Cork–Kerry Gaelic football rivalry Cork faced Kerry on sixteen different occasions and, unfortunately, they faced defeat in all of these games. The 1940s saw Cork flourish for a brief period, before Kerry asserted their dominance once again. Cork only claimed two victories over Kerry in the 1950s and 1960s, however, the rivalry intensified to unprecedented levels in the 1970s and 1980s. The early part of the 1970s saw Cork win three Munster titles in four years. After winning the All-Ireland title in 1973 the county looked set for a few more years of dominance. Kerry, however, bounced back with what has been described as
Burning of Cork 1920, the IRA's 3rd Cork Brigade ambushed an Auxiliary patrol at Kilmichael, killing 17 Auxiliaries. This was the biggest loss of life for the British in County Cork. On 10 December, British forces declared martial law in counties Cork (including the city), Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary. It also imposed a military curfew on Cork city, which began at 10 each night. IRA volunteer Seán Healy later recalled that "at least 1,000 troops would pour out of Victoria Barracks at this hour and take over complete control of the city". IRA intelligence established that an Auxiliary patrol usually left Victoria Barracks