Newcestown man Maurice (Sonny) Donovan was recently honoured by the GAA in America with a Lifetime Achievement Award for his promotion of Gaelic games in the United States, both as a player, coach and administrator, with the constant backing and encouragement of his wife, Maureen. Maurice Donovan, was one of seven sons and daughters born to Maurice and Catherine O'Donovan in Quarries Cross, Newcestown in South West Cork. His father played a leading role in the fight for Independence as captain of Quarries Cross Company, taking part in the Tourenn and Gaggin ambushes. His uncle, Matt was killed in an encounter with the Black and Tans about 300 yards from his home. An impressive Celtic Cross monument marks the site. Sonny played his first championship football game with St John's (Newcestown) v Ballinadee in 1947. After St. John's folded in 1950, Sonny, as he will here after be called, played junior football for Kilmurray, Bandon. In 1953, he was right-half back, his favoured position throughout his career when Bandon beat Glanworth from North Cork at the Athletic Grounds (now Pairc Uí Chaoimh) to win the county junior football championship. In 1955, he emigrated to England and worked for a short period in the coalmines of Lancashire, before moving on to Boston in January, 1958, where he continued his playing career with Cork Football Club, Boston and New York and Young Ireland's hurling Club. Sonny won a New England championship and travelled to Detroit in 1962 and he added a third winner's medal in 1963. Together with Richie Flemming, Tony Stack and Colm Fagan, RIP, Sonny also played for Cork in New York and as part of the New York All-Stars they returned to Ireland in 1961 and beat Duhallow, then the reigning Cork champions in Kanturk, before being narrowly beaten by the Cork county team. Richie remembers him as a tough close-marking footballer. "He had some great tussles with the likes of John Noel Connolly, and Sonny and Frank O'Brien". Sonny was also togging out for Young Ireland Hurling Club with Fr. Dan Finn, Dan O'Neill and the Moxley brothers, Mike, Richard and Peter end even served a term as president in the early 60's. There were other things going on in Sonny's life. In 1964 he had set up Donovan & Healy Painting in partnership with Joe Healy, a brother of the musician Andy Healy. Maurice Donovan was soon to find that Dilboy wasn't the only places where matches took place. 1968 was also the year that Young Ireland hurling Club (est. 1897) faded from existence. Former players played first for Fr. Tom's, then briefly formed Cork Young Ireland but that club disbanded and for a time there was no Cork hurling club in Boston. Early in 1976 eight people assembled in Martin Bligh's pub "The Horse and Hound" now the Boyne to correct matters. They were: Sonny and Maureen Donovan, Dan O'Neill, Mike Cronin (snr), Pat Cronin and Richard, Peter and Mike Moxley. The meeting was close to breaking up without a resolution when Sonny spoke up. "If we leave here tonight without accomplishing anything there'll never be a Cork Club". He foisted board positions on everybody. Maureen was made treasurer and Sonny was elected chairman, a position he held for 18 straight years. Cork Hurling Club came into existence and a great tradition had begun. Two actually, because parallel with the growth of the new club ran the O'Donovan tradition of putting up players recruited from home. They may not have invented the idea of bringing players out but the Donovans improved it remarkably by adding generous measures of open-hearted hospitality to the mix. Amongst the very first to come over were Noel Dunne from Cannover, and Frankie Long from Cloughduv. Both quality hurlers, they played key roles as the new kids on the block swept to the New England final against Galway. The game was played in punishing 100 degrees heat and, at half-time, Long lay prostrate in the dressing room unsure whether he could go on. Sonny revived him with rhetoric and a bucket of cold water. In extra time, Long's 65-yard free won a famous victory for the Rebels. Word spread around Ireland (a) there is a Cork Hurling Club in Boston; (b) If you go, the Donovans will treat you like royalty. Seen through a hurler's eyes, some of the Donovan's early guests were almost royalty. Amongst those who came down for breakfast in "Donovan's Hotel", 24, St Mark's Road, were Mick Malone, winner of four under-21 All-Irelands and later a member of the three-in-a-row team, Dennis Desmond, Seamus Brennan (Kilkenny), Mike Houlihan, Pat Howard and Mick Quaid (Limerick). And not just breakfast either. His mate of old Pat Hughes remembers stopping by one day and seeing a huge turkey on the table and piles of folded laundry set aside for the lads. He remembers thinking they had huge hearts for everyone. "They are fine people", he said "There would sometimes be six or seven lads in the house and everyone was fed and found and fixed up with a job. They helped me get started in this country, like they helped a lot of people". The goodwill the club accumulated translated into success on the field. Cork finished runners-up to Fr. Tom's in 1980. The next year they saw the Promised Land. Cork's breakthrough to become North American champions in 1981 remains the highlight of his career for Sonny. Before that trip to San Fransicso, there was only $91 in the kitty, but such was the spirit in the club that club members gladly chipped in $200 to sponsor a player each. Sonny recalls the joy of beating Martin Doherty's Na Fianna in the final as his proudest moment. "In the last seconds, Martin Doherty came up the field looking for the equalising goal and Paul Collins stopped him in his tracks. There was a huge sigh of relief on the line. I was proud as a king when I heard the final whistle". One thing bothered him though. Goalkeeper Dan O'Neill's puckouts had been noticeably shorter than usual. When asked why, Danno's answer endeared him to Sonny forever. It turned out he had badly injured his thumb in practice the previous day, but rather than disturb anyone he suffered through a sleepless night and played the game in pain. That's team spirit, and typical of a man who, along with his wife, Maura, made a huge contribution to the Cork club. Speaking of team spirit, it took them five days to get back to Boston and the lads did the black top dance in Logan Airport upon their return. In an incredible show of consistency they went on to contest every final decade but one ('83). And nobody relished it all more than Sonny. While Maureen stayed in the stands, Sonny paced the line with the likes of Gerry Geaney. One of his duties was to fire up the players and his team talks have become the stuff of fondest memory. "There's no tomorrow" he would famously say, "It's now or never. Are we psyched?" He would invoke the spirit of 1916, the battle of Kinsale, actions against the Black and Tans in Kilmichael and Upton ambushes. Whatever it took. "It was like a history lesson in there," Dave Coleman remembers. Sonny's motivational tricks ran to re-christening players for their own good. So it was that Kilkenny hurler Joe Stapleton became known as 'Stonewall' Joe; Mick Malone became 'Hairy Mick', Pat Hughes became Pat Hughes from Tyrone, Co. Cork, and , after showing no talent for jumping for high balls, Ollie Collins became Ollie 'Stuck to the ground' Collins. To Sonny's great amusement, Ollie balefully replied, "You wouldn't jump too high yourself, boyeen". Cork won the New England and North American play-offs again in 1982 and were only denied a three-in-a-row of national titles by a one-point defeat by Harry Boland's in Dilboy. They lost by a point in four consecutive finals from 1985-'88 and won New England titles in'89 and '90. In 1984, Sonny managed the Boston Hurling Section, which played the All Stars during their centenary tour. He bought a squad to Houston, Texas to play the Phillpot brothers there. Away from the games, Sonny worked for the City of Boston from 1974, "twenty-seven years of blood, sweat an tears", and he and Maureen raised four children, Maurice, Siobhan, Matt and John Matthew. Tragedy touched their lives when John was killed in a car accident in the early nineties. The depth of genuine concern shown by Boston's GAA community was a consolation to the entire family. The All Stars committee set out this year to honour Sonny Donovan primarily as co-founder of the Cork Hurling Club. "We find instead that we are honouring a couple whose legacy of hospitality and selfless dedication to the GAA transcends their contribution to one club",the citation stated. Having such an eventful career behind him in the States, it is gratifying to know that Sonny never lost sight of his roots and this was nowhere more exemplified that at Brinny last October when he was one of the proud admirers of his native Newcestown in their great victory over Nemo Rangers in the County Intermediate Football Final. I remember meeting him at the reception after the game when we reminisced on those hectic hurling games between Barryroe and St John's in 1949 & '50 when out of three games it was one draw and a win for each. Accompanying Sonny on this occasion was his brother, Hughie (the well-known Bandon business man) himself a noted hurler, footballer and bowler in his day. Hughie also tells me that included in their long string of relations was Donnie O'Donovan, that well known Cork and St. Nick's footballer of the fifties, who coached the Cork Team to win the 1973 All-Ireland. As the song says: "At Newcestown, we struck a blow for Ireland and Sinn Fein", but whether in Cork, New York or Boston, it is both gratifying and encouraging to see a man from the historic parish of St. John's providing opportunities for workers who can develop their sporting and recreational skills in keeping with the best back in the "home sod". I am indebted to John Joe & Barbara Fleming of Boston who provided me with much of the background information for this feature during my recent visit to the States. With help from their family members, Richard, Brendan & Mike, the Moyley and Cronin brothers, Donnie Kenneally, John and Florence O'Brien, one can gauge the great spirit of family cooperation which exists within the GAA in Boston, always maintaining a strong link with the homeland. So, whether it's on the 'threshing circuit' in West Cork, or on the gaelic fields in Boston, the O'Donovan family have made their mark during the past sixty years. My memory of the early forties is one of seeing Maurice O'Donovan (Snr.) and his son, Hughie, guiding their steam engine and thresher through many a haggard and, as I heard Maurice to say when he finished a number of haggards on one of "The island's" south of Courtmascherry, "any more before I throw off the strap". Indeed we may ask:-"How many more teams will Sonny Donovan guide to prominence before he throws off the strap that binds this great community to such prominence throughout the greater Boston area? Courtesy of the Southern Star January 2003 Tweet

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