Bartlett to be inducted into Hall of Fame

Catholic Institute legend Marie Bartlett is among the latest hockey stars of the past to be inducted into Irish hockey’s Hall of Fame next month. Bartlett will be inducted alongside former Avoca and Trinity man Johnny Cole, Pegasus’ Jenny Given (nee Redpath) and Belfast YMCA and Lisnagarvey’s John Clarke at the ESB Irish Hockey Awards at Dublin’s Burlington Hotel on May 23. One of Munster hockey’s most famous players, Bartlett skippered Ireland in the 1981 season and had the distinction of appearing in the Guinness Book of Records upon reaching her 60th cap a year later, becoming Ireland’s most-capped player in the process.

She played in two World Cups – 1975 (Edinburgh) and 1979 (Vancouver) – and was a member of the Irish team that won the Triple Crown in 1977. One of the many highlights of her career was Ireland’s 2–1 victory over England in 1973 in Wembley in front of a crowd of 60,000. Of the other inductees, Cole is remembered as one of the most skilful players of his era, representing his country 58 consecutive times and captaining the side on 28 occasions. That stretch saw him feature two European Cups, the Buenos Aires World Cup and an Intercontinental Cup. Given’s international career spanned ten years and an Olympics, during which she was selected to play on a World XI to mark the Golden Jubilee of the IFWHA in 1981, playing against the reigning world champions, Netherlands, an Asian selection and a Caribbean XI. Clarke gained 56 Caps playing notably in the 1978 World Cup in Argentina, the third European Cup in Hanover 1978 and the Intercontinental Cup 1977 in Rome, where Ireland finished in the silver medal position. Meanwhile, two more recent stars of the game were also honoured for a couple of glittering careers this week. Brothers Mark and Jason Black of Cork Harlequins shared the graduate achievement award at the CIT Sports Awards, held in Oriel House Hotel in Ballincollig on Wednesday night. The duo both amassed more than a century of Irish caps before retiring from the international scene inside the last 18 months. They join a prestigious list of graduate achievement award winners such as Munster and Lions rugby stars past and present – and also brothers – Paul and David Wallace, plus GAA greats Eoin Liston and Brian Corcoran. Jason was a Bachelor of Business in Accounting student at the Bishopstown campus in 1996 and 1997, as well as returning as a night student in 1999 and 2000. Mark studied plumbing in 2001 and 2002.