chunk_id
stringlengths 5
8
| chunk
stringlengths 1
1k
|
|---|---|
1514_12 | History
The Tripuri, Chutia, Koch-Mech and Dimasa had established powerful kingdoms in the past. The Tripuri kings had even defeated the Mughals and the Burmese kingdoms in the past. Today, the Boros, the Tripuris, and the Garos have established a strong political and ethnic identity and are developing their language and literature. The Sonowal Kachari is also a branch of greater Kachari. They live in the districts of Dibrugarh, Tinsukia, Dhemaji, Sivasagar, Lakhimpur, Golaghat and Jorhat.
Notes
References
Social groups of Assam
Tribes of Assam
Ethnic groups in Northeast India
Scheduled Tribes of Meghalaya
Scheduled Tribes of Assam
Scheduled Tribes of Nagaland
Ethnic groups in South Asia |
1515_0 | Bree is a fictional village, with the land around it, in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, east of the Shire, and the only place where Hobbits and Men lived side by side. It was inspired by the Buckinghamshire village of Brill, which Tolkien visited regularly in his early years at Oxford, and his passion for linguistics.
In Bree was The Prancing Pony inn, where the wizard Gandalf met the Dwarf Thorin Oakenshield, setting off the quest to Erebor described in The Hobbit, and where Frodo Baggins put on the One Ring, attracting the attention of the Dark Lord Sauron's spies and an attack by the Black Riders.
Etymology |
1515_1 | The name Bree means "hill" according to Tolkien, justifying the name by arranging the village and the surrounding Bree-land around a large hill, named Bree-hill. The name of the village Brill, in Buckinghamshire, which inspired Tolkien to create Bree, has the same meaning: Brill is a modern contraction of Breʒ-hyll. Both syllables are words for "hill" – the first is Celtic and the second Old English.
Description
In Tolkien's fiction, Bree was an ancient settlement of men in Eriador, long established by the time of the Third Age of Middle-earth. After the collapse of the kingdom of Arthedain, Bree continued to thrive without any central authority or government for many centuries. As Bree lies at the meeting of two large roadways, the Great East Road and the (now disused) Greenway, it had for centuries been a centre of trade and a stopping place for travellers, though as Arnor in the north waned Bree's prosperity and size declined. |
1515_2 | Tolkien wrote of two different origins for the people of Bree. One was that Bree had been founded and populated by men of the Edain who did not reach Beleriand in the First Age, remaining east of the mountains in Eriador. The other was that they were stemming instead from the same stock as the Dunlendings.
By the time of The Lord of the Rings, Bree was the westernmost settlement of men in Middle-earth, and there was no other settlement of men within a hundred leagues of the Shire. A day's ride east along the road lay The Forsaken Inn, according to Aragorn, although nothing more is known of it. Directly west of Bree were the Barrow-downs and the Old Forest. Bree was the chief village of Bree-land, the only place in Middle-earth where men and hobbits dwelt side by side. The hobbit community was older than that of the Shire, which was originally colonized from Bree. There were four villages in Bree-land: |
1515_3 | Bree was the largest settlement. Bree had a gate and gatekeepers to keep out troublemakers from the wild lands beyond.
Staddle was populated primarily by hobbits who made a living from light agriculture, including pipe-weed. Staddle was on the south-eastern side of Bree-hill, sitting south of Combe and Archet. It was the only village (other than Bree itself) visible from the Great East Road.
Combe was populated primarily by men, with some hobbits, all of whom made a living from agriculture. Combe was situated on the borders of the Chetwood and on the edge of Bree-hill, between the villages of Archet and Staddle.
Archet was the furthest north. It was in the Chetwood, and populated primarily by men.
The Prancing Pony |
1515_4 | The Prancing Pony was an inn in Bree. It served locals, and was familiar to travellers, as one of Eriador's major cross-roads was just outside the village: the meeting of the Great East Road and the Greenway. The inn was in the centre of the village at the base of the Bree-hill, at the spot where the East Road made a bend. The building is described in The Lord of the Rings:
Inside was a large common room, several private parlours, and a number of bedrooms, including a few rooms in the north wing designed for Hobbits, that were low to the ground and had round windows. The inn is also described as having stables. |
1515_5 | The Prancing Pony was frequented by Men, Hobbits and Dwarves. Bucklanders from the Shire occasionally travelled to the inn. The art of smoking pipe-weed was said to have begun in Bree, and from The Prancing Pony it spread among the races of Middle-earth. The inn was noted for its fine beer, once sampled by Gandalf. Tom Bombadil knew the inn, but presumably only by repute as he never left his own little realm.
Barliman Butterbur
Butterbur was a fat, bald Man with a bad memory. His family had kept the inn "from time beyond record". Two of his employees are mentioned: Nob, a hobbit servant, and Bob, who worked in the stables and whose race is not specified. |
1515_6 | After his inn was attacked by the black riders during the adventure for the destruction of the One Ring, Barliman offered the Hobbits (Merry, Pippin, Frodo and Sam), whose ponies were stolen during the raid, to buy them new rides, they agreed but it later turned out there were no ponies available within the town except one "poor old half-starved creature" that they bought from Bill Ferny for "twelve silver pennies", described as "more than thrice its worth".
As with other Men of Bree, Butterbur's surname is taken from a plant—the herbaceous perennial Petasites hybridus. Tolkien described the butterbur as "a fleshy plant with a heavy flower-head on a thick stalk, and very large leaves." He evidently chose this name as appropriate to a fat man; he suggested that translators use the name of some plant with "butter" in the name if possible, but in any event "a fat thick plant".
History |
1515_7 | Two important events leading up to the War of the Ring took place at The Prancing Pony. The first was "a chance-meeting" of Gandalf and Thorin Oakenshield; this meeting eventually led to the destruction of Smaug and far lighter casualties during the war in the northern theatre.
The second occurred during the journey of Frodo Baggins to Rivendell, when he and his companions stayed at The Prancing Pony for a night. After singing The Man in the Moon Stayed Up Too Late, Frodo accidentally put the One Ring on and became invisible. The minor villain Bill Ferny and a squint-eyed Southerner saw him vanish, and informed the Black Riders, who attacked the inn. Aragorn saved him and led the party away, after Butterbur delivered a letter from Gandalf which he had forgotten to deliver months earlier. |
1515_8 | Business at The Prancing Pony declined during the war because of an influx of rough Men from the South who terrorized Bree and the surrounding countryside. However, when Gandalf stopped with the Hobbits at the inn on their way home, he prophesied that "better days" were coming as the Kingdom was restored and "some fair folk" would be staying at The Prancing Pony.
In adaptations |
1515_9 | In Peter Jackson's The Fellowship of the Ring, far from being a friendly place as in the book, Bree is constantly unpleasant and threatening; and whereas in the book the Ring just makes Frodo disappear when he puts it on in The Prancing Pony, in the film there are special effects with a strong wind, blue light, and the Eye of Sauron. Butterbur appears in both Ralph Bakshi's animated 1978 adaptation of The Lord of the Rings and Peter Jackson's film, but in both adaptations most of his scenes are cut. Alan Tilvern voiced Butterbur (credited as "Innkeeper") in the animated film, while David Weatherley played him in Jackson's epic. A character credited as "Butterbur, Sr" appears briefly during the prologue of Jackson's The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug, portrayed by Richard Whiteside. James Grout played Butterbur in BBC Radio's 1981 serialization of The Lord of the Rings. |
1515_10 | In the 1991 low-budget Russian adaptation of The Fellowship of the Ring, Khraniteli, he appears as "Lavr Narkiss", played by Nikolay Burov.
In the 1993 television miniseries Hobitit by Finnish broadcaster Yle, Butterbur ("Viljami Voivalvatti" in Finnish, meaning "William Butter") was portrayed by Mikko Kivinen. Bree and Bree-land are featured prominently in the PC game The Lord of the Rings Online, which allows the player to explore the town. |
1515_11 | References
Primary
This list identifies each item's location in Tolkien's writings.
Secondary
Middle-earth populated places |
1516_0 | The Daughters of Bilitis , also called the DOB or the Daughters, was the first lesbian civil and political rights organization in the United States. The organization, formed in San Francisco in 1955, was conceived as a social alternative to lesbian bars, which were subject to raids and police harassment. As the DOB gained members, their focus shifted to providing support to women who were afraid to come out. The DOB educated them about their rights, and about gay history. The historian Lillian Faderman declared, "Its very establishment in the midst of witch-hunts and police harassment was an act of courage, since members always had to fear that they were under attack, not because of what they did, but merely because of who they were." The Daughters of Bilitis endured for 14 years, becoming an educational resource for lesbians, gay men, researchers and mental health professionals. |
1516_1 | Background
After World War II, anti-communist sentiments quickly became associated with the personal secrets of people who worked for the US government. Congress began to require the registration of members of "subversive groups." In 1950, the State Department declared homosexuals to be security risks (because of vulnerability to blackmail), and what followed was a succession of more repressive acts that included the dismissal of federal, state and local government employees suspected of being homosexual; politically motivated police raids on gay bars all over the US and Canada; even the enactment of laws prohibiting cross-dressing for men and women. More specifically regarding San Francisco's history where the Daughters of Bilitis were founded, there were police raids specifically on lesbian bars like Adler and Tommy's place, both occurring on September 8, 1954.
History |
1516_2 | In 1955, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon had been together as lovers for three years when they complained to a gay male couple that they did not know any other lesbians. The gay couple introduced Martin and Lyon to another lesbian couple, one of whom, a Filipina woman, named Rosalie "Rose" Bamberger, suggested they create a social club. The four founding couples first met at Rose and Rosemary's house on September 21, 1955. The founding meeting included Rose and her partner Rosemary Sliepen, as well as couples Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, Marcia Foster and her partner June, and Noni Frey and her partner Mary. Rose and Rosemary were working class and both employed in brush-manufacturing factories. One of the priorities of the founding members was to have a place to dance, as dancing with the same sex in a public place was illegal. Martin and Lyon recalled later, "Women needed privacy...not only from the watchful eye of the police, but from gaping tourists in the bars and from inquisitive |
1516_3 | parents and families." Although unsure of how exactly to proceed with the group, they began to meet regularly, realized they should be organized, and quickly elected Martin as president. From the start they had a clear focus to educate other women about lesbians, and reduce their self-loathing brought on by the socially repressive times. |
1516_4 | Naming |
1516_5 | The name of the newfound club was chosen in its second meeting. Bilitis is the name given to a fictional lesbian contemporary of Sappho by the French poet Pierre Louÿs in his 1894 work The Songs of Bilitis, in which Bilitis lived on the Isle of Lesbos alongside Sappho. The name was chosen for its obscurity; even Martin and Lyon did not know what it meant. "Daughters" was meant to evoke association with other American social associations such as the Daughters of the American Revolution. Early DOB members felt they had to follow two contradictory approaches: trying to recruit interested potential members and being secretive. Martin and Lyon justified the name, writing later, "If anyone asked us, we could always say we belong to a poetry club." They also designed a pin to wear to be able to identify with others, chose club colors and voted on the motto "Qui vive", French for "on alert". The organization filed a charter for non-profit corporation status in 1957, writing a description so |
1516_6 | vague, Phyllis Lyon remembered, "it could have been a charter for a cat-raising club." |
1516_7 | Mission
Within a year of its creation, most of the original eight participants were no longer part of the group, but their numbers had grown to 16, and they decided they wanted to be more than only a social alternative to bars. Of the original participants, several working-class women were not comfortable going public when DOB began. They subsequently left DOB and went on to form two secret groups for lesbians, Quatrefoil and Hale Aikane. Historian Marcia Gallo writes "They recognized that many women felt shame about their sexual desires and were afraid to admit them. They knew that...without support to develop the self-confidence necessary to advocate for one's rights, no social change would be possible for lesbians." |
1516_8 | By 1959 there were chapters of the DOB in New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, and Rhode Island along with the original chapter in San Francisco. Upon arrival at a meeting, attendees would be greeted at the door. In a show of good faith, the greeter would say, "I'm ---. Who are you? You don't have to give me your real name, not even your real first name." |
1516_9 | Soon after forming, the DOB wrote a mission statement that addressed the most significant problem Martin and Lyon had faced as a couple: the complete lack of information about female homosexuality in what historian Martin Meeker termed "the most fundamental journey a lesbian has to make." When the club realized they were not allowed to advertise their meetings in the local newspaper, Lyon and Martin, who both had backgrounds in journalism, began to print a newsletter to distribute to as many women as the group knew. In October 1956 it became The Ladder, the first nationally distributed lesbian publication in the U.S. and one of the first to publish statistics on lesbians, when they mailed surveys to their readers in 1958 and 1964. Martin was the first president and Lyon became the editor of The Ladder. |
1516_10 | The DOB advertised itself as "A Woman's Organization for the purpose of Promoting the Integration of the Homosexual into Society." The statement was composed of four parts that prioritized the purpose of the organization, and it was printed on the inside of the cover of every issue of The Ladder until 1970: |
1516_11 | Education of the variant...to enable her to understand herself and make her adjustment to society...this to be accomplished by establishing...a library...on the sex deviant theme; by sponsoring public discussions...to be conducted by leading members of the legal psychiatric, religious and other professions; by advocating a mode of behavior and dress acceptable to society.
Education of the public...leading to an eventual breakdown of erroneous taboos and prejudices...
Participation in research projects by duly authorized and responsible psychologists, sociologists, and other such experts directed towards further knowledge of the homosexual.
Investigation of the penal code as it pertain to the homosexual, proposal of changes,...and promotion of these changes through the due process of law in the state legislatures. |
1516_12 | New York chapter president Barbara Gittings noted that the word "variant" was used instead of "lesbian" in the mission statement because "lesbian" was a word that had a very negative connotation in 1956.
Methods
The early gay rights movement, then called the Homophile Movement, was centered around the Mattachine Society, formed in 1950. Although the Mattachine Society began as a provocative organization with roots in its founders' communist activism, leadership of the Mattachine thought it more prudent and productive to convince heterosexual society at large that gays were not different from themselves rather than to agitate for change. They changed their tactics in 1953. The Daughters of Bilitis followed this model by encouraging its members to assimilate as much as possible into the prevailing heterosexual culture. |
1516_13 | This was reflected in ongoing debate over the propriety of butch and femme dress and role play among its members. As early as 1955 a rule was made that women who attended meetings, if wearing pants, should be wearing women's slacks. However, many women remember it being a rule that went unfollowed as attendees at many meetings were wearing jeans, and the only jeans available in the 1950s were men's. Barbara Gittings recalled years later an instance when, in preparation for a national convention, members of the DOB persuaded a woman who had worn men's clothing all her life "to deck herself out in as 'feminine' a manner as she could... Everyone rejoiced over this as though some great victory had been accomplished... Today we would be horrified at anyone who thought this kind of evangelism had a legitimate purpose." |
1516_14 | The Daughters of Bilitis were used as political fodder in the 1959 mayoral race in San Francisco. Russell Wolden, challenging incumbent George Christopher, distributed information implying that Christopher was making the city safe for "sex deviants". Wolden was responsible for materials that stated, "You parents of daughters — do not sit back complacently feeling that because you have no boys in your family everything is all right... To enlighten you as to the existence of a Lesbian organization composed of homosexual women, make yourself acquainted with the name Daughters of Bilitis." There were only two copies of the subscription list of The Ladder, a deliberate attempt to discourage its getting into the hands of anyone who might use it against the subscribers. DOB leaders moved the list from its headquarters and later found out that San Francisco police had searched the office after its removal. Even the FBI was curious enough to attend meetings to report in 1959, "The purpose of |
1516_15 | the DOB is to educate the public to accept the Lesbian homosexual into society." |
1516_16 | National conventions
In 1960, the DOB held their first convention in San Francisco. Press releases announcing the convention were sent to local radio and newspapers, prompting San Francisco Chronicle columnist Herb Caen to direct a jab at Russell Wolden and publicize the convention, writing: "Russ Wolden, if no one else, will be interested to learn that the Daughters of Bilitis will hold their nat'l convention here May 27–30. They're the female counterparts of the Mattachine Society — and one of the convention highlights will be an address by Atty. Morris Lowenthal titled, 'The Gay Bar in the Courts.' Oh brother. I mean sister. Come to think of it, I don't know what I mean...." The blurb was reprinted in the March issue of The Ladder. |
1516_17 | Two hundred women attended the conference, as did the San Francisco police, who came to check if any of the DOB members were wearing men's clothes. Del Martin brought them inside to see all the women wearing dresses, stockings and heels. The attendees listened to speakers, including a debate between two attorneys about the legality and morality of gay bars, a presentation by the American Civil Liberties Union, and an Episcopal priest who "served up damnation with dessert", as he went on a "tirade" reminding the audience they were sinners, to which they listened politely. The DOB also gave awards to men who were allied with them, whom they called "Sons of Bilitis", or SOBs, including their lawyer, photographer, and members of the Mattachine Society who assisted them with the convention. |
1516_18 | The second national convention, held in 1962, was also notable for its being covered on television on the KTTV's Confidential File, a nationally syndicated show; this was probably the first American national broadcast that specifically covered lesbianism. The DOB held further conventions every two years until 1968. Cleo Bonner, under the name Cleo Glenn, gave the welcoming address at the 1964 convention.
Change in direction |
1516_19 | In 1960, letters from readers in The Ladder appeared that expressed exasperation with the emphasis on conformity in the DOB. In the 1970s, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon reflected that by contemporary standards, the early ideals of the DOB for integration and adjustment of the lesbian into society were outmoded, but they remembered that in the 1950s and early 1960s many gay men and lesbians considered those ideals unreachable and this approach radical. The DOB never had the number of members comparable to the Mattachine Society's. Although some may have considered the DOB's ideals unrealistic, some also considered them too tame. |
1516_20 | In 1961 the largest raid on a gay bar in San Francisco resulted in the arrests of 100 people, and the police forced women arrested in another raid in Chicago to disrobe to prove they were not wearing men's underwear, bringing a call in The Ladder to be more active. "If we ever hope to win our battle, we must fight. First, unshackle ourselves from fear, for it alone is our omnipresent enemy," read the report. |
1516_21 | However, in 1962 at the Daughters' second convention, national president Jaye Bell again argued for the pragmatic approach of integration and patience with a slow criminal justice system. Two things happened in 1963 that changed the course of the organization. A windfall came to the group when an anonymous donor who refused for her name to be recorded, known only to the DOB as "Pennsylvania," began donating large sums of money to the DOB: $100,000 over five years. "Pennsylvania" wrote $3,000 checks to different DOB members, who in turn signed them over to the organization. The editorship of The Ladder changed from Del Martin to Barbara Gittings. |
1516_22 | Because The Ladder was the primary method of communication from the leadership of the DOB to its individual chapters, the editor position was extremely influential in the group. Gittings made significant changes to the magazine, putting an emphasis on being more visible. One of Gittings's priorities was aligning the DOB with the East Coast Homophile Organizations (ECHO), a coalition of other social and political clubs for gays and lesbians. ECHO was established in January 1962, with its formative membership including the DOB chapter in New York, the Mattachine Society chapters in New York and Washington D.C., and the Janus Society. ECHO was meant to facilitate cooperation between homophile organizations and outside administrations. |
1516_23 | Evidence of how impatient audiences were getting with psychiatrists telling them they were mentally ill was displayed in 1964 when, at an ECHO convention, a featured speaker named Dr. Albert Ellis stated that "the exclusive homosexual is a psychopath" to which someone in the audience responded, "Any homosexual who would come to you for treatment, Dr. Ellis, would have to be a psychopath!" a comment that was met with applause. |
1516_24 | In 1964, Martin and Lyon began to control less of the organization, saying, "We felt that if the organization had any validity at all it couldn't be based on two people, it had to be able to stand and grow on its own. And it was never going to do it if we didn't move out." Martin and Lyon joined the newly formed Council on Religion and the Homosexual (CRH) to develop a dialogue between organized religion and gays and lesbians. They urged the DOB to join the organization as well, but a previous rule precluding the DOB from joining separate organizations (set in place primarily to ensure it would not join organizations that sympathized with Communist aims) precluded it from doing so. However, the DOB did collaborate with the CRH at times. Most notably, on the eve of January 1, 1965, several homophile organizations in San Francisco, California, including the DOB, the CRH, the Society for Individual Rights, and the Mattachine Society, held a fund-raising ball for their mutual benefit at |
1516_25 | California Hall on Polk Street. San Francisco police had agreed not to interfere; however, on the evening of the ball, the police showed up in force and surrounded the California Hall and focused numerous klieg lights on the entrance to the hall. As each of the 600-plus persons entering the ball approached the entrance, the police took photographs. A number of police vans were parked in plain view near the entrance to the ball. Evander Smith, a lawyer for the groups organizing the ball including the DOB, and Herb Donaldson tried to stop the police from conducting the fourth "inspection" of the evening; both were arrested along with two heterosexual lawyers, Elliott Leighton and Nancy May, who were supporting the rights of the participants to gather at the ball. But twenty-five of the most prominent lawyers in San Francisco joined the defense team for the four lawyers, and the judge directed the jury to find the four not guilty before the defense had even had a chance to begin their |
1516_26 | argumentation when the case came to court. This event has been called "San Francisco's Stonewall" by some historians; the participation of such prominent litigators in the defense of Smith, Donaldson and the other two lawyers marked a turning point in gay rights on the west coast of the United States. |
1516_27 | The homophile movement was influenced by the successful activism of the civil rights movement (possibly partially because in 1964 Cleo Bonner, an African-American, was elected the DOB's national president) and higher-profile members of the DOB, such as Barbara Gittings, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon, began to picket the White House, the State Department, and other federal buildings in 1965 and 1966 with members of the Mattachine Society. Gittings, as editor of The Ladder, encouraged others to do the same, and their activism became controversial in the leadership of the DOB. Gittings also ran a regular column in The Ladder that she called "Living Propaganda" encouraging women to come out to their friends and family members. It often included contributions from Frank Kameny urging political action. Some readers responded positively to Kameny, who in a speech declared homosexuals as normal as heterosexuals; some were put off by the political tone, and some were angered by Kameny, as a man, |
1516_28 | suggesting to them what they should do. DOB leaders disliked Kameny and the decisions Gittings was making for the magazine, and she was let go as editor in 1966. |
1516_29 | Rise of feminism |
1516_30 | Del Martin has written that the Daughters of Bilitis was a feminist organization from the beginning, focusing on the problems of women as well as problems of the female homosexual; however, in the mid-1960s feminism became a much higher priority to many of the women in the organization. In 1966, Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon joined the National Organization for Women, and urged readers of The Ladder to do the same, even reporting they got a family discount. The historian Martin Meeker points to the 1966 DOB convention that was a 10-day affair joining the DOB with the North American Conference of Homophile Organizations (NACHO) as the turning point where women's issues in the DOB began to have more importance to its members than gay issues. It was the largest convention DOB had yet organized, publicized in mass media all over San Francisco, attended by a large panel of nationally known speakers, and many of the presentations focused on topics that were exclusively male-centered. |
1516_31 | A November 1966 essay by DOB president Shirley Willer pointed out the differences in problems faced by gay men and lesbians: gay men dealt more with police harassment, entrapment, solicitation, sex in public places, and until recently few women were being arrested for cross-dressing. Willer pointed out the problems specific to lesbians were job security and advancement, and family relationships, child custody, and visitation. Feeling as if their issues were not being addressed by homophile organizations, many members of the DOB began to say that lesbians had more in common with heterosexual women than men. |
1516_32 | The Daughters were also affected by the changing times. Younger members did not share the concerns of older members; they were more moved by revolutionary tactics. (Though not all older members in the DOB were anti-radical; for example, as president of the New York chapter of the DOB, Ruth Simpson organized gay rights demonstrations as well as educational programs for DOB members during the period of 1969–71. Several times when NYC police, without warrants, illegally entered DOB's lesbian center in lower Manhattan, Simpson stood between the police and the DOB women. On three occasions she was cited for court appearances by the police.) Problems in the organization of the national governing board were becoming increasingly worse when local chapters were unable to take action on issues important to them without the approval of the national board. Members became disillusioned and left, and younger lesbians were more attracted to join feminist organizations. By the time the 1968 |
1516_33 | convention was held in Denver, less than two dozen women attended. |
1516_34 | Controversial ending
Editing The Ladder was truly a full-time job. Longtime DOB member Helen Sandoz, who had taken over editing it after an interim period after Barbara Gittings left, was so burdened by the responsibilities that it was affecting her relationship. She passed it on to Barbara Grier in 1968, who had been contributing to the magazine as a book reviewer and poetry writer. Grier edited the magazine from Kansas City and was a relative newcomer to the workings of the DOB, despite contributing to the magazine since 1957. |
1516_35 | Grier had high aspirations for The Ladder. She removed "A Lesbian Review" from the cover, placed there in 1964 by Gittings, to attract more women readers. She doubled the size of the magazine, expanding every section, and devoted much of the space in the magazine to feminist ideals. She reported the first DOB chapter in Australia in 1969 and attempts to form chapters in New Zealand and Scandinavia. In 1970, convinced that the DOB was falling apart and The Ladder must be saved, Barbara Grier worked with DOB president Rita LaPorte to take the subscriber list from the DOB headquarters in San Francisco to Reno and expand the magazine further. |
1516_36 | There were only two copies of the subscription list. Despite assurances from The Ladder to subscribers that these names would be kept confidential, Rita LaPorte took the list of 3,800 names from DOB headquarters and the printers without telling anyone but Grier. When Del Martin and Phyllis Lyon discovered its loss, they assumed the police or FBI had confiscated it. Previous editors Martin, Lyon, Gittings, and Sandoz considered the act a theft. Because LaPorte took the list over state lines, pursuing it would have been a federal matter, and the Daughters did not have the resources to see it through. Grier severed ties with DOB leadership and in doing so took away the Daughters' primary method of communication from the national organization to its individual chapters. As a national organization, the Daughters of Bilitis folded in 1970, although some local chapters still continued until 1995. Grier also effectively ended The Ladder, despite her plans for the magazine to run on |
1516_37 | advertising (something The Ladder had not previously had) and subscriptions, when the $3,000 checks from "Pennsylvania" written to the DOB stopped coming. By 1972, The Ladder had run out of funds and it folded. |
1516_38 | Dozens of other lesbian and feminist organizations were created in the wake of the Daughters of Bilitis. However, the impact of the 14-year run of the DOB on the lives of women was described by historian Martin Meeker thusly: "The DOB succeeded in linking hundreds of lesbians across the country with one another and gathering them into a distinctly modern communication network that was mediated through print and, consequently, imagination, rather than sight, sound, smell, and touch.”
Organizational archives
The complete surviving organizational records of the national office and the San Francisco Chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis are available to researchers as part of the Phyllis Lyon and Del Martin Papers at the GLBT Historical Society, a nonprofit archives and research center in San Francisco. An online finding aid provides a detailed catalog of the collection. |
1516_39 | The Lesbian Herstory Archives hosts the Red Dot Collection, which consists of the library of the New York City chapter of the Daughters of Bilitis.
Boston's The History Project archive houses the Boston Daughters of Bilitis Collection, which contains the Boston chapter's organization records, as well as the publication records of Boston DOB's magazine Maiden Voyage, later renamed Focus.
See also
Beth Elliott
Cleo Bonner
Daughters of Bilitis (Australia)
History of lesbianism in the United States
Minorities Research Group
Ruth Simpson
The Ladder (magazine)
References
Notes |
1516_40 | Bibliography
Adam, Barry. Rise of a Gay and Lesbian Movement. Twayne Publishers; 1987
Faderman, Lillian. Odd Girls and Twilight Lovers: A History of Lesbian Life in Twentieth Century America. Penguin Books; 1991
Gallo, Marcia. Different Daughters: A History of the Daughters of Bilitis and the Rise of the Lesbian Rights Movement. Carrol & Graf Publishers, 2006.
Katz, Jonathan. Gay American History. Crowell Publishers; 1976 0690011652
Meeker, Martin. Contacts Desired: Gay and Lesbian Communications and Community, 1940s-1970s. University of Chicago Press, 2006.
Tobin, Kay, Wicker, R. The Gay Crusaders. Arno Press, 1975
Further reading
Martin, Del and Phyllis Lyon. Lesbian/Woman, 1972. .
Simpson, Ruth. From the Closet to the Courts. Washington, D.C.: Take Root Media, 2007. . |
1516_41 | Archival sources
Daughters of Bilitis, Boston Chapter Records, 1974–1986 (1 linear foot) are housed at the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College
Daughters of Bilitis papers, 1960-1965 (0.25 linear feet) are housed at the University of Minnesota Libraries.
Barbara Gittings and Kay Tobin Lahusen gay history papers and photographs, 1855-2009 (bulk 1963-2007) (79 linear feet) are housed at the New York Public Library. Contains significant amounts of material created or accumulated during the creators' participation in the Daughters of Bilitis. |
1516_42 | External links
The Songs of Bilitis
On Important Pre-Stonewall Activists(broken)
The Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender Historical Society
Boyd, Nan Alamilla. Wide Open Town: A History of Queer San Francisco to 1965, University of California Press, 2003.
Bullough, Vern L. Before Stonewall: Activists for Gay and Lesbian Rights in Historical Context. Harrington Park Press, 2002.
D'Emilio, John. Sexual Politics, Sexual Communities, University of Chicago Press, 1983.
Stein, Marc. City of Sisterly and Brotherly Loves: Lesbian and Gay Philadelphia, 1945-1972, Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000; reprinted by Temple University Press, 2004.
LGTBQ Places in Los Angeles: Daughters of Bilitis, Los Angeles Conservancy. |
1516_43 | 1950s in LGBT history
LGBT political advocacy groups in the United States
LGBT history in San Francisco
Lesbian feminist organizations
Lesbian history in the United States
Lesbian organizations in the United States
History of LGBT civil rights in the United States
History of women in California
Feminist organizations in the United States
Organizations established in 1955
Organizations disestablished in 1970
1955 establishments in California
1970 disestablishments in California
20th century in Los Angeles |
1517_0 | Nicholas Christopher Michael "Christy" Ring (30 October 1920 – 2 March 1979) was an Irish hurler whose league and championship career with the Cork senior team spanned twenty-four years from 1939 to 1963. He established many championship records, including career appearances (65), scoring tally (33-208) and number of All-Ireland medals won (8); however, these records were subsequently bested by a number of players. Ring is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the game, with many former players, commentators and fans rating him as the number one player of all time. |
1517_1 | Born in Cloyne, County Cork, Ring first played competitive hurling following encouragement from his local national school teachers Michael O'Brien and Jerry Moynihan. He first appeared on the Cloyne minor team at the age of twelve before later winning a county minor championship medal with the nearby St Enda's team. A county junior championship medal with Cloyne followed, however, a dispute with club officials saw Ring join Glen Rovers in Blackpool in 1941. Over the next twenty-six years with the club, Ring won one Munster medal and fourteen county senior championship medals. As a Gaelic footballer with the Glen's sister club, St. Nicholas', he also won a county senior championship medal. He retired from club hurling at the age of forty-six following a victory over University College Cork in the 1967 championship quarter-final. Over the course of his senior championship career Ring estimated that he played in 1,200 games. |
1517_2 | Ring made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he was picked on the Cork minor panel for the All-Ireland final. In spite of victory, he was denied an All-Ireland medal as he was Cork's last non-playing substitute. Still eligible for the grade in 1938, Ring collected a set of All-Ireland and Munster medals as a member of the starting fifteen. An unsuccessful year with the Cork junior hurlers followed before he made his senior debut during the 1939-40 league. Over the course of the next quarter of a century, Ring won eight All-Ireland medals, including a record four championships in-a-row from 1941 to 1944, a lone triumph in 1946 and three championships in-a-row from 1952 to 1954. The first player to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup three times as captain, he was denied a record-breaking ninth All-Ireland medal in 1956 in what was his last All-Ireland final appearance. Ring also won nine Munster medals, four National Hurling League medals and was named Hurler of the |
1517_3 | Year at the age of thirty-eight. He played his last game for Cork in June 1963. After indicating his willingness to line out for the team once again in 1964, Ring failed to be selected for the Cork team, a move which effectively brought his inter-county career to an end. |
1517_4 | After being chosen as a substitute on the Munster inter-provincial team in 1941, Ring was an automatic choice on the starting fifteen for the following twenty-two years. He scored 42-105 as he won a record eighteen Railway Cup medals during that period, in an era when his skill and prowess drew crowds of up to 50,000 to Croke Park for the annual final on St. Patrick's Day. Ring's retirement from the game is often cited as a contributory factor in the decline of the championship. |
1517_5 | In retirement from playing Ring became involved in team management and coaching. As a mentor to the St. Finbarr's College senior team, he guided them to their first two All-Ireland and Harty Cup triumphs in 1963 and 1969. At club level Ring was instrumental as a selector with Glen Rovers when they claimed their inaugural All-Ireland title in 1973, having earlier annexed the Munster and county senior championship titles. It was with the Cork senior team that he enjoyed his greatest successes as a selector. After an unsuccessful campaign in his first season on the selection panel in 1973, Ring was dropped the following year before being reinstated in 1975. Over the next three years Cork claimed three successive All-Ireland titles. |
1517_6 | Ring was most famous for his scoring prowess, physical strength and career longevity. He remains the only player to have competed at inter-county level in four different decades. Often the target of public attention for his hurling exploits, in private Ring was a shy and reserved individual. A teetotaller and non-smoker throughout his life, he was also a devout Roman Catholic. Ring's sudden death in March 1979 and the scenes which followed at his funeral were unprecedented in Cork since the death of the martyred Lord Mayor Tomás Mac Curtain in 1920. He was honoured posthumously by being named on the Hurling Team of the Century in 1984 and the Hurling Team of the Millennium in 2000, while he was also named as the Century's Best Hurler in the Irish Times.
Early years |
1517_7 | Nicholas Christopher Michael Ring was the second youngest son of Nicholas (7 December 1892 - 12 March 1937) and Mary (née Lawton) Ring (1 November 1889 - 8 August 1953), and was born on 30 October 1920 at Kilboy Cross, less than a mile from the small village of Cloyne in rural East Cork. He had two brothers, Willie John and Paddy Joe, and two sisters — Katie and Mary Agnes. His family later moved to Cloyne where they occupied a house on Spittal Street, commonly referred to as Spit Lane. His father worked as a gardener for local landowners and, as a former Cloyne hurler, he instilled a passion for the game in his young son by taking him to club games in Cork, making the eighteen-mile journey by bicycle with his son on the cross-bar. |
1517_8 | Ring was educated at the local national school in Cloyne, where he was noted as a quiet but diligent pupil. On one occasion, the school master, Maurice Spillane, offered a prize of a hurley and sliotar to the boy who would get the highest grade in the school. Ring applied himself diligently and got first place from among forty-eight pupils.
As was common at the time Ring received no secondary education and left school before the age of fourteen. His first job was as an apprentice mechanic with the Williams firm in Midleton, before he later moved to Cork city where he found work as a lorry driver with Córas Iompair Éireann. In 1953 Ring became a delivery driver with Shell Oil.
Club career
St. Enda's
Ring was just twelve years-old when he played in his first minor game for Cloyne. Playing in goal he received a baptism of fire against Sarsfields. Two years later he was at right wing-forward and claimed his first medal when Cloyne won the annual Glenbower tournament. |
1517_9 | As Cloyne were unable to field a minor team by the end of the decade, Ring joined the St. Enda's amalgamation from Midleton in 1938. He won a county minor championship medal in this grade in 1938 following a 5–3 to 4–0 win over the Seán Clárach's club from Charleville.
Cloyne
Ring's impressive form with St. Enda's was replicated with the Cloyne junior team that reached their first East Cork final. The Ring brothers were prominent from the start, with Willie John scoring 1-1 to help secure a 5-5 to 3-2 victory over Bride Rovers. Ring was sent off in the county championship quarter-final and was suspended for Cloyne's subsequent semi-final defeat by Brian Dillons. |
1517_10 | Cloyne retained the East Cork title in 1939 following a 7-3 to 1-1 defeat of Aghada. Ring's scoring prowess brought subsequent county championship defeats of Clonakilty and Newtownshandrum as Cloyne qualified for their very first county junior championship final. In the days leading up to the match there was much speculation that Ring would be unable to line out as he had an injured ankle. He started the game in the half-back line, however, as the game was going against Cloyne, Ring fought through the pain barrier and moved to the forwards where he scored five points. The 6-5 to 2-3 victory over Mayfield secured his first county championship medal at adult level.
Glen Rovers
Early successes |
1517_11 | Following an acrimonious dispute with the Cloyne club committee, Ring and his two brothers left the club. Willie John joined Ballinacurra and Paddy Joe joined Russell Rovers, however, Ring remained unattached from a club for over a year. A fortuitous meeting with Jack Lynch in the summer of 1941 led to his Cork teammate inviting Ring to join the Glen Rovers club. Ring accepted the offer and made his debut in a championship semi-final defeat of St. Finbarr's. He was at midfield for the subsequent decider against Ballincollig and gave, what was described in the Cork Examiner as, a masterful display with his midfield partner Connie Buckley. The 4-7 to 2-2 victory stretched the Glen's winning streak to eight successive championships. For Ring it was his first winners' medal. |
1517_12 | Nine-in-a-row proved beyond Glen Rovers as Ballincollig exacted their revenge in the semi-final of the 1942 championship. After a season of reorganisation, which saw the introduction of nine new players to the team, Glen Rovers reached the 1944 championship final where they faced reigning champions and three-in-a-row hopefuls St. Finbarr's. Ring was, once again, hugely influential and contributed 0-5 from centre-forward. The 5-7 to 3-3 victory gave him a second championship medal.
Divisional side Carrigdhoun provided the opposition as Glen Rovers reached the 1945 championship final in search of their tenth title. In what was probably the most exciting decider in which the club had been involved in so far, the Glen were five goals ahead after 25 minutes having played with a gale-force wind, however, Carrigdhoun fought back to reduce the arrears and set up an exciting finish. Ring top scored with 0-6 as Glen Rovers retained the championship title following a 4-10 to 5-3 victory. |
1517_13 | Glen Rovers march on
After defeat by St. Finbarr's in the 1946 championship final, Glen Rovers saw a number of changes to the team when they next contested the decider in 1948. Retirement and emigration and forced a number of changes, with Ring once again filling a midfield berth. Ring had a quiet game by his standards as Glen veterans such as Jack Lynch and Johnny Quirke secured the double scores 5-7 to 3-2 victory over roll of honour leaders Blackrock.
Glen Rovers were presented with their chance of retaining their title when they faced divisional side Imokilly in the 1949 championship decider. On a day of incessant rain, the game was described as one of the best of the year. Donie Twomey and Jack Lynch were the stars of the team as they bagged 5-2 between them. Ring scored the Glen's sixth goal of the game and secured his fifth championship medal following the 6-5 to 0-14 victory. |
1517_14 | Southside rivals St. Finbarr's were the opponents as Glen Rovers were determined to make it three titles in-a-row in the 1950 championship final. St. Finbarr's had the advantage of a very strong breeze in the first half and mounted attack after attack on the Glen goal but failed to raise the
green flag. The Glen backs gave one of the finest displays of defensive hurling ever seen in the championship and kept the southsiders tally for the
first half to 0-4. "The Barr's" added just one further point to their tally after the interval. The 2-8 to 0-5 victory secured a third successive championship title for the club and a sixth winners' medal for Ring. |
1517_15 | Sarsfields ended the Glen's hopes of four-in-a-row in 1951, while defeat in the first round of 1952 looked like heralding a fallow period. The club returned stronger than ever when they qualified for the 1953 championship final where they faced Sarsfields once again. After a slow start Glen Rovers gave an exhibition of hurling all over the field, with Rings coring 1-2 in the process. The 8-5 to 4-3 victory secured his seventh championship medal.
In 1954 Ring was appointed club captain as Glen Rovers reached their 17th championship final in twenty years. Blackrock fielded a young team, however, Glen Rovers had eight inter-county players on their team. In spite of this, Blackrock stood up to the champions and the result remained in doubt to the end. A 3-7 to 3-2 victory secured an eighth championship medal for Ring, while he also had the honour of lifting the Seán Óg Murphy Cup. |
1517_16 | Three championships in-a-row
Glen Rovers lost the next two championship deciders, while Ring was ruled out of the Glen's 1958 championship triumph after being sent off in the semi-final. In spite of watching the game from the stands he still collected a ninth championship medal having played in the earlier rounds. He was back on the starting fifteen as Glen Rovers faced Blackrock in the 1959 championship final. Once again the game went to the wire and it was Ring who scored the winning goal with four minutes remaining. His tally of 1-6 was vital in securing the 3-11 to 3-5 victory and his own tenth championship medal. |
1517_17 | A third successive championship beckoned in 1960 as Glen Rovers faced University College Cork in the championship decider. The game was regarded as one of the most thrill-packed and nerve-shattering games in the history of the championship. With time running out the Glen were behind, however, Ring pointed a free from the sideline to level the game. Johnny Clifford secured the lead when his sideline cut went straight over the bar. He gave the Glen a two-point lead straight from the puck-out when his shot sailed over the bar again. The 3-8 to 1-12 victory gave Ring his eleventh championship medal.
Final successes |
1517_18 | Four-in-a-row once again proved beyond the Glen, however, the team endured a hard-fought campaign in 1962. In the semi-final against Imokilly 41-year-old Ring rolled back the years and scored three goals in the last fifteen minutes to help the team qualify for the final against University College Cork. The Glen led 3-3 to 0-2 at half-time but the college team powered by many inter-county stars fought back and went ahead with a minute to go but Tom Corbett sent over the equaliser with seconds left and secured a 3-7 to 2-10 draw. The replay proved to be even more exciting than the drawn match as Joe Salmon and Ring were singled out as the key figures in the Glen's 3-8 to 2-10 victory. |
1517_19 | Ring was appointed club captain again in 1964 as Glen Rovers faced St. Finbarr's in the championship final. The Glen were underdogs and looked well beaten in half a dozen vital outfield positions in the opening thirty minutes. All changed in the second half with Ring scoring a vital goal to give the Glen the lead. "The Barr's" battled back, however, at the full-time whistle the Glen were the champions and Ring collected a remarkable thirteenth championship medal and captained the team to victory for the second time. The Glen's success took on extra significance as they became the first club to represent Cork in the newly created Munster Club Championship. After little interest in the opening rounds of the championship and lengthy delays, the Glen qualified to meet Mount Sion in the provincial decider. After the initial game was abandoned, Ring gave an exhibition of his skills in the replay and collected a Munster medal following a 3-7 to 1-7 victory. |
1517_20 | In June 1967, Ring scored 1-2 and set up another goal in the Glen's championship quarter-final defeat of University College Cork. While the Glen were scheduled to play Muskerry in the championship semi-final, he announced without warning that he wouldn't be playing. After more than a quarter of a century of club hurling, Ring had retired.
Inter-county career
Minor and junior
By 1937 Ring's performances as a minor hurler for St. Enda's led to him being considered for the Cork minor hurling panel. He was only sixteen years-old throughout the championship campaign and was not selected for any of the provincial stages or for the All-Ireland semi-final. He was later listed as one of the substitutes for the subsequent All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. He played no part in that game which Cork won by 8-5 to 2-7. As the last substitute Ring shared in the victory but received no All-Ireland medal. |
1517_21 | Ring was eligible for the minor grade again the following year and made his debut in a Cork jersey against Limerick on 22 May 1938. Although he would come to be known as a high-scoring forward, his inter-county career began as a defender. He later won a Munster medal following a 9–3 to 0–0 thrashing of Kerry. The subsequent All-Ireland final on 4 September 1938 saw Ring make his first Croke Park appearance. Dublin provided the opposition on that occasion and a tough game of hurling ensued. Ring, in spite of playing in defence, scored a goal from a 21-yard free to help his county to a 7–2 to 5–4 victory. It was his first All-Ireland medal with Cork, in what was his last game in the minor grade. |
1517_22 | In 1939 Ring went on to become the youngest member of the Cork junior hurling team. There was no place for him in defence and he was seen as too vital a player to be left out of the starting fifteen, so instead he was moved to the forwards. Cork were fancied to retain their junior crown for a second year, however, Waterford got the better of them in their opening game.
Senior career
Beginnings |
1517_23 | Ring made his first appearance for the Cork senior team when he was introduced as a substitute in a tournament game against Limerick in early 1939. Later that year on 22 October, he made his first competitive start when Cork played the newly crowned All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the opening round of the 1939–40 National Hurling League. Ring marked four-time All-Ireland medal winner Paddy Phelan and, after a nervous start, settled into the game and scored a point in the 6-5 to 4-7 victory. Cork progressed through the league and qualified for the final against Tipperary. Ring, who was the youngest player on the Cork team, was named at right wing-forward and was one of the many goal-scorers in a 14-goal thriller. Cork won by 8-9 to 6-4 and he collected his first league medal. Ring retained the position of right wing-forward on Cork's subsequent championship team and made his championship debut on 2 June 1940 in a 6-3 to 2-6 Munster quarter-final defeat of Tipperary.
Four-in-a-row |
1517_24 | Cork were undefeated throughout their 1940-41 league campaign and qualified for a second successive league final. A 4-11 to 2-7 defeat of Dublin gave Ring a second league medal. Cork were well placed going into the subsequent championship and were drawn to play Tipperary in the Munster semi-final. An outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in Tipperary changed matters and the match was called off the previous Monday by order of the Department of Agriculture. Tipperary, and other counties affected by the disease, wanted officials to put back the All-Ireland final, but Central Council would not agree. The council ruled that teams be nominated and if a nominated team won the All-Ireland that team would be awarded the 1941 championship. The Munster Council decided that Cork and Limerick should play off for the right to represent the province in the All-Ireland final. It was also agreed that the winners would play Tipperary later in the Munster final. Limerick had already qualified for the |
1517_25 | final as a result of victory over Clare. Cork easily accounted for Limerick, who were without Mick and John Mackey, by 8-10 to 2-3 and qualified for the All-Ireland final on 28 September 1941. Dublin, who were nominated by the Leinster Council, to represent the province provided little resistance. Johnny Quirke opened the goal-scoring for Cork before Ted O'Sullivan netted a second. Further goals by Quirke, O'Sullivan and Mick Brennan in the second half secured a 5-11 to 0-6 victory. It was one of the most one-sided championship deciders of all time, however, it did give Ring his very first All-Ireland medal at senior level. On 26 October 1941, Cork faced Tipperary in the delayed Munster final. The exertion of winning the All-Ireland had taken its toll on some of the Cork players who took a less than serious attitude to the game. Some players were accused of even being drunk during the match. Consequently, Cork were defeated by 5-4 to 2-5, thus creating the anomaly of being All-Ireland |
1517_26 | champions but Munster runners-up. |
1517_27 | Losing the Munster decider tainted Ring's view of the worth of the All-Ireland title, however, in 1942 Cork were given the opportunity to reverse the defeat when they qualified to meet Tipperary in the provincial final again. The game was played on an even keel for 45 minutes, however, a more youthful Cork side pulled away in the final quarter to win by 4-15 to 4-1. The victory gave Ring, who scored 0-5, his first Munster medal. Cork subsequently qualified to face Dublin in the All-Ireland final on 6 September 1942. The match was much more evenly contested than the corresponding fixture the previous year, with Ring scoring 0-3 in the opening exchanges. In spite of losing goalkeeper Ned Porter to an injury, Cork finished the stronger and a Derry Beckett goal at the end put the result beyond doubt. The 2-4 to 3-4 victory gave Ring his second successive All-Ireland medal. |
1517_28 | Ring was instrumental in helping Cork to retain the Munster title in 1943. His contribution of 1-3 in a close game was vital in helping Cork to a 2-13 to 3-8 defeat of a Waterford team appearing in their first provincial decider in nine years. Antrim, having already pulled off two of the biggest shocks in the history of the championship by defeating Galway and Kilkenny, were Cork's opponents in the All-Ireland final on 5 September 1943. The game was a poor spectacle as Cork routed their opponents by 5-16 to 0-4. Goals from Johnny Quirke (two), Ted O'Sullivan, Mick Brennan and Mick Kennefick helped secure a third successive All-Ireland winners' medal for Ring. |
1517_29 | An unprecedented fourth successive All-Ireland was within Cork's reach in 1944, however, Cork were nearly beaten by Limerick in the Munster final. After leading by nine points at one stage on the second half, a Limerick resurgence was spearheaded by the Mackey brothers, Dick Stokes, Paddy McCarthy and Dave Clohessy. Limerick had a two-point lead as the game drew to a close, however, Johnny Quirke scored his third goal in what looked like the winning score. Dick Stokes pointed from a free in the last minute to draw the game. The replay created enormous excitement with thousands making their way to Thurles in spite of wartime petrol rationing. With seven minutes left in the match it looked as if Cork's great run of success was at an end. Trailing by four points, Mick Mackey burst through for his second goal, however, play was called back for a foul on him. Limerick missed the resulting free. Cork nicked a goal and a point to equalise. With a minute left, Mackey's effort for a winning |
1517_30 | point went wide. Seconds later, Ring picked up the sliotar in his own half and set off up field, slipped past a series of challenges and, from 40 yards out, crashed the ball to the net for the winning goal. Ring's last-minute goal secured a 4-6 to 3-6 victory and a third successive Munster medal. Many regard this passage of play as the moment that the mantle of hurling's star player passed from Mick Mackey to Ring. Once again Cork went on to face Dublin in the All-Ireland final on 3 September 1944. Cork looked sluggish and failed to score for the opening ten minutes, however, they held an 0-8 to 0-2 half-time advantage. Joe Kelly was the star forward as his 2-3 was instrumental in Cork securing a 2-13 to 1-2 victory. It was a victory which set Cork apart from all their predecessors as they became the first team to win four successive All-Ireland titles. On a personal level for Ring, he became the holder of four All-Ireland winners' medals before his 24th birthday. |
1517_31 | Fifth All-Ireland medal and defeat
Cork's hopes of extending their unbeaten run to five successive All-Ireland championships ended with a 2-13 to 3-2 defeat to Tipperary in the 1945 Munster semi-final. Ring was, rather surprisingly, subdued and outplayed for the hour by Tommy Purcell. |
1517_32 | Ring was appointed captain of the Cork team in 1946, a year which saw him become the key player on the team. After the shock defeat the previous year, Cork qualified for the Munster final. An ageing Limerick team provided the opposition, however, in a disappointing game Cork had an easy victory by 3-8 to 1-3. Ring top scored with 0-5 as he collected his fourth Munster medal. A subsequent defeat of Galway allowed Cork to advance to an All-Ireland final meeting with Kilkenny on 1 September 1946. Gerry O'Riordan scored Cork's first goal as the first half drew to a close before Ring scored one of the most iconic goals of his career. Catching a clearance from Paddy O'Donovan on the half-way line, Ring took off on a solo-run at speed and dodged several Kilkenny defenders. After reaching the 21-yard line he let off a shoulder-high shot which flew straight to the net. Cork scored five more goals after the interval as they powered to a 7-5 to 3-8 victory. The victory secured a fifth |
1517_33 | All-Ireland medal in six seasons for Ring, while he also had the honour of collecting the Liam MacCarthy Cup on behalf of the team. |
1517_34 | Cork continued their provincial dominance in 1947. A 2-6 to 2-3 defeat of Limerick in the provincial decider gave Ring a fifth Munster medal. For the second year in succession, Cork qualified to play Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final on 7 September 1947. In what is often regarded as the greatest final of all time, Ring was held to just a single point. Mossy O'Riordan and Joe Kelly scored two goals to almost win the game for Cork, however, Kilkenny rallied with Terry Leahy and Jim Langton leading the charge. Leahy secured the equalising point before scoring one of the greatest match-winners ever. Having gathered the sliotar from a long clearance by right corner-back Paddy Grace, he struck from around 50 yards out and not far inside the Cusack Stand sideline. Immediately after the puck out the game ended and Kilkenny had won by 0-14 to 2-7. In spite of the All-Ireland defeat, Ring ended the year as the championship's top scorer.
Fallow period |
1517_35 | Cork qualified for their ninth Munster final in ten seasons in 1948, with Waterford providing the opposition. Many expected an easy Cork victory, however, the Waterford team held a narrow 2-3 to 1-5 half-time advantage. Ring contributed 1-4 over the hour, however, his last-gasp shot to draw the match after a 30-yards solo-run tailed off and went wide. The match ended with the resultant puck-out and Cork were defeated by 4-7 to 3-9. |
1517_36 | In 1949 Ring endured the most torrid 150 minutes of championship hurling as Cork faced Tipperary in the Munster quarter-final. Tipperary had a relatively young and inexperienced team, however, for most of the match it looked as if youth would trump experience and with only a few minutes to spare they were ahead by 3-10 to 2-9. A solo effort from Jack Lynch, who by know was a TD, from his usual midfield berth resulted in a goal and brought his personal tally to 1-6. A point from Bernie Murphy levelled the scores at the death. The replay four weeks later was a classic. A Gerry O'Riordan goal gave Cork a 1-2 to 0-2 at the interval, however, Cork could have been further ahead but for a disallowed goal. Mossy O'Riordan sent a shot past Tipperary 'keeper Tony Reddin, however, the sliotar appeared to rebound off the stanchion supporting the net before being cleared. In spite of Ring protesting with the officials, the referee waved the play on. After five minutes of injury time Cork still |
1517_37 | led by 1-5 to 0-5, however, Jimmy Kennedy scored the equalising goal and the game headed for extra-time. Both sides took different approaches as extra-time was about to be played. Tipperary retired to their dressing room where the players refreshed themselves with a creamery churn full of cold water. Cork on the other hand remained out on the field in what was one of the warmest days ever recorded in Ireland. Tipperary took to the field a much fresher team and an early goal from Mick Ryan gave them the lead and they held out to win by 2-8 to 1-9. Tipp's Tommy Doyle, who earlier in the year ad been coaxed out of retirement, gave an inspired display by holding Ring scoreless for the two drawn games and the period of extra time. In spite of an early championship exit, Ring was chosen at centre-forward on the Sunday Press Team of the Year. |
1517_38 | Ring was appointed captain of the Cork team for 1950 and there was an inevitability about the meeting of Cork and Tipperary in the Munster final. The official attendance at Fitzgerald Stadium was given as 39,000, however, up to 50,000 saw the game as gates were broken down, walls were scaled at the pitch invaded with supporters. There were supporters on the pitch at the throw-in, while a Cork fan tried to strike Tipperary's Seán Kenny. Despite the raucous nature of the crowd, the Tipperary and Cork players managed to produce a classic game of hurling. A Paddy Kenny goal helped Tipperary into a 1-13 to 1-6 half-time lead. The start of the second half was delayed by yet another pitch invasion, and when it finally got under way, Ring dragged his team back into the contest by slaloming through the Tipperary defence and rifling the ball the sliotar to the net. As the match drifted away from their team the Cork fans grew more and more frustrated, and when a Jimmy Kennedy point put Tipperary |
1517_39 | 2-17 to 2-9 ahead with just ten minutes remaining, hundreds invaded the pitch from behind Tony Reddin's goal and forced referee Liam O'Donoghue to call a halt to the match. The goalkeeper had oranges and overcoats thrown at him as he carried out his duties and on one occasion a supporter held him by the jersey as he went to clear the sliotar. Every Cork score was greeted by a pitch invasion, while pleas from Jack Lynch and Ring failed to quell them. Tipperary eventually won the game by 2-17 to 3-11. |
1517_40 | Both Cork and Tipperary faced each other once again in the 1951 Munster final. At half time Tipperary led by 0-9 to 1-4, however, the restart saw Cork up the ante. Ring gave an absolute exhibition of scoring, collecting possession, beating tackles and setting up attacks. Tipperary, however, never faltered in the wake of Ring's roaming presence. Playing out the final stages of the match in his bare feet Ring converted two more frees, however, Tipperary held on to win by 2-11 to 2-9.
Three-in-a-row |
1517_41 | In 1952 Tipperary were presented with the possibility of equalling Cork's record of four successive All-Ireland titles. When both sides met in that year's Munster final, Tipperary looked the likely winners as Cork failed to score for the opening quarter. Trailing by 2-5 to 0-5 at the break, Ring gave an inspirational display in the second half. After being denied twice by Tipperary goalkeeper Tony Reddin, he set up Liam Dowling for a vital goal to leave Cork just a point in arrears. As the umpire was slow to raise the green flag to signal the goal, Ring ran in and waved it himself to the delight of the Cork supporters. Cork held out for the lead and won the game by 1-11 to 2-6. For the first time in eight years, Cork subsequently faced Dublin in the All-Ireland final on 7 September 1952. The Christy Ring-Des Ferguson duel was a highlight of the game, as Cork took a narrow 1-5 to 0-5 half-time lead after a Liam Dowling goal. Cork took complete control after the interval, with Dowling |
1517_42 | netting a second goal and Ring adding four points to the two he already scored in the first half. A 2-14 to 0-7 victory gave him his sixth All-Ireland medal. At the end of the year Ring was runner-up to Cavan Gaelic footballer Mick Higgins when the Gaelic Sportsman invited its readers to select the Sportsman of the Year. |
Subsets and Splits
No community queries yet
The top public SQL queries from the community will appear here once available.