The pride of Charleville left the pitch to a standing ovation.
Darragh Fitzgibbon is only 21 years of age yet he already has an All-Star and two Munster senior championships won. He’s gone well so far, but there’s so much more to come.
Hurling is the main game in Charleville and Darragh Fitzgibbon is their finest hurler. Situated just beside the hurling royalty of Newtownshandrum, Charleville put themselves on the Cork hurling map this year when they made it back to the big time, back to senior hurling for the first time since 1952.
Since 2011, the club have won Cork junior, intermediate and they added the premier intermediate championship to their lot last week. Their rising All-Star Darragh Fitzgibbon has played a huge part in their second coming and it’s no wonder the people of Charleville are bursting with pride to say he’s from their club.
Fantastic achievement for this young man. Well done Darragh from all @CBSCharleville ..it's been a proud week for @CHARLEVILLEGAA 👍 https://t.co/iYXfoyD6f4
— CBS Charleville: An Edmund Rice School (@CBSCharleville) November 2, 2018
Fitzgibbon was the only hurler in Ireland aged 21 or under to win an All-Star this year.
From midfield, he lit up the Munster championship in red this year with his speed, style, skill and stamina a cut above those he was playing against. He made a habit of scoring whenever Cork needed him this year and though they didn’t win the All-Ireland they wanted, it’s performances like those from Darragh Fitzgibbon that will eventually get them there.
And he does that type of thing for his club too. Last Sunday, he scored five points in the county final when they defeated Courcey Rovers by a single point in the county decider.
This Friday, he represented his club at the convention centre, picking up an All-Star and making Charleville a place known in hurling circles all over Ireland.
The very next day, he was back in action for his club in the Munster Intermediate semi-final against Lixnaw down in Lixnaw. Charleville won by nine and Darragh Fitzgibbon was the man-of-the-match.
He picked off six points, five trademark ones from open play. Buff Egan was down in Lixnaw for Fitzgibbon’s masterclass and the sight of the Charleville players just looking over their shoulder for the Fitzgibbon run, almost every time they got on the ball, shows just how influential a player he is.
Played in Hermitage Park Lixnaw @CHARLEVILLEGAA 1-17 @LixnawGAA 0-11 @MunsterGAA Intermediate semifinal result #TheToughest @radiokerrysport @Kerry_Official All Star Darragh Fitzgibbon driving Charleville from midfield with Kevin O'Connor very influential. pic.twitter.com/s6XC7B1pjK
— Mike O'Halloran (@StageandSport) November 3, 2018
He’d remind you of Ben O’Connor ten years ago burning away from opposition. As it turns out, Ben is the Charleville manager this year and his call to take off Fitzgibbon with the game just up on Saturday allowed the people of Charleville to applaud this man off the pitch.
The pride of Charleville.
