AT half time in Sunday’s junior A football final, Carbery GAA will honour the Ilen Rovers’ team that won the title in 2000, 25 years ago.
The turn of the century was a golden era in the history of the Ilen Rovers’ club. They had waited until 1996 to win their first South West junior A title, beating great rivals Carbery Rangers in the final. That rivalry really blossomed in the ensuing years. Add in a top-class Tadhg MacCárthaigh side and the games produced by that trio in the last years of the 20th century and the early years of the 21st century really caught the public imagination.
MacCarthaighs won in 1997, Rangers in 1998 and it was Ilen again in 1999, beating Rangers in extra time of a replayed final. They were unlucky to lose the county final that year.
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Everybody wanted to win the millennium title in 2000. Again it was Ilen, defending their title, and Carbery Rangers, back in the final. The game was played in Moneyvolihane on October 15th with Kieran O’Neill of Tadhg MacCárthaigh as referee.
It certainly wasn’t a three-team championship in 2000 as shown in the semi-final when Ilen barely scraped over a very good St Colum’s side by a single point. In the first round, Ilen accounted for Kilmacabea and then saw off Diarmuid Ó Mathúna. Carbery Rangers were bidding for their tenth title and were anxious to avenge the final defeats of 1996 and ’99.
In the final, Ilen were the better team and should have won by much more than the two points that separated the sides at the end. A good start and a flying finish saw Ilen home but in between they conceded three goals to a Rangers’ side that never hit top form. The mighty Fachtna Collins dominated midfield and when Pat Connolly joined him in the second half, it was all Ilen.
At the break it was Rangers in front by 1-5 to 0-7, courtesy of a goal from Niall Hayes. Ilen grabbed control in the second half but not before Johnny Murphy had hit a cracking goal for Rangers.
A quick reply by Jason Whooley when he rattled the net saw Ilen in front but after building a three-point lead, they were caught by a third Rangers’ goal from Maurice Moore.
Level with ten minutes to go, Ilen put in a storming finish to win by 1-15 to 3-7. Whooley, 1-2 and Fachtna Connolly, 0-4, were Ilen’s top scorers on the day.
That Ilen team contained many players who were to gain legendary status in the club in subsequent years, going on to win the South West three-in-a-row the following season and winning the county junior title. County, Munster and All-Ireland intermediate titles soon followed in 2003/2004, as well as a county senior final appearance in 2007.
Ilen Rovers 2000 team: Gary Coakley, Ciarán O’Driscoll, Diarmuid Duggan, John Sheehy, Donal Murphy (captain), Donal O’Driscoll, John Wycherley, Fachtna Collins, Alex Whooley, Jason Whooley, Pat Connolly, Kieran Daly, Conor O’Driscoll, Brian O’Sullivan, Edward Sheehy. Subs used, David Harmon, Donie Duggan. Other subs, Chris Collins, Finbarr O’Donovan, Flor O’Donoghue, Raymond Seymour, Flor O’Driscoll, Kevin O’Sullivan, Dominic Casey, Shane Holland, David Whooley, Conor Minihane, Ronan Sheehy, Brendan Duggan.Selectors, David Evans, Anthony Evans, Johnny Holland, Tommy Ryan.
