Cork Harlequins was founded in 1925, initially as a women's field hockey team. A group of women employed by Dowdall and O'Mahony, a dairy shop on St Patrick's Street, decided to enter a tournament at Church Road in Blackrock. The team captain chose their name after noticing the ball in their first match was made by Harlequins of London. Cork Harlequins women won the Irish Senior Cupfor the first time in 2000. In 2008–09 Cork Harlequins were founder members of the Women's Irish Hockey League. In 2009–10 with a team that included Yvonne O'Byrne, Cliodhna Sargent, Rachael Kohler and Sinead McCarthy, Harlequins finished as league runners up. In 2016–17 with a team that included Yvonne O'Byrne, Roisin Upton and Naomi Carroll, Cork Harlequins were Irish Senior Cup finalists. In 2017–18 O'Byrne, Upton and Carroll helped Harlequins finished as runners up in both the national league the EY Champions Trophy. ;Women's Irish Hockey League
Season
Winners
Score
Runners Up
2009–10
Railway Union
4–0
Cork Harlequins
2017–18
UCD
n/a
Cork Harlequins
;Irish Senior Cup
Year
Winners
Score
Runners Up
2000
Cork Harlequins
2–1
Hermes
2003
Loreto
3–2
Cork Harlequins
2017
UCD
1–0
Cork Harlequins
;Irish Junior Cup
Year
Winners
Score
Runners Up
1990
Cork Harlequins
1992
Cork Harlequins
;Notes
Men's field hockey
Cork Harlequins men's field hockey team were All-Ireland club champions in 2002. They won the Irish Senior Cup for the first time in 2006. Their squad included schoolboys, David and Conor Harte. Cork Harlequins subsequently went onto represent Ireland in the 2007 European Cup Winners Trophy. They won the trophy after defeating Kolos Sekoia of Ukraine 4–1 in a penalty shoot-out. In 2008–09 Cork Harlequins were founder members of the Men's Irish Hockey League. ;Irish Senior Cup
Cork Harlequins formed a cricket team in 1967. They enter senior, junior and minor teams in various Munster Cricket Union leagues.
Harlequin Park
The land for Harlequin Park was purchased at Farmers Cross in the early 1960s from Dick Young for £900. In September 1970 the Lord Mayor of Cork opened the new club pavilion which today houses the club bar. In the 1970s a new playing pitch was developed, which became the first "grit" playing surface in the Republic of Ireland. More land was purchased and car parking and the pavilion were extended to include two new dressing rooms, a function hall and a kitchen. The grit pitch was converted into a sand based astroturf surface in 1987, the second of its kind in the Republic. In the 1980s and 1990s more land was purchased from Murphy's Caravan Park and from the Rolf family to increase the size of the facility. A second astroturf pitch was constructed in 1998. The first astroturf pitch fell into disrepair and was used as a car park for a period of time. The club now has two functioning field hockey pitches as well as cricket facilities.
Notable players
Men's field hockey internationals
;
Women's field hockey internationals
; When Ireland won the silver medal at the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup, the squad included two Cork Harlequins players, Yvonne O'Byrne and Roisin Upton.
