William Cummins (18 October 1921 – 30 September 1992) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

sportsperson. He played

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

with his local club

Carrigtwohill Carrigtwohill, officially Carrigtohill (), is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of 5,080 (2016). It is 12 kilometres east of Cork city. It is connected to Cork Suburban Rail and is bypassed by the N25 road. Carrigtwohill is on ...

and was a member of the

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

minor and senior inter-county teams in the late 1930s and early 1940s.

Playing career

Club

Cummins played his club hurling with his local club in

and enjoyed some success.

Inter-county

Cummins first came to prominence on the inter-county scene in the late 1930s. He tasted success in 1938 when he captured a

Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...

minor title following a 9-3 to 0-0 trouncing of

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

.Donegan (2005), pp. 39 The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Cork take on

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. A high-scoring contest ensued and at full-time Cork were the winners by 7-2 to 5-4.Donegan (2005) pp. 29 Cummins was still eligible to play with the Cork minor hurlers again on 1939. That year he collected a second Munster minor winners’ medal following an 8-3 to 0-2 defeat of

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. Cummins later lined out in a second All-Ireland final, this time with arch-rivals

Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...

providing the opposition. Cork were the dominant force for the second consecutive year and went on to win the game by 5-2 to 2-2. It was Cummins’s second All-Ireland winners’ medal in the minor grade. Cummins later joined the cork senior hurling team. He made some cameo appearances as a substitute in the 1939-1940

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...

, however, he never became a regular member of the team.

Family

Cummins is part of a Cork hurling dynasty. His wife's uncle, William "Bowler" Walsh, played hurling with Cork in the early part of the century. He lined out in two All-Ireland finals in 1912 and 1915, however, he ended up on the losing side on both occasions. Cummins’s sons,

Kevin Kevin () is the anglicized form of the Irish masculine given name (; mga, Caoimhghín ; sga, Cóemgein ; Latinized as ). It is composed of "dear; noble"; Old Irish and ("birth"; Old Irish ). The variant ''Kevan'' is anglicized from , an ...

Ray Ray may refer to: Fish * Ray (fish), any cartilaginous fish of the superorder Batoidea * Ray (fish fin anatomy), a bony or horny spine on a fin Science and mathematics * Ray (geometry), half of a line proceeding from an initial point * Ray (g ...

and Brenadan, all wore the red jersey of Cork at various levels from the 1960s until the 1980s. Kevin captained ‘the Rebels’ to the All-Ireland minor title in 1964. Ray captained the Cork senior team to the first of three All-Ireland titles in-a-row in 1976 while Brendan was also a key member of the team.

Honours

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 ...

: ** Winner (2): 1938, 1939 *

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 Associ ...

: ** Winner (2): 1938, 1939

References

;Notes {{DEFAULTSORT:Cummins, Willie 1921 births 1992 deaths Carrigtwohill hurlers Imokilly hurlers Cork inter-county hurlers