The skull-and-crossbones emblem of the 'Jolly Roger' patent has been synonymous with UCC for at least a century. But how did such an outlandish design end up on a GAA jersey?
It owes its origin to the fact that the Medicine school of UCC dominated all facets of contemporary Cork college life. Indeed, the criticism has been made that it did not function as a university college, but as a "glorified medical school." In 1899/1900, around the time that the skull-and-crossbones seems to have come into vogue at UCC, 135 of UCC's entire student body of 185 were in the medical faculty.2
The Queen's College Cork rugby team may have been the first to adopt the skull-and-crossbones for sporting purposes, as its players emanated almost entirely from the department of Medicine. When the students of QCC welcomed Bertram Windle to Cork in 1904, this emblem adorned their banner. Photographs of UCC Gaelic teams show that they wore the Jolly Roger on their jerseys from the mid-1910s at least.
In modern times, skull-and-crossbones signs often indicate the danger of toxic material in one form or another, and, of course, it is the historical device of piracy. While one would not like to suggest even momentarily that the UCC boys are brigands, they revel in the image of "lovable rogues" - aaarrrgghhh, out for a bit of fun and mischief, and maybe a little bit of hurling or football, me hearties - and the Jolly Roger badge undoubtedly helps to bond the college crew with a communal identity. With such a defiant symbol standing the test of time, how could anyone dare throw UCC out of the Cork championships?
UCC has stood alone as the one GAA club to flaunt its chief emblem as the central part of its jersey, separate from the crest. Sponsorship logos have not withered her, nor custom staled her infinite variety. Forget Kildoran, this is probably the "most collectable" jersey of all for real GAA enthusiasts, but one needs to have the right contacts, because they cannot be bought in the shops (or any low-budget cable channel along with 'The Greatest Hits of the 1980s' for that matter). Hmmm, now there is an idea: if remote items such as Brazil and Italy 1970s soccer tops fly off the shelves, why doesn't UCC sell its jerseys in the sports shops? Will the UCC Jolly Roger be the 'spring 2002' look?...Watch this space.
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Originally Posted by gaa-blather-web-entry
Its a good looking shirt alright though 
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