February past marked John Mc Killop's 50th birthday but did you know that 2013 also marks the 50th anniversary of the first-ever Cushendall team to win an All-County Championship trophy namely the 1963 minor championship team? As you can see from the photograph, quite a few of the team are still about, though sadly a few have since passed away.
These players and their management team paved the way for future successes though it was nearly thirty years later that Ruairí Óg claimed their next minor title. Back in '63 Cushendall did not play in maroon but in a black and amber rig affectionately known as the 'bumble-bee' jerseys.
Most of these players went on to have distinguished senior careers, while many of them have also served Ruiarí Óg faithfully and loyally in a variety of roles down through the years. So a lot of our younger members may now realise that as well as 'talk the talk,' these men have also 'walked the walk' and genuinely deserve our respect.
Therefore we the present members salute all the surviving players and mentors of the '63 team and take great pride in saluting your wonderful achievement of winning the all-county minor hurling title fifty years ago.
We will be returning to this story at various times during 2013, so keep an eye out for more references to the 1963 minor team!!