Derry Gowen (1 February 1933 – 6 December 2017) was an Irish hurler and

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

er,

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sports, amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional Irish sports o ...

administrator, referee and selector.

Playing career

Gowen played as a juvenile in the first North Cork Hurling Championship in 1946. He won minor hurling and football North Cork Championships with St. Patrick's, Fermoy and also won a Junior Hurling Championship with the club.

Coaching career

Gowen was a selector when the Cork minor football team won their very first All-Ireland MFC title in 1961. He later served as a selector with the Avondhu divisional senior football and hurling teams and was also senior hurling team trainer when Avondhu won the 1966 Cork SHC title. Gowen was also a selector with the

Cork senior football team The Cork county football team represents Cork in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Cork GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Sen ...

when they won the All-Ireland SFC title in 1973.

Administrative career

Gowen began his career as administrator when he served as secretary of the St. Patrick's juvenile club from 1950 to 1961. He also served as secretary and vice-chairman of the

Fermoy Fermoy () is a town on the Munster Blackwater, River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,700 people. It is located in the barony (Ir ...

adult club. Gowen was elected chairman of the North Cork Divisional Board in 1960, a position he held for over 25 years. During his tenure a successful divisional under-21 football competition was held, eventually leading to the inauguration of Munster-wide inter-county under-21 championships in both codes. He was also the founder of

Scór Scór (, meaning "Score") is a division of the Gaelic Athletic Association charged with promotion of cultural activities, and the name of a series of annual competitions in such activities. Rule 4 of the GAA's official guide reads: ''"The Ass ...

in North Cork in 1969 before it was formally organised nationally in 1970. Gowen gave nearly 20 years service to the Cork County Board at various times between 1964 and 1987, during which time he held the offices of PRO, treasurer, vice-chairman, chairman and Central Council delegate. He served a further three years as President.

Death

Gowen died on 6 December 2017, aged 84.

Coaching honours

;Avondhu *

Cork Senior Hurling Championship The Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PSHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Cork County B ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

;Cork *

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...

1973 Events January * January 1 – The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 14 - The 16-0 19 ...

Munster Senior Football Championship The Munster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship and shortened to Munster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Associatio ...

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom Kippur War determined politics; ...

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it was replaced by an under ...

1961 Events January * January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union. * January 3 ** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...

Munster Minor Football Championship The Munster Minor Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18) in the province of Munster in Ireland. It is ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gowen, Derry 1933 births 2017 deaths Chairmen of county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association Cork County Board administrators Dual players Fermoy Gaelic footballers Fermoy hurlers Irish funeral directors Gaelic football selectors Gaelic games club administrators Hurling selectors Irish auctioneers 20th-century Irish sportsmen