Researching Ray Cummins

Born in Ballinlough on the south side of Cork city, Cummins was introduced to hurling by his father, Willie, a two-time All-Ireland medal winner with Cork in the minor grade. He developed his skills at Coláiste Chríost Rí while simultaneously coming to prominence at underage levels with the Blackrock club, before later playing with University College Cork. Cummins went on to enjoy a successful club career that spanned three decades, winning three All-Ireland medals, five Munster medals, and a total of seven county senior championship medals in both codes.

Cummins made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he was picked on the Cork minor football panel before later joining the hurling panel. He was a Munster medal winner in both codes in 1966, however, All-Ireland success in this grade eluded him. He subsequently progressed onto the Cork under-21 teams, winning back-to-back All-Ireland medals as a hurler in 1968 and 1969. Cummins made his senior debut for Cork during the 1967-68 football league, before becoming a regular on the Cork hurling team the following year. Over the course of the next fifteen years he used his physical attributes to telling effect by punching many fine points in football and "catching high" and delivering many winning scores in hurling. As a hurler Cummins is credited with redefining and revolutionising the full-forward position throughout the 1970s. He was, at first, seen as the antithesis of what a full-forward should be, however, he did use the skills and space that were available to him and, in time, he became a deadly marksman in front of goal. He won his first All-Ireland medal as a hurler in 1970, added a second winners' medal to his collection in 1973 as a footballer before winning three hurling championships in-a-row from 1976 to 1978. Cummins also won a total of twelve Munster medals across both codes, including a remarkable eleven-in-a-row, and three National Hurling League medals. The All-Ireland-winning captain of 1976, he also collected five All-Star awards between 1971 and 1977 and is one of only four players to have won awards in both codes. Cummins played his last game for Cork in September 1982.

Between 1970 and 1980, Cummins lined out for Munster in several inter-provincial championship campaigns. He won a total of four Railway Cup medals across both codes.

Cummins has been repeatedly voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including at full-forward on the Club Hurling Silver Jubilee Team in 1996. At the turn of the century, he was included in the same position on the Cork Hurling Team of the Century, as well as the Munster and National Team of the Millennium. Cummins was also chosen as one of the 125 greatest hurlers of all time in a 2009 poll.