An all Rangers battle which is sure to excite.
2024 Carlow JHC Final Preview
Burren Rangers v Mount Leinster Rangers, Saturday 10th of August, 3.45pm, Netwatch Cullen Park
By Leo McGough
The battle of the Rangers, one who have scaled the heights, contested the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling final in Croke Park, the other slowly gaining a foothold in the lower reaches of Carlow hurling, the Junior Championship, at this point in time, driving their ambition.
The whole county, no disrespect to Mount Leinster Rangers, would love to see Burren Rangers win Saturday’s final, reward for spreading the hurling gospel in fertile football country. “It won’t last” predicted more than one native of the area “drawing from three football clubs, three out-and-out football clubs, clubs who, as all neighbours are, are arch rivals, the hurling might be alight for young lads but when it starts interfering with the football the hurls will be flung aside.”
Have to admit I nodded in agreement, Kilbride, the Fighting Cocks and Ballon were football clubs with a long tradition, a tradition which included many a local derby battle. Every so often it was mooted that the three together, rather than dabbling at junior and intermediate level, would make a competitive senior outfit. Not just a temporary amalgamation but a united club. Don’t think it ever advanced beyond the mooting stage.
Same story with Old Leighlin, Leighlinbridge and Ballinabranna, three football clubs who would vehemently oppose a parish club but whose hurlers came together as Naomh Bríd. Burren Rangers followed suit, providing hurling for the footballers in the ‘Cocks, Kilbride and Ballon, first at juvenile level and with Camogie being promoted hand-in-hand a great sense of enthusiastic adventure was born.
And those of us who doubted the venture’s life-span were slowly but surely convinced that these new Rangers were going no where as an adult hurling team was added to their affiliations, an adult team that has lost junior finals, lost a junior semi-final to Kildavin-Clonegal last year, a surprise defeat that to us outsiders was going to be a real test of resolve.
But to the Burren Rangers mentors and players it was just a case of ‘keeping on, keeping on’, they love their hurling, they love playing hurling, they love the challenge of playing matches and here they are back in a Junior final. If they lose they’ll play junior again next year. If they win the challenge of Intermediate Hurling then the reality is their flagship team will be crossing camáns with Carlow Town’s flagship team, Naomh Bríd’s flagship hurlers, two clubs with ambitions to regain senior status. Whisper it, that too is Burren Rangers long term ambition.
And why not? Last year who won the Minor ‘A’ Hurling Championship and won it in style? Burrren Rangers. A momentous achivement. Gives those youths a few years at adult level, the higher the level the better, and the green and white camán wielders will, with the help of a few elder statesmen cut a dash.
‘The higher the level the better’ we say so Intermediate next year is a good start. Already aRangers player has experienced hurling and hurling preparation at the highest level, Lorcan Doyle on the Carlow senior panel this last two years, a Joe McDonagh Cup medal winner. He’ll be at centre half back on Saturday. Dylan Townsend is a sweet striker, accurate too, Conor Bolger, Billy Shanahan, Daniel Bolger are among their stand-out players while the addition of big Joe Waters, winner of SHC medals with Naomh Eoin, Christy Ring medals with Carlow and Towns Cup rugby medals with Tullow brings a huge amount of experience and winning mentality to the cause.
Manager Jarlath Bolger was a massive player for Burren Rangers in their early adult days, massive to juvenile coaching cause too where along with among others James Connolly and Eddie Townsend, enthusiatic youths were turned into cultured hurlers.
Winning mentality and cultured hurlers have long been twins in Mount Leinster Rangers and the Borris, Rathanna, Ballymurphy club are, for the second year in a row, contesting the SHC, IHC and JHC finals, an amazing feat. Last year the lost the junior and intermediate but won the ‘big one’.
This year, or some year soon, the red and black will bedeck the senior, intermediate and junior cups, a glorious treble. Don’t estimate the motivation that that treble will provide. Back in 1964, Erin’s Own of Bagenalstown won the SHC, U-21 HC, MHC as well as the SHL and MHL, a grand slam of all competitions they played in. Decades after it was still talked of, mentioned with enormous pride.
Methinks Mount Leinster Rangers would get the same inner satisfaction from an adult championship treble. And with Leinster Club SHC medalists, Willie Hickey, Eddie Coady and John Coady manning central positions and such useful hurlers as Colm Malone, Niall Canning and chief marksman Eoin Fenlon on the wings Part 1 is a distinct possibility.
Promises to be a lively final, Burren Rangers to inch it.
