Éamonn Young

Éamonn Young
Personal information
Irish name	Éamonn de Siún
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Midfield
Born	7 August 1921; Dunmanway, County Cork, Ireland
Died	3 August 2007 (aged 85); Bishopstown, Cork, Ireland
Height	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Occupation	Army officer and teacher
Club(s)
Years	Club
	Dohenys; Glen Rovers; Collins
Club titles
	Football
Cork titles	3
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County
1942–1953	Cork
Inter-county titles
Munster titles	4
All-Irelands	1
NFL	1

Edward D. Young (7 August 1921 – 3 August 2007), known as Éamonn Young, was an Irish

Railway Cup

medals. His inter-county career was followed by several periods as a team trainer and selector.

Young is widely considered one of the best players of his generation, and among the greatest of all time, as well as being regarded by many in the sport as Cork's greatest ever player.^[1]^[2]^[3] An Irish Examiner obituary described him as "an icon of Cork sport" and "the Christy Ring of football." Young was named at midfield on the Cork Team of the Century in 1984 and at left wing-forward on the Cork Team of the Millennium in 2000.

Playing career

Club

Young joined the

County Hurling Championship medal in 1940 after coming on as a substitute in the final against Sarsfields

.

Young's military career saw him line out with

County Football Championship titles from four final appearances between 1949 and 1953 following defeats of Macroom, St. Nicholas' and University College Cork

.

The twilight of his club career saw Young return to the Dohenys club almost 20 years after leaving. His return saw him help the club to three

County Junior Championship title after a replay defeat of Grange

in 1966.

Inter-county

Young, ironically, first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork minor hurling team. He won a Munster medal at this level in 1938, and subsequently collected an All-Ireland. In 1939, the success continued and Young was a dual medal winner in Munster. He later won a second All-Ireland minor hurling medal in the company of the legendary Christy Ring. Young graduated onto the Cork junior football team in 1940 and won a Munster medal before joining the county senior team in 1943. He won a senior Munster title that year, however, Cork were later beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final. Two years later, in 1945, Young won a second Munster medal before lining out in Croke Park for the All-Ireland final. On that day, he won his only senior All-Ireland medal as Cork defeated Cavan. It was the Leesiders first championship title since 1911. Young won a third provincial title in 1949, however, Cork failed in the All-Ireland semi-final. Three years later, in 1952, Young was captain of the Cork senior football team. That year, he won a National Football League medal before collecting a fourth Munster title. Once again, however, Cork failed in the All-Ireland semi-final. Young retired from inter-county football in 1953.

Young also won

Railway Cup medals with Munster

in 1941, 1946 and 1949.

Personal life

Young was born into a prominent family in

Cork senior hurling team, including four-in-a-row, and is regarded as one of the county's all-time greats.^[7]

Young was educated at Dunmanway National School and later boarded at Good Counsel College in New Ross. He subsequently had a very successful career with the Irish Army. He did a tour of duty with the 38th Battalion in the Congo in 1963. He did a second tour in 1967, this time with the B Company 8th Infantry in Cyprus. When he returned from Cyprus, Young completed a Bachelor of Arts in University College Cork in 1970. He subsequently retired from the army with the rank of commandant and took up a teaching post in Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh in Bishopstown. He was conferred with a Master of Arts in 1978.