The club was originally formed by members of the Ancient Order of Hibernians and had previously played as AOH in the Cork Athletic Union League. Under this name the club won the FAI Intermediate Cup in 1952 and were runners-up in the same competition in 1957. 1957 also saw them change their name, turn semi-professional and join the League of Ireland, replacing Cork Athletic. They played at The Mardyke until 1962, when they moved to Flower Lodge. During the late 1960s and early 1970s Hibs enjoyed a local rivalry with Cork Celtic. Both clubs enjoyed moderate success on the field and support for both teams was very strong. Average gates of 10,000 were not unfamiliar. Indeed, at one game at Flower Lodge against Waterford United, a league decider, an attendance of 26,000 was recorded. Hibernians enjoyed their most successful era under player-manager Dave Bacuzzi, a former Arsenal and Manchester City defender. Bacuzzi joined the club in May 1970. Initially, he thought he had been approached from a mysterious exotic location when he received a misspelled telegram asking him to contact Cork Island instead of Cork, Ireland. Bacuzzi subsequently guided Hibs to several trophies including the League of Ireland title in 1971, beating Shamrock Rovers in a play-off. In 1972 they won the FAI Cup when Miah Dennehy scored a hat-trick in the final against Waterford United and in 1973 they retained the same trophy. This win earned Cork a place in the 1973–74 European Cup Winners' Cup. In the First Round, Hibernians met Czechoslovak outfit Banik Ostrava. In the opening game, away in Ostrava as Cork lost 1-0 on 13 September 1973. On 3 October 1973, Hibs lost 1-2 at Flower Lodge, exiting the competition. Carl Humphries scored the home side's only goal. They also won the all-Ireland competition, the Blaxnit Cup in 1972. After Bacuzzi left to manage Home Farm in 1974, Hibs remained a top-five club but dramatically folded just before the start of the 1976/77 season. Their crowds had dwindled, and they had lost money fielding ex-England international Rodney Marsh. The club was replaced by another Cork team, Albert Rovers for that season. In 1985 former player/manager Amby Fogarty attempt to revive the Cork Hibernians name, with the club elected to join the new League of Ireland First Division. However the club was removed from the League of Ireland without playing a game, as the Munster F.A. refused the new team a lease on Turners Cross unless they had their own public liability insurance, which Hibernians could not afford.
