James Finbarr Morrison (1 July 1923 – 30 August 1994) was an Irish
hurler who played as a full-forward at senior level for the
Cork county team. Morrison made his first appearance for the team during the
1944 championship and was a regular member of the starting fifteen for just one season. During that time he won one
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
medal and one
Munster medal. At club level Morrison was a one-time
county senior championship medalist with
St Finbarr's.
Playing career
Club
Morrison played his club hurling with
St Finbarr's and had much success. He first played for the famous "Barr's" club in the minor grade and collected three successive championship medals in that grade between 1939 and 1941. In 1942 Morrison played in his first senior county final with "the Barr's".
Ballincollig
Ballincollig () is a suburban town within the administrative area of Cork city in Ireland. It is located on the western side of Cork city, beside the River Lee on the R608 regional road. In 2016 it was the largest town in County Cork, at wh ...
, a team who had defeated nine-in-a-row hopefuls
Glen Rovers
Glen Rovers is a Cork-based Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Blackpool, Cork, Ireland. The club was founded in 1916 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling. They were Cork senior hurling champions in 2015 and 2016, havin ...
in the semi-final, provided the opposition. St Finbarr's made no mistake and powered to a 5–7 to 2-2. It was Morrison's sole
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
medal with the club.
Inter-county
Morrison first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork minor hurling team in 1941. He won a
Munster medal that year following a 4–6 to 3–3 defeat of
Tipperary
Tipperary is the name of:
Places
*County Tipperary, a county in Ireland
**North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh
**South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel
*Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
. He later lined out in an All-Ireland decider against
Kilkenny. A 5–2 to 2–2 score line gave Cork the victory and gave Morrison an
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). I ...
medal.
In 1944 Morrison joined the senior team as Cork were attempting to capture a fourth All-Ireland title in-a-row. No team in the history of the hurling championship had won more than three consecutive titles. The year got off to a good start when Cork defeated Limerick by 4–6 to 3-6 after a replay to give Morrison a
Munster medal. For the third time in four years Cork faced
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...
in an All-Ireland decider.
Joe Kelly was the hero of the day and he contributed greatly to Cork's 2–13 to 1–2 victory. It was an
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
medal for Morrison. He died in
Los Angeles
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, California in August 1994 at the age of 71.
Le Père James Finbarr MORRISON
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Honours
;St Finbarr's
*Cork Senior Hurling Championship
The Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PSHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Cork County B ...
: 1942
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 1 – WWII: The Declaration by United Nations is signed by China, the United Kingdom, the United States, the Soviet Union, and 22 other nations, in w ...
;Cork
* All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: 1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
* Munster Senior Hurling Championship: 1944
Events
Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix.
January
* January 2 – WWII:
** Free French General Jean de Lattre de Tassigny is appointed to command French Army B, part of the Sixth United States Army Group in Nor ...
*All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). I ...
: 1941
*Munster Minor Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Assoc ...
: 1941
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Morrison, Jim
1923 births
1994 deaths
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners
Cork inter-county hurlers
St Finbarr's hurlers
Irish expatriates in the United States
20th-century Irish Roman Catholic priests