BALLINCOLLIG DECEMBER 1994

finbarr hogan 8/12/94






FINBARR HOGAN:



Ballincollig player-manager Finbarr Hogan has rubbed shoulders

with some of the best known sportsmen in the country e.g. Eamonn

Dunphy, Johnny Giles, Dave Barry, Ger Cunningham, Jim Beglin.



Back in the spring of 1980, Barry (Gaelic Football) and

Cunningham (Hurling) received Munster Youth Stars Awards in the

Imperial Hotel. Both Barry and Cunningham had trials with soccer

clubs across channel but that opportunity never came the way of

Hogan, the Ballincollig keeper who won the Soccer award that

evening.



Nineteen eighty was a great year for Finbarr who had started his

soccer career with Ballincollig some eight years earlier under

the late Mick McNulty (senior). That period was barren enough.

Hogan had just one medal to his credit, a runners up token

following an Under 16 Cup final loss to Tramore.



In March of 1980, Hogan was selected to travel to France with the

Irish Under 17 team to take part in a major tournament in Cannes.

Jim Beglin, then with Waterford Bohs, later an senior

international and now a TV and radio commentator, was also

included in the panel. Mr Giles was manager and Mr Dunphy was

his assistant. Hogan was capped in the tournament in which

Ireland played against France, USA, Romania, Italy, Mexico, and

Tunisia.



Dave Barry was a member of the Cork AUL youths team that season,

a team managed by Denis Galvin, last week's Hall of Fame winner.

Barry missed the final against Kilkenny but current team mate

Liam Murphy didn't. Terry Kearns, another of that team to go on

and play League of Ireland, scored both goals as the AUL, with

Hogan in goal, beat their guests by 2 - 1. Donie Butler,

current FAI Commercial manager, managed Kilkenny that June day.



In November 1980, Hogan received a youth cap when he played with

the Republic against Northern Ireland in Belfast. In 1982, he

travelled with the Republic's juniors to a game in Scotland and

six months later to a game against the Birmingham FA. In

September 1983, he was again on the Irish panel (for a home game

against Scotland).



In the mid eighties, he joined Crofton Celtic and helped them to

success in the FAI Intermediate Cup in 1986. Back with

Ballincollig, he won St Michael's Cup, Munster Junior Cup,

Corinthians Cup, and Intermediate League medals.



In recent seasons, he has turned to management, starting off with

underage sides (Under 15 and 17). Last year, with assistance

from Eamonn Kennedy, he led the juniors to the championship in

League 1. This term he has taken charge of the club's first team

who currently top the Murphy's Stout AUL Senior Division.