Revealed: The limited edition Cork jersey commemorating MacCurtain and McSwiney
These historic jerseys will be available to buy in March.
Michael HayesJournalist
REPRO FREE. 20/02/2020. Ronan McCarthy, Cork Senior Football Manager, Kevin O'Donovan, CEO/Secretary Cork County Board, Tracey Kennedy, Chairperson Cork County Board and Diarmuid O'Sullivan, Cork Senior Hurling Selector, at the launch of the Cork GAA jersey to commemorate MacCurtain and McSwiney. (Image: Jim Coughlan)
Cork GAA have revealed the special edition jerseys that will be worn by the Cork senior hurlers and footballers over the next two weekends to mark the momentous events of the War of Independence.
The jerseys were unveiled this evening at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and have been designed and produced by kit manufacturer O'Neills. They bear the images of the two mayors lost in 1920 Tomas MacCurtain and Terence McSwiney.
The portraits are featured in front of an image of the burning of Cork in December 1920.
On the back - there is an image of the Crossbarry Memorial - marking the site where Republican volunteers under Tom Barry fought off over 1,200 British troops that were trying to encircle them. Ten British soldiers and three volunteers died in the ten-hour engagements.
The special jersey which bears the legend "100 Years" on the collar.
The Cork hurlers will don the new jerseys on Sunday when they face Limerick in a crunch National League game.
Next weekend, the senior footballers will host Derry at Páirc Uí Chaoimh and will also wear the specially commissioned jerseys. The gesture by Cork GAA has already won praise on social media, from fans who appreciate the commemoration of two Cork heroes who lost their lives during one of the darkest periods in the history of the Rebel County.
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It's not the first time that Cork GAA have worn special kits. In 2016, the Cork hurlers wore a special saffron and blue jersey to mark the centenary of the Easter Rising.
Bill Cooper wears the Cork 1916 jersey against Kilkenny in 2016 (Image: INPHO/Donall Farmer)
Cork also marked the GAA centenary in 1984, playing that year's All-Ireland hurling final in a jersey that featured the Cork coat of arms on the right breast, the crest of the GAA on the opposite side, and Corcaigh emblazoned across the chest.