The annual Conker Competition in Crosshaven Boys National School is their most important and most favoured tradition in the school’s history and this year celebrated 50 years of battle, crowning Alex O’Brien as the 50th ever conker champ writes Tara Maher.
The game of conkers can be traced back to 1848 in the Isle of White before it spread across the UK and over to Ireland. It's not known when conkers was first played in Crosshaven but it was in 1975 that Mr Diarmuid Ó Murchú organised the first official Conker Competition in Scoil Chros tSeáin, Crosshaven. Finnbar Wrenne would go down in history as the first ever winner, with a prize of money to be spent in Power’s shop on sweets. Since 1975, it has become engraved in the school's culture for a conker competition to be held every October. To mark this year's special occasion, and to ensure that there are conkers to play in 50 years, the school is growing 50 conker samplings from this year's conkers to be planted around Crosshaven including planting a number of trees on their own school grounds.
This October, on Thursday the 24th, Principal Colm Lyons watched on as the fiftieth ever conker competition final took place between eventual winner Alex O’Brien and runner-up Harry Lenihan. Following the nail biting finale, a special ceremony took place marking the golden anniversary. Students, teachers, past winners, former Chairperson Micheál Murphy, Sean O’Brien from Crosshaven-Carrigaline Credit Union, past pupil and writer Patrick Holloway, past staff members Betty McDonnell, Mary Kelly, and Jackie Kiely, past pupil and the man who ensures the conker board is kept up to date Finbarr Clarke, Noel Corcoran from Crosshaven House and members of the Parents Association were present, as were RTÉ who captured the event for the six-one news.
Also in attendance were members of the Geary family, including Claire who presented the David Geary Perpetual Trophy to the winner Alex. David Geary, a past pupil, sadly passed away but his memory lives on through the competition, and his family have sponsored the trophy since 1989. Bobby Rodgers, the first ever winner of the David Geary Perpetual Trophy was present for the celebration. Bobby won with a seasoner his brother gave him, “The final was taking too long. I think both finalists were in 2nd or 3rd class so the bigger boys (6th class) took over for more power and speed up the match. Michael Moore took over for me and the rest is history as they say.”
John and Angela, the parents of the late Pete Morrissey who won the conker comp in 1993, were also in attendance.
In the lead up to the anniversary, former teacher and Deputy Principal Mr. Ger Harrington, and former Principal Mr. Aiden Fahy paid visits to the school and recalled old stories and anecdotes during their times at the school. Unfortunately neither could attend on the 24th.
Mr. Harrington was a relatively new teacher in the school when he helped organise the first Conker Competition in 1975 with Diarmuid O Murchu and he was involved in running the annual competition until 2011.
Mr. Lyons joined the teaching staff in 2014 and revealed he knew very little about the competition but knew how prestigious it was, as he was dutifully informed by Deputy Principal Valerie O’Leary, and of all necessary slang words; freshie a new conker, stampies, when someone stamps on a conker after it has fallen off the lace to try weaken it, and a seasoner, a conker that has been waiting patiently for a few years until it's ready for battle.
“Conkers is a great game to play and while there is great skill to it, there's also an abundance of luck in it,” Mr. Lyons told The Carrigdhoun.
The rules of the game are simple, all the boys from 1st to 6th class participate, and names are drawn out of a hat. It’s a game of knock-outs until one conker remains. The aim in each round is for your conker to break the other pupil's conker and progress to the next.
The final rule is that the same conker must play from round one right through to the final, and even if the player is absent for whatever reason for the final, and someone else must stand in their place, the original player is the winner. This rule has proved to be controversial, and has caused a number of disputes even years after the final has taken place!
Jason Fitzgibbon remembers the year he won, but had to miss the final. “It was coming close to the "Conker comp" and everyone in the world was talking about it, well in my world anyway. But that's all that mattered in my world at the time. The excitement of it was something I will remember forever, the build-up, the scouting out of others conkers. Then Mum said I had a few days off as we were travelling to Wales. The only time of my life where a few days off school was not welcome. So, the Conker comp started and I was doing well. Won the first few matches and then another to get to the quarter finals. I could see now that something wasn't going to happen; either the Wales trip or the Conker comp as the day the ferry was leaving Ringaskiddy was coming ever so close. I was after getting to the final after a great battle in the semis. Of course, the day I was leaving was the day of the final so I had to make a choice - well mum made it for me and that was that I was off to Wales. There was no mobile phones at the time so I had to wait to find out how my Conker had done in the final. A friend of mine, Daniel O’Donoghue played my Conker and I wouldn't doubt him, he won the final for me. A great relief but also would have loved to have played myself. To this day I still collect and play conkers. I will always have a few seasoning away in the background and can't help but stop at a horse chestnut tree when I see one full of conkers. It brings back the best of memories and always will.”
Students have their pick of conkers from where they please, by the lions share, they are found in Crosshaven, around the grounds of Crosshaven House and by the Pitch & Putt course. John Walsh's lucky conker came from a chestnut tree just above Harris's Corner in Fountainstown. He remembers climbing up the trees and shaking the branches to knock as many down as he could. He was eleven and in sixth class when he won, “It was every kid's dream to get his name up on the giant board in Master Murphy's class room.”
Finbarr Wrenne, the first ever winner found his in The Glen, and Charlie Neville found his in Anthony, a suburb of Paris in 2011 but it was seasoned for four years before being put on a lace and crowned the winning conker in the 2015 competition.
“In today's fast-paced world, it is important to cherish and preserve the traditions of old-time games for children” Mr. Lyons said, “as they provide a sense of joy and innocence that is often lacking in modern society. By passing down these beloved pastimes to future generations, we can ensure that these treasured traditions continue to bring happiness and laughter to children for years to come.”
At the beginning of this year's competition he reminded students “we do not own the conker competition, it is up to each and every one of us to ensure that it lives on and continues year on year.”
The game was created to be a bit of craic, but the values the game teaches students can’t be undermined. “The importance of honesty and not cheating, the importance of learning to handle victory and defeat and treat the two imposters just the same, and learning how to congratulate and commiserate.”
To be crowned Conker Champion is the greatest honour that can be bestowed on a pupil at Scoil Chros tSeáin, and it is something that can never be taken away.
Sean Conway won the competition in 1986, and said he will be “a conker champ forever”. Sean’s journey to winning the conker competition started 5 years before the competition, when he went down to the enormous conker trees in the glen and got a handful of prime conkers. He placed five of the best lookers between two blankets at the bottom of the hot press and then managed to forget about them for five years. He remembered his hidden treasure about three weeks before his last chance at winning the ultimate prize of conker champ.
Not only is it a joyous occasion for the winning student, but also for the student’s family, especially when the one family produces two winners. Brothers Eddie and David Long won in 1978 and 1979, and the Neville brothers Billy and Charlie in 2009 and 2015. Billy was a rookie when he won the competition, “I was in first class the year I won the Conker Competition and had no conker. Peter McCann, who was a few years older, kindly offered me one which I took, only to beat his brother James in the semi-final and Peter himself in the final!”
This wasn’t the only time a victor was crowned by using someone else's conker. David O’Keeffe won the competition on his last chance, “I got my conker that year from a friend, David Murtagh, who had used the conker to "warm up" as he had another one he was keeping for the main event! I entered the conker and ironically played David Murtagh in the final and fortunately beat him. Unfortunately for him, with his own conker!”
2023 saw the first ever joint winners in the competition. Alistair Rattigan and Liam Ruttledge were declared winners when both their conkers broke at the exact same time, making history.
To mark the 50th anniversary of the competition, the school held a poetry writing competition which was judged by past pupil and writer Patrick Holloway. Sixth class pupil Mossie Birmingham won with his poem ‘Conkers’. A special teachers edition conker competition also took place and SNA teacher Deirdre Deane took the crown and the bragging rights.
The Conker Competition is a legacy that has been passed through generations, which was evident during the 50th celebration when former winners Eddie Long and Seamus Murphy returned to their old school, where their sons Luke and Bobby respectively now attend, creating conker comp memories of their own.
Conker Comp Roll of Honour
1975 Finbarr Wrenne
1976 Frank O’ Sullivan
1977 Rory O’ Shea
1978 Edward Long
1979 David Long
1980 Stuart Fitzgerald
1981 Paul O’ Brien
1982 David Keating
1983 Aidan Wrenne
1984 Seamus Murphy
1985 Jeremy Crowley
1986 Sean Conway
1987 Bernard O’ Halloran
1988 John Walsh
1989 Bobby Rodgers
1990 Karl Rooney
1991 Mark Mulcahy
1992 Frank Murphy
1993 Peter Morrissey
1994 Kevin Manning
1995 Philip Slyne
1996 Kevin Manning
1997 Kevin Manning
1998 Jason Fitzgibbon
1999 Jack Costigan
2000 Christopher Tanner
2001 Luke Tanner
2002 David O’ Keeffe
2003 Rory Slater
2005 Christopher Tanner
2006 Colin Curran
2007 Jack Cox
2008 Michael Slattery
2009 Billy Neville
2010 Dylan Canty
2011 Paddy Crowley
2012 Shane Hannigan
2013 Shane Hannigan
2014 Eoin Murphy
2015 Charlie Neville
2016 Alex O’ Connell
2017 Callum Mulcahy
2018 Andres Hyde
2019 Fionn O’ Donovan
2020 Jimmy O’ Donovan
2021 Liam Ruttledge
2022 Finn Cronin
2023 Alistair Rattigan
Liam Ruttledge
2024 Alex O’Brien
Conkers
By Mossie Bermingham, 6th Class
Tomorrow is the Conker Comp,
50th anniversary it will be
Lots of seasoners lots of freshies
Who will win we will see
175 boys start out the comp
Lots of losses lots of wins
Half go through to round two
Lots of wins and lots of swings
Round after round
Only one can be crowned
Cheers of joy when you get through
Lots of conkers on the ground
50 years of strings and conkers
Who will win we will see
The final two will battle it out
Who will the 50th winner be?
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