The Late Eamonn Young It was with real sadness I learned of the death of Eamonn Young on Friday, August 3rd. He was 85 years of age and without doubt he was Cork's greatest footballer of the 20th century. Born into the famous Young family from Dunmanway his father Jack won an All-Ireland senior football medal with with Cork in 1911 and his brother Dr. Jim would go on to win five senior All-Ireland hurling medals. Eamonn received his primary education at Dunmanway National School and proceeded to receive his secondary education at Good Counsel College, New Ross, during his college years he played Leinster colleges hurling and football and won an All-Ireland colleges medal in 1940. He played with the Cork minor footballers who won their first championship in 1939 and he won All-Ireland minor hurling medals in 1938 and 1939. He played a blinder in the 1943 Munster Championship when Cork finally got the better of Kerry but lost in the All-Ireland semi final to Cavan. Indeed Cavan were a major stumbling block to his ambitions losing to them on three occasions. Thankfully the day came in 1945 when they defeated Cavan in the final. Cork beat Galway in the semi final and in one of the best finals ever played they had one point to spare on a magnificent Sunday to carry the cup back to Lee-side for the first time in 34 years. To this day Jack and Eamonn are the only father and son to have won All-Ireland senior football medals with Cork. He played hurling with Glen Rovers in 1940 and won a county senior medal that year and won a national league medal in 1941. He joined the military college and played football with the army. He helped them win three senior county titles in 1949, 51, 53 after the 1951 victory. He was captain of Cork in 1952 they won the national league and Munster championship only to go under once again to Cavan on his last big day on the hollowed sod of Croke Park. Eamonn had a very successful job career in the army and did tours of duty in the Congo and in Cyprus. When he returned from Cyprus he studied for a BA degree in teaching. He qualified in 1970. He loved mountain climbing and was on one of the runs on the Galtee mountains (I was never too far away from them anyway) that i first met the great Eamonn. He regularly took soldiers with him to climb the run in the Galtees. These missions became known as the Galtee patrol. He retired from the army at the rank of commandant and took up a teaching post in Colaiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Bishopstown. He was an Ambassador for Cork sport. Cork's best footballer for his entire playing career. He set the standards that brought Cork out of the football wilderness. Those standards have become the foundation of the ambitions of the Cork teams today. Two All-Ireland's in the bag by August Monday ain't bad and hopefully the corncake might be heard once again in Dunmanway come the third Sunday in September (Sam we have missed you boy) when the greatest prize in Football will once again rest by Lee-side. He dummied and drove like his father of old and showed them tricks from Dunmanway I'm told. Jack Lynch was once asked to name the best player he had ever seen, one of the true greats of Cork football Eamonn Young was his answer. A gentleman to his fingertips. Eamonn Young slan Ar dheis lamh De go raibh a anam dilis. Courtesy of the Avondhu 30 August 2007 Tweet

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