Having played little Gaelic football at Rockwell College, Bernard first came to prominence at underage level with the Dohenys club.
This success saw him drafted onto the senior team and he won National League and Munster Championship medals in his debut season.
This time also saw him win consecutive Sigerson Cup titles with University College Cork.
The ultimate success eluded him as Cork suffered back-to-back All-Ireland final defeats to Galway and Louth.
[citation needed] Bernard graduated as an accountant from University College Cork and emigrated to the United States in the late 1950s.