Dublin victorious in deferred All-Ireland hurling final
Dublin, 15 May 1922 – Dublin were crowned the All-Ireland hurling champions for 1920, defeating Cork at Croke Park yesterday.
Before a huge crowd of 22,000 spectators, the Metropolitans triumphed in a high-scoring encounter that ended 4-9 (21 pts) to 4-3 (15 pts). ‘It is the finest game in the world’, Dan McCarthy, TD and President of the GAA, remarked when handing the trophy to the Dublin captain, Bob Mockler.
The game itself was played in fine weather and the Cork men, fast and accurate and aided by a breeze, made the brighter start and led at the interval by 1-2 (5 pts) to 0-2 (2 pts). At the start of the second half, however, Dublin went on a scoring spree. Within 15 minutes they had amassed 4-6 (18 pts) and limited Cork to adding only a solitary point to their half-time total. The Munstermen did rally but the gap that had opened up proved unbridgeable.
There was a strong political presence at Croke Park, with Arthur Griffith, President of Dáil Éireann, and J.J. Walsh, Postmaster General, in attendance. Music at the intervals was provided by the Cork IRA Pipers’ Band and the Transport Brass and Reed Band. Stewarding was provided by the Dublin clubs.
Later this year, the same venue is scheduled to host the Tailteann Games.
Archive footage of hurling in 1920s
[Editor's note: This is an article from Century Ireland, a fortnightly online newspaper, written from the perspective of a journalist 100 years ago, based on news reports of the time.]
