-1. |
| 16 April 1978 | Na Piarsaigh | 1-06 - 3-09 | Naomh Abán | Coachford |
| R McDonnell 1-1, J Sullivan 0-3, R Murphy 0-1, M Feehan 0-1. | P Lynch 2-0, D McCarthy 1-2, D Healy 0-4, S Kelleher 0-2, J Hoare 0-1. |
| 14 May 1978 | Bantry Blues | 3-11 - 2-01 | Na Piarsaigh | Castle Grounds, Macroom |
| D Hunt 2-1, R Dix 1-3, D Barron 0-6, J Riordan 0-1. | R Murphy 1-0, R McDonnell 1-0, J O'Sullivan 0-1. |
| 14 May 1978 | Naomh Abán | 1-09 - 0-06 | Glanworth | Blarney |
| D McCarthy 1-1, D Healy 0-3, J Lynch 0-2, P Lynch 0-2, L Forde 0-1. | J Courtney 0-2, DJ Courtney 0-2, A Fahy 0-1, L O'Brien 0-1. |
| 18 June 1978 | Glanworth | 3-11 - 2-06 | Na Piarsaigh | Watergrasshill |
| DJ Ryan 1-4, K Aherne 1-1, D Courtney 1-1, J O'Brien 0-2, P O'Brien 0-2, J Cummins 0-1. | D Hickey 1-1, P McLafferty 1-0, J O'Sullivan 0-3, M Feehan 0-2. |
| 18 June 1978 | Naomh Abán | 0-11 - 1-05 | Bantry Blues | Ballingeary |
Division 4[edit]
| 9 April 1978 Round 1 | Muskerry | 1-05 - 2-05 | Seandún | Charlie Hurley Park, Bandon |
| C Kelly 1-0, G Fitzgerald 0-2, D Shorten 0-2, P Lucey 0-1. | E Murphy 2-1, B Murphy 0-1, P Mackey 0-1, J Barry 0-1, E Forde 0-1. |
| 9 April 1978 Round 1 | Carbery | 3-12 - 0-05 | Carrigdhoun | Charlie Hurley Park, Bandon |
| T Holland 2-1, T Murphy 0-5, M Burns 1-1, F Collins 0-3, L Holland 0-1, P Ryan 0-1. | E Hanley 0-2, J Dineen 0-1, G Slyne 0-1, P Kelly 0-1. |
| 9 April 1978 Round 1 | Duhallow | 0-09 - 3-07 | Beara | Ballingeary |
| T Horgan 0-8, J Collins 0-1. | J McCarthy 2-0, O O'Sullivan 1-0, B O'Neill 0-3, S O'Sullivan 0-2, S O'Shea 0-1, KJ O'Sullivan 0-1. |
| 30 April 1978 Round 2 | Avondhu | 0-08 - 1-11 | Carbery | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| G Mulcahy 0-4, B O'Neill 0-2, T Monaghan 0-2. | M Byrne 1-0, C Swanton 0-3, T Holland 0-2, T Murphy 0-2, P Ryan 0-2, F Collins 0-1, L Holland 0-1. |
| 21 May 1978 Round 2 | Beara | 3-08 - 1-08 | Seandún | Clonakilty |
| 18 June 1978 Round 3 | Carbery | 1-11 - 1-06 | Beara | Rossa Park, Skibbereen |
| J Fitzgerald 1-1, T Murphy 0-3, T Holland 0-2, M Burns 0-1, F Collins 0-1, C Collins 0-1, B Evans 0-1, P Ryan 0-1. | S O'Sullivan 1-0, M Reynolds 0-3, O O'Sullivan 0-2, M O'Sullivan 0-1. |
Quarter-finals[edit]
| 22 July 1978 Quarter-final | Nemo Rangers | 0-15 - 1-06 | Naomh Abán | Castle Grounds, Macroom |
| D Allen 0-5, N Morgan 0-4, R Dalton 0-2, C Murphy 0-2, D O'Driscoll 0-1, D Linehan 0-1. | D Healy 1-2, D McCarthy 0-2, G Healy 0-2. |
| 23 July 1978 Quarter-final | St Michael's | 3-08 - 0-10 | Millstreet | Coachford |
| P Kavanagh 3-1, D Buckley 0-3, T Cashman 0-2, A Creagh 0-1, E O'Donoghue 0-1. | T Kenneally 0-5, D O'Driscoll 0-1, D O'Hare 0-1, B McSweeney 0-1, V Coakley 0-1, D O'Connor 0-1. |
| 23 July 1978 Quarter-final | Clonakilty | 1-07 - 1-04 | Carbery | Clonakilty |
| P O'Regan 1-0, P Griffin 0-3, P Googan 0-3, J O'Donovan 0-1. | R Wilmot 1-1, T Holland 0-2, F Collins 0-1. |
Semi-finals[edit]
| 6 August 1978 Semi-final | St Michael's | 1-06 - 0-06 | St. Finbarr's | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| R Cummins 1-0, P Kavanagh 0-2, D Buckley 0-2, T Cashman 0-1, E O'Donoghue 0-1. | J McCarthy 0-4, C Myers 0-1, J Barry-Murphy 0-1. |
| 20 August 1978 Semi-final | Nemo Rangers | 0-10 - 0-04 | Clonakilty | Charlie Hurley Park, Bandon |
| D Allen 0-6, N Morgan 0-2, C Murphy 0-1, J Barrett 0-1. | P Griffin 0-1, TF Hayes 0-1, P McCarthy 0-1, P O'Neill 0-1. |
Final[edit]
| 17 September 1978 Final | Nemo Rangers | 1-09 - 1-03 | St Michael's | Páirc Uí Chaoimh, Cork |
| D Allen 1-3, T Dalton 0-3, N Morgan 0-1, D O'Driscoll 0-1, D Geary 0-1. | D Buckley 1-1, R Cummins 0-1, P Kavanagh 0-1. | Attendance: 5,569 Referee: E Porter (Brian Dillons) |
Championship statistics[edit]
Top scorers[edit]
- Overall
| Rank | Player | Club | Tally | Total | Matches | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinny Allen | Nemo Rangers | 2-36 | 42 | 7 | 6.00 |
| 2 | Tim Kenneally | Millstreet | 1-23 | 26 | 5 | 5.20 |
| 3 | Tom Cashman | St. Michael's | 2-12 | 18 | 7 | 2.57 |
Miscellaneous[edit]
- Nemo Rangers officials refused to allow team captain Brian Murphy to receive the cup in protest against the County Board's earlier decision to expel the Nemo Rangers senior hurling team from the 1978 Cork SHC and fine the club £75.
- St. Michael's become the first team since Fermoy between 1942-44 to lose three finals in a row.
References[edit]
- ^ "The History Of Nemo Rangers Hurling And Football Club 1922-2000". Nemo Rangers GAA website. Retrieved 10 April 2019.