Peter Morrissy: The Story Behind Two Jerseys Writes Jack White
Peter Morrissy, Crosshaven RFC’s much loved former captain who passed away in 2015 had a fantastic career with his local club but also with his school, Colaiste Muire Crosshaven, on the Munster Schools Representative team and further afield, with The Beijing Devils. Recently, Peter’s father John, a long-standing member of Crosshaven RFC kindly presented Crosshaven RFC with two of Peter’s former jerseys, his Munster A Schools No.7 jersey and his Beijing Devils jersey. Peter played for the Munster A Schools Team for two years, when he was in 4th and 5th year and just missed out on playing for the team in sixth year as he was marginally over-age. Though not able to play for the representative side, Peter did captain Colaiste Muire Crosshaven in the year 2000 whilst in sixth year as they won a historic Mungret Cup title, defeating Cashel in the final hosted in Clonmel. Peter’s father John and Pat Coughlan were the coaches. Following on from their Mungret Cup win, Colaiste Muire created history when for the first time in the school’s history, they advanced to the quarter final of the Munster Schools Senior Cup, though they lost out to a strong Ard Scoil Ris side. Notably, however, due to how the fixtures fell in that Munster Schools Senior Cup draw, Colaiste Muire stayed in the competition longer than cup stalwarts, Presentation Brothers College Cork. When Peter moved to Beijing in 2010 to study accupuncture he began playing rugby with the Beijing Devils, a team made up of mostly ex-pats. It was here, having won the Beijing League that Peter and the Beijing Devils qualified for the Yellow Sea Cup, a tournament contested between cities from China and South Korea, which they went on to win, beating Shanghai on the way before defeating Seoul in the final. The standard of play was high at Beijing Devils with some very talented players including an ex-Samoan U20 player, an ex-English U20 player and a former Argentinian International. Not only were Peter’s feats appreciated on the field in Asia, whilst home for Christmas in that season he also played for Crosshaven in the Quarter Final of the All-Ireland Junior Cup which they won on their way to claiming the All-Ireland title in April 2011. Peter’s father John recalls a funny story about Peter’s time in China. ‘After a match with the Beijing Devils Peter headed out for a Halloween Fancy Dress party and whist out, came across a Mexican man who was covered in blood following an assault. Peter, having some spanish was able to speak to the man and also having some Chinese, when the ambulance arrived, medical staff asked peter to accompany the man to the hospital. While at the hospital, the doctors and nurses asked Peter to be present whilst the man was being stitched up and x-rayed. Peter told John that he thought of it as very unusal to be invited in to witness the medical treatment and afterards, futher baffling Peter, the medical staff were thanking him profusely, shaking his hand and inviting him to come and visit the hosital again to see them if he was ever in the area. It was only when he returned home that he realised he was dressed in a surgeons uniform from the earlier fancy dress party and that the hosptial staff must’ve mistook him for a fellow doctor.
John and his wife Trish recently presented the framed jersey’s to Crosshaven RFC and for all at the club it’ll be nice to remember the former captain when the jerseys are put up in the clubhouse shortly. Thank you to John Morrissy, Ted Murphy (Photographs) and Paddy Costigan (The Framemaker).
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