An idealistic 20-year-old redhead stepped off the deck of the ‘Lady Wicklow’ in 1922 as one of 450 members of the Dublin Guard, sent to Kerry by the Free State Government to quell the IRA-supporting local dissenters. During his time in Kerry, the Dublin man ended up playing for Dr Crokes are rising to the county team, even winning a Munster medal which his family have accepted on his behalf 101 years later.
His name, Jimmy Bermingham, might ring more bells with association football folk, however: this is the same Jimmy Bermingham who enjoyed much success with Bohemians and also played international soccer.
After Jimmy’s descendants approached the Munster Council about the 1923 Munster medal Jimmy won but never received, a Dr Crokes historian was among those to get involved and verify the claim. They’ve since received the medal, and so grateful were the Bermingham family for Dr Crokes’ crucial role, four of his grandchildren travelled to Kerry to gift the club a perpetual trophy named in Jimmy’s honour.
“It came through a few weeks ago,” Dr Crokes chairperson Eamonn Fitzgerald said to The Kerryman of the successful application to the Munster Council. “They got on to me, and my first reaction was I did so much research into the history of Crokes, and I couldn’t recall this man.
“I’d been researching for a book on my uncle who’d been well involved in the War of Independence and Civil War, so I was well aware of events of that time. I went up to Dublin and Jimmy’s daughter-in-law, Bernadette, told me he went to Kerry on a cattle boat. I knew straight away that must have been the famous boat that came into Fenit in August 1922, which the Dublin guard sent down, basically, to clear out the IRA in Kerry. He was a solider.
“I started searching through military records. Once I had a name, I knew I was on good ground. I eventually got that Kerry team and a photo of that 1923 Kerry team. The Munster Council were very forthcoming once they knew this was a genuine request.”
Eamonn thanked Neil Cotter and Joe Ó Muircheartaigh for the huge role they played in proving that Jimmy lined out at left corner forward in that final, a 0-6 to 0-3 win over Tipperary.
Bermingham would serve a little over a year in Kerry. Soccer was his first love but it was almost non-existent here. It wasn’t long before the young Dubliner was kicking a Gaelic football around with the best of them, and none other than the great Dick Fitzgerald got him to throw in his lot with Kerry.
While he played the Munster final, there is no mention of Jimmy in the one-point win over Cavan in the semi-final or the All-Ireland final defeat to Dublin. Jimmy was back in Dublin by then and soon left the army.
“Four grandchildren – Liz, Paul, Terry, and Mossy – came down to the Dr Crokes clubhouse, and they brought some memorabilia with them, including the three international caps Jimmy won,” Eamonn added. “Among the people who attended were county chairman Patrick O’Sullivan; Crokes’ chairman Eoin Brosnan, a former Kerry player; and Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper. They got a photo with Gooch and were codding him about all the Munster medals he has, yet the one they have is more valuable!
“They were so glad of the connection and that we were able to verify it that they wanted to present the Jimmy Bermingham Memorial Cup. It hasn’t been decided what it will be played for yet, that will be a matter for the club executive, but it’s a fine perpetual trophy anyway.”
The event coincided with a celebration for recent All-Ireland winner and ‘player of the match’ Kayleigh Cronin, as well as Dr Crokes strong involvement with the Kerry Ladies’ first Munster win in 1976, not least through players Mary O’Shea, Geraldine Fitzgerald, and Trish O’Connor.
