Arravale Win County Senior Football Title in their Centernary Year
County Senior Football Final, Cashel, Dec 21, 2014
Article available here
Clonoulty-Rossmore Celebrate 1989 Victory
County Senior Hurling Final match program, November 2, 2014
Clonoulty-Rossmore's victory in the 1989 senior hurling championship may have been partly overshadowed in the rest of the county by Tipperary's return to All-Ireland glory after eighteen years in the wilderness, but there is no denying what the success meant to the parish.
There was good reason why this should have been so. It was thirty-eight years since the club won a West senior hurling title and all of one hundred and one years since county honours had been annexed.
There wasn't much inkling of a dramatic breakthrough when the club met Golden-Kilfeacle in the first round of the West senior championship at Cashel on May 28 with Aengus Ryan as referee and gate receipts of £1848. There was a hint of something special about the team the previous year when they defeated county champions, Cappawhite, in the first round but the feeling was dissipated by a heavy defeat at the hands of Cashel King Cormacs in the semi-final.
Clonoulty won easily by 2-19 to 3-2 and went on to an equally facile victory over Kickhams by 2-14 to 1-5 at Golden on July 16. Cappawhite, who looked well against Cashel in the other semi-final, were their opponents in the West final at Emly on August 20. Beforehand Len Gaynor was drafted in as coach and training took on a new dimension as a result. Sessions brought out full numbers, fitness levels were increased, team spirit was improved and a strong desire for success was generated.
The expectation of a rousing contest was reflected in the gate receipts of over £6,000 at Emly. Clonoulty got off to a stunning start and led by 2-3 to 0-0 mid-way through the first half. However, Cappawhite struck back to leave only two points, 2-8 to 2-6, between the sides at the interval. A goal but Peter Hayes soon after the resumption set Clonoulty on the road to victory which they eventually achieved on a scoreline of 3-20 to 4-6. It was a richly deserved breakthrough for the team, with T. J. Ryan as captain and the man-of-the-match award going to Peter Hayes.
The winning side was: Andrew Fryday, David Ryan (H), Cecil Ryan, Noel Keane, Seamus Hammersley, John Kennedy, Phil Shanahan, T. J. Ryan (R) Capt., Kevin Ryan, Declan Ryan, Joe Hayes, Michael Heffernan, Dan Quirke, Peter Hayes, Tommy Kennedy. Sub: John Ryan (J) for Tommy Kennedy.
County championship
Clonoulty faced reigning champions, Loughmore-Castleiney, in the county quarter-final at Thurles on September 24. In spite of having the better of the exchanges in the first half, they could manage only a three-point lead, 0-8 to 1-2, at the interval. Loughmore levelled with a John Treacy goal early in the second-half and for a good while the game hung in the balance. With nine minutes remaining Peter Hayes netted to give Clonoulty a three-point lead. However, the lead remained vulnerable until Kevin Ryan scored an insurance point near the end and this gave Clonoulty a 1-14 to 2-7 victory, Joe Hayes had a very fine game.
Clonoulty's next date was with Toomevara in the semi-final at Semple Stadium on October 8. Tommy Kennedy had a goal within two minutes of the start and that score signalled an easy passage for Clonoulty to a half-time lead of 2-6 to 0-1, the second goal coming from Declan Ryan. They eventually ran out convincing winners by 2-12 to 0-5 against an opposition that played way below par on the day. Tommy Kennedy topped the scoring list with 1-3.
The final set up Clonoulty against neighbours, Holycross-Ballycahill, at Semple Stadium on October 22. The build-up to the game was fantastic. Francis Kearney described it thus in his Yearbook article: 'Hurling was practically the only topic of conversation, banners and bunting in green and gold decked the village and every household lofted the colours in flags and a nultiplicity of banners. The hearts of young and old beat faster in anticipation of the great event.
A palpable tension infused the air on the morning of the match. The message 'Declan is Magic' emblazoned on the road at Cross of the Hough by some covert night-walkers, lifted all hearts on the long road to Thurles and epitomised the euphoric spirit of the occasion..'
Clonoulty were slight favourites, The first half was dour and close. Defences ruled but Clonoulty had marginally the better of affairs and retired leading by three points, 0-8 to 0-5, at the interval. Nine minutes into the second half came a crucial score when Peter Hayes swept the ball to the Holycross net. A pointed penalty by Kevin Ryan soon had Clonoulty six points up and seemingly headed for victory. However, Holycross came back in a bid to save the day. They cut the lead to four points and then substitute, Donal Ryan, goaled to leave but a point between the sides and still two minutes to play. At the end the last word came from outstanding centre back, John Kennedy, who pointed a '65' to secure Clonoulty's win by 1-11 to 1-9 amid unrestrained euphoria.
The victorious team was as follows: Andrew Fryday, David Ryan, Cecil Ryan, Noel Keane, Seamus Hammersley, John Kennedy, Phil Shanahan, T. J. Ryan (capt.), Kevin Ryan, Declan Ryan, Joe Hayes, Micheal Heffernan, Dan Quirke, Peter Hayes, Tommy Kennedy. Subs: Paddy Bourke, Alan O'Dwyer, Neil Ryan, John Kennedy, Tim Shanahan, Timmy Corcoran, John Ryan, John Fitzgerald, Philip Quirke, Patrick Ryan.
Selectors: Tom Ryan, Michael Ryan, Owen Ryan. Coach: Len Gaynor.
Referee: John Moloney (Galtee Rovers).
Scorers in the championship:
Kevin Ryan (0-28), Joe Hayes (2-16), Dan Quirke (2-13), Peter Hayes (4-3), Declan Ryan (2-8), Tommy Kennedy (1-10), Michael Heffernan (0-5), T. J. Ryan (0-4), Noel Keane (0-2), John Kennedy (0-2).
For: 11.91; Against: 11-34.
Path to Final:
West championship:
(28/05/1989) First round: Clonoulty-Rossmore 2-19 Golden-Kilfeacle 3-2
(16/07/1989) Semi-final: Clonoulty-Rossmore 2-14 Kickhams 1-5
(20/08/1989) Final: Clonoulty-Rossmore 3-20 Cappawhite 4-6
County championship:
(24-09-1989) Quarter-final: Clonoulty-Rossmore 1-14 Loughmore-Castleiney 2-7
(08/10/1989) Semi-final:Clonoulty-Rossmore 2-12 Toomevara 0-5
(22/10/1989) Final: Clonoulty-Rossmore 1-11 Holycross-Ballycahill: 1-9
Munster Progress
Clonoulty headed for Munster at Bruff on November 5 but their progress was halted by Limerick champions, Ballybrown, in the semi-final. John Kennedy was missing, having flown out to the U.S. the same morning. The Limerick side led by 0-6 to 0-4 at the interval and went seven points in front on the resumption before a Peter Hayes goal gave Clonoulty hope. However, this was dimned when Noel Keane was sent off for a foul on Terence Kenny and, later in the half, by the dismissal of David Ryan. Down to thirteen players Clonoulty fought like demons to rescue the day and came within a whisker of doing so. Points by Joe Hayes and Declan Ryan left just one between the sides with time almost up. Two minutes into added time a Kevin Ryan free from the sideline about forty yards out veered wide and ended Clonoulty's hopes of Munster glory on a scoreline of 1-10 to 1-9.
Tipperary Rule the Roost between 1958 & 1968
County Tipperary Senior Hurling Semi-finals match program, October 26, 2014
Tipperary dominated the hurling scene during the years from 1958 to 1968, contesting eight All-Irelands. They won in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964 and 1965 and their three losses came in 1960, 1967 and 1968.
First of all the losses. Wexford came out on top in 1960 and 1968. In 1960 they were very much underdogs with the pundits rating their chances next to zero. One pundit stated that while Wexford were ‘skilled, seasoned but no longer in the full flush of youth, would be exposed to a merciless pounding by the searing, searching persistency of this most talented of all attacking machines.’ The reality on the day was so very much different. Tipperary were only a shadow of what was expected of them, scored only eleven points and were outclassed by a Wexford side that scored 2-15.
Wexford’s second success in 1968 was sensational. Trailing by ten points after twenty-six minutes, they stormed back to be eight points in front as the game entered the last quarter, reminiscent of their great comeback in the 1956 league final, and while Tipperary got two late consolation goals, Wexford were deserving winners.
Tipperary’s other loss was to Kilkenny in the 1967 All-Ireland, their first defeat by the black and amber in a major competition since 1922. On a blustery day Tipperary with wind advantage led by double scores at half-time and their lead would have been much greater but for some brilliant saves by Ollie Walsh between the posts for Kilkenny. In the second half Kilkenny got on top at centrefield where John Teehan and Paddy Moran out-hurled Mick Roche and Theo English. The supply of ball was cut off to the Tipperary forwards who were limited to just one point and Kilkenny should have won by more than their four-point margin of victory. John Doyle was seeking his ninth All-Ireland medal on the day, in his nineteenth year of senior hurling for Tipperary.
The Victories
The first of Tipperary’s victories was over Galway in 1958, after beating Kilkenny in the semi-final. Tipperary were hot favourites and only 47,000 attended the final, the lowest number since 1944. Although playing against the breeze in the first half, Tipperary led by ten points at half-time, two early goals shattering Galway’s chances. However, Galway changed goalkeepers and put up a better performance in the second half before going down by 4-9 to 2-5. Following this defeat Galway made their debut in the Munster championship and this arrangement stood until 1969.
Tipperary were expected to beat Dublin easily in the 1961 final because of the latter’s record in the championship since 1948. They beat Wexford sensationally in the Leinster final but not many gave them a chance against Tipperary in the All-Ireland, the first hurling final to be televised. Although Tipperary led at half-time Dublin went ahead in the second-half and looked likely victors. Two events halted their progress. The first was the sending off of the inspirational Lar Foley and the second a brilliant save by Donal O’Brien in the Tipperary goal. In the end Tipperary were very lucky to win by a point.
A year later Tipperary’s opponents in the final were Wexford, who unexpectedly defeated Kilkenny in the Leinster final. This game was a thrilling encounter. It was nip and tuck right through with the lead changing on numerous occasions. Tipperary’s superior freshness in the closing stages ensured their two-point victory on a scoreline of 3-10 to 2-11.
Having lost sensationally to Waterford in the 1963 championship, Tipperary were back with a bang in the 1964 campaign and their progress to the final was uninterrupted and spectacular. Kilkenny were their opponents in the final and were slight favourites following impressive displays in the Leinster championship. In fact they went down to Tipperary by 5-13 to 2-8 and suffered their greatest defeat since the 1937 loss at Killarney.
Tipperary’s progress to the 1965 final was equally impressive. They inflicted a crushing defeat on Cork in the Munster final and were favourites against Wexford in the All-Ireland final The foundation of Tipperary’s success were laid by two goals by Sean McLoughlin in the first quarter and an impregnable inner line of defence. In the end they won by 2-16 to 0-10.
In the five finals Tipperary amassed a total of 14 goals and 64 points and conceded 7 goals 46 points. Three players. Donie Nealon, Jimmy Doyle and Liam Devaney, played in all eight All-Irelands. This great period of dominance came to an end for Tipperary with the 1968 defeat. There was to be one more flash of brilliance in 1971 but after that the ‘famine’ arrived and the county had to wait for eighteen years for the next All-Ireland success.
The Achievements of the 1964 & 1965 Players.
Path to Glory in League, Championship and Oireachtas
National League 1963-1964
Sept. 29, Nenagh: Tipperary 9-14 Galway 1-4
Oct. 13, Ennis: Tipperary 5-7 Clare 2-8
Nov. 10, Thurles: Tipperary 3-14 Cork 1-3
Mar. 22, Kilkenny: Tipperary 2-12 Kilkenny 3-9 (draw)
Apr. 19, Nenagh (SF) Tipperary 3-16 Limerick 2-5
May 10, Croke Park (HF) Tipperary 5-12 Wexford 1-4
May 31, New York (F) Tipperary 4-16 New York 6-6
Munster Championship
July 5, Limerick (SF): Tipperary 6-13 Clare 2-5
July 25, Limerick (F): Tipperary 3-13 Cork 1-5
All-Ireland
Sept. 6, Croke Park (F): Tipperary 5-13 Kilkenny 2-8
Oireachtas
Oct. 4, Croke Park (SF): Tipperry 2-11 Dublin 2-4
Oct. 18, Croke Park (F): Tipperary 5-7 Kilkenny 4-8
National League 1964-1965
Nov. 22, Nenagh: Tipperary 8-10 Clare 2-4
Nopv. 29, Cork: Tipperary 4-8 Cork 2-12
Feb. 7, Ballinasloe: Tipperry 4-12 Galway 0-9
Apr. 4, Thurles: Tipperary 5-7 Kilkenny 7-10 (defeat)
May 9, Croke Park (SF): Tipperary 2-18 Waterford 1-9
May 23, Croke Park (HF): Tipperary 3-14 Kilkenny 2-8
Sept. 19, New York (1): Tipperary 4-10 New York 2-11
Sept. 26, New York (2): Tipperary 2-9 New York 3-9 (defeat)
Tipperary win on agregate by 6-19 to 5-20.
Munster championship
June 27, Limerick (SF): Tipperary 5-8 Clare 3-3
July 25, Limerick (F): Tipperry 4-11 Cork 0-5
All-Ireland
Sept. 5, Croke Park (F): Tipperary 2-16 Wexford 0-10
Oireachtas (Tipperary had free passage to final.)
Oct. 17, Croke Park (F): Tipperary 2-12 Kilkenny 2-7
Analysing these scores is a fascinating exercise. Tipperary played 24 competitive games in the two years, winning 21, losing 2 and drawing 1. They won the National League the All-Ireland Championship and the Oireachtas (when it was a major tournament) in both years.
They scored remarkably the same each year, 51 goals and 154 points in 1964 and 52 goals 148 points in 1965. Combined this worked out at an average of approximately 4-13 per game for the 24 played. They conceded 27-69 in 1964 and 24.94 in 1965 which combined averaged out at 2-7 per game, or approximately half of what they scored themselves.
One indication of Tipperary's strength at the time was the number of players picked on the Munster Railway Cup team in 1965, 10 in all: John O'Donoghue, John Doyle, Kieran Carey, Sean McLoughlin, Mick Roche, Babs Keating, Liam Devaney, Theo English, Tony Wall and Jimmy Doyle.
The full list of players involved was as follows: Michael Murphy (Capt. 1964), Jimmy Doyle (Capt. 1965), Mick Burns, Kieran Carey, Liam Devaney, John Dillon, John Doyle, Paddy Doyle, Theo English , Len Gaynor, Michael 'Babs' Keating, Larry Kiely, Michael Lonergan, Seamus Mackey, Michael Maher, John 'Mackey' McKenna, Sean McLoughlin, Donie Nealon, John O'Donoghue, Noel O'Gorman, Peter O'Sullivan, Mick Roche, Pat Ryan, Tom Ryan, Tony Wall.
Des Dillon (1926-1964), Clare Hurler and More
Munster Senior Hurling semi-final, Thurles, June 15, 2014
In his column in the Irish Press soon after his death, Padraig Puirseal had this to say about Des Dillon: 'He might easily have been either the greatest handballer or the greatest hurler of our time. He had the size, the strength, the acquired skill and the immense natural ability to become a dominant figure in eather game, or possibly in both. To my mind the only reason he failed to reach even greater prominence in either game than he did, was because sport always remained sport to him.'
Born in Lisdoonvarna in 1926 it appears the family moved to Birr when his father became a Garda Sergeant in Lorrha. Des went to school in Mount St. Joseph's, Roscrea, where he excelled as a hurler, as well as other sports, on college teams between 1941-1945. He won two Offaly senior hurling championship with Birr in 1944 and 1946 and lost a final in 1947, while at the same time turning out for Offaly in the championship between 1945-47.
In the latter year he went to U.C.D. (1947-54) to study medicine. He won four Fitzgibbon Cup medals in 1948, 1950, 1951 & 1952 during his term there and a Dublin senior hurling title in 1948. He captained the Combined Universities against Ireland in the first game in the series in 1952. His performances with the college brought him to the attention of the Dublin county selectors and he was a sub on the team that lost to Waterford in the 1948 All-Ireland and played with the county in the 1949, 1950 and 1951 championships. He was also picked for Leinster in the inter-provincial series.
First Retirement
He retired from hurling in 1951 in order to concentrate on his medical studies and we next hear of him in 1954, when he made his debut for Clare at midfield in a Thomond Feis game on May 9th.
His hurling career with Clare was very short – a mere 14 senior hurling games in all, including three championship games in 1955 – but he left lasting impressions on those who remember him. As a student in St, Flannan's in the early fifties, I recall him as a big man, black haired and legs that appeared to have been perma-tanned, striding with power and skill through the field of play.
He won an Oireachtas medal following a brilliant display against Bobby Rackard at the end of 1954.
His last game for Clare was another Oireachtas game against Wexford in October 1955. In the same year he won a Railway Cup medal with Munster.
Handball
Although still only 28 years of age, he retired from hurling to concentrate on his second great love, handball. In 1955 he won the Gael-Linn trophy for the first time and repeated his victory in 1957. In 1955 he also won the Munster senior doubles with John Slattery. His profession took him away from the game for a couple of years after that. He also won many Dublin titles but an All-Ireland medal always evaded him. He was beaten in the All-Ireland singles final in 1962. In 1964 he qualified with Joey Maher (Louth) to play in the World Championships in the U.S.A.
He spent some of his professional life in England, in London, Liverpool and Wigan. When he returned from England he set up a pharmacy in Booterstown and it was at the railway station there that he was killed tragically by a train on November 24, 1964. He was survived by his wife, a seven year old daughter and an infant son.
Des Dillon was a larger than life personality, who excelled in other sports as well as hurling and handball and who left an indelible impression on all who knew him during a short life. For him sport was a pastime to be enjoyed and his carefree attitude to games was greatly at odds with the modern attiitude to sport.
Ned Power - A Great Goalkeeper
Munster GAA SH Championship Quarter-Final replay at Thurles on June 8, 2014
Probably the best known Waterford player to hurling followers of a certain vintage is Ned Power (1929-2007), who played his club hurling for Dungarvan and Tallow, and as goalkeeper for the Waterford senior hurling team between the years 1957-1966.
Most people remember him because of the famous photograph, a classic action shot that has appeared in numerous locations around the world. The photographer was a man named Louis McMonagle and it was entitled 'Hell's Kitchen'. It's a mixture of 'physical force, danger, speed and pure skill'. It was taken in this stadium on July 8th, 1962 in a Munster semi-final match between Cork and Waterford, which the latter won by 4-10 to 1-16.
The Cork man in the photo is recognisable to any hurling fan – particularly if he/she is from Cork because it is none other than the famous Christy Ring, who died a relatively young man at the age of 58. The Waterford defender he's tangled with in manly embrace is Tom Cunningham, while the third Waterford player in the picture is Austin Flynn.
It seems as if Ned Power is at the top of his game in the picture. In fact he was far from that. He had been dropped from the county side following an uncharacteristically poor display in 1961 and his playing days appeared over. Then after a frustrating year on the sideline he got a phone call that he was wanted again. He gave vent to his feelings and said to the team mentor that 'he must have been the best of a bad lot.' 'So along he came and the months and weeks of pent-up frustration and preparation for this moment launched him into a sparkling display that peaked with that famous leap into the sky, caught magically here for eternity.'
Ned won three Munster finals with Waterford, 1957, 1959 and 1963, one All-Ireland medal in 1959, one National League in 1963 and an Oireachtas medal in 1962.
After his hurling life, Ned Power turned his attention to coaching. He didn't believe that hurlers were dependent on heredity and became a great disciple of coaching. In fact he identified 131 individual skills that are part of the game of hurling. He believed that Kilkenny hurling was so strong because their players had mastered the skills of the game better than any other hurlers.
Ned Power's widow, Gretta, presented his All-Ireland winning medal of 1959, a Munster medal and his Oireachtas medal to Lár na Páirce in November 2013. The museum was thrilled to get this collection which is on display, together with the famous photograph, in a special case.
You can read all about the man, the photograph and how Ned Power brought revolutionary ideas to coaching when his playing days were over in his biography, My Father: A Hurling Revolutionary by Conor Power, which was published in Dungarvan in 2009
Redwood National School Celebrates 75 Years
First published in The Lamp, 2014 Edition, pp 14-19 (Lorrha & Dorrha Historical Society)
Redwood National School celebrated 75 years with a re-union of past pupils in the school on Saturday, June 7, 2014. It was an occasion to renew acquaintance with former classmates, to learn how life had been for them since they left and to consult the Roll Books in which their registrations featured.
This get-together was followed by Mass next door in the Church at 7 pm. A crowded church heard parish priest, Fr. Pat Mulcahy, speak about the significance of coming together and the need to forgive things that might have happened in the past. The choir of current pupils sang such popular hymns as Walk in the Light and Give Me Joy in My Heart with gusto.
At the end of the ceremony past pupil, Seamus King (1942-1951) spoke about earlier schools in the parish and introduced some of the oldest past pupils who were present, Tom Lambe, who was registered in the first school at Redwood Castle on October 9, 1923. Also Kitty (Kennedy) Slevin, who started on June 5, 1925 and Maureen (Lambe) Moran, who started on September 14, 1925. As well, Kathleen (Guinan) Moran and Jimmy Sullivan who started in the school at Kilmurry on July 14, 1928 and January 30, 1929 respectively.
Another past pupil. Pat Hough (1943-1952), spoke of what he called the Golden Mile, the road that stretched from Redwood Church to Redwood Castle and the historical places and names and events associated with it.
One of the highlights of the occasion was the launch of a booklet containing a history of the schools in Redwood, a great collection of pictures of past pupils and teachers, the names of all the pupils who entered the school from Nan Kirke of Killycross, who started on May 25, 1923, to the last pupil to register, Chloe O'Sullivan of Carrig on April 28, 2014.
All the work in organisiing the events and compiling the booklet was done by school principal. Michelle Hogan, and assistant, Helena Darcy.
The First School in Redwood
The first school in Redwood was opened in Redwood House on September 8, 1879. The parish priest, Rev. James Meagher, reported the opening to the Education Office (the precursor of the Department of Education) and requested recognition. He added that he had appointed Miss Winifrid Carroll, former assistant in the female school in Lorrha, as teacher, that there was no school within four miles of the new foundation and that the attendance on the first day was over fifty. He looked for a 'free stock' (of books) and 'all the help in your power for the new school.'
In an earlier letter to the Education Office, dated June 18, 1879, Henry Trench, the local landlord, requested the setting up of a National School 'in a portion of my house in Redwood.' Henry Trench lived at Cangort Park, Roscrea and his connection with Redwood House commenced in 1836, when his namesake married Georgina Mary Amelia Bloomfield of Redwood. Sometime after 1864 Redwood House became a Trench home and it was valued at £18-15-00 in 1906. The Bloomfield family originated in Eyrecourt, Co. Galway and it appears they acquired the estate in Redwood during the eighteenth century. It is uncertain when the house was built but it would appear to have been constructed early in the nineteenth century.
The house was occupied by Major Bloomfield in 1837. In 1840 the Ordnance Survey Name Books mention that Redwood was 'a commodious house at present occupied by a party of the constabulary and also the residence of Mr. Ryan, under-agent to Major Bloomfield.' The house is marked as a police station on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. At the time of the Griffith Valuation (1847-1864), Philip Crawley held the property from Lord Bloomfield and the house was valued at £15.
Form A 121
Following the request for recognition, th Education Office despatched Mr. Dugan, District Inspector of National Schools, on October 8, 1879 to inspect the new school. The inspection involved the completion of Form A 121, a series of eighty-two questions to be answered.
The information contained in the form is of great interest. We are told that the school was situated in one of the 15 rooms of the two-storey Redwood House. It was a large room, 30'' x 18'' x 11'', and was 'fitted up as a schoolroom.' On the privy situation there was one for the girls but the boys' wasn't yet ready. There was a separate play area for the girls.
The school was to be kept in repair with the manager's and local funds. The schoolmistress occupied two rooms in the house, Mr. Trench's steward occupied three and the remaining nine were locked up.
There was no teacher's desk on the day of the inspection but it was being made by a carpenter.. The teacher was Winifrid Carroll. She was a Roman Catholic. and was aged 22 years. She was trained in 1874 and had been assistant in the female school in Lorrha.
The school was classed as being in the First Division of Third Class. Salary levels varied according to Class and Division. A male teacher in the First Division of Class 1 was paid £52 while the lowest Division in Class 3 was paid £18.
The document tells us, in answer to the question on what amount of Local Funds was paid to the teacher, that her free residence was worth the equivalent of £5 and that school fees amounted to £12.
In answer to another question it was stated that virtually all the children paid fees. Apparently the manager had the right to absolve some children from paying.
Religious Instruction was given for 3 to 31/2 hours per week in the summer and 21/2 to 3 hours in the winter. The school day commenced at 9.30 am and finished at 3.30 pm in the summer and 3 pm in the winter. Thirty-five children, 15 males and 20 females, were in attendance on the day of inspection but there were forty-two altogether on the rolls.
We are informed that only three of the children had been in another school before the opening of Redwood. There was big support for the school from among the neighbouring farmers.
In conclusion the inspector stated that the 'school is much required' with the nearest schools about four miles distant. However, he recommended a three-month trial period in order to ensure that 'the attendance keeps up'.
At the end of the report it is stated that Winifrid Carroll was granted a salary of £25 plus whatever would accrue to her from results. The salary would be paid on condition that an attendance of thirty pupils was maintained.
Early Pupils
The names of some of the first pupils in the school are as follows. The following boys were in infants: Larry Guinan, Redwood, Thomas Quinlan, Moatfield, John J. Loughmane, Killycross, Michael Lambe, Redwood, Willie Lambe, Redwood, John Sammon, Moatfield.
Tom Lambe recalls being told that Willie Lambe attended a hedge school in Hickey's field at the back of Tom Quinlan's old house, above Redwood Chapel before Redwood School was opened. Some information on that school is available in an accompanying piece on 'Old Schools' from the Folklore Collection. The master was BrianCarroll, who was related to the first two teachers in the school at Redwood Castle, Winifrid Carroll (1879-1889) and Ellen Carroll (1889-1923). According to the report English, Reading and Writing were taught. The school was held at night for the men and during the day for boys and girls.
The following girls are listed as attending the new school at Redwood: Bridget Crean, Fort Alice, Anne Loughmane, Killycross, Mary Sammon, Moatfield, Julia Sammon, Moatfield, Mary Elizabeth Donoghue, Moatfield, Bridget Carroll, Ballea..
The occupations of the parents are also given in the Roll Book and they include labourer, blacksmith, farmer, orphan, herd, gamekeeper, coachman, pensioned policeman.
Inspections
The school in Redwood House continued in existence until 1926. The major source of information on its progress and development is the school inspection reports. These are to be found in the District Inspector's Observation Book in which he wrote a report after each visit.
The first such report follows a visit by a Mr. Dugan on October 10, 1881. In the report the teacher was informed that no books could be used in the school except those sanctioned by the Education Office. The inspector also advised that all pupils should be on the register, including infants. The information is also given that Miss Carroll had a monitor, Maria Somerville, in the school
There is another inspection a month later and the inspector reported that one girl had her examination cancelled because she was found copying her answers from a book under the desk!
A Mr. Purser replaces Mr. Dugan as inspector in 1882 and he visited the school on November 15, 1882. According to the report this visit was to examine for result fees. Sixty one were present and fifty-nine were examined.. No results are given but an observation at the end noted that some children were leaving the school as soon as the roll call was completed. The inspector stated that such pupils should be marked absent.
Poor Performances
The next report, dated July 6, 1883, which was probably the result of the examinations the previous November, is anything but favourable. Class 1 with 8 pupils was 'weak at tables'. Class 2 with 10 present, was weak at reading. Class 3 with 10 present was weak at grammar and geography. Class 4 with 8 present was middling at reading, poor at spelling and grammar, and defective at maths. Class 5 & 6 with 8 present were poor in 'deduction' and bad at grammar.
The inspector added the following note: 'The defects in arithmetic in these classes show that repetition is not enough attended to: only 1 in Class iv could multiply 8096 x 270 and all failed in dividing 175,488 by 297; in v & vi only one could reduce 10,001 square yards to square inches.'
He made further observations. He believed the pupils were prone to copy from one another and 'this would account for the low proficiency in arithmetic.' The girls worked without thimbles in needlework. On the positive side the house was in fair order, with just one window frame in poor repair.
From the information given above the total number of pupils at school on the day was 44.
There is better news following the inspection on November 19, 1883. Fifty-two pupils were examined and the inspector found that 'the answering of the juniors was very good with the exception of grammar.' The oral examination of the seniors was very creditable. However mental arithmetic needed attention. Discipline in the school was good.
A report in May 1884 stated that needlework was not good enough. 'More care should be given to this matter – the girls to be made bring suitable material for sewing unless strips of callico for practice are provided in school.'
New Teacher
It appears that Miss Winifrid Carroll married between inspections held in November 1885 and November 1886 as she appears as Mrs Winifrid Loughnane on November 19, 1886.
There was a change in inspector in 1887, with a Mr. S. Allman signing the inspection book in November of that year. In his report of a visit to the school in May 1889, the name of the principal is given as Miss Ellen Carroll. The inspector adds: 'Mrs Loughmane died on May 22, 1888. The school, since then up to 1 April 1889, had been in charge of an unrecognised teacher. Miss Ellen Carroll took charge on 1 April 1889.'
The report continues: 'Many children have been in the same class since November 1887 and it is only reasonable that they should be anxious for promotion. Miss Carroll should, however, be careful to ascertain the fitness of each pupil for promotion before making a change.'
The numbers attending appear to have dropped from a high of 59 in 1885 to under 40 in 1891. The reports given by S. Allman are much shorter than under the previous inspector and information is much less as a result. Numbers begin to climb again in the mid-nineties with 51 being examined in May 1897.
A new inspector, E. S. Cromie, was appointed in 1898 and his reports are much more detailed.. Following his May visit in 1899 he wrote: 'Throughout the school the pupils should be accustomed to speak much more clearly and distinctly than they do at present.' The teacher is advised to use the blackboard more when teaching arithmetic. Also: 'It would be well to use the inkwells. Time is lost in giving out ink bottles and these are liable to be overturned.'
There's a new inspector in 1901, Mr. D. Mangan, and for his annual inspection the following year there were 51 present. The report stated that the 'Reading is fluent, but it is not expressive or incisive.' Also: 'The children should be taught to express themselves freely and to speak distinctly and audibly.'
A Mr. A. J. McElwaine inspected the school in 1903 and found 44 out of 49 pupils present. Among his complaints was the state of spelling and grammar in the school.
The inspector's first report is interesting in that it tells us the subjects that were taught in the school in 1903: English Oral and Written, Arithmetic, Drawing, Object Lessons (sic), Needlework, Geography, Physical Drill.
In his report following a visit on July 6, 1904, Mr. McElwaine stated that the ventilation in the school was insufficient: 'One small window is not enough to ventilate the room.' We learn that there are 31 pupils on the Roll..
A Mr. J. D. Bradshaw did the inspection in September 1906 but Mr. McElwaine was back again in 1907. Further inspections inthat year and 1908 report the same old problems. Reading is generally indistinct. Writing leaves a lot to be desired and more thoroughness in teaching was required.
Detailed Report
There is a very detailed report of an inspection carried out by Mr. J. P. Dalton on May 26, 1911 The report begins: 'I consider the school accommodation here most unsatisfactory. The ventilation of the room is particularly defective: there are no means of sending a current of pure air through the schoolroom and the atmosphere is, therefore, quite oppressive.'
The report continues: 'Much more attention should be paid to order, arrangement, tidiness, etc. Copy books and papers are left lying about in loose heaps, official documents are scattered through the records, and no attempt seems to be made to keep things in their right places. Some school portfolios should be got and used for filing papers.'
'The organisation would admit of much improvement. The whole tone of the school needs bracing up. The pupils seem to be allowed to answer their lessons along in an aimless, unthinking way; the desks are not supervised and much of the work shows great carelessness. The teaching methods show some radical faults.'
A new inspector, J.A. McMahon, was appointed in 1912 and a report of his following a general inspection in March 1915, is much more positive, The report stated: 'The teacher here works honestly though with moderate success. The progress of the pupils is fair generally. There is need of increased attention to the development of intelligence at arithmetic and oral answering. Desk discipline might be easily improved. . . . A globe is needed.'
The most interesting part of the report is the statement that the school was very unsuitable and that it was hoped that the new one would be built with as little delay as possible.. It was to be twelve years before the school was replaced as World War 1, the Rising in 1916, the War of Independence and the Civil War, followed by the setting up of the Irish Free State, put paid to any plans in place in 1915.
Inspections were held in 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1919. There is no report for 1920.
In the 1921 report it is stated that 'Efficiency of instruction is defective in various respects.' This is signed by J. O'Riordan, who gives his address as 46 Grosvenor Square, Dublin.. There is a second inspection in December the same year. J. C. Kyle is the inspector and his report includes the following: 'The accommodation is not ideal but at the same time the room might present a more tasteful appearance: mantelpiece and top of press should be clean and tidy and floor should be cleaner.'
The Free State
The takeover of the Education Office by the Free State Government is reflected in the inspector's report of November 16, 1922. The inspector, who now signs himself in Irish, S. C. Ó Cadhla, writes his report in Irish.
In the course of this report he informs the teacher of the new policy of the Department of Education that the school must provide 1 hour's instruction in Irish per day in every class. In the following years there is a big emphasis on the teaching of Irish, both oral and written. In his report on the 1926 visit the inspector is critical of the progress of Irish in the school. He states that the speaking of the language is awful and the handwriting is equally bad. According to him too many children are showing no signs of improvement.
The Second School 1926
In the same year the children moved from Redwood Castle to the new school at Kilmurry. There were occasional reports from the inspectors over the years about the condition of the school in Redwood House.
There is a report on 25th September, 1900 that the house is only in middling repair. There's a further report on September 10, 1901 that 'the windows are bad, the floor boards are loose and the roof leaks.' On August 15th, 1904 it is reported that improvements have been carried out. There were other reports that the ventilation was very bad. The report in 1915 seemed to suggest that a new school was imminent. The commencement of World War 1 and the he political developments following the Rising of 1916 probably delayed any building plans and the replacement school wasn't opened until 1926.
In fact there is confirmation of this in the official report of the Department of Education covering the years 1925, 1926 and 1927. It included the statement that at least 350 new schools would be needed to make up for arrears of building that accumulated during the period from 1914 to 1924. As well more schools were required to replace unsanitary and unsuitable premises.
This report also states that during the year 1925-26 grants of £27,652 were sanctioned in respect of the erection of 13 new schoolhouses. The names of the schools aren't given but the new school in Kilmurry could well have been one of them. There is the additional information that grants for new schools were normally sanctioned on the basis of two-thirds of the cost, but in poor and congested districts a larger grant could be given or, in extreme cases, the whole cost of the building could be defrayed by the Department.
The site for the new school at Kilmurry appeared to be ideal. It was a piece of land owned by the parish and so would cost nothing. It was adjacent to the old school so there wouldn't be any great difficulty for the schoolchildren getting there. There was about an acre of land attached to the site which would provide a playground.
Little Information
However, the new school was built on the site of an ancient graveyard and Tom Lambe recalls seeing bones being thrown up when the foundations were being dug. In fact there is little information on the actual building. One theory is that the site was chosen because the landlord, Major Trench, refused to give land for the building. There may be some truth in this. The local papers carried reports in 1922 of agitation in favour of dividing up the Trench Estate. Cattle were driven on to the estate lands and the new Irish Army was called out on two occasions. It may have been the case of the owner taking offence and refusing as a result of the agitation.
From information from pupils like Tom Lambe and Paddy Guinan, the building appears to have been poorly finished. From markings scratched with a nail on one of the rafters, we learn that William Sharkey, Slater, Birrdid the roof.
Paddy Guinan remembers that the school was just one room with a teacher at each end. There was no divider in it, and the two sets of classes sat with their backs to one another. There was a fireplace at Miss McCormack's end, which was totally inadequate to heat the place. The room was so cold in the winter that the children were sent out side to warm up, run around, jump around, wave their arms to get the blood circulating. On the other hand in the summer time, if the weather was good, the junior classes went out to the yard for their lessons. There were fewer distractions outside than inside where all the classes were in the same space.
Paddy remembers the playground, which had a hill in it, a pond in the corner and big trees around. The children played there but there were no organised games, and no hurling. There was plenty of punishment dished out by the teachers. In fact the children had to bring their own hazel rods for the punishment. Each family brought a load of turf for the fire. There was one privy with one seat in it and it was used by the boys and the girls.
Paddy Guinan started school in Kilmurry in 1934 and continued there until 1939 when he moved to the new school beside Redwood Chapel. In the same class were Joe King, Carrigeen, Tessie O'Sullivan, Redwood Castle, Davy O'Sullivan, Lordspark, Molly Kirwan, Lordspark. His teacher was Miss Nora Moran, a sister of Bill Moran, and she lived with her brother in Bonachum. She got married about 1936 and became Mrs. Kelleher. The principal teacher was Miss McCormack. During his time in school he remembers two substitute teachers, Miss Heagney and Miss Dalton.
He remembers only one inspector during his years there. Fr. Cleary, who was the C.C., used to visit regularly. He recalls getting his First Communion in Redwood Chapel and each of the recipients got a bottle of lemonade after it. He was confirmed in Lorrha in 1942 by Canon Fogarty, who did the catechism examination in the sacristy the day before
Teachers
Miss Ellen Carroll was succeeded in Redwood House by Miss Mary Guinane (later Mrs. Grogan) in 1923. Mrs. Grogan died in January 1930 following the birth of a child and she was succeeded by Miss Mary Clune. Miss Clune was appointed initially as a substitute for Mrs. Grogan and later as principal on February 10. However, she resigned during the summer holidays, having married in Scotland and Miss Margaret McCormack was appointed principal on October 1, 1930. She transferred to the third school in 1939 and remained as principal until she retired in 1952.. Miss Mary Kelly had been appointed as a junior assistant mistress in Redwood House in 1923, moved to the new school in Kilmurry in 1926 and was succeeded by Nora Moran in 1931. She became Mrs. Kelleher in 1936 and was succeeded by Mrs Annie King in 1941.
The Third School beside Redwood Chapel
It is difficult to understand why a third school was built in Redwood in 1939. The existing school was only thirteen years old. It is also difficult to get information on why the change took place. According to Sally Gardiner (83) the school at Kilmurry had gone to 'wrack and ruin'. Does this suggest it was very badly built? She also recalls that it was infested with bats! According to her they nested behind the big maps that covered the walls. She recalls that girls were assigned every evening to tidy up the school and occasionally some boys came in, disturned the bats and caused them to fly around. On such occasions the girls fled to the cloakroom! She also recalls the tins of sweets the teachers kept to give the children a treat on the days of holidays. They usually got two or three sweets each
Her sister, Mary (87) recalls the move up the road to the new school beside the Chapel. Asses and carts were used to carry the furniture and the whole operation was organised by Miss McCormack and Mrs. Kelleher. Sally remembers the children had to carry the books up the road under their arms and how they loved it to sitting in the classroom. She believes that the last of the stuff was transported in the boot of Miss McCormack's blue car, one of the few vehicles in the area at the time..
The new school was officially opened with a Mass said by Canon Moloney. It was said in Miss McCormack's room and many of the mothers attended. The children stook around the room during the Mass.
Sally recalls one little incident in the new school. After moving up to the school she used to clear the wall beside the girls' shed at lunchtime to run down the road to her house for a cup of tea and bread or soup. Afterwards she would rush back to be in time for the end of break. Somebody spilled the beans on her and she was informed, in a nice way, she remembers, by her teacher that she couldn't leave the school during school hours but that if her mother wanted to bring her something during the day, she was free to do so. Another thing she recalls was learning long division sums from Mrs. King. She couldn't get the knack of them before and is very thankful to Mrs. King for the explanation, which helped her.
Building the School
The school was built by Billy Martin, Builder, Portumna. According to Mary Gardiner George Connell and Jack Mulcahy, two carpenters, she thinks, worked on the building. It cost £1,400 and the parish had to contribute one-sixth of the cost. This was known as the local contribution. Obviously th sum of approximately £235 was not easily raised in the late thirties.
At the time,the Parish Priest, Canon Moloney was trustee of a fund, the residue of the money collected in 1916 as a testimonial to Martin O'Meara on the occasion of him receiving a Victoria Cross for his bravery on the field of battle in France in the same year, and bequeathed by O'Meara for the restoration of Lorrha Abbey. Canon Moloney applied to the High Court to have the bequest changed and a decision was made by the court on January 16, 1939 to set this clause aside 'as it is not valid either as a charitable trust or as a non-charitable trust.'
In an affidavit to the court, the Canon stated that because of the state of the Abbey, its restoration 'would now be impossible and it would be merely a waste of money to spend the bequest herein on any sort of restoration.' Also, the Abbey was 'in the custody of the Office of Public Works for preservation.'
The affidavit concluded: 'I respectfully pray this Honourable Court to declare the said bequest a charitable one and impossible to implement and that the moneys be applied cy-pres (as near as possible): £60 being applied to the purchase of two Confessionals, be way of memorial to the Testator, and the balance to the erection of the school at Redwood.'
Earlier in the affidavit the Canon stated: 'I am at present erecting a new school at Redwood in the Parish of Lorrha. The estimate for said purpose prepared by the Board of Works is £1,400. Of this sum I have to provide one-sixth viz: £233-6-8. This sum will have to be raised by public subscription of the parishioners.'
And so, the Martin O'Meara bequest provided the local funds for the building of Redwood School, probably much to the relief of Canon Moloney, who was saved from having to collect £233-6-8 from his parishioners at a difficult economic time for all Irish people.
Teachers: 1879-2014
Miss Winifrid Carroll 1879-1888
Miss Ellen Carroll 1889-1923
Miss Mary Guinane (later Mrs. Grogan) 1923-1930
Miss Mary Clune Jan-Aug 1930
Miss Mary Kelly 1923-31
Miss Margaret McCormack 1930-1952
[Miss Nora Moran 1931-
Mrs. Nora Kelleher1941]
Mrs. Annie King 1941-1974
Mr. Jim Keane 1952-1977
Mrs. Joe Needham 1974-2000
Ms O'Reilly 1977-1979
Ms Kay Heveran 1979-1985
Mrs. Maura Kennedy 1999-2012
Mrs. Mary Coen 2000-2010
Ms Helena Darcy 2010-
Ms Michelle Hogan 2012-
It's a Long Way to Tipperary
Clonoulty-Rossmore Vintage Club booklet for 12th Vintage Rally at Clonoulty, August 24, 2014, pp 54-58
We're all familiar with this marching song that became such a hit in the First World War and that the young soldiers of the Connaught Rangers sang as they headed to the Western Front in August 1914. It was to become one of the defining symbols of the war.
What isn't so well known is the name of the man who wrote it five years earlier, Harry Williams, from Warwickshire, who was born in Erdington, Birmingham in 1873 and spent his childhood living in pubs run by his parents, Henry and Mary.
As a schoolboy he fell down the cellar steps in one pub, breaking both legs and putting him in a wheelchair. Unable to play in the streets with his friends, Harry developed a talent for songwriting. Then, at around the turn of the century, he met a man called Jack Judge at his brother's pub, The Malt Shovel, in Oldbury, West Midlands and they began writing songs together.
As a team they wrote about 32 songs in total. Jack was a great singer and Harry was a musician. One of the songs was a ballad, It's a Long Way to Connemara, which Jack regularly performed at concerts. However, it was to be another three years before the song took final shape.
A keen gambler, Jack was set a a five-shilling challenge to compose and perform a song within twenty-four hours at the New Market Inn in Stalybridge, Cheshire. The smart Jack simply changed 'Connemara' to 'Tipperary', winning the bet and delighting his audience with the catchy 'new' song.
Bert Feldman, a London music impresario, heard about the song and within months had released the sheet music with a small but important change. He told the pair that Tipperary wouldn't be a hit unless they made it into a marching song and added an extra 'long'. The change was made, the song was published and the rest is history.
The Connaught Rangers
A Connaught Rangers captain, Dryden, is reputed to have heard an itinerant busker playing the song in Galway and encouraged his troops to sing it during marches. On August 13, 1914, Daily Mail journalist, George Curnock, stood on the steps of the Hotel Metrople, Boulogne to watch the British troops march past on their way to the front. The Connaught Rangers sang a song he had never heard before and, in addition to its rousing tune and the pathos of its words, undoubtedly what fixed the song in his memory was the words of a French soldier's widow, who had stood silent beside him from the beginning of the parade.
As the troops marched past singing It's aLong Way to Tipperary, the widow turned to Curnock and asked him what they were singing. He explained and translated the words for her and she replied emotionally: 'Oh! The poor boys! . . . A long, long way' . . . they do not know how long is the way they are going . . . how long – how long!' No doubt the poignancy of the words caused her to think of her late husband's death and the fact that many of these brave young men would undoubtedly soon join him.
Other soldiers in the war carried the song home with them and it became widely popular around the world. Harry Williams and Jack Judge earned £1,680, the equivalent to more than £150,000 today, from sales of Tipperary in the 12 months after its release.
Harry eventually became sole rights holder. Jack was a gambler and owed money to Harry and rather than pay them he gave away his rights to Tipperary. When Harry heard of the success of the song he donated £1,000 to the Great War Injured Beneficiary Fund.
Harry Williams' Role Restored
However, when Harry died from pneumonia at 50 years in March 1924, his role in one of the nation's most famous songs all but died with him.
His great-niece, Meg Pybus, has spent a lot of time in restoring Harry to his rightful place as the writer of the song. According to her his part in the song was quickly forgotten about. Jack took all the credit for writing it and it became his song. Because he sang it everybody just assumed that he wrote it too.
Meg eventually decided to launch a campaign to have Harry's part in writing Tipperary officially recognised. Together with her family they put together an enormous amount of material and sent it to the Imperial War Museum. Having studied it the Museum wrote letters to Harry's family saying they recognised his role in the song. It was in 2012 that the family got formal recognition that he wrote the song. Before them he was just recognised as the rights-holder.
It's a Long Way toTipperary is now the longest-earning song in musical history, even raking in cash from ringtones and YouTube. Though copyright expires seventy years after a composer's death in Britain, Meg Pybus still receives a one-eighth share of the royalties, about £4,000 a year.
The royalties come from all over the world. According to Meg the rights passed on to her grandfather when Harry died, then on to her mother and her sisters, and now through to the cousins. The cheques come every six months. 'It's everything from ringtones, cruise ship performances, YouTube and jukeboxes. The individual amounts are absolutely tiny, but when they are all added up it comes to quite a sum.'
Place of Origin
Arguments continue over where the song was written, with the residents of Honiley, where Harry lived with his parents in the Plough Inn, and Oldbury, where Jack Judges's brother owned the Malt Shovel at loggerheads to this day.
According to Meg, her grandfather and other relatives always said it was the Plough Inn. Harry lived there from 1900 until he died. She states that his name is on all the original sheet music, so there is no doubt about it. Jack Judge's family claim it was written by him in the Malt Shovel but, as far as Meg is concerned it was in the Plough. She remembers going to her grandfather's house as a child and Tipperarywas always being played. 'I grew up with the song.'
The Plough Inn was renamed The Tipperary Inn in Harry's honour in the 1940s and remains a shrine to the famous song to this day.
The final word goes to Meg: 'It's a terribly sad song in many ways, given the connotations attached to it nowadays. It's a strange story, because if it wasn't for that bet in Stalybridge or the outbreak of war, the song would never have become popular.'
The song's enduring popularity is reflected in the fact that in the last 100 years it is estimated that three million copies have been sold in the USA and another five million around the world.
It's A Long Way To Tipperary
Chorus
It's a long way to Tipperary,
It's a long, long way to go.
It's a long way to Tipperary
To the sweetest girl I know.
Goodbye Piccadilly,
Farewell Leicester Square,
It's a long long way to Tipperary,
But my heart lies there.
Up to mighty London came
An Irish lad one day,
All the streets were paved with gold,
So everyone was gay!
Singing songs of Piccadilly,
Strand, and Leicester Square,
'Til Paddy got excited and
He shouted to them there:
Chorus
Paddy wrote a letter
To his Irish Molly O',
Saying, "Should you not receive it,
Write and let me know!
If I make mistakes in spelling,
Molly dear", said he,
"Remember it's the pen, that's bad,
Don't lay the blame on me".
Chorus
Molly wrote a neat reply
To Irish Paddy O',
Saying, "Mike Maloney wants
To marry me, and so
Leave the Strand and Piccadilly,
Or you'll be to blame,
For love has fairly drove me silly,
Hoping you're the same!"
Chorus
Clean Ireland Re-Cycling County Senior Hurling Championship 2013
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 2014, pp 53-59
Loughmore-Castleiney won their third county senior hurling championship at Semple Stadium on October 13, when they shaded the final by the minimum of margins, 1-17 to 1-16, against Nenagh Eire Óg. It was an occasion for great emotion and jubilation and it gave particular pleasure to a team that had gone into the contest as underdogs and which seemed to be justified when they were led by six points after twenty minutes. However, the game began to turn in their favour during the final ten minutes before the interval as they tacked on two points and Nenagh failed to score. Victory was eventually achieved through a tremendous second-half performance, particularly by a very effective half-back line and an outstanding display by Noel McGrath.The victory was all the more appreciated in that it was achieved twenty-five years after their first victory in the grade and on a day when that team was being honoured at Semple Stadium.
Format
The format of the championship was the same as in 2012 with the 32 senior teams playing in their respective divisional championships down to semi-final stage. The 16 teams that qualified went straight into the Dan Breen Cup. The remaining 16 went into Round 1 or a qualifier for the Dan Breen Cup, with the 8 winners qualifying and the 8 losers going into the Seamus O'Riain Cup. The 4 losers in the first round of the latter played in the relegation competition.
The 8 winners of Round 1 of the Dan Breen Cup joined the 8 losing divisional semi-finalists in an open draw with repeat games avoided for Round 2. The 8 winners from Round 2 played off among themselves in Round 3 and the winners joined the four divisional final losers in Round 4. The 4 winners played the four divisional final winners in Round 5 or quarter-finals.
Round 1
Seven of the eight games in Round 1 were played on the weekend of the 15/16 June, with the final game played on the 19th. Roscrea, Holycross-Ballycahill, Kilruane-MacDonaghs, Portroe, J. K. Brackens, Templederry Kenyons, Nenagh Eire Óg and Burgess came through.
Round 2
The 8 teams joined the 8 beaten divisional semi-finals in an open draw and the games were played between June 21 and July 8. The teams that came through were Borrisileigh, Toomevara, Moycarkey-Borris, Templederry-Kenyons, Roscrea, Nenagh Eire Óg, Upperchurch-Drombane and Burgess.
Round 3
The eight teams played off among themselves between July 27 and August 17 with Nenagh Eire Óg, Roscrea, Borrisileigh and Toomevara successful.
Divisional Finals
In one of the best South finals for years Killenaule defeated Carrick Swans by 1-22 to 2-16 at Clonmel on July 27. The game will be remembered for the 14 points scored by John 'Bubbles' O'Dwyer and the goal scored by former county player, Pat Kerwick, two minutes from the end which sealed the game. The Swans led by the minimum, 2-7 to 0-12, at the break and were unfortunate not to get a draw.
In contrast the North final at Nenagh a day later was a completely one-sided affair in which Kildangan produced a big display to trounce Silvermines by 5-15 to 0-8. The game was over at half-time when they led by 5-7 to 0-3.
Eire Óg upset the odds with a clear victory over six-times champions, Clonoulty-Rossmore, in the West final played at Dundrum on August 10. Clonoulty went into the game as favourites to make it seven in a row but, after the opening twenty minutes there was no doubt as to the destination of the O'Dwyer Cup as Eire Óg went on to win by 4-17 to 1-17.
A three-goal blitz by Drom Inch between the twentieth and twenty-fifth minute of the first half decided the destiny of the Johnny Leahy Cup in the Mid final played at Boherlahan on August 11. They led by 3-10 to 0-4 at the interval and there was no way back for Loughmore-Castleiney, who were behind by 3-10 to 1-11 at the end.
Round 4
Round 4 matched the winners of Round 3 with the runners-ups in the divisional finals and these games were played on August 24 and September 7.Nenagh Eire Óg defeated Silvermines by 1-21 to 0-8 at Cloughjordan and Loughmore-Castleiney defeated Roscrea by 0-21 to 2-11 at Templemore on the same day. The remaining two games were played at Holycross on September 7. Borrisileigh defeated Carrick Swan by 1-17 to 2-8 and Clonoulty-Rossmore got the bestter of Toomevara by 1-23 to 2-16.
Quarter-Finals
The quarter-finals were played on the weekend of September 14/15. Three of the four divisional champions bit the dust on the weekend. At Templemore Loughmore-Castleiney defeated Killenaule by 2-17 to 1-15 and Nenagh Eire Óg defeated Drom Inch by 1-15 to 2-11. At the Ragg Kildangan and Clonoulty-Rossmore drew, 0-14 to 1-11, while Borrisileigh defeated Eire Óg by 2-16 to 1-11.
In the replay of thedrawn game, played at Dolla on September 21, Kildangan defeated Clonoulty-Rossmore by 3-13 to 2-13.
Semi-finals
The semi-finals were played at Semple Stadium on September 29. Loughmore-Castleiney defeated Borrisileigh by 1-17 to 2-12. For most of the game the winners set the pace. Playing against the breeze in the first half they led by 1-5 to 0-7. The game remained close during the third quarter but then Loughmore-Castleint opened up a five-point lead, 1-15 to 1-10 with nine minutes to play. Borrisileigh had the best of the exchanges during that period, reducing the lead to two points and they even had a last-minute chance to shade it had Brendan Maher's effort not gone narrowly wide.
The second game, between Kildangan and Nenagh Eire Óg, ended in a draw, when Kildangan forced a replay thanks to a fine comeback. With a quarter of the match to go Nenagh Eire Óg led by 4-11 to 1-11 and seemed home and hosed. However, Kildangan resurrected their act to outscore their opponents by 1-8 to 0-2 in the final thirteen minutes, culminating in an equalising point by Ruairi Gleeson in the first minute of added time.
The replay of the drawn semi-final was played at Semple Stadium on October 6, with Nenagh Eire Óg coming through by 1-17 to 0-12. Not a memorable game the result was never in doubt after the first twenty minutes. A Richie Flannery goal in the twenty-first minute gave Nenagh the decisive edge. They held an interval lead of 1-10 to 0-6, looking slicker and making better use of possession. Kildangan needed a goal in the second half but it never came and Nenagh were comfortable winners by 1-17 to 0-12 at the final whistle.
The Final
And so, everything was set for the final at Semple Stadium on October 13. Nenagh Eire Óg were installed as favourites on the basis of the scalps they claimed during the campaign, the most notable being holders, Thurles Sarsfields, and Mid and North title holders, Drom Inch and Kildangan.They appeared to have grown in stature with every game. They also had a hunger based on a long famine since their first title in 1995, with the team containing one player, Kevin Tucker, from that side as well as the manager. Liam Heffernan.
Their opponents, Loughmore-Castleiney, looked anything but county final material, when they were swamped by Drom Inch in the Mid final. They got themselves back into contention with victories over Roscrea, Killenaule and eventually Borrisileigh, some would say the easier side ofthe draw. They suffered the loss of staunch defender, Eddie Connolly, in the semi-final and were regarded as a team with lesser hurling capacity than Nenagh. However, they did have a great ability to punch above their weight and to have a steely determination and never-say-die spirit when it came to tight clashes.
Nenagh justified the favourites tag in the opening quarter as they raced into a 1-5 to 0-2 lead and had Loughmore-Castleiney on the back foot, the goal coming from Paddy Murphy. However, they appeared to relax after that and Loughmore outscored them by 0-4 to 0-2 in the second quarter to be only four points adrift at the interval on a scoreline of 1-7 to 0-6. When it is realised that Loughmore hit eleven wides during the period, they were still very much in the game.
With the help of the breeze Loughmore took the game to Nenagh in the second-half. Noel McGrath began to have a grwing influence on the game. John Meagher began to wield a powerful influence, especially in the final quarter. The game began to go Loughmore's way and they drew level, 1-15 each, with five minutes to go. As Loughmore had done in the first half, Nenagh hit a few bad wides. Loughmore edged ahead and in a nail-biting finish Nenagh laid seige to the Loughmore goal and had a couple of chances of grabbing the equaliser but heroic defending saved the day for Loughmore and when the final whistle sounded they had a point to spare on a scoreline of 1-17 to 1-16.
Loughmore Castleiney: Shane Nolan, Tommy Long, Derek Bourke, Joseph Hennessy, Aidan McGrath (0-2), John Meagher, Tom King, Ciaran McGrath (capt.), (0-1), Tomás McGrath (0-1), John McGrath, David Kennedy (0-1), Noel McGrath (0-7), Liam McGrath (1-2), Evan Sweeney (0-1), Cian Hennessy (0-2). Sub: Micheal Webster for David Kennedy. Also: John Scully, Willie Eviston, John Ryan, Lorcan Egan, Johnny Campion, Tommy Maher, Henry Maher, Brian McGrath, Denis Brereton, Shane Hennessy, Paddy Moynihan, Eddie Connolly, Liam Treacy.
Selectors: Declan Laffan, Seamus Bohan, Pat McGrath. Trainer: Alan O'Connor. Physio: Cathy Doran.
Nenagh Eire Óg: Nichael McNamara, Mark Flannery, Noel Maloney (capt.), John Brennan, Daire Quinn, Hugh Maloney, Billy Heffernan, Barry Heffernan, Kevin Tucker, Pearse Morris (0-3), Michael Heffernan (0-8), Tommy Heffernan (0-1), Andrew Coffey (0-1), Paddy Murphy (1-2), Ritchie Flannery (0-1). Subs: Paul Ryan for Andrew Coffey, Donncha Quinn for Billy Heffernan, Johnny Slattery for Paul Ryan. Also: Kevin Flynn, Sean Geaney, Adam Gratton, Killian Gleeson, Alan Kelly, James Mackey, Conor Ryan, Donncha Heffernan, David Hackett, Niall Cahill, Eoin Fitzgibbon, Gary Howard, Michael Collins, Brendan O'Brien, Philip Hickey, Darragh Walsh, Daire Gleeson.
Manager: Liam Heffernan. Coach: John Fitzgerald. Selectors: Enda Costello, Noel Coffey. Physios: Paul Dillon,Eddie Hynes.
Man of the Match: Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney)
Referee: John McCormack (Kickhams)
Attendance: 7,195.
Clean Ireland Re-Cycling Seamus Ó Riain Cup
The 8 teams defeated in Round 1 of the Dan Breen Cup contested the Seamus Ó Riain Cup. The quarter finals were played on the weekends of June 21 and 28, with victories going to Borrisokane, who defeated Golden-Kilfeacle by 3-13 ro 2-14, to Thurles Sarsfields, who defeated Boherlahan by 2-20 to 1-7, to Lorrha,who defeated Moneygall by 3-16 to 0-12, and to Carrick Davins, who defeated Cashel King Cormacs by 0-15 to 0-14.
In the semi-finals Carrick Davins defeated Lorrha by 3-18 to 2-14 at Templemore on July 20, and Thurles Sarsfields defeated Borrisokane by 1-24 to 2-16 at the same venue on July 26.
The final was played at Clonmel on August 18 and Thurles Sarsfields made history when they won the Ó Riain Cup for the first time. They also made history by becoming the first club to win the Dan Breen and Ó Riain Cups.
Fielding no more than five of their regular senior team the winners had little difficulty in claiming the spoils of victory. Davins, with the breeze in their favour, led by 0-5 to 0-3 at the end of the first quarter and held their own in the first half to trail by just a point, 2-7 to 1-9, at the interval, their goal coming from Ger Robinson just before the break.
Sarsfields showed more urgency in the second-half and dominated the game, adding 1-11, while confining Davins to 0-4, to leave the final score 3-18 to 1-13 in their favour. Afterwards captain, Michael Cahill, received the cup from county board chairman, Sean Nugest.
Thurles Sarsfields: Kevin Smith, Pa Dunne, Kevin O'Gorman, Barry Dwyer, Michael Cahill (capt.), David Corbett, Aidan Ryan, Stephen Cahill (0-1), Tommy Doyle, Jamie Stapleton (1-1), Jim Corbett, Pa Bourke (0-10), Cian Treacy (0-4), Pa Crone (2-2), John Maher. Subs: Michael Dwyer, Rory O'Shea, Eoin Russell, Kevin O'Gorman.
Carrick Davins: M. Hackett, K. Condon, L. Mackey, S. Cronin, W. O'Dwyer, R. McGrath, M. Ryan, P. Harris (0-2), A. Foran (0-1), J. J.Butler (0-4), N. Butler (0-2) G. Robinson (1-2), S. Moroney (0-1), J. J.Ryan, S. Butler (0-1). Subs: O. Power, J. Moroney.
Man of the Match Award: Cian Treacy (Thurles Sarsfields)
Referee: John McCormack (Kickhams)
Clean Ireland Recycling Relegation Playoff
The four teams beaten in the first round of the Seamus Ó Riain Cup battled out the relegation playoff. The two semifinals were played on July 14. At the Ragg Moneygall defeated Cashel King Cormacs by 1-14 to 0-10, and at New Inn Boherlahan-Dualla and Golden-Kilfeacle played a draw, 2-12 to 1-15.
The reply of this game, also at New Inn, on July 26 was abandoned because of a serious injury to one of the players and was eventually played at Holycross on August 9. Boherlahan-Dualla defeated Golden-Kilfeacle by 1-19 to 2-12.
The final,between Cashel King Cormacs and Golden-Kilfeacle, was played at New Inn on August 18. The game was expected to be close but it turned out to be quite one-sided. A pair of goals at either side of the interval propelled Cashel into a commanding lead and Golden had no answer to the pace and intensity of their play. In the end Cashel were ahead by 3-13 to 0-9, having led by 1-10 to 0-7 at the interval.
Cashel King Cormacs: Owen Quirke, Paddy Morrissey, Ross Doyle, Brian Minogue, Michael Killian O'Dwyer, John Darmody, Simon Delaney (0-1), Edmond O'Dwyer (0-1), Dylan Fitzell, Michael Coleman (0-1), Lee Burke (0-1), Philip Taylor (0-1), Robert Anglim (1-1), Adrian Cummins (1-1), Jonathan Grogan (1-6),. Subs: James Cummins for Robert Anglim, Jonathan Walsh for Lee Burke.
Golden-Kilfeacle: Declan Donnelly, Chris Ryan, Aidan O'Connell, Kevin Moloney, Brendan Moloney (0-1), James McCarthy, James Hayes, James O'Connell, Daithi Bargary, James Casey, Josh Keane (0-7), Damian Fogarty, John Colohan, Paddy Ivers, Seanie O'Halloran. Subs: Cathal Hayes for James cCarthy, Christopher Ryan (0-1) for Johnlohan, Aidanarty for James , S.Stapleton for D. Bargary, S. Ryan for S O'Halloran.
Referee: Pat Gibsom (Burgess)
Results at a Glance
Clean Ireland Recycling Senior Hurling Championship
Round 1
15/06/2013 Templemore Roscrea 3.16 Cashel King Cormacs 0.11 Martin Ryan
15/06/2013 Templemore Holycross Ballycahill 0.18 Moneygall 0.15 Phil Ryan
15/06/2013 Toomevara Kilruane MacDonaghs 0.16 Borrisokane 0.09 Kieran Delaney
16/06/2013 Borrisoleigh Portroe 3.23 Golden Kilfeacle 0.09 John Butler (M)
16/06/2013 Moneygall JK Brackens 3.13 Lorrha Dorrha 0.09 John O'Brien
16/06/2013 The Ragg Templederry Kenyons 6.20 Boherlahan Dualla 1.07 Fergal Hickey
16/06/2013 The Ragg Nenagh Eire Óg 0.15 Thurles Sarsfields 0.12 Fergal Horgan
19/06/2013 Boherlahan Burgess 1.17 Carrick Davins 0.13 Willie Clohessy
Round 2
21/06/2013 The Ragg Borris-ileigh 5.18 JK Brackens 0.09 Phil Ryan
22/06/2013 Nenagh Toomevara 3.21 Kilruane MacDonaghs 1.26 Anthony Sherlock
22/06/2013 Borrisoleigh Moycarkey Borris 1.14 Portroe 1.12 John McCormack
23/06/2013 Templemore Templederry Kenyons 3.21 Ballingarry 0.10 Fergal Horgan
23/06/2013 Templemore Roscrea 2.14 Knockavilla Kickhams 2.11 Willie Clohessy
28/06/2013 Boherlahan Nenagh Éire Óg 1.18 Mullinahone 0.09 Johnny Ryan
30/06/2013 The Ragg Upperchurch Drombane 1.19 Holycross Ballycahill 0.15 Kieran Delaney
08/07/2013 Newport Burgess 0.22 Cappawhite 1.11 Johnny McDonnell
Round 3
27/07/2013 Templemore Nenagh Éire Óg 2.18 Upperchurch Drombane 1.17 John McCormack
04/08/2013 Templemore Roscrea 1.12 Moycarkey Borris 1.11 Fergal Horgan
10/08/2013 Nenagh Borris-ileigh 1.24 Burgess 4.12 Johnny Ryan
17/08/2013 Nenagh Toomevara 0.24 Templederry 2.17 Pat Gibson
Round 4
24/08/2013 Cloughjordan Nenagh Éire Óg 1.21 Silvermines 0.08 Johnny Ryan
24/08/2013 Templemore Loughmore Castleiney 0.21 Roscrea 2.11 Pat Ivors
07/09/2013 Holycross Borris-ileigh 1.17 Carrick Swans 2.08 John O'Brien
07/09/2013 Holycross Clonoulty Rossmore 1.23 Toomevara 2.16 Noel Cosgrove
Quarter Finals
14/09/2013 Templemore Loughmore Castleiney 2.17 Killenaule 1.15 Ger Fitzpatrick
14/09/2013 Templemore Nenagh Éire Óg 1.15 Drom & Inch 2.11 John McCormack
15/09/2013 The Ragg Kildangan 0.14 Clonoulty Rossmore 1.11 Keith Delahunty
15/09/2013 The Ragg Borris-ileigh 2.16 Éire Óg Anacarty 1.11 Johnny Ryan
Quarter Final Replay
21/09/2013 Dolla Kildangan 3.13 Clonoulty Rossmore 2.13 Paddy Ivors
Semi Finals
29/09/2013 Semple Stadium Loughmore Castleiney 1.17 Borris-ileigh 2.12 Fergal Horgan
29/09/2013 Semple Stadium Nenagh Éire Óg 4.13 Kildangan 2.19 Johnny Ryan
Semi Final Replay
06/10/2013 Semple Stadium Nenagh Éire Óg 1.17 Kildangan 0.12 Keith Delahunty
Final
13/10/2013 Semple Stadium Loughmore Castleiney 1.17 Nenagh Éire Óg 1.16 John McCormack
Clean Ireland Recycling Seamus O'Riain Cup
Quarter Final
21/06/2013 Templetuohy Borrisokane 3.13 Golden Kilfeacle 2.14 Noel Cosgrove
21/06/2013 Holycross Thurles Sarsfields 2.20 Boherlahan Dualla 1.07 Pat Gibson
23/06/2013 Cloughjordan Lorrha Dorrha 3.16 Moneygall 0.12 Philip Kelly
28/06/2013 Fethard Carrick Davins 0.15 Cashel King Cormacs 0.14 PJ Nolan
Semi Final
20/07/2013 Templemore Carrick Davins 3.18 Lorrha Dorrha 2.14 Willie Clohessy
26/07/2013 Templemore Thurles Sarsfields 1.24 Borrisokane 2.16 Michael Murphy
Final
18/08/2013 Clonmel Thurles Sarsfields 3.18 Carrick Davins 1.13 John McCormack
Clean Ireland Recycling Co. Senior Hurling Relegation
Semi Final
14/07/2013 The Ragg Moneygall 1.14 Cashel King Cormacs 0.10 John O'Brien
14/07/2013 New Inn Golden Kilfeacle 1.15 Boherlahan Dualla 2.12 Philip Kelly
Semi Final Replay
26/07/2013 New Inn Golden Kilfeacle 0.00 Boherlahan Dualla 0.00 Keith Delahunty
Final
09/08/2013 Holycross Boherlahan Dualla 1.19 Golden Kilfeacle 2.12 Johnny McDonnell
Final Replay
18/08/2013 New Inn Cashel King Cormacs 3.13 Golden Kilfeacle 0.09 Pat Gibson
The County Senior Football Championship 2014
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook, 2015
The county senior football championship of 2014 made history when it wasn't concluded until St. Stephen's Day. Fixed for the shortest day of the year the contestants, Cahir and Loughmore-Castleiney, played out a draw at Leahy Park, Cashel on that day and had to come back five days later to resolve it.
The championship was run on the same format as in 2013 but the success of the senior hurlers, the draw in the All-Ireland final and the relative success of the senior footballers meant that there weren't enough days on which to play the games involved. After the replay of the hurling All-Ireland the county board agreed to push ahead with the senior hurling championship in order to make the Munster Club deadline and to withdraw from the Munster Club championships in senior football and intermediate football and hurling
Format
The championship was played in four groups with the winners of the groups making their way to the county quarter-finals and the second place teams facing the divisional champions or the next placed team in the preliminary quarter-finals, or failing that a bye. There was also a relegation element with the bottom team in each group playing off to decide on the two teams to go down to intermediate.
The four groups, two of four teams each and two of five teams, were as follows: 1. Aherlow Gales, Kilsheelan Kilcash, Galtee Rovers, Fethard; 2. Arravale Rovers, Clonmel Commercials, Cahir, Moyne-Templetuohy, Clonmel Óg; 3.Loughmore-Castleiney, J. K. Brackens, Ardfinnan, Thomas MacDonaghs, Ballyporeen; 4. Killenaule, Moycarkey-Borris, Moyle Rovers, Eire Óg.
It took twenty-nine games between May 5 and October 27 to complete the group games.. The respective group winners were Aherlow Gaels, Cahir, Loughmore-Castleiney and Killenaule and they qualified for the quarter-finals.
The second place teams, Kilsheelan Kilcash, Arravale Rovers, J. K. Brackens and Moyle Rovers played the divisional champions, Thomas MacDonaghs, Ardfinnan, Eire Óg and Galtee Rovers respectively, with Thomas MacDonaghs, Arravale Rovers, Eire Óg and Moyle Rovers coming out on top.
Quarter-Finals.
The stage was now set for the quarter finals. Two of these games were played on November 23. At Templemore Thomas MacDonaghs defeated Killenaule by 1-9 to 0-8 and Loughmore-Castleiney defeated Arravale Rovers by 0-12 to 0-9 at Holycross. The remaining two games were played a week later. At Ardfinnan, Aherlow Gaels defeated Moyle Rovers by 1-9 to 0-11 while Cahir 3-6 and Eire Óg 0-15 drew at Cashel. The replay took place at Cashel a week later with Cahir winning by 0-10 to 0-5.
The semi-finals were played on December 14. At Boherlahan Loughmore-Castleiney defeated Ahrlow Gaels by 3-5 to 0-8. The winners scored two goals in the opening quarter and Aherlow were chasing the game after that. Their pursuit wasn't helped by poor shooting with no fewer than eight wides in the seond half.
The second semi-final was played at Templetuohy and Cahir defeated Thomas MacDonaghs by 2-10 to 3-5. The winners were coasting with a lead of nine points midway through the second half when they were hit by 2-2 from MacDonaghs during a five-minute spell and had to use all their craft and experience to secure victory.
The Final
Fixed for December 21 at Leahy Park, Cashel the final attracted a sizeable crowd of 1,500 in very good conditions for the time of the year, In an exciting game Cahir appeared to have victory in their grasp when Loughmore-Castleiney's Cian Hennessy grabbed an equaliser in the 59th minute of the game. Following an early goal by Cahir's Robbie Costigan, Loughmore-Castleiney stormed into the game with two goals in the twefth and twentieth minutes to put daylight between the sides but Cahir came back with four unanswered points to lead by 1-6 to 2-2 at the interval. The second half was a close encounter in which the lead changed sides a number of times and a draw was probably a fitting result even though Cahir may have felt they left victory behind them.
Cahir: Brian Enright, Mikey O'Connor, Gerald Hally, Conor Casey, Sean O'Connor, Aidan Casey, Robbie Costigan (1-0), Eddie Kendrick (0-1), Liam Casey, Benny Hickey (0-3), Paddy O'Flaherty (0-1), Shane Murphy, Padraig Whelan (0-3), Dean Lonergan (0-2), James McGrath (capt.). Subs: Eoin Donaghy for Mikey O'Connor, Niall McKenna for Shane Murphy. Also: Evan O'Dwyer, Diarmuid Tarrant, Johnny McMahon, Tom O'Gorman, Liam Howard, Edmund Meehan, Noel O'Gorman, Ian Flannery.
Manager: Tom McGlinchey. Selectors: Colm O'Flaherty, Paul Frazer.
Loughmore-Castleiney: Dominic Brennan, Lorcan Egan, Willie Eviston, Tomás McGrath (0-2), Tom King, Ciaran McGrath, John Ryan, Noel McGrath, David Kennedy (capt.), Aidan McGrath, Cian Hennessy (1-1), Liam Treacy 0-2), Liam McGrath (1-0), Evan Sweeney, John McGrath (0-2). Subs: Joseph Nyland for Evan Sweeney, John Meagher for Lorcan Egan, Eamonn Connolly for David Kennedy. Also: Richie Maher, Derek Bourke, Tommy Long, Tommy Maher, Joseph Hennessy, Diarmuid Brennan, Shane Hennessy, Bill O'Connell, Henry Maher, Dinny Brereton, Brian McGrath, Paddy Moynihan, Eddie Connolly, Shane Nolan, Johnny Campion.
Manager: Declan Laffan. Selectors: Seamus Bohan, Pat McGrath. Trainer: Alan O'Connor.
Cahir
Referee: Paddy Russell (Emly)
The Replay
The replay was at Cashel on St. Stephen's Day and 1710 spectators braved the elements to watch an entertaining game, inn which Loughmore-Castleiney were crowned champions for the thirteenth time. Playing with the breeze in the first half they ran up a score of nine points to Cahir's 1-1. It was only in injury time that Paddy O'Flaherty got Cahir's goal but it gave them hope with the elements in their favour after the interval. However, all they could manage was 1-1 as Loughmore-Castleiney's workrate, determination and footballing savvy closed them down and ensured that the defending champions, who failed to score during the period, had a point to spare on a scoreline of 0-9 to 2-2 at the final whistle.
Loughmore-Castleiney: Dominic Brennan, John Meagher, Willie Eviston, Tom McGrath, Tom King, Ciaran McGrath, John Ryan, Noel McGrath (0-2), David Kennedy (capt.), Aidan McGrath, Cian Hennessy, Liam Treacy (0-2), Liam McGrath, Evan Sweeney (0-1), John McGrath (0-4). Subs: Eamonn Connolly, for Liam McGrath (bc), Derek Bourke for Liam Treacy, Joseph Hennessy for Noel McGrath (bc).
Cahir: Brian Enright, Mikey O'Connor, Gerald Hally, Conor Casey, Sean O'Connor, Aidan Casey, Eoin Donaghy, Eddie Kendrick, Liam Casey, Benny Hickey, Paddy O'Flaherty (1-0), Shane Murphy, Padraig Whelan, Dean Lonergan (1-2), James McGrath (capt.). Subs: Diarmuid Tarrant for Padraig Whelan (bc), Tom O'Gorman for Sean O'Connor, Niall McKenna for Conor Casey.
Referee: Sean Lonergan (Moyle Rovers)
Relegation
Relegation included the bottom team in each group, Fethard, Clonmel Óg, Thomas MacDonaghs and Moycarkey-Borris. Because Thomas MacDonaghs were declared divisional champions in the North, they were not involved.
The three teams involved had to play a round robin of games with the highest team remaining senior. When the three rounds were completed the three teams had one win each. The relegation then went to a sudden death with Clonmel Óg drawn against Moycarkey-Borris. The latter won by 0-11 to 0-8 at New Inn on December 14 with Clonmel Óg relegated. Moycarkey-Borris then defeated Fethard by 2-9 to 1-4 at Boherlahan on December 21 to send the football team with the greatest number of senior titles into intermediate ranks for 2015!
Drom Inch were crowned intermediate champions at Boherlahan on St. Stephen's Day when they defeated Upperchurch-Drombane in the final and qualified for senior ranks in 2015.
A History of Hurling: Our National Game
Talk given at hurling seminar in Muckross Schoolhouse, Killarney on April 26, 2014
This the title I have been given for this talk but it's such a broad subject that I have to limit myself to a selection of significant developments in the course of that history, developments which changed its course. And, even though most of you are interested in the cut and thrust of the modern game and the prospects of your favourite county in the 2014 championship, I believe you may be also interested in how we got to this stage.
The game is arguably the oldest field game in the world and as such is a national treasure and should be protected and preserved in the same way as World Heritage Sites of cultural and physical significance are identified and protected by UNESCO.
Michael Cusack was one of the first to recognise the decline in the game of hurling and the need to protect it in the 1880s. He may have been late coming to the realisation but once he did he made a huge effort to revive a dying game.
The earliest recorded reference to the game of hurling stretches back to the Battle of Moytura in 1272 B.C. No information exists on the kind of game played at that time or if it had any similarity to the modern game. The earliest references we have come from Medieval sources but they are not specific to hurling. They refer to field games of the stick and ball variety and probably contain within them the origins of hurling.
What do the sources tell us about the field games played?
The Táin Bó Cúailnge saga refers to the exploits of Cuchulainn on his way to Emain. He uses a lorg áne, which means a 'driving-stick', which has many similarities to the shepherd's staff. Later it is referred to as a cammán. It appears as if any kind of timber could be used for the driving-stick or cammán.
Balls are often mentioned in the medieval sources and the materials used were wood, leather and hair. A curious practice of removing the brains of slain opponents, mixing them with lime to harden them, and forming balls for use in games is a regular feature of the saga literature.
The settings for medieval field games were usually the neighbouring greens of a fort or enclosure. Assemblies and fairs were also frequent settings for the games. Strands were also used and Ventry features in one account.
The game that Cuchulainn played is described as cluichi puill, or the hole game. The hero stands at one end of the field defending a hole into which the boys attempt to cast or strike their 'thrice-fifty' balls. Reads more like golf than hurling.
The duration or completion of a field game is never stated. In some cases it appears that the game lasted until a goal was scored. But that had its drawbacks as one 'driving contest' mentioned lasted an agonising three days and nights, as neither side was able to score a goal.
The game was predominantly played by young men and boys. When a boy was fostered between the ages of seven and fourteen years he was provided with a cammán. References to games suggest numbers as high as 100-150 playing, or maybe as many as turned up. Cuchulainn comes up against 150 opponents.
Finally, the game was well protected by the laws. Injuries received in games could not be prosecuted. However, hurlers sometimes annoyed the public. St. Fechín of Fore was disturbed at his prayers by the noise of children 'driving' on the nearby green. Frustrated, the saint approaches the boys, telling them to go and drown themselves in the lake, whereupon their souls would be free to ascend to heaven!
Some kind of hurling game developed from the medieval and by the eighteenth century it had taken some recognised shape. However, our knowledge of the game is not very specific. The game was adopted by the plantation owners towards the end of the seventeenth century and they gave it the leadership and protection it required. An example is the Cosby family in Co. Laois.
A Hurling Landlord
The Cosbys were an Elizabethan family that settled in Stradbally, Co. Laois in 1563. The first of the line was notorious for his cruelty to the Irish. A descendant of his was Dudley Cosby, who died in 1729. His son, Pole, wrote thus about him in his autobiography: ‘He danced on the ropes as well as any rope dancer that ever was. He was a fine tennis and five player, a most extraordinary fine hurler and very fond of all those things, and practised them very much when he was young and able.’
Dudley Cosby and Nicholas Purcell of Loughmore would have been contemporaries, and the distance between Stradbally and Templemore is not very great. It is conceivable that they had a contest between their estate teams, with a hefty wager on the winner!
This period is known as the Golden Age of Hurling, which may come as a surprise to many, but it didn't last and its decline was rapid
Decline in Hurling
Hurling began to decline towards the end of the 18th century and gathered pace during the following century. The cause of this decline had to do with the changing relationship between the landlords and the people, which led to the former abandoning their patronage of the game. There were a number of reasons for this development.
It was part of a European phenomenon of the abandonment of popular culture by the nobility. One commentator describes it thus: ‘The nobles were adopting more ‘polished’ manners, a new and more self-conscious style of behaviour, modelled on the courtesy books . . . Noblemen were learning to exercise self-control, to behave with a studied nonchalance, to cultivate a sense of style and to move in a dignified manner as if engaging in a formal dance . . . Noblemen stopped eating in the great halls with their retainers and withdrew into separate dining-rooms . . . They stopped wrestling with their peasants, as they used to do in Lombardy, and they stopped killing bulls in public as they used to do in Spain. The noblemen learned to speak and write ‘correctly’ according to formal rules and to avoid technical terms and the dialect words used by craftsmen and peasants.’
Mixing with retainers in a game of hurling was no longer possible; even riding up and down the playing field wielding a whip during the game, keeping the yokels in check. was no longer the done thing. Placing wagers and sharing the barrel of ale after the game would be completely detrimental to the new image.
Another reason for the change was that such gatherings for games of hurling, as advertised in the newspapers, might be suspected of seditious undertones in the changing political climate of the last years of the century, This had come about as a result of Whiteboy activity and later the United Irishmen and the Rising of 1798. The developments in Wexford and the south-east destroyed the political relationship between landlord and tenant and they also led to the great slaughter of thousands of men of hurling age. The Act of Union and the Napoleonic Wars altered the way of life of many landlords, turning them into absentees and bringing to an end the great days of barony hurling and landlord patronage.
Further Decline in 19th Century
The decline mentioned above continued into the 19th century. There was the continued withdrawal by the landlords from social involvement with their tenants and the common people, covering the areas of language, manners, attitudes and pastimes. The expanding population began to seem a threat to the security of the landlords.
Another factor was the spread of Sunday observance. Gradually the Catholic Church adopted the sabbatarianism of the Protestant churches and began to frown on games on Sunday as something frivolous and a waste of time as well as being occasions for drunkenness, debauchery and sin. As a result the clergy, who might have taken on the leadership role abandoned by the landlords, left the people to fend for themselves.
The Great Famine was a disaster for the national pastimes. The decline in national morale and the destruction of rural society in many areas caused a dramatic decline in traditional pastimes. Twenty years after the event, one commentator recalled the effect of the Famine on the ordinary people: ‘Their ancient sports and pastimes everywhere disappeared and in many parts . . . have never returned. The outdoor games, the hurling match . . . are seen no more.’
Emigration added to the plight of the game so that by the last quarter of the century hurling had almost disappeared. This was one commentator’s description of the state of the game in 1883: ‘The most of the hurlers are now beyond the Atlantic wave and the remainder go whistling vacantly around the roads at home. Our schoolboys have permanently settled down to cricket, and our farmers’ sons no longer interest themselves in the rounding of the boss or the feel of the hockey.’
The Popularity of Cricket
In his letter accepting the invitation to become a patron of the new Gaelic Athletic Association, Archbishop Croke expressed his fear of the spread of ‘such foreign and fantastic field sports’ as lawn tennis, polo, croquet, cricket and the like’ in Irish life. For him these imports were taking over from ‘our own grand national sports.’
In his book on cricket in Tipperary, Patrick Bracken, provides plenty of evidence that Croke’s fears were not fanciful but that cricket was the leading sport in terms of playing numbers from the late 1860s to the early 1880s. The spread of cricket was to be halted by the Land Wars, the absence of a league structure but most importantly by the foundation of the G.A.A.
The first cricket club was formed at Carrick-on-Suir in 1834 and it was followed by other clubs in Nenagh, Clonmel, Templemore and Cahir. At this stage the game was very much a minority one between British settlers, landlords and the army, but it was to become much more popular from the 1860s onwards.
Bracken shows that Tipperary had at least 29 teams in 1868 and the number was to reach 43 by the middle of the 1870s. Schools took up the game and many of the rural teams were typically tenant-farmer based. This successful development of the game was to be halted by the efforts of the Gaelic Athletic Association to restore ‘our own grand national sports’ and the introduction of the G.A.A. ‘ban’ in 1902 was to be the death knell of cricket.
The Perilous State of Hurling
Michael Cusack was the man who better recognised the perilous state of the game of hurling than anyone else at the end of the 19th century. Born into an Irish-speaking family in Carron, Co. Clare in September 1847, he grew up to be a strong athletic young man and played most of the sports of the day. He became a teacher in Dublin and later opened his own school, the Civil Service Academy in Gardiner’s Place. He was to make an impression on the young James Joyce, appearing as ‘the football fellow in the knickerbockers’, in Stephen Hero, as ‘Michael Cusack the Gael’ in The Portrait of the Artist, caricatured with the figure ‘The Citizen’ in Ulysses and referred to as ‘Sir Micholas de Cusack’ in Finnegan’s Wake.
From his participation in Irish athletics he came to deplore the exclusiveness which debarred workmen from competing. As a result of meeting Pat Nally, a leading nationalist and athlete, Cusack set out to reform Irish athletics. Later, he was to turn his mind to hurling. ‘In my dreams I was living with the men of Erin of pre-christian times. In spirit I hunted and fished with Fionn’s invincible hosts from Antrim to Kerry. I hurled with the Fianna of sixteen centuries ago from Tara to Killarney. I resolved to bring back the hurling.’
In December 1882 he founded the Dublin Hurling Club. Hurling, of a sort, had been played in Dublin for some time. There was even and Irish Hurley Union in the city which had at least 14 clubs. But Hurley was not Hurling. It was a refined version of the ancient Irish game that persisted in scattered area throughout the country.
Increasingly, Cusack came to the conclusion that Hurley was no substitute for the real thing. His first effort to revive true Irish Hurling by founding the Dublin Hurling Club, failed. His second attempts, with the Academy Hurling Club and the Metropolitan Club, were more successful. The Metropolitans became a great success and Cusack, who had formed the club ‘to test the pulse of the nation’ stepped up his mission to revive the hurling.
Cusack was a late comer to hurling, even though he would have been familiar with the game from his birthplace in Carron in north Clare. However, by the time he came to teach in Blackrock College in 1874, he had become an avid fan of cricket. He wrote once that cricket helped to pass away the dark days of winter by dreaming of the wonderful six that he had hit in mid-summer, and of feeling pride at having walked to the crease, the forlorn hope of their parish, before saving the day with a memorable performance.
He wrote of the advisability of setting up cricket clubs in every parish in Ireland. For Cusack this was not simply a matter of boys getting exercise to enhance their health – it was a matter of ideology. He wrote in July 1882: 'You may be certain that the boy who can play cricket well will not, in after years, lose his head and get flurried in the face of danger.'
His second love was rugby and following the setting up of his Academy to prepare students for taking civil service and other public examinations in 1877, he founded the Academy Football Club and affiliated it to the Irish Rugby Football Union for the 1879-80 season. Cusack was club secretary, trainer and played in the forwards. In a review of the first year he referred to himself as 'a sterling lover of the game.' He continued to play rugby until 1882.
Cusack was very much the all-rounder, playing handball and rowing as well. He also took part in athletic events and was successful at weight-throwing.
Bring back the Hurling
By the beginning of the 1880s Michael Cusack had also embarked on a career in journalism, as a letter-writer, reporter, columnist, editor, owner and historian. He produced an enormous body of work, most of it of a brilliant quality.
He wrote columns in the Home Rule journal, The Shamrock. As late as the autumn of 1882 he was offering boys advice on how to clean a cricket bat using linseed oil and how to store it for winter..
By the time winter had passed, however, cricket was gone from Cusack's column to be replaced by a plea for the revival of the game her termed Ireland's 'national pastime' – the game of hurling'.
I'm not going into the reasons for Cusack's Damacine conversion except to say that it may have been influenced by the changing political and scoial climate of the Ireland of the early eighties. Specific reasons put forward include the Industrial Exhibition of Irish goods in 1882, which suggested a new economic future for Ireland. A second was the launch of the Irish-language publication, the Gaelic Journal, by the Gaelic Union, of which Cusack had become a central figure. This led then to the establishment of a hurling club by Cusack in December 1882.
The Metropolitans v Killimor
One of the few places in the country where the game of hurling had survived was Killimor in south Galway. The earliest set of hurling rules to have been adopted was at a meeting of the Killimor club in February 1885, even though there is a good argument that they were in existence since 1869. When Killimor heard of the revival of hurling by Cusack's Metropolitan Club, they issued a challenge to play them. A cup was put up by the people of the town and the Fair Green in Ballinasloe was chosen as the venue.
An advertisement in the Western Star screamed: ‘Hurling! Hurling! Revival of the National Game’.
The match was arranged for Easter Monday, April 13, 1884. The Midland Railway issued return tickets to the Metropolitan players and their friends to Ballinasloe at single fares, which was revolutionary at the time.
Before the game started the Killimor captain, F. W. Lynch, and the Metropolitan captain, Michael Cusack, settled the rules of the match. They agreed to play for four half-hours, no tripping or wrestling to be allowed. The winners were to be the team that scored the greater number of goals during the period.
The match wasn’t a great success. A big crowd turned up, which constantly encroached onto the pitch. In spite of the agreed set of rules, the game was a disappointment and it came to a premature end when Killimor scored a goal.
According to the report in the Western Star ‘Mr. Cusack lost all heart in the business, and before the second goal was played off stated that his men were not able for the task, but hinted in the blandest manner possible that his opponent’s play was too rough, which not one but himself evidently could see, even most of his own men wished to play out but to no use. . . . Mr. Cusack could not be induced to go on, evidently thinking that it would look better before the public to draw off than be beaten badly. . .. ‘ The Galway men claimed victory and this was honoured by bonfires and lights all the way from Ballinasloe to Killimor.
The Need to Control Irish Athletics
Following his experience at Ballinasloe Cusack came to realise the need to standardize the rules of play if hurling were to be revived. During the months following the game Cusack argued the need for a new body to govern Irish athletics and wrest them from the control of the Amateur Athletic Association of England. He also saw the need for support from leaders of church and state. In anonymous (but clearly from Cusack’s pen) articles in the United Ireland and the Irishman on October 11, 1884, entitled ‘A Word on Irish Athletics’ he argued the point that the social and political development of a nation depended on the cultivation and preservation of its games. Irish athletics were in the hands of people of anti-Irish outlook, who excluded the ordinary person from the sport. Since the best athletes in the country were nationalists, they should take control of their own affairs.
Maurice Davin
One of the people who responded to the article was Maurice Davin of Carrick-on-Suir. He agreed with the views expressed in the article, stated that Irish football and hurling deserved public support and was willing to help any development to revive both games under new rules.
Davin, who was a farmer, was Ireland’s most famous athlete at the time. A ‘big reachy man’, black haired with a full auburn beard, he stood over six foot tall and weighed 15 stone. He had dominated Irish athletics during the 1870s.
Born in 1842 his first love was boxing but he soon abandoned that in favour of rowing on the river Suir and taking part in regattas. At the age of 29 years he began to devote his spare time to weight-throwing, which included shot putting, hammer-throwing and slinging the weights.
His brothers, Tom and Pat, also excelled in athletics and in the ten years between 1873 and 1882 between them they won a total of 26 Irish national titles and in each event that they contested they set new record figures with one exception. They also represented Ireland in athletic meets with England and Maurice was a victor on a number of occasions. His standing in Ireland as an outstanding athlete had the added prestige that came from having defeated Englishmen.
In his reply to Cusack’s ‘Word’, Davin called for proper rules for football and hurling – ‘I would not care to see either game now as the rules stand at present’ – and noted that there was still a strong residual love of traditional forms of athletics: ‘for one bystander who takes off his coat to run a footrace, forty strip to throw weights or try a jump of some kind.’
The Choice of Thurles
When Michael Cusack decided to call a meeting for the revival of Gaelic pastimes his first choice wasn’t Thurles. Early on he decided against holding it in Dublin and considered Cork as a possible venue. Then Loughrea became his preferred choice. He had got to know of the strong hurling tradition in south-east Galway from his early teaching days in Lough Cultra school not far from Gort. An indication of the persistence of the game there was the existence of a set of rules, the Killimor Rules, which dated back to 1869. On the basis of the strength of the game in the area Cusack brought his Metropolitan team to Ballinasloe for a challenge with the local side.
During this visit he got to know the sterling qualities of the Bishop of Clonfert, Dr. Patrick Duggan. Later, in August 1884, when the idea of the new organisation was forming in his mind, he realised that its success would depend on powerful patrons.
Dr. Duggan was then 71 years of age and had already offered his resignation to the Pope because of his rather poor health. However, he was delighted to hear of the founding of the association and promised to do all he could to promote its success. But, he declined to act as patron and advised Cusack to ask Dr. Croke, Archbishop of Cashel, ‘a fine Gael, young, vigorous and energetic’ to become the first patron of the new body. And so, Cusack came to Thurles and the rest is history.
I am not going to talk about the foundation meeting saince most of that information is reasonably well-known.
A Brash and Opinionated Man
Michael Cusack was the man mostly responsible for the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Without him the Association would never have come into existence. Once he ‘discovered’ hurling at the end of 1882 his mission became to re-establish the national game.
His ‘conversion’ to the game was unheralded and complete.
He was a well-known and prominent figure around Dublin through his sporting endeavours and also through the success of his Academy in Gardiner Place, which he set up in 1877. This became an immediate success in preparing boys for the civil service. Interestingly, in the light of later events, one of his students was Thomas St. George McCarthy.
But Cusack was more than a successful sportsman and educator. According to historian, Paul Rouse, he ’had already cultivated an idiosyncratic appearance that allowed him to stand out from the crowd. He walked through the city in heavy working boots, a blackthorn stick swinging from his arm, and with a heavy frieze coat covering his heavy-set, broad-shouldered frame. His full black beard was beginning to streak with grey. Overall, he was remarkably proud and self-conscious of his appearance, which seems not so much to have been a mark of eccentricity but a statement of defiance. He gloried in the idea of his distinctiveness, the idea that he was a singular man, of singular beliefs. And he used the rapidly developing world of the Dublin press to broadcast these beliefs.’
Cusack was also a noted journalist and contributed to papers on a wide range of issues. He used the press to propagate his opinions on athletics and also to promote the revival of hurling. Once the G.A.A. was founded he used his journalistic skills to build a momentum in favour of the new association.
The founding of the G.A.A. was the high point, the outstanding achievement of Michael Cusack’s life. Unfortunately everything was downhill after that. An opinionated and combative individual he was incapable of diplomacy and in his personal and journalistic statements preferred the bludgeon to the sword.
He fell out with Archbishop Croke and Michael Davitt and alienated virtually every section of the G.A.A. within eighteen months of its foundation. Eventually he succeeded in having himself ejected for the organisation. Following his ejection the owner of the United Ireland, which had been a major platform for Cusack’s view, William O’Brien, dispensed with his services.
Following this setback Cusack founded the Celtic Times in January 1887. The masthead read ‘Let native industries, literature, arts and pastimes flourish.’ The paper covered every aspect of Irish life but the new Gaelic Athletic Association was its major focus. Sports coverage was a new phenomenon and the Celtic Times carried many match reports from around the country. Cusack also used its columns to attack those he regarded as the enemies of the association and those who had caused him to be ejected. Unfortunately the paper lacked backers and folded in January 1888.
Cusack’s final sixteen years are rather sad. He earned a precarious existence from journalism and teaching, in contrast to the £1,500 a year he was reputed to be earning at the time of the foundation of the G.A.A.. His wife, Margaret Wood, died from TB in 1890 and one of his daughters, Mary aged 8 years, a month later. The rest of the children were scattered to relatives and two of his sons to an orphanage in Glasnevin. Perhaps to overcome his frustration Cusack occasionally went on heavy drinking bouts. He was also prone to anti-semitism. He died suddenly on the 28th of November, 1906 and is buried in Glasnevin cemetery.
The Democratisation of Sport
The main business of the new association was the revival of hurling and the invention of Gaelic football. Even more important was the democratisation of the new sport. Prior to the foundation of the G.A.A. participation in sport was elitist, a pastime for the upper and leisured classes. In fact many sports denied participation to anyone who worked with his hands. All this was to change and change utterly with the opening up of athletics, hurling, football, handball, rounders, etc to all comers. The humblest man in society had an equal right with the landlord to participate.
No wonder then that the G.A.A., in Cusack’s description, ‘spread like a prairie fire’. The Irish national pastimes were opened up to the massive ranks of the previously disenfranchised. This led to the huge proliferation in the formation of clubs soon after the foundation of the G.A.A.
Big Sports Meetings
During the early years the G.A.A. was essentially an athletic body, promoting big sports meeting throughout the country. The first of these was in Clonmel in February 1885 and following that there was a succession of very successful and well-attended meetings around the country. Field events, which weren’t given the same recognition under AAA and IAAA rules, came into their own. The competitive aspect of these meetings appealed to people as local heroes came into their own and received the recognition denied them in the past. There was enormous enthusiasm, because the great majority of those participating were doing so for the first time.
The Parish Rule
One of the great strengths of the early association was the Parish Rule, under which players were confined to their parishes for playing purposes. The parish was a unit its inhabitants could identify with. This territorial identification, as well as being a great bonding force for club teams in the early years, was to be strengthened when neighbouring parishes, and later counties, were pitted against each other.
Dr. Kevin Whelan has drawn attention to this phenomenon by quoting the painter Tony O’Malley, who contrasted the tribal-territorial element in Irish sport with English attitudes. ‘If neighbours were playing, like New Ross and Tullogher, there would be a real needle in it. When Carrickshock were playing I once heard an old man shouting, ‘Come on the men that bate the procters,’ and there was a tremor and a real fervour in his voice. It was a battle cry, with the hurleys as the swords, but with the same intensity.’ Whelan continues: ‘Similar forces of territoriality have been identified behind the success of cricket in the West Indies and rugby in the Welsh valleys.’
This territorial allegiance was reinforced by the adoption of club colours, often drawn from the old faction favours. Clubs and counties have become so identified with their colours that one couldn’t imagine Cork without their red jerseys or Kilkenny in anything but their stripey black and amber. The colours seem to tell one something about the team and give a shape and attitude to the players in them. The same colours, while giving a feeling of identification to followers of the team, can also excite feelings of fear, antagonism and even hate in the minds of their opponents.
As well as some of the colours being inherited from the days of the faction fights, an occasional faction slogan has been carried over too. ‘If any man can, an Alley man can.’ ‘Squeeze ‘em up Moycarkey, and hang ‘em out to dry.’ Lingering animosities can sometimes surface in surprising ways: it is not unknown for an irate Wexford supporter to hurl abuse at Kilkenny, recalling an incident that occurred in Castlecomer to indignant United Irishmen in 1798: ‘Sure what good are they anyway? Didn’t they piss on the powder in ’98?’
First Inter-County Hurling Match
Inter-county matches didn’t take place until 1886 and one of the first was played in the Phoenix Park between North Tipperary and South Galway on February 16, It reflected the advent of authoritative rules for hurling and that the games could now be organised at a wider level. Prior to this time all hurling rules were local and prevented the game being organised outside a local area, unless there was agreement between the two teams on the rules.
(The match is regarded in some quarters as the first unofficial All-Ireland final. At any rate the cup is the oldest G.A.A. trophy and is to be found in Lár na Páirce, Thurles.)
The Rules of the Game
Before the game between North Tipperary and South Galway could take place in the Phoenix Park in February, 1886, the teams had to meet and agree a set of rules. Similarly when Cusack took his Metropolitans to Ballinasloe the previous February, the sides had to settle on the rules for the encounter and we saw that Cusack was none too pleased at the way Killimor interpreted the rules.
Massive variants of the rules of the game were in existence and the only set of rules written down were the so-called Killimor Rules of 1869.
We don't have very accurate information on the nature of the game played before the foundation of the G.A.A. We do know that when landlord played landlord during the 18th century, whoever conceded venue was given the position of referee and he rode on horseback by the side of the contest, breaking up any fights with his whip.
One of the first things the new association had to do was to agree on a set of rules for the game and Maurice Davin was given the task. This decision was taken at the second meeting at Cork on December 27, 1884 when a motion in Bracken's name was adopted requesting the president and honorary secretaries to draft the new rules.
It is generally accepted that Davin was the draftsman. He was a recognised expert on the rules of track and field athletics but his main concern was to extablish definite rules for the traditional Irish sports of weight-throwing and jumping and the field games of hurling and football.
The speed with which Davin produced the rules was a reflection on his suitability for the task. As Seamus Ó Riain says in his biography, 'Davin was well-equipped by temperament, experience and interest to undertake the task. He had supported the call for a code of rules to govern Irish athletics while still actively participating in competition and the rules of the Carrick-on-Suir Amateur Athletic, Cricket and Football Club, of which he was chairman, reflect his insistence on the maintenance of order and control in all its activities.'
In drafting his set of rules Davin came down on the side of simplicity, confining his set to just twelve. He was criticised for being short in detail but the simpler they were the greater chance they had of being accepted. They were adopted at the next meeting of the association at Thurles on January 17, 1885:
1. The ground shall, when convenient, be 200 yards long by 150 yards broad or as near that size as can be got.
2. There shall be boundary lines all around the ground at a distance of at least five yards from the fence.
3. The goal shall be two upright posts twenty feet apart with a crossbar ten feet from the ground. A goal is won when the ball is driven between the posts and under the crossbar.
4. The ball is not to be lifted off the ground with the hand when in play.
5. There shall not be less that fourteen or more than twenty-one players a side in regular matches.
6. There shall be an umpire for each side and a referee who will decide in cases where the umpires disagree. The referee keeps the time and throws up the ball at the commencement of each goal.
7. The time of play shall be one hour and twenty minutes, Sides to be changed at half-time.
8. Before commencing play hurlers shall draw up in two lines in the centre of the field opposite to each other and catch hands or hurleys across, then separate. The referee then throws the ball along the ground between the players or up high over their heads.
9. No player is to catch, trip or push from behind. Penalty, disqualification to the offender and a free puck to the opposite side.
10. No player is to bring his hurley intentionally in contact with the person of another player.
11. If the ball is driven over the sidelines it shall be thrown in towards the middle of the ground by the referee or one of the umpires, but if it rebounds on to the ground it shall be considered in play.
12. If the ball is driven over the end lines and not through the goal the player who is defending the goal shall have a free puck from the goal. No player of the opposite side to approach nearer than twenty yards until the ball is struck.The other players to stand on the goal line, but if the ball is driven over the line by a player whose goal it is, the opposite side shall have a free puck on the ground twenty yards out from the goalposts. Players whose goal it is to stand on the goal line until the ball is struck.
13. N.B Hitting both right and left is allowable.
In the course of time the new rules brought order and control into an unruly game. Their dissemination and acceptance were facilitated by a number of positive factors. They were published without delay in the national newspapers. They were also printed in booklet form and became available to clubs for a small price. Davin and Cusack attended games explaining the rules and seeing to their enforcement.
Seamus Ó Riain gives another reason: ' Club officials sought clarification of the rules in letters to Cusack ot to the newspapers, which created a lively debate as to the merits of some of the measures adopted.'
One of the big advantages of the rules was that they were not set in stone. Provision was made for changes at the annual convention in the light of the experience to be gained.
Implementation of the Rules
Some of the early games of hurling were prone to violence and pitch invasions. The decisions of referees were often contested. Teams occasionally walked off the field in disagreement with decisions. Since all games were played on Sundays, to accommodate the vast number of players who were workers and it was their only day off in the week, the claim was made that the ‘Lord’s Day’ was being desecrated for the benefit of publicans only! There was even the suggestion that games were reviving faction-fighting.
One of the most unusual of the new rules was that wrestling was permitted. Two players came into contact and immediately got into a physical tussle. Only one fall was allowed. If the players attempted a second fall on the same occasion, the referee intervened. While the players were wrestling in remainder of their teammates got on with the game.
The Hurling Counties
Twelve teams entered the first All-Ireland hurling and football championships in 1887. These teams included Clare, Waterford, Kilkenny, Cork, Galway, Wexford, Limerick, Tipperary and Dublin, most of the counties we assosiate with hurling today.
Not all the teams played in that championship. Waterford were unable to field a team. Cork didn't take part because of a dispute in their county final between St. Finnbarrs and the Nationals. Dublin looked for a postponement of their game with Tipperary because a number of their players were on holidays but the application was refused. Limerick were drawn to play Meath, but the latter didn't field and they were drawn against Kilkenny, after the latter got a walkover from Cork . However, two Limerick teams arrived for the fixture. Menbers of the Central Council couldn't sort the matter out and Kilkenny were given a walkover.
Omissions from that list are Offaly, Laois and Antrim.
What I want to concentrate on in this talk now is the strength of the game of hurling within these counties. The nine that entered the first All-Ireland, and the three others mentioned, would be referred to today as the hurling counties. However, the strength of the game in these places varies substantially as we are only too well-aware.
Before I deal with the three strong counties, I want to make some comments on the other hurling counties. In no apparent order I am going to start with Wexford.
There is a romance about Wexford hurling which commenced with the glorious years of the fifties and got a further injection with their All-Ireland win in 1996. They have made an impact on the hurling world much greater than the number of All-Irelands won
Larger than Life Wexford
The names of the players who won the first All-Ireland for Wexford in 1910 are inscribed in stone in Castlebridge cemetery. The county hasn’t won many All-Irelands – five in all since then, 1955, 1956, 1960, 1968 and 1996 – and are way behind the big three, Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary, on the hurling roll of honour, but the impact the county has made in its hurling victories is much greater that the number of honours achieved.
The huge impact made by the county is best illustrated by the drawing power of the team. In the 1955 final against Galway, 72,854 turned up, the eighth largest attendance at a final. In the league final the same year against Tipperary, the attendance of 45,902 constitutes a record. The record for a hurling All-Ireland, 84,856, was set in 1954, when Wexford went down to Cork, and the second biggest crowd on record, 83,096, attended the 1956 final when Wexford beat Cork. The fourth and fifth largest crowds were in 1960, when Wexford beat Tipperary, and 1962, when Tipperary defeated Wexford.
The Wexford team of the fifties had something special to offer. Physically they were big men, but allied to their size was a high level of skill. They were noted sportsmen, renowned for performances that sometimes approached chivalry. Many of them revealed qualities of leadership that set them apart from the rank and file of humanity. There was a romance, an energy and an excitement about them that made them larger than life. They appeared to step out of the pages of a heroic past of myths and legends.
Wexford hurling dominated the mid-fifties. In Leinster they challenged Kilkenny for supremacy by winning their first three-in-a-row title 1954-56. They appeared in three All-Irelands during the same years winning two in 1955 and 1956. There was a universal welcome for their victory over Galway in the 1955 final, not because of any anti-Galway feeling but rather because of a belief that after so many disappointments and near-misses, Wexford hurling deserved its day in the sun. The homecoming for the heroes lasted a week in the county.
The All-Ireland champions followed up by defeating Kilkenny in the Oireachtas final. Wexford players, nine in all, backboned Leinster in defeating Munster in the Railway Cup final on St. Patrick’s Day 1956 before a record crowd of 46,000 spectators. Sensationally they came back from 15 points in arrears at the interval to defeat Tipperary in the league final in May. The 1956 All-Ireland final was postponed for three weeks because of an outbreak of polio, otherwise the attendance might have beaten the 1954 record. Wexford overcame Cork in a tremendous game. At one vital stage of the game Christy Ring raced to goal for a certain score but his shot was stopped by Wexford keeper, Art Foley, cleared up the field where is eventually arrived to Nicky Rackard, who finished it to the Cork net. Ring, who was going for his ninth medal, was so impressed at the tremendous save that he shook Foley’s hand, After the game Wexford were not to be outdone in their appreciation of Ring’s brilliant performance. Ring was seized by Bobbie Rackard and Nick O’Donnell and carried shoulder high from the field, a memorable event in a day of memories.
The greatness of Wexford was recognised abroad the following June when they travelled to New York to play Cork in the Polo Grounds. Over 30,000 turned up at the venue to see them register another victory, defeating Cork by 7-15 to 5-5.
The problem for Wexford has been that they haven't reached such heights again, with the exception of 1968 and we got a brief glimpse under Liam Griffin in 1996. They have reverted to their pre-fifties days, when they won one All-Ireland. However, because they set the bar of achievement so high during these golden days, it has become the norm for Wexford hurling and the county is constantly failing to live up to it.
The fate of Limerick has been similar
The thirties are remembered as the period of Limerick’s greatest hurling era During this period Limerick played in five All-Irelands, winning three. Two of these victories were over Kilkenny, as also were two defeats.
Limerick Dominate the National League
Limerick reigned supreme in the National League. In fact the great Kilkenny-Limerick rivalry could be said to have started with the National League final of 1932-33, which the Noresiders won decisively by 3-8 to 1-3. Following this defeat Limerick were to record five consecutive victories, while Kilkenny had none.
In the last of these in 1937, Limerick ran riot against Cork, winning by 11-6 to 5-1. Cork, with Jack Lynch as captain, conceded four goals in a devastating eight-minute spell in the first half and thereafter ‘were swept aside in a tidal wave of green shirts.’
Limerick are the only county to win five National Hurling League titles in successive years. Four players participated in all five finals, Mick Kennedy (Young Ireland) captain, 1934, Timmy Ryan (Ahane) captain, 1935, 1936, Mick Mackey (Ahane) captain, 1937, 1938, Jim Roche (Croom).
Jubilee Champions
Limerick won the 1934 final which was referred to as the Jubilee All-Ireland as the G.A.A. celebrated fifty years in existence. Instead of meeting Kilkenny, their opponents were Dublin, who had beaten Kilkenny in a replayed Leinster final. Limerick had to overcome Clare, Cork, Waterford and Galway to reach the final. Limerick trained as never before for the final and came to Croke Park in the peak of condition. Dublin proved a formidable opposition and came from five points down, levelling the game with a last-minute goal. For the replay Limerick invited the Cork trainer, Jim Barry, to help them in their preparation. The sides were level at half-time and Dublin went into a three-point lead during the second half. However, great play by John Mackey turned the tide in Limerick’s favour, and great goals by Dave Clohessy – four in all – ensured a Limerick victory by 5-2 to 2-6.
An elated Limerick captain, Timmy Ryan, received the cup from Dr. Harty, the patron of the G.A.A.
Never was a demonstration of such size seen in Limerick as the one that greeted the hurling heroes on their return to the city the following evening, when an estimated 30,000 people crowded the route from the railway station to the Imperial Hotel in Catherine Street.
A Bandage on the Good Knee
Before the 1936 championship Limerick did a tour of the United States, their exploits on the hurling field attracting great interest across the Atlantic. The team played three games, winning the magnificent Reeves Trophy ‘the most expensive and artistic ever presented for international Gaelic competition.’ In their final game they won the Limerick Club Cup. The sports writers gave the game the usual colour treatment: ‘It is no game for a fellow with a dash of lavender in his makeup. A good hurler must be at all times ready to stop, pick his head up from the field of battle, slap it back into position and resume the fray without once taking one eye off the player he’s assigned to watch and the other of the enemy’s goal.’
Limerick had a bye to the Munster final and they were in super form against Tipperary at Thurles on August 2, winning easily by 8-5 to 4-6. This game was Mick Mackey’s first as captain and it inspired him to a leader’s role in which he scored 5-3, some of the goals being gems of the rarest kind. Mackey had injured one of his knees on the American tour and expected to be a target for some of the Tipperary players. To mislead his opponents, he put a bandage on the good knee before taking the field!
Limerick were superb against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final, winning by 5-6 to 1-5, and limiting their opponents to a single point in the second half. A record crowd of 51,235, even beating the record for the football final, was present for the game.
Outstanding Ahane
Five of this great Limerick team, John and Mick Mackey, Timmy Ryan, Paddy Scanlan and Jackie Power, came from Ahane, one of the greatest forces in club hurling at the time. Between 1931 and 1948 the club won fifteen county Limerick senior hurling championships, and to this must be added five football championships between 1935 and 1939. The Mackey brothers figured in all of them, a grand total of twenty medals each. The club participated in many tournaments also: it has been said that they built more churches than any club in history. Commentatorss have claimed that this involvement in tournament hurling was detrimental to their inter-county record and that but for it they would have won more All-Irelands.
This was a period of triumph for Limerick but it is book-ended by long periods of failure. Prior to the thirties Limerick had three All-Irelands to their credit, the first coming in 1897, when Kilfinane defeated Tullaroan. Limerick then won two in a short period of time beteen 1918 and 1921, when captain Bob McConkey became the first winner to receive the McCarthy Cup. Then came the great period of the thirties to be followed defeat rather than sucess during the folowing decades, with the exception of 1973.
I haven't time to talk at any length of the successes of the other hurling counties. Galway won their first in 1923 and then succeeded three times in the eighties, but it has been a barren period since then.
Dublin have six All-Irelands to their credit but the last one was 1938 and their last appearance was in 1961. There has been a resurgence of the game in the city in the last number of years but not enough meaningful success to promise a bright future.
Waterford made their first final appearance in 1938, won for the first time in 1948 and had a second victory in 1959. They had a team capable of challenging the best in the years 1957 to 1965. They returned again as a force in the late nineties and into the noughties but they haven't made the breakthrough required to recognise them as a strong hurling force.
Offaly arrived in 1980 and won four All-Irelands over two decades but the game appears to have reverted to the kind of challenge the county offered before the breakthrough
Clare in an interesting case. They came in the mid-nineties with great excitement and expectation, winning two All-Irelands, and should possibly have won three. They haven't disappeared into the sunset, won the All-Ireland last year and are one of the strongest contenders for All-Ireland honours currently.
I come finally to the three counties that have won 90 of the 126 All-Irelands played, Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary. The strength of the game in these counties is reflected in the fact that they have won All-Irelands in every decade since the first All-Ireland.
The Strong Hurling Counties
There is one exception, Kilkenny, who didn't win their first All-Ireland until 1904 but then made up for the delay by winning seven between then and 1913. One of the reasons for the long delay was cricket.
Acording to Michael O'Dwyer, who has done a study of the game in the county, cricket was by far the most popular game in the county not much more than a hundred years ago. Hurling was nowhere. Cricket had spread beyond the big houses to be played in every town and village, by labourers and peasantry alike. At its peak in 1896, there were 50 teams in Kilkenny, even though the G.A.A. was well up and running.
By contrast, in a county that would one day dominate the game, hurling was in a decrepit state. In 1887 an envoy despatched by Michael Cusack's journal noted that the game of hurling in the city drew no spectators, 'proving what little hold the G.A.A, has taken in Kilkenny'. Worse than the lack of spectators however was the quality of play. 'The hurling of both teams was, we believe, the worst and most spiritless ever witnessed on an Irish hillside,' lamented the writer. 'It would break the heart of a Moycarkey or Galway Gael to witness such a contemptible perversion of the grand old dashing game.' Might I add that it would now break the hearts of the same people to see how good Kilkenny are today!
In contrast to Tipperary, where cricket was also strong and had been associated with the bigger towns, army garrisons and big houses, cricket in Kilkenny had put down roots in the general farming community and the nationalist appeal of Gaelic games was slower to catch on.
But hurling did catch on and once the county began to win it never got out of the habit. The result has been that since the first decade of the twentieth century, Kilkenny have won All-Irelands in every decade, with peaks of brilliance after the first great flourish, in the thirties, the seventies and the brilliant noughties.
Cork
Cork's success at the game can also be found in every decade. They had their first three-in-arow in the 1890s, a great period at the end of the twenties, the only four-in-a-row in the early forties, another three-in-a-row inthe mid-seventies and their successes have continued into the noughties.
Tipperary have also featured in every decade with Tubberadora's great achievement in the second-half of the 1890s, the three-in-a-row in the early fifties and the brillinat period during the sixties.
Success has dried up for the county in the last number of decades during which they have fallen well behind Kilkenny and Cork in the roll of honour though they have been successful twice in the noughties.
The Big Question is Why!
Why has hurling failed to spread to the other counties and who has its success been so prominent in the counties of Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary, who between them have won two-thirds of the All-Irelands played.
Traditional skills were already in existence
In Tipperary the presence of Archbishop Croke
National Movement and IRB more entwined with hurling
Importance of leadership, Big Mikey Stapleton, Tom Semple, Dan Breen
Quality of leadership, Sim Walton, Jamesy Kelleher
Number of senior clubs in county
Lack of county unity among clubs in Galway, Clare, Kerry.
Why didn't it Spread to other counties?
A highly skilled game needing endless practice
Traditional shills were honed on the crossroads where coaches figure today
Opulent farming class with leisure
Experience of dominance in other countries
Perhaps it's like the English Premiership that there are only a few meaningful contenders for top honours annually and that, as in the case of hurling, Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary are regular contenders with an occasional new contender making an occasional appearance.
Italy Serie A football - Juventus 29, Inter Milan 18, AC Milan 18
Scotland football - Celtic and Rangers 99 titles combined
Spain football - Barcelona 22, Real Madrid 32, next 9.
US sports are quite democratic as they have a salary cap in each of the 3 major sports - baseball, football, basketball.
Australia is the same.
Other sports like rugby league, rugby union, cricket, sailing, hockey tend to be dominated by a small number of teams but that's a function of those sports not really being played on a global basis
Some Notable Managers
February 2014
Jim 'Tough' Barry (1891-1968) Cork
Jim 'Tough' Barry was known as a trainer rather than a manager but he had all the functions and characteristics of the latter. His 'managerial' career lasted from 1926, when he came in as assistant trainer to Pakie Mahony on the Cork senior team, to 1966 when he helped to return Cork to All-Ireland glory after twelve years in the wilderness.
The attribution 'Tough' in his name suggests something of a big, commanding figure, but Jim was the very opposite, a tidy man. His nickname came from a boxing career in which he was a useful bantamweight, a skill he used in exhibitions for the Arms Fund after 1916. He was a very active sportsman and, as well as boxing and hurling, which he played with Blackrock, he excelled at watersports and was springboard diving champion of Ireland for four years. He also won many swimming races. He was a member of the Neptune Club and played water polo with Dolphin. He was a referee and was in charge of the 1945 All-Ireland minor final.
He also possessed a beautiful tenor voice, which he put to use in the chorus of the many travelling companies which came to Cork. He also sang solo in many places including London with the Carl Rosa, Moody Manners and O'Meara opera companies. In the early days of the cinema he sang the 'Persian Love Lyrics at the interval in the Palace Theatre, Cork.
During his period with Cork he guided the team to thirteen All-Ireland titles, four during the 1926-31 period, five between 1941-46, three between 1952-54 and the comeback title in 1966. He is credited with bringing a forward-thinking and holistic approach to preparing players. A tailor by profession, he visited workplaces to talk to employers on behalf of his players. He demanded proper meals for his squads after matches and was renowned for having them perfectly prepared for the biggest games. The secret of his success with so many teams was in the way he managed to gain the affection and respect of all the players under his charge. The atmosphere at his training sessions was relaxed and his contacts with players spiced with humour. His great experience and personal achievements helped to instill confidence in his players. On top of everything he had a wide knowledge of the game and his sideline moves were often sufficient to turn defeat into victory.
Jim 'Tough' Barry suffered a stroke in October 1968 and died in the South Infirmary a few days later.
Paddy Leahy (1891-1966) Tipperary
The term "manager" as it is used today wasn't used in Tipperary or elsewhere during Paddy Leahy's lifetime. But in the exercise of personality over a team it was he who came nearest to the modern definition of the word. First as a selector, then as chairman of the selection committee, his influence over Tipperary senior teams extended into three decades and was unprecedented.
Born in 1891, he grew up with the GAA, his father having played in one of the county's first county finals. His local townsland, Tubberadora, became nationally-known by winning three All-Ireland titles in 1895, 1896 and 1898. Fierce local rivalries were harnessed in 1912 by the founding of the Boherlahan Hurling Club at a meeting attended by Paddy, and which saw his brother Johnny elected club captain.
A natural citeóg with wrists so powerful that all his life he had difficulty in finding a watch-strap to fit, he had won two junior All-Irelands before, in 1916, under the captaincy of his brother Johnny he won his first senior medal against Kilkenny when, in answer to the Kilkenny captain's post-match comment: "We were better hurlers", the Tipperary captain replied, "But we were better men!" He would win another in 1925, after he was prevented by the Civil War from fielding in a game that was lost to Kilkenny in 1922.
His appointment as county selector in 1949 began a trail of victory for Tipperary that was to end only with his death in 1966. It was marked by eight all-Ireland titles, nine Munster championships and eleven National Leagues. With each year his influence grew and he was widely regarded as the man who dominated not only the picking of teams but the deploying of Tipp's forces during games.
His departure led to a dramatic decline in the county's hurling success.
It is generally accepted among the surviving members of the teams of Tipp's glory period that his status among players was unquestioned. He never indulged in table-thumping speeches in the dressing-room but there was a personal relationship with every player and there was a moment for each when there was the hand on the shoulder and it behoved him well to take heed of the advice given.
He enjoyed a lifelong friendship with opponents of his own hurling days and with Mick Mackey and Christy Ring and other stars of other counties. But his great idols were the men he shepherded to so many victories for the Blue and Gold. In his Pantheon there was never a goalkeeper like Tony Reddan, a centre-back like Tony Wall or a forward like Jimmy Doyle.
Perhaps nothing so underlines the difference in the role of manager today from that of Paddy Leahy's day was that during the years when he was guiding the county's fortunes on the field, he was also the county's representative on the Central Council of the GAA. And he was nearly 75 when he was forced by his final illness to relinquish both portfolios.
Father Tommy Maher (born 1923) Kilkenny
Fr. Tommy Maher, often referred to as the Godfather of Modern Hurling, was born in Thomastown in 1923. He went to school in St, Kieran's College and later returned there as a priest and teacher. He also became heavily involved in coaching the college senior team.
But this was to happen later. While home for the summer holidays from Maynooth in 1945, he played some good hurling with his club, Castle Rovers, and was drafted into the county team for the All-Ireland against Tipperary, his first and last game in the Kilkenny jersey.
What his short spell as an All-Ireland panellist had shown him was how primitive and unco-ordinated the training was. 'Surely', according to his biographer, Enda McEvoy, 'he concluded, there had to be more to training than this delirium of effort for its own sake. Surely there had to be room for thought, for logic, for imagination, for the cultivation of science, for the identification of problems, for the improvement of weaknesses and for the coaching of skills.'
He got the opportunity to put his ideas into practice when he returned to St. Kieran's as a teacher in 1955. As with the county, the game of hurling was at a low ebb in the college and he set about getting things right. Success came quickly with the All-Ireland Colleges victory in 1957 a day on which, in the words of his biographer, 'he demonstrated that the small things were the big things, that success in hurling was about mastery of the basic skills, that practising the skills was not only desirable but crucial and that practice – proper practice – could mean the difference between victory and defeat.'
Later in the same year he was drafted in to the Kilkenny senior hurling team as coach. Over the next twenty-one years he would preside over an era which saw the county win fourteen Leinster finals and seven All-Ireland titles.
He soon discovered that nobody had ever put any effort into coaching the players in skills or methods or combination play. He drummed into their heads the importance of thinking about what they were doing. He emphasised the need of putting the opposing team under pressure by constantly chasing and harrying them. He had specific instructions for players in every position. Communication was vital, not only between coach and player but between the players themselves.
And there was much more that helped to transform Kilkenny hurling and make it the powerful force it was to become. Fr Tommy Maher was a man before his time and for all time.
Michael 'Babs' Keating (born 1944) Tipperary
Probably one of the most colourful managers of the modern era, Michael 'Babs' Keating had a varied and distinguished managerial career after he retired from a playing career that brought him significant success in both hurling and football. A person capable of the pithy comment, which landed him in trouble on occasions, he generated substantial media publicity.
His first intercounty job was in charge of Galway in 1978-79 and had mixed results. Losing badly in the National League final, Galway bounced back to defeat Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final, only to go down to Kilkenny in the final.
He was with Tipperary from 1986 to 1994 and was a major influence in bringing the county back from the hurling wilderness. He was responsible for revolutionising the role of managers, giving them a much higher profile. In fact he became the centre of media attention for the county. He also looked after teams in a holistic manner not known before. He recognised the commercial value of intercounty players and dragged the county system into the commercial age. Most notably he gave supporter clubs a status and a place in the county system and used them to extract finance in a way not available before. He expanded the support base of teams and made hurling an attractive game to follow.
During his period with Tipperary he brought the county its first All-Ireland in eighteen years and won a second in 1991. He won five Munster finals and two league titles but the general consensus appears to be that with the talent available, the team should have won more. Particularly galling for supporters were defeats in 1990 and 1992.
After a year away from inter-county management, he returned for two years with Laois, 1995-1997 but, following some success in the National League, the county failed in the championship in both years.
After resigning from the Laois job he took on Offaly in 1997-1998 and tried to introduce a stricter training regime, which wasn't well received by some of the players. Matters came to a crisis after defeat in the Leinster final by Kilkenny and some derogatory remarks by Keating of the team's performance. He resigned from the position and the team went on to take the All-Ireland under new management.
He returned to the Tipperary job once more for two years in 2005 in an attempt to revive the county's flagging fortunes. There was little success and two controversies when he dropped both Brendan Cummins and Eoin Kelly during the 2007 championship. The defeat by Wexford led to his resignation.
Whereas Babs Keating's success rate with teams may not have been the greatest, the ideas that he brought to the job of manager in the G.A.A. context will ensure his a place in the history of hurling.
Justin McCarthy (born 1945) Cork
Justin McCarthy started training Passage at the age of twenty-two years in 1967 when he was injured and unable to hurl. He remembers writing notes on players, listing their good and bad points. He picked up ideas on training from listening to others, thought a lot about the game and had a passion for hurling.
He was already keen to learn more and started attending the coaching courses at Gormanstown at the end of the sixties, initially as a student and later as a teacher. Among other things he learned the importance of communication. He put major emphasis on the fundamentals of the game, on hooking and blocking, on striking on either side, on having the player's equipment properly prepared and suitable. He was also a stickler for time and organisation around training sessions. He always expected the highest standards, which some players were unable to meet.
He broke new ground when he went to Antrim in 1970. He was still a trainer as the word 'coach' hadn't yet entered common parlance and 'manager' was still a foreign word, associated with games like soccer. He had his first major achievement when Antrim won the All-Ireland intermediate championship in 1970.
He continued the learning process, listening to team mentors in dressingrooms and picking up a lot. His next 'training' job was with Cork in 1975. He was part of the panel but when Willie John Daly retired, he was asked to take over the training. Cork won in Munster but were beaten by Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.
His life has been devoted to coaching and management since then. The list of teams includes Seandún, a city club he got to the Cork senior semi-final, Clare for four years at the end of the seventies, which resulted in two league titles and two near misses for Munster finals, Cork in 1982 and in 1984, when they won the centenary final at Thurles, 1985, when they lost to Galway in All-Ireland semi, Cashel for their first county title and near miss for All-Ireland Club, bringing Dunloy to an All-Ireland Club final, Waterford from 2001-08 and three Munster titles, including their first title in thirty-nine years and a National League, Limerick for two years, and he's currently coaching Ballyroe.
This has been an extraordinary journey bringing to gospel of hurling to a large number of clubs and counties and wishing to be remembered for the contribution he made to the game. Achievements have been important to him but everything he has done in this area has been to make players better hurlers, teams more successful combinations and hurling one of the greatest sporting experiences in life.
Liam Griffin (Born 1945) Wexford
Although he had quite a short managerial career, Liam Griffin, made a big impact on the management of teams and continues to be an important voice in the development of the game through his position in the media.
He started his club hurling with Rosslare and, after moving to Clare, joined Newmarket on Fergus with whom he won senior hurling titles in1967, 1968 and 1969. At the intercounty level he played minor, under-21 and intermediate with Wexford, winning and All-Ireland at under-21 level in 1965, and beaten in the intermediate All-Ireland in the same year.
He had an early interest in coaching but mostly at juvenile level and completed a diploma in sport psychology in the early nineties. Having failed twice to take charge of the Wexford minors he was put in charge of the senior team at the end of 1994 after the earlier favourites withdrew from the race. The county hadn't won a Leinster title since 1977 or an All-Ireland since 1968.
However Griffin had a different perspective on Wexford, having been brought up at a time when the county was successful. In fact in 1965 Wexford had contested the four hurling All-Irelands. If Wexford were successful at that period there was no reason why they shouldn't be once again.
His first season was anything but successful. In spite of introducing a strict diet and training regime, Wexford were beaten by Meath in the National League. Having stripped captain, Liam Dunne, for playing a club game before the Leinster semi-final, they were beaten seven points by Offaly.
Matters changed dramatically in 1996. The manager made wholesale changes to the team and enforced a new training regime. He began to work on the minds of the players, some of whom had become fatalistic and accepting of the state of Wexford hurling. He used Clare's example in 1995 of a county not accepting defeat as their lot. His own connection with Clare was very strong, through work and family and their new-found success was very meaningful to him. He got the players to begin believing in themselves as well as coaching them to be better players.
His work paid off and Wexford won their first Leinster title in almost twenty years. They went on to win the All-Ireland, beating Limerick by four points despite being reduced to fourteen men, when Eamon Scallan was sent off before half-time. Wexford refused to panic and revealed the 'character' of the side..
In spite of guiding his native-county to an emotional championship title Griffin decided to retire as manager at the start of 1997 due to personal issues.
Eamonn Cregan (born 1945) Limerick
Hurling has played a major part in Eamonn Cregan's life since he won his first medal, at under-16 level, when he was aged eleven years! The game is always on his mind and he is happiest imparting his knowledge to those who are prepared to listen. After a distinguished playing career of over twenty-five years with Claughaun and Limierisk which won him numerous county titles, four Munster titles, one All-Ireland and three All-Star awards, he turned his attention to coaching.
One of his earliest and most pleasant coaching memories is winning a hurling and football double with Claughaun in 1986 as player-manager. He has looked after numerous club teams since then and is currently with Mary Immaculate TC, which he brought to a Fitzgibbon Cup final in 2013 from a total college panel of fifty players.
At intercounty level he first became involved with Limerick between 1986-88 but without any success. He was with Offaly from 1992 to 1996, during which time the county won two Leinster and one All-Ireland titles. Unfortunately for him the latter was at the expense of his native county. He found the Offaly players well developed in the skills of the game and concentrated on making them fitter and introducing more ground hurling.
He returned to Limerick in 1997 and stayed with them until 2002 without achieving any success. He was particularly disappointed in losing the Munster final to Tipperary in 2001 and the All-Ireland quarter-final to Wexford. In 2013 he became coach of the Limerick minor team and finds this role the most satisfying.
As a coach he believes that the basic skills of the game should be learned at an early stage. He is not in favour of omitting any skills, particularly ground hurling, which some managers are inclined to pass over. It allows for fast ball into the forwards, which prevents the backs from settling and anticipating what is going to happen. Too much coaching can confuse a player and prevent him expressing himself. While high catching is important it's not the be-all and reflects on the player's opponent.
Cyril Farrell (born 1950) Galway
Cyril Farrell had an early interest in the coaching side of the game and his first county job was with the Galway minor team in 1973. He progressed from there to the under 21 side in 1978, achieving All-Ireland success, following a replay with Tipperary in the final. He moved up to the seniors after defeat in the 1979 final.
It was a case of instant success with the Galway seniors in 1980. The team came to the game on the back of two All-Ireland appearances since 1975 and two defeats of Cork in the same period. On the day they got the best possible start with a goal by Bernie Forde and superb goalkeeping from Michael Conneely. Galway lost the 1981 final to Offaly and the semi-final of 1982 to Kilkenny after which Farrell resigned. He was involved with the minors in 1983 when they captured their first All-Ireland.
He returned in October 1984 and stayed with the team until 1991. This was a glorious period in Galway hurling, during which they reached four consecutive finals between 1985 and 1988. The first two were lost to Offaly and Cork while victory was there lot in 1987 and 1988. The Keady affair contributed to the failure to make it three-in-a-row in 1989.
Farrell's interest in coaching was paramount in team preparation. He believed in developing a pattern of play but not so rigid as to eliminate the individuality of players. Any plan needed to be adapted to the style of players to hand. He also believed that fitness work ought to be completed early in a year in order to allow plenty of time for coaching. Man management was vitally important and is even more so today.
He brought another element to the preparation of Galway teams, a strong belief in their right to win, as well as their ability to do so. Up to his time Galway teams had played very well but didn't win very often. He believed that negative conditioning, caused by on-going defeats, develops into an inferiority complex, which undermines players at crucial moments. The 1980 victory was the first All-Ireland to be won since 1923. Farrell worked on the minds of the players to get them to believe that Galway had an equal right to win as the Corks, Tipperarys and Kilkennys.
Farrell resigned after the 1991 championship in which Galway lost badly to Tippeary in the All-Ireland semi-final. He took charge again for the years 1996-1998 but suffered All-Ireland quarter-final defeats in both years and resigned after the 1998 championship.
Ger Loughnane (born 1953) Clare
Although Ger Loughnane was noted as a great hurler in a county that was starved of success, it is for his exploits as manager of the Clare senior hurlers in the 1990s that he is best known. His managerial career began in the early 1990s. Following a short period with the under-21s, he succeeded Len Gaynor as manager of the seniors at the end of 1994.
After a winter of intense training Loughnane's side proved their worth by reaching the final of the National Hurling League. Kilkenny hammered Clare on that occasion but Loughnane stated that Clare would win the Munster final. Which they did, for the first time since 1932, and then went on to win their first All-Ireland since 1914.
Having lost in 1996 to a late Limerick point in the Munster championship, Clare were back in the winners enclosure in 1997, beating Cork, Tipperary and Kilkenny on the way to the All-Ireland final, in which they defeated Tipperary for a second time, following the introduction of the backdoor system.
Clare might have won again in 1998 but a number of things intervened. In an unruly game against Waterford in the Munster championship, Colin Lynch was sent off and received a three-month suspension. In spite of this Clare won the Munster final and met Offaly in the All-Ireland semi-final. The game ended in a draw, the replay in controversy and Clare lost the second replay.
It marked the end of success for Loughnane's side. The manager remained in position for two more years without success. After a few years, Loughnane took over Galway for two years, 2007-2008, also without success.
Loughnane will always be remembered for having made Clare a meaningful contender for All-Ireland honours. From the time he took over as manager he set out to ensure that his players would be at a high peak of fitness when taking the field. This was achieved by an intense training regimen, much of it done in the dead of winter, which had the effect not only of making them extremely fit, but of strengthening their characters also.
Equally important was the work he did on the minds of the players, constantly harranging them never to accept defeat, encouraging them to believe that they were as good as anybody else and inculcating in them a love of winning and the prospect of a triumphant day in Corke Park. In all of this Loughnane was driven by the memory of numerous failures during his playing years with Clare. To win as manager would be some kind of consolation.
Brian Cody (born 1954) Kilkenny
After a successful playing career with the James Stephens club and Kilkenny, which included four Leinster titles, three All-Irelands, two National League and two All-Star awards, plus two All-Ireland club championships, Brian Cody turned his attention to management.
He was appointed in November 1998 for a two-year term. Since then he is the most successful manager in the history of the game winning 12 Leinster hurling championships, nine All-Ireland titles and six National hurling Leagues.
It's difficult to decide what makes him such a successful manager. In his autobiography he speaks of respect, honesty and commitment in everyone involved in the team. He denies that he is an 'intimidating, authoritarian figure ruling the Kilkenny dressingroom with an iron fist and a 'no compromise' sign stuck on my forehead.' Instead the dressingroom is a place of equality where everyone is important, even the person sweeping the floor at the end of training, as Cody has been seen to do himself. He believes that 'being prepared to do just about anything is central to running an effective operation where there are no stars and no egos, only a group of people on the same wavelength.'
In fact 'no stars and no egos' has probably kept the Kilkenny team successful for so long. There are instances where players have been dropped for misdemeanors but also for notions about their importance to the squad. Every player, no matter how successful, is only a very small part of something so much bigger.
Cody leads by example and expects every player to give good example. For him there is no arrogance in Kilkenny hurling. The players don't show disrespect to an opponent. They know the standards that must be reached and maintained if they're to get the best out of their careers. Another expectation is that players give the same commitment to the club as the county.
He cranks up the competitive edge in the panel by introducing new players. When this happens older players recognise that new talent is coming along all the time with the sole intention of forcing their way onto the team. It's all very friendly but there is huge rivalry also and Cody acts as a kind of referee between the competing talents with only one duty, which is to put the best panel together. 'The spark of rivalry between established players and newcomers is great for business and helps keep things fresh and challenging, which is crucial in the dressing room dynamic.'
In fact Cody seems to incorporate in his outlook the old virtues associated with the G.A.A. It is an honour to play for your club and your county and you respect that every time you play. You give your best on every occasion and you are unselfish in your commitment. The game of hurling comes first and the manager has made little concession to the commercial possibilities of his success, keeping the players on the straight and narrow for the success of Kilkenny.
A Selection of Great Hurlers
February 2014
The Captain, Big Mikey (Tipperry) 1870-1947
Big Mikey Maher of Tubberadora was the captain of the three teams that won the All-Irelands in 1895, 1896 and 1898. Christy Ring (Cork) and Drug Walsh (Kilkenny) are the only other hurlers to captain three All-Ireland winning teams.
Mikey Maher, who was born in 1870 was a large man, 6' 3'' tall and 15 stone and he had a large personality to go with it. He was an ideal captain at a time when the team leader was expected to organise the team, arrange the games, agree the travel arrangements and make the switches during a game. He was a born leader and held in deep respect by his players.
A strong rather than stylish player he usually operated at centre-forward and led by example showing great heart and courage in the course of the game.
Big Mikey won two further All-Irelands following his exploits with Tubberadora. He played on the successful Moycarkey team in the 1899 final and on the Two Mile Borris team in the 1900 decider.
When he died in 1947 he was buried in St. Michael's Cemetery, Tipperary. In one of his obituaries he was remembered by those who knew him in his prime as 'Cuchulainn and Napoleon and Matt the Thresher.'
Outstanding Captain Jim Kelliher (Cork) 1878-1943
Jim Kelliher of Dungourney, who captained the Cork team to All-Ireland honours in 1902, usually played at full-back but he was versatile enough to feature in other parts of the field as well. He wasn't a big man, 5' 9'' in height, but was always fit and had a good temperament as well. He played for Cork from 1901 to 1912, winning two All-Irelands, 1902 and 1903, but losing four, 1904, 1905, 1907 and 1912 to Kilkenny. He also won seven Munster medals.
Jim Kelliher put Dungourney, which is situated in east Cork, on the map as a result of his outstanding hurling. Carbery, the great commentator on the game, had this to say about him: 'Kelliher had brains, skill, stamina and ash craft in abundance. I saw him play in twenty-six major matches and he never left the field without being the outstanding hurler of the hour.' He placed him centreback in his team entitled 'The Best Team of My Time'.
Captain of three, Dick (Drug) Walsh (Kilkenny) 1878-1958
Following in the footsteps of Mikey Maher of Tipperary (Tubberadora) Dick 'Drug' Walsh of Mooncoin was the second hurler in the history of the G.A.A. to captain his county to three All-Ireland hurling successes. 1907, 1909 and 1913.
He is reputed to have got his nickname 'Drug' from a fondness for the sing 'Clare's Dragoons', which he tended to pronounce as 'Drugoons', and his mates christened him 'Drug' as a result, a nickname that stuck but which he disliked intensely.
Born in Mooncoin in 1878 he made his county senior debut in 1904 and was on the successful seven Kilkenny teams that won All-Irelands between then and 1913. He captained Kilkenny on three of these occasions, 1907, 1909 and 1913. His favourite position was centreback. He wasn't a big man but was always fit and wiry. He played for the county from 1904 to 1914 and won seven Leinster medals as well.
Born in 1878, Drug played his club hurling with Mooncoin, winning four county championships in a career that spanned three decades. Following the end of his intercounty career he got involved in training teams and was in charge of the Laois team that won the 1915 All-Ireland.
A Distinguished Captain, Tom Semple (Tipperary) 1879-1943
Thurles went through a lean hurling period after winning the first All-Ireland final and didn't get back into contention for hurling honours until 1904. The man responsible for their change in fortunes was Drombane native and captain, Tom Semple. He was a leader in the real sense of the word and insisted on nothing but the highest standards. He used innovative tactics and training methods. The team favoured a ground hurling style. Jack Mockler recounts how training under Semple involved the players lining up outside the Confraternity Hall, marching out to the Ragg, back in again to spend an hour or two skipping, some work on the punch ball and then a practice match!
Semple was handy with the ball in the hand also. He won the 1906 All-Ireland long puck championship, hitting the 9oz sliotar a distance of 96 yards.
Semple, who was born in 1879, retired from inter-county hurling after defeat in the 1909 All-Ireland but continued playing for the Blues until 1912. His record included six county championships in 1904, 1906, 1907, 1908, 1909 and 1911, four Munster titles (his first Munster and All-Ireland titles were won with Two-Mile-Borris in 1900), and three All-Irelands in 1900, 1906 and 1908. The Munster win in 1909 was followed by defeat to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland.
In recognition of his exploits on the hurling field and his contribution to the G.A.A. as an administrator at all levels from club through to national level, Thurles Sportsfield was renamed Semple Stadium in his honour in 1971.
Little Sim Walton (Kilkenny) 1880-1966
Simon Walton (Tullaroan) better known as Sim and familiarly as Little Sim was born in 1880 and died in 1966. He is synonymous with the great Kilkenny period of success between 1904 and 1913 when he was one of four players to win all seven All-Irelands. He was captain on two occasions, in 1911, when no final was played because Limerick refused to agree to a change of venue, and 1912, when he scored the winning goal against Cork in the final.
He was also captain in 1916 when Kilkenny were beaten by Tipperary in the final. Not a big man, Sim weighed about eleven stone and was of average height. He was noted for his sudden bursts of speed and his accuracy and these attributes, plus his outstanding skill, made him a notable forward who could play effectively in the centre or full positions.
His inter-county career spanned the years 1903 to 1919. He won ten Leinster titles and seven county championships with Tullaroan. He was a legendary character and his name evokes greatness and outstanding ability.
A Very Special Captain – Patrick 'Wedger' Meagher (Tipperary) 1890-1958
Patrick 'Wedger' Meagher is probably one of the greatest captains who never won an All-Ireland.
Born in Toomevara, he put the Tipperary parish on the map among Irishmen all over the world because of its association with him and the eponymous Greyhounds.
He was involved with horses from an early age and following a success at the local races, in which he made a very strong finish, he was nicknamed 'Widger', transmuted to 'Wedger' through use, after a contemporary County Waterford family of that name noted for breeding and racing horses.
He was dedicated to hurling and became a formidable corner-back. He soon became involved with the re-organisation of the local club and so began the era of the legendary Greyhounds. They won their first county final in 1910 and this was followed by three-in-a-row between 1912-1914, when Wedger captained the team.
It is said that it was his organising ability, enthusiasm and leadership which were mainly responsible for the success of the team in the early years. The Greyhounds were also stimulated by their battles with the Leahy-powered Boherlahan teams of that era for supremacy within the county.
The highlight of his hurling days was victory over Kilkenny at Dungarvan in the Croke Cup final of 1913. It provided the material for the club's national anthem, 'Hurrah for Toomevara'. In the light of later events and the failure to win an All-Ireland it was a bit premature.
While still playing, Wedger became involved in the National independence movement. He recruited, organised and trained the local Volunteers. He took part in ambushes and spent time in prisons in Belfast, Limerick and Wormwood Scrubs.
He was secretary of the north board from 1914-20 and of the county board from 1922 to 1927. He travelled to the U.S. with the Tipperary team in 1926 and returned there in the following year to spend the remainder of his life in New York. He became Sports Editor of the Irish Echo and his column, Games of the Gaels, became famous far and wide.
During the thirty odd years he spent in New York, he made only a couple of visits home. He had married Ellen Whelehan, a near neighbour from Toomevara, in 1926, and the couple had two children. The best man at the wedding was his great friend and rival, Johnny Leahy of Boherlahan. He died in 1958 and was buried far from his native place in the city of New York.
I never will forget the day/ Kilkenny's pride went down
Before the skill of Wedger's men/ In sweet Dungarvan town.
Sean Óg Murphy (Cork) 1897-1956
Jackie, better known as Sean Óg Murphy, was born in Cork City in 1897. One writer described him thus: 'He grew up into a sturdy broad-shouldered man of five feet ten or so with a shock of fair hair, which shook as he hurled. He played in many positions before he settled down at full back and adorned that position for the rest of his career. He was not alone a master hurler of left and right but a man of rare judgment and anticipation. In a tight situation he was cool and resolute with sound ball control. His natural strength was immense. He would dash into a cluster of players, stagger friend and foe alike and emerge with the ball. He rarely lifted the ball and he would drive ground balls of great length off either hand. He never crowded in on his goalkeeper. His pluck was almost reckless at times. One day in a Munster final at Thurles, when Cork were hard-pressed, he went in 'late' on a pull and got the full blow which knocked him to the ground and broke four teeth. Like a roused lion he sprang up, spat out teeth and mud, rushed to the goalmouth and cleared the ball to safety.'
He played hurling with his local club, Blackrock, winning county titles in 1913, 1920, 1924, 1925 and 1927. He featured as captain for the last three victories. He was also a footballer of note and played with Nils, winning county junior titles in 1913 and 1914, and senior titles in 1915, 1917 (as captain), 1924 and 1925.
His first All-Ireland final was on a dark rainy day in November 1915, when Cork lost to Laois, and he retired from playing following an injury in the 1929 Thomond Shield competition. In between Sean Óg won six Munster titles and three All-Irelands. He won his first All-Ireland in 1919 and two more in 1926 and 1928 as captain. He captained Munster in the first inter-provincial competition, when they lost to Leinster in 1927, and captained the province to success in 1928 and 1929. He captained Cork to success in the inaugural National Hurling League in 1926
With the end to his playing career he became involved as a selector. He was already a selector of the successful 1926 and 1928 teams and was also a member of the backroom team on eight more occasions, in 1929, 1941, 1942, 1943, 1944, 1952, 1953 and 1955, an achievement unlikely ever to be emulated.
Sean Óg Murphy was appointed secretary of the Cork county board in 1929 and retained the position until his death in 1956. As a tribute to him the trophy awarded the winners of the Cork senior hurling championship is called the Sean Óg Murphy Cup. He was posthumously honoured in 2000, when he was named in the full-back position on the Cork Hurling Team of the Century.
His life is best summed up by a reporter with reference to the 1926 Munster final: 'Here was a leader for you – Sean Óg the captain – a full-back dynamite couldn't move, a hurler who was master of his craft bringing more glamour in its truest sense to the hurling field than any player I have seen up to now.'
Garrett Howard (Limerick) 1899-1995
Garrett Howard was one of the Dublin (Garda) team that defeated Cork in the 1927 All-Ireland. He had a varied career that included playing with three clubs, two counties and two provinces during a long and distinguished hurling career.
Born in Croom, Co. Limerick in 1899 he started his career with his local club and won his first county title with them in 1919. Progressing to the county team, he won his first Munster and All-Ireland titles in 1921.
Having joined the new Garda force he moved to Dublin, joining the Garda team, with whom he was to win five county titles in 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928 and 1929. His talent was recognised and he was soon picked for the county with whom he won two All-Irelands in 1924 and 1927. He won a third Leinster title in 1928 before losing to Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final.
He moved to Toomevara in late 1929 and won two county Tipperary finals in 1930 and 1931.
Transferring to Portroe after 1931, he returned to the Limerick colours becoming part of the great Limerick team of the thirties, winning four Munster finals between 1933 and 1936. Limerick progressed to All-Ireland victories in 1934 and 1936, but lost two in 1933 and 1935, to give him five All-Irelands in all and eight provincial medals.
He also won four National League medals, one with Dublin in 1928 and three with Limerick in 1934, 1935 and 1936. He played in four Railway Cup finals, winning one in 1927 with Leinster, losing two with the same province in 1928 and 1929, and winning one with Munster in 1931. He played on the Ireland team in the Tailteann Games in 1924 and 1928. Having started out as a forward, he settled in as a very accomplished half-back.
His considerable contribution to hurling was recognised in 1982 when he was given an All-Time All-Star Award, which was presented to a former player who, more than likely would have received an All-Star award had the scheme been in existence when he was playing. Garrett Howard died in 1995.
Mick Gill – Two All-Irelands in One Year – (Galway & Dublin) 1899-1980
Mick Gill of Ballinderreen, County Galway had the distinction of winning two All-Irelands in the space of three months with two counties. He played his early hurling with his native club and came to prominence with the county team in 1922. His big moment came in 1923 when Galway defeated Limerick in the All-Ireland final, which wasn't played until September 14, 1924. (Limerick refused to play this final until all Civil War prisoners were released and were initially disqualified but were later reprieved.) Galway won by 7-3 to 4-5 in a game in which Gill made a major contribution at midfield with his ploy of lobbing the ball into the square.
In 1924 Gill joined the new Garda force and as such went to live in Dublin, where he joined the Garda club. He was thus qualified to play with Dublin in the 1924 championship and he was on the team that won the Leinster final and defeated Antrim in the All-Ireland semi-final. He came up against his native county in the All-Ireland, which was played on December 14, just three months after winning the 1923 final, and he won his second All-Ireland when Dublin won by 5-3 to 2-6.
He won his second Leinster medal and his third All-Ireland captaining Dublin, when they defeated Cork in the 1927 final. He won two further Leinster medals in 1928 and 1930.He returned to the Galway colours in 1931 and continued to play with them until 1938, when he retired after sixteen years of inter-county hurling. Gill also lined out in the inter-provincial competition with his adopted province of Leinster. He won his sole Railway Cup medal in 1927, the inaugural year of the competition. He was on the Ireland hurling team in the 1928 Tailteann Games. He won a National Hurling League title in 1929. He enjoyed much success with the Garda club in the Dublin championship, winning six county titles in 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929 and 1931.
Mick Gill, whose best playing position was right wind-back, died on 21 September 1980, just one day short of his 81st birthday and just two weeks after the Galway hurlers bridged a 57-year gap to capture their second All-Ireland title.
Dr. Tommy Daly (Clare) 1894-1936
There is an iconic picture of the legendary Tommy Daly being shouldered from the field following Clare's dramatic victory over Galway in the 1932 All-Ireland semi-final. It was his nineteenth year of senior inter-county competition..
Born in Tulla in 1894, and regarded as one of the greatest hurling goalkeepers of all time, he went to U.C.D. to study medicine and soon made his name as a goalkeeper with the college team, winning Fitzgibbon Cup medals in 1915, 1916, 1917 and later in 1923, 1924 and 1927. He also won three county Dublin titles with the Collegians in 1917, 1918 and 1919. Later in his life he returned to play with his native Tulla and won a county Clare title in 1933.
He first gained prominence at inter-county level in 1914, when he won Munster and All-Ireland medals with the Clare junior team. Following his exploits with U.C.D. Daly soon established himself as the regular Dublin goalkeeper and played with them between 1917 and 1927. During this time he won five Leinster titles in 1917, 1918, 1921, 1924 and 1927, and four All-Irelands in 1917, 1920, 1924 and 1927.
In 1928 the rule preventing non-residents from playing with their native county was amended. Daly, who was practising medicine in London at the time, declared for Clare in 1930. Daly's delay in returned to Clare is attributed to his reluctance to displace the incumbent, George O'Dea, who had guarded the Clare net since 1918. Clare beat Cork in the 1932 provincial decider, which gave Daly his first Munster medal, but lost the All-Ireland to Kilkenny. This concluded his inter-county career.
He captured a Railway Cup medal with Leinster in 1927, the inaugural year of the competition, and played with Munster in 1933 when they lost to Leinster.
Shortly after his retirement he took up refereeing and was highly respected in his new role. He took charge of the 1935 All-Ireland between Kilkenny and Limerick. Dr. Tommy Daly died in a car accident in Tuamgraney in 1936.
Tull Considine (Clare) 1898-1980
Tull, (Turlough Owen), Considine was born in Ennis in 1898, the youngest of a family of eleven. He played hurling and football with the Dalcassions Club, winning county hurling titles in 1914, 1915, 1924, 1928 and 1929, and county football titles in 1913 and 1919. He was on the Clare senior football team beaten by Wexford in the 1917 All-Ireland. For all their matches in the championship, Clare entered the field behind a republican flag bearing the inscription, 'Up De Valera'.
He played senior hurling for Clare from 1918 to 1934 at left corner-forward, winning a Munster championship medal in 1932. He was selected for Ireland in the 1928 Tailteann Games. He was an automatic choice on the Munster Railway Cup teams from 1928-1931, winning four inter-provincial medals.
After retiring from Clare senior hurling, he continued to play with the Dalcassioans, and later to train them. He went on to train the St. Flannan's teams of 1944-1947, which won four Harty Cups and four All-Ireland Colleges titles in a row. Famous Clare hurler, Jimmy Smyth, who was a member of these teams, described Till Considine as being 'years ahead of his time in coaching methods.'
Lory Meagher (Kilkenny) 1899-1973
One of the outstanding players on the Kilkenny team during the twenties and the thirties was Lorenzo Ignatius Meagher, better known as Lory, who was born in Tullaroan in 1899. The name Lorenzo had been in the family for generations. Lory's father, Henry Joseph Meagher, was believed to have been at Thurles when the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded on November 1, 1884.
In private Lory Meagher was a shy and retiring man. He spent his whole life working as a farmer and never married. He was known for many years as the most eligible bachelor in Kilkenny. He avoided the limelight and was always wary of journalists. Fame was not for him.
There is a great picture of him talking to Kilkenny goalkeeper, Jimmy Walsh, at the 1945 Leinster final against Dublin. He stands beside the goalpost, wearing a cap and a crumpled 'Columbo' overcoat with his hands in the pockets and a recently lit cigarette in his mouth. He is completely nondescript.
Meagher played his club hurling with the famous Tullaroan club in Kilkenny and enjoyed much success. He county titles in 1924, 1925, 1930, 1933 and 1934.
He made his county senior debut in 1924 and went on to win eight Leinster championships in 1925, 1926, 1931, 1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937. Kilkenny, with Lory on board, also won the 1929 final against Dublin but both teams were disqualified for being late on to the field. Having lost two All-Irelands in 1926 and 1931, Lory won three in 1932, 1933 and 1935, before losing two more in 1936 and 1937. He also won a National League title in 1933. He won two Railway Cup medals, the first in 1927, the inaugural year of the competition, and a second in 1933.
Following his death Lory Meagher came to be regarded as perhaps one of the greatest hurlers of all-time. He was personally honoured by being posthumously named on the Hurling Team of the Century in 1984. His reputation was cemented in 2000 when he was also named on the Hurling Team of the Millennium In 2008 the GAA further honoured Meagher by naming the Lory Meagher Cup, the hurling competition for Division 4 teams, in his honour. Meagher's house is preserved as Bród Tullaroan in Tullaroan, County Kilkenny and is open to the public. This is a 17th century, two storey, thatched farmhouse where Meagher lived with his sisters. Adjoining the house there is an exhibition centre and museum dedicated to Kilkenny's many exploits in Gaelic games. Here one can find a wealth of sporting history with a unique collection of trophies and other mementos of the sport including medals and personal awards earned by Meagher and others.
Dinny Barry Murphy (Cork) 1904-1973
One of the outstanding hurlers on the Cork team at this time was Dinny Barry Murphy, who was born in Cloughduf in 1904 and initially played junior hurling with them and won an All-Ireland junior title with Cork in 1925. He played senior with Blackrock in 1927 and won a county title. The following year Cloughduf and Bride Rovers combined to form Eire Óg and won the county championship. Murphy played with Eire Óg until 1932 when he transferred to St. Finbarr's and played with them until 1936. He resumed with Cloughduf in 1937 and won county junior and intermediate title in successive years, 1940 and 1941. He played senior hurling once again in the 1942 championship, his last playing season.
Lightly built, Dinny Barry Murphy played at right wing-back and was regarded as one of the greatest hurlers of all time. A piece of doggerel from the period captures something of the man:
Dinny Barry Murphy, boy,
Great hurler, boy!
Hed'd take the ball out of your eye, boy,
And he wouldn't hurt a fly, boy!
He played senior hurling for Cork from 1926 to 1935, during which time he won four All-Ireland titles, 1926, 1928, 1929 (as captain), 1931. He won National League titles in 1926 and 1930. Playing in the inaugural Railway Cup provincial championship in 1927 was the first of eight successive appearance he made for Munster, winning five, 1928, 1929 1930 (as captain), 1931, 1934. He was a sub on the successful 1935 team and won his sixth medal. He represented Ireland in the 1932 Tailteann Games.
Timmy Ryan (Limerick) 1910-
Born in 1910, Timmy Ryan first came to notice in 1929 when he won a county junior title with Ahane in 1929. Graduating to senior ranks he was on the Ahane senior side that won its first county title in 1931, went on to win seven in a row between 1933 and 1939, and seven more in a row between 1942 and 1948.
He first came to prominence with Limerick in 1930 and won the first of five Munster titles in 1933. The others were to follow in 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1940. His first All-Ireland was won as captain in 1934, the Jubilee Year of the Association, and two others followed in 1936 and 1940.
His big regret was losing the 1935 final to Kilkenny. With time running out and Kilkenny leading by a points, Limerick were awarded a free and the referee, Dr. Tommy Daly, informed Timmy, who was captain, that it was the last puck of the ball. Timmy, who used to share the free-taking with Mick Mackey, decided to take it but as he was about to do it, Mackey pushed him aside and said he would take it. He failed to rise the ball, the final whistle was blown and Limerick were defeated. Ryan believed he would have got the point and that Limerick would have beaten Kilkenny in the replay. The memory of the defeat rankled years later.
Timmy Ryan was also a member of five successive National League winning teams in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 1937. He also won five Railway Cup medals with Munster in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939. He won an Oireachtas medal in 1939, the inaugural year of the tournament. He won eight Thomond Shield medals in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1944, 1945, (Limerick also won in 1947 but it doesn't appear that Ryan was on the team.)
Timmy Ryan nickname was 'Timmy Good-Boy' and it reflected the warmth, friendliness and gentlemanliness of the person. He loved the game and held the Limerick record, 45, for the number of senior championship appearance, until it was superseded by Mark Foley in 2009. One commentator paid this tribute to him: Timmy was one of the greatest midfielders the game has known, He was a master of the delightful art of overhead striking and in this facet of the game he was without peer. He was known to have doubled on puck-outs and sent the sliotar over the bar. He was a master of every stroke, He played the sliotar first time as it came to him – overhead, shoulder high, or on the ground. He always felt that too much lifting and handling the ball took away from hurling as a spectacle.'
Timmy spent his entire career in the midfield position and turned in consistently brilliant performances. He was also one of the most sporting players on the field.
Mick Mackey (1912-1972) Limerick
Mick Mackey, who was born in Castleconnell in 1912, was a colossus among hurlers and vies with Christy Ring and, perhaps, Henry Shefflin, for the title of greatest hurler of all time. He starred during the golden age of Limerick hurling in the thirties and his personal greatness made a major contribution to the golden age.
He played his hurling with Ahane and the club became famous all over Ireland for its exploits. During his playing years with the club, 1930 to 1948, he won fifteen county Limerick championships in hurling and five in football, and won many tournaments as well.
There was a great concentration of talent in Limerick at the time and it came to fruition in 1932. Mackey was the star of this team of all the talents. His status as one of the all-time greats is unquestionable. In a senior inter-county career that lasted for seventeen years he was the pivotal player around whom success was achieved. He is regarded as the player who perfected the solo run and was reputed to carry the ball in his hand when he had his back to the referee!
During this period he won three All-Irelands in 1934, 1936 and 1940, five Munster titles in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 and 1940. He was also a member of five successive National League winning teams in 1933, 1934, 1935, 1936 1937. He won eight Railway Cup medals with Munster in 1934, 1935, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1943, 1945. He won an Oireachtas medal in 1939, the inaugural year of the tournament. He won eight Thomond Shield medals in 1932, 1933, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1940, 1944, 1945, (Limerick also won in 1947 but it doesn't appear that Mackey was on the team.) Other achievements include an All-Army championship in 1943, two Limerick junior hurling and one Limerick minor hurling championships, and a Clare minor hurling championship.
Mackey was also part of the Limerick team's 31 game unbeaten run between October 1933 and August 1935. This sequence of victories included 8 championship, 13 National League and 8 tournament games, He was selected at centre-forward on the Team of the Century in 1984 and the Team of the Millennium in 2000.
P. D. Mehigan (Carbery) had this to say about Mick Mackey, when he picked him on his 'The Best Men of My Time': 'And the 40 yards mark on my hurling team, surely and without question, belongs to that 'Playboy of the Southern World, - Munster's pride and Limerick's glory – the one and only Mick Mackey! For a combination of skill and power, of brains and brawn, the Castleconnell man, son of the great 'Tyler' Mackey, brought joy and thrills galore to thousands.'
A monument was unveiled to Mackey in his native Castleconnell in May 2013. Before that the Mackey Stand in the revamped Gaelic Grounds was named after him. Fittingly, as no player went past him easily during his hurling days, there is a roundabout carrying his name in the city.
Harry Gray( Laois & Dublin) 1915-1978
Harry Gray was born in Rathdowney, Co. Laois in 1915, the year Laois won their only senior hurling All-Ireland. He played hurling with Rathdowney and, later, Faughs, His best position was centre-forward. He played with Laois between 1934-1937 before moving to Dublin, with whom he played until 1947, when he returned to play with Laois for the last two years of his playing career, With Dublin he won one All-Ireland in 1938, one National League title in 1939 and four Leinster medals in 1938, 1941, 1942 & 1944. He won a fifth Leinster title with Laois in 1949. He played Railway Cup hurling with Leinster in 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942 and 1943, winning in 1941.
Tommy Doyle (Tipperary) 1915-1988
Tommy Doyle of Thurles Sarsfields was one of the greatest hurlers to play with Tipperary. He enjoyed much success with his club, winning county titles in1935, 1936, 1938, 1939, 1942, 1944, 1945, 1946 and he captained Thurles to his ninth success in 1952.
His first outing with the county was as a minor in 1933, when he won his first All-Ireland medal. He soon graduated to the senior team and won his first Munster and All-Ireland medals in 1937 at Killarney. He picked up a second Munster medal in 1941 in a delayed final. A third Munster and a second All-Ireland followed in 1945.
Four years later in 1949 Doyle was 34 years-old and was contemplating giving up inter-county hurling. On his way home from posting a letter to the county board announcing his retirement Doyle bumped into selector John Joe Callanan, who told Doyle that the regular corner-back was ill, and asked him if he would take his place and mark the great Christy Ring. Doyle agreed and he produced perhaps the greatest display of marking in the history of the game, holding the legendary Ring scoreless through 150 minutes of championship hurling. Tipp defeated Cork and Doyle went on to win a fourth Munster medal. The Munster champions later played Laois and won his third All-Ireland medal.
In 1950 he added a National League medal to his collection. He later won a fifth Munster title and subsequently played in another All-Ireland final. That day Tipp continued their hoodoo over Kilkenny and Doyle won his fourth All-Ireland medal. In 1951 Tipp continued their provincial dominance and Doyle added a sixth and final provincial medal to his ever-growing collection. The men from the Premier County later went on to defeat Wexford in a thrilling championship decider, giving Doyle his fifth and final All-Ireland medal. He won a second National League medal in 1952 and subsequently retired from inter-county hurling. He also won Railway Cup medals with Munster in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1945, 1946, 1948 and 1950.
Nicknamed the Rubber Man, Tommy Doyle played at left wing-back
Paddy Ruschitzko (Laois) 1917 – 2004
Paddy Ruschitzko was born in New York of a Polish father and an Irish mother in 1917. When his father died his mother returned to Ireland and Paddy was reared in Muinebeag, Co. Carlow. Later the family moved to Mountmellick, Co. Laois, where Paddy learned his hurling skills. He later emigrated to England but returned to work at the Irish Worsted Mills in Portlaoise, where he ended up as manager and remained until the firm's closure in 1973. He played hurling with Clonad where the highlight of his achievement was three-in-a-row county senior hurling championship 1946-48. At intercounty level he was on the Laois minor hurling team beaten in by Tipperary in the 1934 All-Ireland final. In 1949 he captained the Laois senior side that caused a surprise when they defeated a powerful Kilkenny side in the Leinster final. Laois defeated Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final but lost the final to Tipperary by 3-11 to 0-3. Paddy played at left wing-back and he is the last Laois player to captain a Leinster title team.
Jack Lynch (Cork) 1917-1999
Jack Lynch was one of the great dual players, achieving impressive records in hurling and football.
He played his first hurling with his local club, Glen Rovers, in the Blackpool area of Cork city. He enjoyed early success, winning back to back minor hurling titles in 1933, and 1934 as captain. In the same year he won his first senior county title and it was the first of eight county titles in a row. He lost out on two finals in 1944 and 1945, when he played with Civil Service in Dublin. He finished off his club hurling career by winning a further three county medals in succession in 1948, 1949 and 1950.
At the same time he played Gaelic football with his local club, St. Nicholas, winning two county titles with them in 1938 and 1941.
By the late 1930s Lynch was a dual player with the Cork senior hurling and football teams. In 1939 he became the only player in history to captain both the inter-county hurling and football teams in the same year. That year he won the first of his six Munster hurling titles. The other five were won in 1942, 1943, 1944, 1946 and 1947.
He played in his first All-Ireland in 1939 when Cork lost to Kilkenny, He went on to win five titles in 1941, 1942, when he captained the team, 1943, 1944 and 1947. He also lost the 1946 final.
He won National League hurling titles in 1940, 1941 and 1948.
In football he won two Munster finals in 1943 and 1946. He went on to win a football All-Ireland in 1946, defeating Cavan in the final.
He won seven Railway Cup hurling medals in 1938, 1939, 1940, 1942, 1943, 1944 and 1949. In the 1944 Railway Cup semi-finals, played at Croke Park on February 20, Lynch played in three games on the day. In that year he played his club hurling with Civil Service and turned out with them in the morning, scoring 1-1. He then travelled to Croke Park and lined out with Munster against Ulster in football, scoring 0-2. Afterwards he lined out with the Munster hurlers against Ulster and scored 0-1. He missed out on a Railway Cup football medal with Munster in 1946 because he was under suspension for having attended a rugby match, the final Irish trial at the Mardyke, between the Probables and the Rest. Playing on the Rest team that day was his brother-in-law, John Harvey of U.C.C.
Jack Lynch played inter-county hurling from 1936-1950. He came to be regarded as one of the all-time greats of Gaelic games. His contribution to the game of hurling was first recognised when he was named as the "Hurling Captain of the Forties". In 1981 he won an All-Time All-Star award. In the centenary year of the G.A.A. in 1984 Lynch was named at centrefield on the "Hurling Team of the Century". At the special centenary All-Ireland final at Semple Stadium, he received one of the loudest cheers and rounds of applause when all the former All-Ireland winning hurling captains were introduced to the crowd. Shortly after his death in 1999 Lynch's reputation as one of the true greats of the game was further cemented when he was named on the "Hurling Team of the Millennium".
Jim Langton (Kilkenny) 1918-1974
Kilkenny lost a great hurler with the retirement of Lory Meagher after the 1937 All-Ireland defeat at Killarney, but they gained an outstanding replacement in Jim Langton, who made his debut with the county a year later.
Born in Laviston in 1918, he was a farmer by occupation and he played with Eire Óg, winning four county titles with the club in 1939, 1944, 1945 and 1947.
He made his first appearance with the county in 1938 in the replay of the Leinster final, when the selectors retained only six of the team beaten so badly in the previous year's All-Ireland. He wasn't on the original panel but he was so impressive in the preceding junior game against Laois he was added to the substitutes and played well when introduced near the end. Kilkenny lost the game. Langton won the first of his two All-Irelands in 1939. Kilkenny had a tough passage against Dublin in the Leinster final and won easily against Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. The so-called 'Thunder and Lightning' final against Cork is regarded as one of the greatest finals ever played, which Kilkenny won by 2-7 to 3-3, with Langton scoring three points.
There was a long break to his second All-Ireland success in 1947. Kilkenny lost to Limerick in the 1940 All-Ireland, when Langton was captain, couldn't compete because of Foot and Mouth in 1941, lost to Dublin in Leinster in 1942, and sensationally to Antrim in the 1943 All-Ireland semi-final, to Wexford in Leinster in 1944, to Tipperary in the 1945 All-Ireland and to Cork in the 1946 final
When Kilkenny beat Cork in the 1947 final Jim Langton was unable to play because of injury. Kilkenny were beaten by Laois in 1948 and 1949 but qualified for the All-Ireland in 1950 before going down to Tipperary. Laois put paid to Kilkenny's chances in 1951, as did Wexford in 1952. They lost to Galway in the 1953 All-Ireland semi-final and were annihilated by Wexford, 5-11 to 0-7 in Leinster in 1954.
This was Jim Langton's forty-third and last championship appearance for Kilkenny during which he scored 15 goals and 146 points. His seventeen years of service as well as his outstanding hurling ability, probably deserved a greater reward but he was unfortunate that his illustrious career coincided with a low period in Kilkenny's hurling fortunes.
As well as his two All-Irelands his record includes eight Leinster titles, in 1939, 1940 1943, 1945, 1946, 1947, 1950 and 1953. He won Railway Cup medals in 1941 and 1954. His favourite position was wing-forward and was regarded as one of the greatest stylists in the game.
Regarded as one of the greatest players of all-time, Langton was the recipient of the GAA All-Time All-Star Award in 1984 while he was also included on both the G.A.A. Hurling Team of the Century and the G.A.A. Hurling Team of the Millennium.
Christy Ring (Cork) 1920-1979
Regarded as the greatest hurler of all time, Nicholas, Christopher, Michael Ring, better known as Christy, was born in Cloyne in 1920. A colossus among hurling greats, he possessed everything from talent and ferocious application to longevity and a string of records. Obsessive about the game, he worked relentlessly to sustain a formidable array of techniques, complemented by great vision and anticipation.
He started hurling in the street leagues in Cloyne, progressed to a county minor championship with St. Enda's of Midleton, won a county junior with Cloyne before finding his true home with Glen Rovers in 1941. He finished his club career with them in 1967, having won thirteen senior hurling championships in 1941, 1944, 1945, 1948, 1949, 1950, 1953, 1954, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1962, 1964. In the last year he also added a Munster Club medal.
His inter-county career began in 1938 with an All-Ireland minor medal and he progressed to senior ranks in late 1939, going on to win a National League medal in1940, followed by three other successes in 1941, 1947 and 1953.
The first of his eight All-Irelands was won in 1941 and others followed in 1942, 1943 and 1944 to achieve a unique four-in-a-row. After winning a fifth in 1946, a three-in-a-row was won in 1952, 1953 and 1954. Unfortunately for Ring he was unable to add another All-Ireland during the last ten years of his playing career. The nearest he got to another All-Ireland was as a selector for the Cork team during their three-in-a-row success in 1966, 1967, 1968. Ring's last visit to Croke Park was on the day of the 1978 All-Ireland. He was picked on the Team of the Century in 1984 and the Team of the Millennium in 2000.
In all Christy Ring made 64 championship appearances, which was a record until beaten by Brendan Cummins of Tipperary. His last championship appearance was against Waterford in the 1962 Munster championship. He was a non-playing substitute for the two games played by Cork in the 1963 championship and he was dropped from the panel in 1964, even though he was still willing to play.
Another aspect of Ring's greatness can be seen in his success in the Railway Cup competition. He played for Munster from 1941-1963, winning eighteen medals during that period. The only years he failed to win a medal were 1941, 1947, 1954, 1956, 1962. He gave some outstanding displays during these years, scoring 4-5 of Munster's total of 7.11 in the 1959 final, which coincided with the opening of the new Hogan Stand at Croke Park.
Christy Ring started our as goalkeeper, played for some time as a back and eventually found his true place in the forwards, where he was versatile enough to play in any position. He was the top scorer in the 1959-60 and 1960-61 National Leagues. He won the Caltex Hurler of the Year award in 1959.
Christy Ring died on March 2, 1979. An estimated 60,000 people lined the streets of Cork for his funeral. His graveside oration was delivered by Taoiseach Jack Lynch, who was a longtime hurling colleague at Glen Rovers and with Cork.
Gael Linn made a film of his hurling life in 1964. There is a life size statue of Ring in front of the G.A.A. pitch in Cloyne. The county's second stadium, Páirc Úi Rinn is named after him. There's the Christy Ring Bridge over the Lee. In 2005 the G.A.A. inaugurated a hurling competition, the Christy Ring Cup, in his honour. In 2006 a life size statue of him was unveiled at Cork Airport, ideally placed to welcome home locals and baffle tourists.
Jimmy Kennedy (Tipperary) 1926-2007
Jimmy Kennedy was born in Kildangan in 1926. After local national school he went to St. Flannan's College, Ennis, where he won Harty Cup and All-Ireland Colleges medals as well as an inter-provincial title with Munster Colleges. He attended University College, Dublin. As an Agriculture Science graduate he started work with Minch Norton Maltings and later Guinness Maltings. In 1971 he and his family purchased J. K. Moloney drapery business in Thurles and he continued there until his retirement to Puckane.
His first hurling medal was a North junior hurling championship with Kildangan in 1944. While at UCD he won a Fizgibbon Cup medal in 1948 and two Dublin county finals in 1947 and 1948. His prowess with U.C.D. soon brought him to the attention of the Dublin county selectors and he made his debut against Antrim in the winter of 1946. The following year he played with Dublin when the county was defeated by Kilkenny in the Leinster final. He won a Leinster medal in 1948 but lost out to Waterford in the All-Ireland. In the following spring he was captain of the Leinster side in the Railway Cup and this brought him to the attention of the Tipperary selectors.
After a lot of persuasion he threw in his lot with Tipperary for the 1949 championship and during three years amassed an impressive array of achievements. He won three Munster finals and three All-Irelands in 1949, 1950 and 1951, one National League title in 1950, plus a trip to New York, one Railway Cup medal in 1950, one Oireachtas medal in 1949, one Thomond Shield medal in 1951 and three Monaghan Cup medals in 1949, 1950 and 1951.
Jimmy Kennedy was one of the most skillful of forwards. He scored 6 goals and 37 points in the six games of the 1949 championship, 4 goals and 23 points in the five games of the 1950 championship. He was described as the' hurling aristocrat with the immaculate style', who moved with speed and grace.
His form declined during the 1951 championship and he didn't play in the All-Ireland against Wexford. When the twenty-one All-Ireland medals were distributed among the twenty-two on the panel, Jimmy was excluded in spite of the fact that he had played two championship games while five of the subs had played none! Jimmy was understandably upset and retired from the panel. He was twenty-five years of age.
Ned Power (Wateford) 1929–2007
There is an iconic photograph of Waterford goalkeeper, Ned Power, making a dramatic catch against Christy Ring of Cork in the 1959 Munster championship game. He was a goalkeeper who guarded the net with distinction and class for the county from 1957 to 1966, winning three Munster medals in 1957, 1959 and 1963 and an All-Ireland in 1959. He won a National League medal in 1963, a Railway Cup medal in 1966 and an Oireachtas medal in 1962.
In his early years he played with Dungarvan. Later with Tallow he won a county intermediate medal and was on the senior side beaten in the 1976 county final. He served as selector on county minor, U21 and senior teams and received the Waterford "Hall of Fame" award in 2001.
In retirement from hurling Power maintained a keen interest in coaching. A teacher by profession in Scoil Mhuire in Tallow, his coaching methods with Tallow GAA saw the club win almost every available county title between 1966 and 1980.
Ned Power died on November 15, 2007 after a long illness. His son, journalist Conor Power, has written a biography of his father.
John Doyle (Tipperary) 1930-2010
John Doyle, who was born in Holycross in 1930, stood out as a colossus on the hurling field during a playing period of nineteen years. A versatile back man, he played in both the halfback and the full line during his career. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the game and is one of only a handful of players to have won All-Irelands in three decades. He won 8 All-Ireland medals on the field of play and was the second hurler after Christy Ring to achieve that honour.
He first played hurling with Holycross-Ballycahill and his successes with them included three senior county finals, in 1948, 1951 and 1954. He played with the club from 1947 to 1968.
His first appearance with the county was in the minor championship of 1947 and he won his first All-Ireland medal. He came on to the senior side in the replay of the first round of the 1949 Munster championship and never failed to turn out in a championship game between then and the All-Ireland of 1967. Neither did he ever go off injured. He won 8 senior All-Irelands in 1949, 1950, 1951, 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964 and 1965. National League titles were won in 1949, 1950, 1952, 1954, 1955, 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965. He won Railway Cup medals in 1952, 1953, 1955, 1960 and 1963. Oireachtas medals were won in 1949, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 and 1965. He was picked on the Team of the Century in 1984 and the Team of the Millennium in 2000
Possessed of a strong physique and a long stride, Doyle was famed for his dependable close defensive play, marked by his ability to execute long clearances from very tight entanglements in his corner-back position. Individually, his mastery of the shoulder-to-shoulder charge, allied to an above average number of deliveries out of defence marked him apart. Collectively, with fellow inner-defenders, Michael Maher (Holycross-Ballycahill) and Kieran Carey (Roscrea), he completed a very formidable trio as Tipperary's last line of defence for a ten-year period from the late 1950s. Their marshalling of territory in front of goal was famously known as "Hell's Kitchen" because of the often tempestuous nature of the exchanges which greeted the dropping ball arriving from mid-field.
Liam Devaney (Tipperary) born 1935
Liam Devaney was born in Borrisileigh in 1935 and started off his inter-county career with two Munster and All-Ireland minor titles in 1952 and 1953. He made his debut with the Tipperary senior team in the 1954-55 National League, and won his first league medal when Tipperary defeated Wexford in the final. Two years later he added a second medal. He won further medals in 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964 and 1965, bringing his total to seven.
Championship success eluded him until 1958, when he won the first of five All-Ireland championships. The others were in 1961, when he was instrumental in ensuring Tipperary's victory against Dublin, 1962, 1964 and 1965. He was on the losing side in 1960, 1967 and 1968 and retired after the last defeat. He won eight Munster medals during these years, 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967 and 1968.
Liam Devaney was the most versatile of players and is reputed to have played for Tipperary in every position on the field except full-back. As mentioned above he moved to centreback in the 1961 All-Ireland when Tony Wall retired injured and he excelled in the position. He was most at home in the forwards and outstanding on the wing, where he had the facility to score long range points. He was able to strike the ball well on either side.
His star quality was recognised in 1961 when he was presented the Texaco Hurler of the Year award. His other achievements include three Railway Cup medals in 1961, 1963 1nd 1966, and six Oireachtas medals in 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1968.
He was on the Borrisoleigh team that won divisional and county senior finals in 1953. He won three other divisional medals, in 1955, 1972 and 1973. In spite of many temptations to transfer to Thurles Sarsfields following his move to live in the town, he remained faithful to Borrisoleigh and finished out his hurling days with them in the mid-seventies.
Jimmy Doyle (Tipperary) born 1939
Regarded as one of the great stylist in the game of hurling, Jimmy Doyle was born in Thurles in 1939 in the shadow of Semple Stadium. Not a big man he excelled at a time when hurling was a much more physical game and survival depended on your ability to avoid your opponents if you couldn't mix it with them. His ball control was superb and regardless of the speed at which the sliotar arrived to his hurley, he was capable of killing it dead. His delicacy of touch and ability to curve a ball, set him apart from other forwards. A versatile player he could play in the half- or full-forward line. He was named in the right corner position in the Hurling Team of the Century and left corner-forward in the Hurling Team of the Millennium.
While in secondary school he won a Harty Cup medal with Thurles CBS in 1956. Already he had come to the notice of the county selectors and was picked as goalkeeper on the Tipperary minor team, beaten in the 1954 All-Ireland. He played a further three years as a minor and won three All-Ireland medals.
He made his debut with the county seniors in 1957 and played with them until 1973, winning six All-Ireland medals in 1958, 1961, 1962 (as captain), 1964, 1965 (as captain) and 1971. During the same period he lost three finals, in 1960, 1967 and 1968. In all, therefore, he played in thirteen All-Irelands, winning nine. He won seven National League titles in 1957, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965 (as captain), and 1968. He also lost three finals in 1963, 1966 and 1971. Doyle retired after the 1973 championship. He had started his career in 1954 as a goalkeeper for the minors and he finished his intercounty hurling as a goalkeeper for the seniors, in the absence of Tipperary's regular goalkeeper, Tadhg Murphy.
His tally of 18 goals and 176 points from 39 senior championship games sets him up as one of the top ten scorers of all-time. He was Tipperary's top scorer until 2007, when his record was surpassed by Eoin Kelly. He won the Texaco Hurler of the Year award in 1965.
He won Railway Cup medals with Munster in 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1966, 1969 and 1970. He captained the side in 1963 and 1966. He was on the losing side in the 1962, 1964 and 1965 finals.
Jimmy Doyle played senior club hurling with Thurles Sarsfields between 1956 and 1975. His achievements at this level are equally impressive. He won county senior titles in 1956, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1961, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965 and 1975. He was on the losing side in the 1960, 1968 and 1970 finals. He won a county senior football medal with Thurles Crokes in 1961. Earlier in his career, he won four county minor hurling medals in 1954, 1955, 1956 and 1957.
After his retirement Jimmy Doyle spent a couple of years managing the Laois senior hurling team.
Eddie Keher (Kilkenny) born 1941
Eddie Keher was born in Inistioge and is widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game. His club wasn't very successful but it came from nowhere to win a county title in 1968, to which Keher contributed significantly and the victory ensured that he was captain of the Kilkenny team that won the All-Ireland in 1969.
His natural talent was early recognised when he went to St. Kieran's College and he was a member of the county minor team for four years, winning four Leinster titles but no All-Ireland.
On his last year as a minor in 1959 he progressed to the senior team when he was drafted in for the replay of the senior All-Ireland. Over the next eighteen years he played fifty championship games and established himself as the most prolific scorer in the game. His tally of 36 goals and 307 points stood as the record until it was surpassed by Henry Shefflin. His tally of 2 goals 11 points in the All-Ireland final of 1972 was the record individual score for a final until surpassed by Nicky English's 2-12 in the 1989 final.
Eddie Kehir's achievements include six All-Irelands, 1963, 1967, 1969, 1972, 1974 and 1975, ten Leinster finals in 1963, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1975. He won National League titles in 1962, 1966 and 1976. Oireachtas meals were won in 1959, 1966, 1967 and 1969.
Keher was a regular member of the Leinster Railway Cup team, making his first appearance in 1961 and winning his first medal in 1964. Others followed in 1967, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977, a total of nine medals, which is a record for a Leinster player.
Keher's outstanding talent was recognised when he was selected for the Texaco Hurler of the Year award in 1972. He won five consecutive All-Star awards between 1971-75. He was named for the left corner-forward position on the Hurling Team of the Century in 1984, and on the right corner-forward position on the Hurling Team of the Millennium.
Following his retirement from playing in 1977 Keher and Pat Henderson managed the Kilkenny senior team in 1979 and won an All-Ireland. Keher took over the team again in 1987 but without success.
Eamonn Cregan (Limerick) born 1945.
Eamonn Cregan's county career with Limerick spanned the period 1964-83. He had already won a Munster minor medal with his county in 1963 before graduating to senior ranks. Noted for his skill level, ball control, and scoring ability, he had great mental strength and was an outstanding forward, winning three All-Star Awards in the full-forward line, 1971, 1972 and 1980. He was also a distinguished centre-back as was revealed in the 1973 All-Ireland, when he was moved back to manage Kilkenny's, Pat Delaney. He was a dual player, equally adept at football, which he played at club and county level. He gave it up in 1971 to concentrate on hurling
His achievements include one all-Ireland senior hurling medal in 1973, four Munster senior hurling medals in 1973, 1974, 1080 and 1981. He won a National League title in 1971and an Oireachtas medal as well. While at school in Limerick CBS he won a Harty Cup medal. At the interprovincial level he won 4 Railway Cup medals with Munster in 1973, 1974, 1980 and 1981
With his club, Claughaun, he won three county senior hurling medals in 1968, 1971 and 1986 and four county senior football medals in 1967, 1969, 1970 and 1971.
Following his retirement he went into management and managed Clare, Limerick and Offaly. His most successful stint was with Offaly, taking them to two Leinster titles in 1994 and 1995, plus an All-Ireland in the former year, when Offaly's opponents in the final were his native Limerick.
Noel Skehan (Kilkenny) born 1945
Noel Skehan, who was born in 1945, played with the Bennetsbridge club, with whom he won six senior titles in 1960, 1962, 1964, 1966, 1967 and 1971.
He was a talented younger player and was a member of the county minor team in 1962, when he won Leinster and All-Ireland medals. In 1963 he was drafted into the senior ranks as understudy to his cousin, Ollie Walsh. Over the next nine seasons Skehan was a substitute on the senior side, making the occasional appearance and winning six Leinster and three All-Ireland titles. The latter were won in 1963, 1967 and 1969. Three Leinster titles were also won in 1964, 1966 and 1971.
In 1972 Skehan succeeded Walsh as goalkeeper and was to remain in charge until 1985. He won six All-Irelands and eight Leinster titles. His first in 1972 was spectactular when Kilkenny came back from the dead to beat Cork and Skehan was captain of the team. He also won Man of the Match and an All-Star award later.
In 1973 he won his second Leinster only to lose the All-Ireland and other Leinster titles followed in 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1982 and 1983. As well as 1972, All-Irelands were won in 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982 and 1983. Four National League titles were won in 1966, 1976, 1982 and 1983. He won four Railway Cup medals in 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1979, out of eight final appearances. Oireachtas medals were won in 1966, 1967, 1969 and 1984.
His high standing as a goalkeeper was recognised in 1982 when he was given the Texaco Hurler of the Year award, only the second time for a goalkeeper to win this prestigious award. His standing is further reflected in his impressive tally of seven All-Star awards, five-in-a-row in 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1976, and two-in-a-row in 1983 and 1983
Skehan has also served as a selector with the Kilkenny senior hurlers under Brian Cody. During his tenure as a selector in the early 2000s, Kilkenny captured back-to-back All-Ireland titles in 2002 and 2003. Those two years also saw Skehan guide the Leinster provincial team to back-to-back Railway Cup titles.
Tony Doran (Wexford) born 1946
Tony Doran was born in Boolavogue in 1946. He joined the famous Buffer's Alley club and played with them for over thirty years, winning twelve senior titles with them in 1968, 1970, 1975, 1976, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1992. Leinster titles were won in 1986, 1989 and 1993, with an All-Ireland also won in 1989.
At underage with the county Doran won a minor All-Ireland in 1963 and an under-21 medal in 1965.
He made his debut with the seniors in 1966 and won a National League title in 1967. In the same year he won his first Leinster and All-Ireland titles, scoring two goals in the latter match. A second Leinster title was won in 1970 but he had to wait until 1976 and 1977 for two further titles. Unfortunately there were defeats in the subsequent All-Irelands. He had no more success and retired after defeat by Offaly in the 1984 championship.
He won seven Railway Cup medals, five in a row with a great Leinster team between 1971 and 1975, and two further ones in 1977 and 1979. He won the Texaco Hurler of the Year award for his outstanding displays during the 1976 championship. In the same year he won an All-Star award.
Full-forward was his favourite position and poaching goals was his delight. His forte was reaching high for the ball, putting the head down and heading for goal, with the result usually a goal or a free. In forty championship appearances he scored 41 goals and 57 points.
Eamonn Grimes (Limerick) born 1947
Eamonn Grimes first revealed his hurling brilliance while a student at Limerick C.B.S., winning three Harty Cup medals in 1964, 1965 and 1966, and adding two All-Ireland Colleges medals in 1964 and 1966.
Grimes first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Limerick minor hurling team in 1963. In that year he won the first of two Munster minor medals – the second was in 1965 – but lost the two All-Irelands to Wexford and Dublin respectively. He had no success with Limerick at under-21 level
He joined the Limerick senior team in 1966, playing his first game against Tipperary in the Munster championship on the day before he sat for his Leaving Certificate, and was a regular member of the side, usually playing at centrefield or wing-forward, until his retirement after the 1981 championship. During this time he won an All-Ireland medal in 1973, when he captained the team, and four Munster medals in 1973, 1974, 1980 and 1981. He also won a National League and an Oireachtas title in 1971. He won the first of two All-Star awards in 1973, when he was also named Texaco Hurler of the Year, and he won his second in 1975. Both awards were at wing-forward. He won two Railway Cup meals in 1976 and 1978
He played his club hurling with South Liberties, where he was joined by four brothers, Lar, John, Mikey and Joe. He won the first of four championship medals in 1972, the others coming in 1976, 1978 and 1981. Grimes retired from club hurling in 1986.
Frank Cummins (Kilkenny) born 1947
Frank Cummins, who was born at Knocktopher in 1947 and played hurling with his local club and Blackrock of Cork, is widely regarded as one of Kilkenny's greatest players. He was a member of the county senior hurling team from 1968 to 1984, playing in the challenging position of centrefield, where he won all his seven All-Ireland titles on the field of play and an eighth as a substitute in 1967. One measure of his greatness was his achievement in 1983 when, at thirty-six years of age, he was awarded the Texaco Hurler of the Year award.
Following secondary school in Belcamp College, where he played hurling and football and won a Leinster medal in the latter sport, he played junior hurling with Knocktopher, the forerunner of the famous Ballyhale Shamrocks club, Cummins joined Blackrock of Cork with whom he had a very successful career, winning six county titles in 1971, 1973, 1975, 1978, 1979 and 1985, five Munster Club titles (excluding 1985) and three All-Ireland club titles in 1971, 1973 and 1978.
At intercounty level he had no success at minor level and won a Leinster title at under-21 level. He joined the Kilkenny senior team for an Oireachtas game in 1966, was a non-playing substitute when Kilkenny won the All-Ireland in 1967 and found a regular place on the team in 1968. He won All-Ireland medals in 1967 (as substitute), 1969, 1972, 1974, 1975, 1979, 1982 and 1983. As well as these years he also won Leinster titles in 1971, 1973 & 1978. National League medals were won in 1976, 1982 and 1983.
Other achievements include six Railway Cup medals in 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975 and 1977, Oireachtas medals in 1969 and 1984 and All-Star Awards in 1971, 1972, 1982 and 1983.
John Connolly (Galway) born 1948
John Connolly was born in Connemara in 1948. While still young his family moved into Galway city and he played hurling with Castlegar. He was also adept at football and boxing. Also playing with his local club were his brothers, Padraic, Joe, Gerry, Michael, Tom and Murth. John won county senior titles with the club in 1967, 1969, 1972, when the club added Connacht, 1973, when the Connacht title was also won, 1979, when the club won Connaght and All-Ireland titles, and 1985.
Connolly made his debut with the county at underage level but without success and this continued at minor and under-21 level. Called up to senior level Galway were in the doldrums after eleven years in the Munster championship. His first success came in 1975 when he captained Galway to their first National League success since 1951 and won a place in the All-Ireland final, after shocking Cork in the semi-final, although losing to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland .
In 1979 Galway qualified for the All-Ireland again, having shocked Cork once again in the semi-final, but they went down badly in the final against Kilkenny. However, Connolly received his second All-Star award – his first had been awarded in 1971, the inaugural year of the award.
The high point of John Connolly's hurling career was in 1980 when Galway defeated Limerick in the All-Ireland and take their first title since 1923. They qualified for their third final in a row in 1981 before going down to Offaly, who were winning their first, in the All-Ireland. Connolly continued to play until 1984, when he retired. He won a Railway Cup medal in 1980, when Connacht defeated Munster.
John Horgan (Cork) born 1950
John Horgan began his club hurling career with Passage West but transferred to Blackrock in 1968. He had a very successful career with the club, winning county finals in 1971, 1973, 1975, 1978 and 1979, plus Munster medals in the same years with the exception of 1979, and All-Ireland medals in 1971, 1973 and 1978, when he was also captain.
Horgan ability was recognised at an early stage and he played on the Cork minor side for three years, winning Munster medals in 1966, 1967 and 1968, plus an All-Ireland in 1967. He was also successful at under-21 level, winning Munster and All-Ireland medals in 1970 and 1971.
He made his senior debut for Cork in the 1969-70 National League, when he won his first medal. He won two further league medals in 1974 and 1981. He won Munster medals in 1970, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978 and 1979, when he was captain. His four All-Irelands were won in 1970, 1976, 1977 and 1978. Railway Cup medals were won in 1976 and 1978, as well as Oireachtas medals in 1973, 1974 and 1975.
John Horgan was a distinctive player on the field of play with his blond locks of hair waving in the wind as he came out of defence to clear the ball. Corner-back was his position and his ability was recognised in his three All-Star awards in the position, 1974, 1977 and 1978, as well as being named Texaco Hurler of the Year in the last year. He retired in 1981, managed Blackrock for a year in 1982, and came back twenty years later to look after Castlelyons, and later Douglas.
Joe McKenna (Limerick) born 1951
Although born in Shinrone, Co. Offaly in 1951, Joe McKenna played his hurling with South Liberties and Limerick. He won his first county senior title with them in 1972. Three more titles were won in 1976, 1978 and 1981. The club also lost Munster Club finals in 1976 and 1981.
Having played minor and under-21 with the county, McKenna joined the senior panel in 1971, though he didn't gain a regular place on the team until after the 1973 Munster final. In that year he won his first All-Ireland, when Limerick defeated Kilkenny, and he won a second Munster title in 1974 before losing the subsequent All-Ireland.
Limerick hurling went into decline after that until 1980, when McKenna won his third Munster final before losing the All-Ireland final to Galway. He won a fourth Munster medal in 1981 only to lose to Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. His final success was a National League medal in 1984 and he retired for intercounty hurling in 1985.
McKenna was a very effective full-forward and his talent was recognised with six All-Star awards in 1974, 1975, 1978, 1979, 1980 and 1981, the last four of which were in the full-forward position.
He also won Railway Cup medals with Munster in 1976, 1981 and 1984.
Ger Loughnane (Clare) born 1953
Ger Loughnane was born in Feakle in 1953. He had some underage success with his club but he had to wait until the end of his hurling days to win a county final. Feakle were beaten in the 1987 final but came good in 1988, their first title since 1944. Earlier in his career, he won an intermediate final with the club in 1973. Loughnane also played with Wolfe Tones na Sionna for a couple of years in the mid-eighties.
While in school at St, Flannan's College he won a Munster Colleges under-15 medal but lost Dean Ryan Cup and Harty Cup finals. He was a member of the Clare minor team beaten in the 1971 Munster final and he was to lose finals also at under-21 level in 1972 and 1974.
He made his senior debut with the county in a National League game in 1972 and it was to be the first of over 100 appearances in the competition. He was a key member of the teams that captured successive league title in 1977 and 1978.
He made his championship debut in 1973 and one of the greatest disappointments of his life was the failure to win a Munster title. Clare came very near to doing so in 1977 and 1978, and Loughnane lost three other finals in 1974, 1981 and 1986. He captained the side at Semple Stadium in 1984 on a day when Tipperary needed a last-minute goal by Liam Maher from the rebound of a Seamus Power penalty to defeat Clare by a point.
As some consolation for these disappointments, Loughnane became the first Clare man to win an All-Star award in 1974 and he won a second award in 1978. His outstanding talent was also recognised when he was picked on the Munster team on six occasions, winning Railway Cup titles in 1976, 1978 and 1981. He retired from inter-county hurling in 1987 after 26 championship appearances.
Ger Loughnane made a greater impact on the public as a manager than as a player. He was in charge of the county from the end of 1994 to 2000. His achievements with Clare were historical, bringing them three Munster titles in 1995, 1997 and 1998, and two All-Ireland titles in 1995 and 1997, It is generally accepted that Clare should have gone the whole way in 1998 also. The 1995 Munster victory was the first for the county since 1932. His physical training sessions broke new ground but the work he did on the minds of the players was even more effective, giving them a belief in themselves which helped them overcome the psychological impact of years of defeat. He revolutionised ideas on team training.
Having retired from the management of Clare, Loughnane took over Galway for two years, 2006-2008, but without much success, getting the county to the 2008 final of the National League.
Jimmy Barry-Murphy (Cork) born 1954
One of the most versatile of sportsman, Jimmy Barry-Murphy played football and soccer (with Cork Celtic) as well as hurling. He played his hurling and football with St. Finbarr's. After an unsuccessful underage period he joined the senior team in 1972 and, in the light of his later profile for sportsmanship, was sent off and got a two-month suspension in his first year.
In 1974 he won county, Munster and All-Ireland club titles with the club. He had another clean sweep in 1977. In 1980 there was another county and Munster but defeat in the All-Ireland. Further county titles were won in 1981, 1982, 1984 and 1988, bringing his county tally to seven.
He had further success with the club in football. He won a county minor championship in 1971, under-21 in 1973 and senior in 1976, 1979 and 1980. In 1979 and 1980 the club progressed to Munster and All-Ireland titles, giving Barry Murphy the distinction of being a dual All-Ireland club medalist.
He was also a dual player at county level. He first came to prominence on the inter-county scene in 1971, winning a Munster minor football medal but losing the All-Ireland. He was also minor in 1972 when Cork went all the way with Munster and All-Ireland titles. He won a Munster under-21 title in 1974. By this stage he had progressed to the senior side and made a major contribution to Cork's Munster and All-Ireland titles in 1973. He added a second Munster title in 1974. He added a National League title in 1980 following which he retired from inter-county football.
His intercounty hurling career commenced with Munster and All-Ireland minor titles in 1971. He won another Munster title in 1972. In 1973 he won Munster and All-Ireland under-21 titles. He won a second Munster title in the grade in 1975.
In the same year he made his senior championship debut and won a Munster medal. He won further Munster titles in 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1982, when he was captain, 1983, 1984 1985 1986. He won five All-Irelands, a three-in-a-row in 1976-78, the centenary final in 1984, and 1986. He won two National League titles in 1980 and 1981. Oireachtas medals were won in 1975 and 1985. He also in a dual winner in Railway Cups, winning four football in 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978, and one hurling title in 1981. He retired from intercounty hurling in 1987.
After a successful period of management of the Cork minor hurling team in 1994 and 1995, Jimmy Barry Murphy was in charge of the Cork senior team from 1995 to 2000, winning the All-Ireland in 1999, two Munster finals and a National League. He resumed management of the team in 2012.
Jimmy Barry Murphy was an outstanding player, a forward in hurling and football, and an enormously popular man. His greatness was recognised when he was awarded All-Star awards in hurling and football. His two hurling awards came in 1976 and 1978 and his football awards were in 1973 and 1974. His popularity was reflected in the reaction to the announcement of his retirement from hurling. On 2 April 1987, the announcement, edged in black, was spread across page one of the national newspapers in a style more familiar to the death of world leaders. The first modern Gaelic games superstar had finally retired.
John Fenton (Cork) born 1955
John Fenton was born in Midleton in 1955 and is regarded as one of the great Cork players. He started playing with the local club at minor level at the age of thirteen as a goalkeeper but he later made his life at midfield. There was little success until the club won the county intermediate title in 1978. Following on from, that he won his first senior title in 1983, the first to be won by the club since 1916. The club progressed to a Munster Club title before losing to Gort in the All-Ireland semi-final. Further titles were won in 1986, 1987 and 1991. In 1987 Fenton won a second Munster title and Midleton went all the way to win the All-Ireland Club championship on St. Patrick's Day 1988 and give him his All-Ireland medal.
Fenton played with the Cork minors without success. He won two Munster under-21 titles in 1975 and 1976 and, having lost the All-Ireland to Kilkenny in 1975, came good against the same opposition in the 1976 final.
He made his senior debut in 1975 and won a Munster medal, before losing in the All-Ireland semi-final. He found it difficult to become a permanent member of the team and missed out on the three All-Irelands won by Cork in 1976, 1977 and 1978. He won a second Munster in1979 but again lost out to Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. He won a third Munster medal in 1982. By 1983 he had become a key member of the team and won his fourth Munster title that year.
He won his fifth Munster medal and his first All-Ireland in 1984 and was captain of the side as a result of Midleton's success. A sixth Munster title was won in 1985. In 1986 he won his seventh Munster and second All-Ireland titles. He retired after defeat in the 1987 Munster final.
His other achievements included two National League medals in 1980 and 1981, three Railway Cups in 1981, 1984, when he was captain, and 1985, and he also captained Cork to the Centenary Cup victory in 1984.
In retrospect it is difficult to understand why it took Fenton so many years to become a permanent member of the Cork team. Once he established himself he was outstanding, winning five successive All-Star awards between 1983-87 and the Texaco Hurler of the Year award in 1984. He was professional in his approach to training and preparation and his goal from forty-five yards out in the 1987 Munster semi-final is listed as one of RTE's Top G.A.A. Moments.
Liam Fennelly (Kilkenny) born 1958
Although born in Piltown in 1958 Liam Fennelly at the age of three years moved with his family to live in Ballyhale and he had a very successful career with that club, which was founded only in 1972 with help from his father. He won his first county medal in 1978 and he added eight more titles during his playing career with the club. These were won in 1979, 1980, 1982, 1983, 1985, 1988, 1989 and 1991. To these nine county successes were added four Leinster titles in 1978, 1980, 1983 and 1989, as well as All-Ireland titles in the last three years. In the All-Ireland final of 1980 Liam Fennelly had six brothers on the team with him.
Fennelly first came to prominence in the county in the mid-seventies, winning a Leinster minor title in 1976. As a substitute on the under-21 side he won Leinster and All-Ireland titles in 1977
He made his debut with the seniors in 1981 and he played thirty-one championship games until his retirement in 1992. He won All-Ireland in 1982, 1983 and 1992, having the distinction of captaining the team on two occasions, in 1983, when he was the last Kilkenny captain to receive the original Liam McCarthy Cup, and 1992, when he became the first captain to receive the new McCarthy Cup. During the same period he won six Leinster titles in 1982, 1983, 1986, 1987, 1991 and 1992. He won National League titles in 1982, 1983, 1986 and 1990.
His standing as a hurling forward is reflected in his four All-Star awards in 1983, 1985, 1987 and 1992, as it is in his selection at full-forward in the Kilkenny Team of 125 Years, which was picked in 2010.
Conor Hayes (Galway) born 1958
Conor Hayes was born in Kiltormer in 1958 and played with the local club. Success came in 1976 when he won his first county senior medal. Other titles were won in 1977, 1982, 1990 and 1991. Connaght titles were won in 1982, 1990 and 1991, but it took until the last year for the club to progress all the way to capture the All-Ireland title, defeating Birr in the final, following a three-game saga with Cashel King Cormacs in the semi-final.
Hayes first came to prominence with the county at under-21 level in the late seventies. In 1978 he won an All-Ireland medal when Galway defeated Tipperary in a replay. In 1979 he captained the side to defeat by the same opposition in the final.
By this stage Hayes had already made his debut with the county seniors and Galway qualified for the 1979 final, following an unexpected victory over Cork in the semi-final. They lost on a day when the Galway goalkeeper had a nightmare performance.
All this was forgotten in the euphoria of going all the way in the 1980 final and hearing Joe Connolly's speech and Joe McDonagh's rendition of 'The West Awake' after receiving the McCarthy Cup. Hayes was in a third final in 1981 but went down to Galway, and the same happened in the 1985 and 1986 finals. The worm eventually turned with victories in the 1987 and 1988 All-Irelands and there should have been a further victory in 1988 but for the Keady affair. Hayes was captain of the side for the three years, an indication of his standing among his fellow players not only as a hurler but as a leader of men. He retired from inter-county hurling following the 1989 defeat.
Hayes won two National League titles in 1987 and 1989. He won four Railway Cup medals in 1980, 1983, 1986 and 1987, when he captained the side. He won three consecutive All-Star awards at full-back in 1986, 1987 and 1988.
Hayes took over the management of the Galway senior team at the end of 2002. There was no success in 2003, a National League title was won in 2004, Kilkenny were beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final in 2005 but the final was lost to Cork, and there was no success in 2006, at the end of which he resigned.
Ger Cunningham (Cork) born 1961
Ger Cunningham was born in 1961 and played his club hurling with St Finbarr's. He tasted his first success in 1980 when the club won the county senior title, and he won further titles in 1981, 1982, 1984, 1988 and 1993. A Munster title was also won in 1980.
When he was drafted into the county set-up in the late seventies, he was a dual player and played hurling and football at minor level. He won two Munster and All-Ireland hurling titles in 1978 and 1979. He won an under-21 football title in 1981 and a hurling title in 1982.
Cunningham joined the Cork senior panel as early as 1979 and made his debut in a challenge match in 1980. He replaced Timmy Murphy as first-choice goalkeeper in 1981 and remained so until 1998, playing in fifty championship and one hundred and eleven National League games.
During this period Cunningham won seven Munster titles in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, when he captained the side, 1986, 1990 and 1992, and three All-Irelands in 1984, 1986 and 1990. National League titles were won in 1981, 1993 and 1998. He won Railway Cup medals in 1984, 1985 and 1992.
Following his playing career he served as a selector and goalkeeping coach to the Cork team under managers Donal O'Grady and John Allen from 2003 to 2006. In 2009 he took over the manager's role with Ballygunner.
Ger Cunningham was an outstanding goalkeeper for nearly twenty years and his talent in the position was recognised with three All-Star awards in 1984, 1985 and 1986, as well as the prestigious Texaco Hurler of the Year in 1986.
Nicky English (Tipperary) born 1962
Born in the parish of Lattin-Cullen in 1962, Nicky English was one of the outstanding forwards to play for Tipperary. He played senior hurling from 1982 until 1996, taking part in thirty-five championship games and scoring 20 goals and 117 points. He holds the modern record for the greatest number scores in an All-Ireland final, 2-12 in 1989. In that year his greatness was honoured when he won the Texaco Hurler of the Year award, as it was in the six All-Star awards he received during his career, in 1983, 1984, 1985, 1987, 1988 and 1989.
His club, Lattin-Cullen, was a dual club and he won three divisional titles with it, intermediate football in 1989, junior hurling in 1992 and intermediate hurling in 1996. During his time at U.C.C. he won five Fitzgibbon Cups in a row, 1981-85, scoring in all five finals.
His intercounty career commenced as a minor in 1979 and he won an All-Ireland in 1980. He joined the county under-21 side in 1981, winning an All-Ireland in that year., was on the side beaten in the centenary Munster final by Cork at Thurles and was part of the team that came good during the end of the eighties. He won two senior All-Irelands in 1989 and 1991, five Munster titles in 1987, 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1993, and two National League titles in 1988 and 1994. He won two Railway Cup medals in 1984 and 1985. He won an Oireachtas medal in 1990.
In 1999 English was appointed manager of the Tipperary senior team and remained in charge until defeated in the 2002 championship. The high point of his managerial period was winning the National League and All-Ireland championship in 2001.
Nicky English was one of Tipperary's greatest forwards and his talent was recognised when chosen in the left full-forward position on the Tipperary Hurling Team of the Century.
Pat Fox (Tipperary) born 1962
Pat Fox was born in Annacarty in 1962 and he played with the local club, Eire Óg, with whom he had little success until senior level, winning West titles in 1981 and 1986. He started his intercounty career with the Tipperary minors but he had to wait until under-21 level to achieve success. He won three All-Irelands at this level, in 1979, 1980 and 1981. To this can be added two Munster medals. He wasn't drafted into the team in 1979 until after the Munster final. Pat was young enough for under-21 in 1982 when the over-hyped and over-confident side, with eleven of the previous year's panel, threw away a glorious opportunity in the Munster championship outing against Limerick. Pat started off at centrefield but reverted to corner-back and ended up as corner-forward.
Pat had already made his way on the senior panel as early as 1979 in the league and made his championship debut against Cork at centrefield in partnership with Gerry Stapleton. In these years Tipperary were in the doldrums. Because of a knee injury he dropped out in 1983 and played junior in 1984. He was back on the side in 1985 and 1986.
When Babs took over at the end of 1986 Pat was in his plans and he was part of the recovery of Tipperary's fortunes. His first senior success came on the historic day at Killarney in 1987 and he went on to win four more Munster finals in 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1993. His two All-Irelands came in 1989 and 1991. Probably the high point in his hurling was in the latter year. He was awarded the RTE Man of the Match award for his display in the All-Ireland, in which he scored five points. He was also voted the Most Consistent Player of the Year in the same year. He was made Tipperary Person of the Year and he capped the year with the Texaco Hurler of the Year award.
As well as the above honours and achievements, Pat also won two National League titles in 1988 and 1994.He won an Oireachtas medal in 1990. He won All-Star Awards in 1987, 1989 and 1991.
In the 37 senior championship games he played with Tipperary, he scored 13 goals and 98 points.
Joe Cooney (Galway) born 1965
Joe Cooney was born in Bullaun in 1965, the tenth child in a family of fourteen. He attended St. Raphael's School in Loughrea. Playing his club hurling with Sarsfields, he enjoyed much success. He won a county under-21 medal in 1984 and five years later won the first of five senior titles. The remaining four were won in 1992, 1993, 1995 and 1997. Connaght titles were added in the same years, and All-Irelands in 1992 and 1993. In the 1989 final which Sarsfields lost to Ballyhale Shamrocks, five Cooney brothers lined out against seven Fennellys!
Cooney first came to prominence with Galway when he won a minor All-Ireland in 1983 against a Dublin team that included Niall Quinn. Three years later he won an under-21 All-Ireland.
He made his debut with the county seniors in 1985 when Galway lost the All-Ireland to Offaly. He lost a second All-Ireland in 1986. Before lining out for his third All-Ireland in 1987, he won a National League medal. He won All-Irelands in 1987 and 1988. A third ought to have been won in 1989 but the Keady affair scuppered Galway's chances. In place of it Cooney had to be satisfied with a second National League title. Galway reached the All-Ireland again in 1990 but lost to Cork.
Galway's fortunes declined after that and, although Cooney continued to play inter-county hurling until 2000, he won nothing more. He played in the 1993 All-Ireland final only to lose to Kilkenny.
As well he won three National League titles in 1987, 1989 and 1996, and four Railway Cup medals in 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1991. His great talent was recognised when he was named Texaco Hurler of the Year in 1987 and he won five All-Star awards, in 1985, 1986, 1987, 1989 and 1990, in a long and distinguished hurling career.
Liam Dunne (Wexford) born 1968
Liam Dunne played his club hurling with Oulart the Ballagh. After making his senior debut with the club in 1986, he won his first county title in 1994, and went on to win five more 1995 1997, 2004, 2005 and 2007 in a glorious period of club history. Leinster finals were lost in 1994 and 1995.
At county level he played minor in 1985 and 1986, winning a Leinster title in the first year. He was called up to the under-21 team in 1986 and won a Leinster title. He won a second title in 1987.
He made his senior debut in 1988 in the Oireachtas competition, later playing in the championship and made thirty-eight appearances until he retired early in 2004. He had to wait until 1996 for his first success. Under the management of Liam Griffin Wexford captured the Leinster and All-Ireland titles. Dunne won a second in 1997, when the Leinster title was retained. During the remainder of his career Wexford reached the semi-final through the back door in 2003 but no more titles were won and he retired early in 2004. He won a Railway Cup medal in 1993.
Following his retirement he went into management first with the county juvenile teams in 2005 and later with the minor team, for two years in 2007. He took over the Oulart the Ballagh in 2009 and he won three county finals in a row, 2009-2011. He was appointed manager of the Wexford team at the end of 2011.
Liam Dunne was one of the finest players to come out of Wexford and his talent was recognised in three All-Star awards in 1990, 1993 and 1996. In 2004 he released his autobiography, I crossed the Line, in which he revealed his battle with alcoholism.
Anthony Daly (Clare) born 1969
Anthony Daly was born in Clarecastle in 1969 and played his hurling with the local club. While at school at St. Flannan's College he won both Dr. Harty Cup and All-Ireland Colleges titles. He made his senior championship debut with Clarecastle in 1987 and won his first county final. He won further titles in 1991, 1994, 1997 and 2003. In 1997 the club also won a Munster Club medal before losing to Birr in a replayed All-Ireland semi-final.
At the county level he featured on the minor and under-21 sides without success and he graduated to the Clare senior team in the 1989 National League, winning a Division 2 medal. He made his championship debut 1990 and made 33 appearances until his retirement in 2000. In 1992 he was appointed captain of the team, a position he held until his retirement. There was no success until 1994 when he won a second Division 2 medal in the National League.
Following Ger Loughnane's takeover as manager, Clare's hurling fortunes improved and Daly won his first Munster title in 1995, followed by the county's first All-Ireland since 1914. Daly added a second Munster title and All-Ireland in 1997. He won his third Munster medal in 1998 and was unlucky not to add a third All-Ireland.
He won two Railway Cup medals in 1995 and 1996, captaining the team in the latter year. He received three All-Star awards in 1994, 1995 and 1998
Following his retirement from playing Daly took over the management of Clarecastle in 2002. This was followed by the management of the Clare senior team from 2003 to 2006. In 2008 he took over the management of the Dublin senior team and was still with them in 2013.
Anthony Day was an impressive wing-back and an even more impressive captain, who led a team of a well-behaved and disciplined bunch of players and gave them an articulate voice.
Ciaran Carey (Limerick) born 1970
Ciaran Carey was born in 1970 at Patrickswell and became one of the finest hurlers of his generation, excelling in the centreback position. He won his first county medal as a minor with Patrickswell in 1984, and his first senior medal as a seventeen-year old in 1987. Further medals were won in 1988, when Patrickswell added a Munster Club medal. A third county medal was won in 1990 and this was followed by defeat in the All-Ireland Club final. During the next decade the club were very successful with further titles coming to them in 1993, 1995, 1996 and 1997. Two more titles were won in 2000 and 2003 for a total of nine titles.
Carey made his senior debut with Limerick in 1989 and won his first title, the National League, in 1992 A second was won in 1997. He had to wait until 1994 for his first Munster title but then had to endure a heartbreak defeat by Offaly in the All-Ireland. In 1996 he won his second Munster final but lost again in the All-Ireland to Wexford. Carey played a captain's part in the Munster semi-final, when he got the vital score to beat All-Ireland champions, Clare. He captained Limerick again in 2004 but retired before the championship.
Four years after his retirement he lined out for Limerick in the intermediate championship and won a Munster medal. Unfortunately defeat was his lot against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland.
Carey was first selected for Munster in the Railway Cup in 1991. His first success was in 1995 and he made it three-in-a-row by winning in 1996 and 1997. He won his fourth medal in 2001. He won three All-Star awards in 1992, 1994 and 1996, at centreback in 1992 and 1996, and at centrefield in 1994.
Following his playing career he turned to management. In 2007 he guided Limerick camogie to All-Ireland B final. In the same year he managed Tournafulla without success. In 2008 he was appointed to the Limerick under-21 team but he had no success. He became part of the senior management team in 2011.
D. J. Carey (Kilkenny) born 1970
Denis Joseph Carey was born in Waterford in 1970. His hurling skills were recognised early on and he won All-Ireland Colleges titles in 1988 and 1989 while a student at St. Kieran's College.
He had further success with his club, Young Irelands. Having won some underage titles as a goalkeeper, he won an intermediate title in 1992 and followed up with senior titles in 1996 and 2002. His last game with his club was a relegation play-off in 2007.
He was already part of the county make-up when he won Leinster and All-Ireland minor titles in 1988, followed by Leinster and All-Ireland under-21 titles in 1990.
He made his senior debut in the 1988-89 National League and from then until his retirement in the early part of 2006 he graced the hurling fields of Ireland with some of the most skillful and stylish hurling ever played. There was one blip in his career during this period, in 1998, when he announced he was retiring at the age of 27 years. Six weeks later, following an avalanche of an estimated 25,000 letters from admirers around the country, he reversed his decision.
Carey's achievements during his career are impressive. They included five All-Irelands in 1992, 1993, 2000, 2002 and 2003 as captain, As well as in these years he won five other Leinster titles in 1991, 1998, 1999, 2001 and 2005. National League titles were won in 1990, 1995, 2003 and 2005 and Railway Cup medals were won in 1993 and 1998.
Probably the greatest measurement of D. J. Carey's standing in the pantheon of great players was his reception of the Texaco Hurler of the Year award on two occasions, the first in 1993 when, as a twenty-two year old, he was one of the youngest to receive it, and a second in 2000. Allied to this is his nine All-Star awards, five in a row between 1991 and 1995 and1997, 1999, 2000 and 2002. He played in fifty-seven championship games, scoring 34 goals and 195 points.
Johnny Dooley (Offaly) born 1971
Johnny Dooley was born near Clareen in 1971 and played hurling with the Seir Kieran club. He enjoyed some success at underage level before winning four senior championships in 1988, 1995, 1996 and 1998.
His obvious talent as a hurler was recognised at county level and he played minor hurling for three years, winning Leinster and All-Ireland titles in 1987 and 1989. In the latter year he was on the under-21 side that won the Leinster title but lost to Tipperary in the All-Ireland. Dooley won two further Leinster titles at this level in 1991 and 1992 but was unfortunate to lose both All-Irelands, to Galway and Waterford respectively.
Dooley made his senior debut in the 1990-91 National League and won the title with the defeat of Wexford in the final. He lined out in the championship for the first time in 1991. There wasn't any more success until 1994 when he won Leinster and All-Ireland titles, following Offaly's dramatic win over Limerick. Another Leinster followed in 1985 but defeat to Clare followed in the All-Ireland. There was no more success until 1998 when Offaly came through the back door, following defeat by Kilkenny in the Leinster final, got through Clare in controversial circumstances in the All-Ireland semi-final and reversed the Leinster result by beating Kilkenny in the final. It was Dooley's second All-Ireland. There was no more success, although Offaly qualified for the All-Ireland final in 2000, only to be badly beaten by Kilkenny, and he retired prematurely in 2002 following a serious knee injury.
Johnny Dooley was a skillful and exciting hurling and his talent was recognised in three All-Star awards in 1994, 1995 and 2000.
Brian Whelehan (Offaly) born 1971
Brain Whelehan was born in Banagher in 1971. After some schooling in Banagher he moved into Birr and attended the local Community School and he was a sub on the team that captured the Leinster and All-Ireland Colleges titles in 1986.
He started playing his club hurling with Birr and his career with them was outstandingly successful. He won twelve county titles in 1991, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2008. Seven of these county titles were converted into Leinster Club titles in 1991, 1994, 1997 1999, 2001, 2002 and 2007. In turn four of these were converted into All-Ireland Club titles in 1995, 1998, 2002 and 2003.
Whelehan was soon recognised at county level and he won two Leinster and All-Ireland minor medals in 1987 and 1989. He was four years on the under-21 team, winning three Leinsters in 1989, 1991 and 1992 but losing all three All-Irelands.
He made his senior championship debut against Antrim in the 1989 All-Ireland semi-final, which Offaly surprisingly lost. He won his first Leinster senior title in 1990 and a National League medal in 1991. In 1994 he won Leinster and All-Ireland medals, when Offaly dramatically snatched the latter from Limerick. A Leinster title was won again in 1995 but there was no joy in the All-Ireland against Clare. There was controversy in 1998 when Offaly lost in Leinster final to Kilkenny but qualified for the All-Ireland against the same opposition and won. Offaly got to the All-Ireland through the back door in 2000 but were badly beaten by Kilkenny. There was no success for Whelehan during the final six years of his inter-county career and he retired in 2006 after fifty-five championship appearances, two All-Irelands, four Leinster titles, one National League, and two Railway Cup medals in 1998 and 2003.
Brian Whelehan's hurling greatness was recognised in 1994 when he was given the Texaco Hurler of the Year Award. Controversially, in the same year he failed to receive an All-Star award. He received four All-Star awards during his career in 1992, 1995, 1998 and 1999, three of them at wing-back and the 1998 award at full-forward. Probably the greatest testament to his standing as a hurler was his selection on the Team of the Millennium in 2000, the only hurler selected, who was still playing.
Brian Lohan (Clare) born 1971
Brain Lohan was born in November 1971 and played his club hurling with Wolfe Tones na Sionna. The club won its first senior championship in 1996 and a second in 2006. In 1996 Lohan won a Munster Club medal before going down to Athenry in the All-Ireland final.
During his years at the University of Limerick he captained UL to Fitzgibbon Cup victory in 1994 and was named player of the tournament.
He played minor and under-21 with the county but enjoyed no success. He made his debut with the seniors in the 1993 National League and in the championship the same year. His first success was in 1995 when a very well Ger Loughnane-prepared team defeated Limerick in the Munster final, the county's first success since 1932. Clare went on to take their first All-Ireland title since 1914. After surrendering the provincial crown in 1996, Lohan went on to win his second Munster and All-Ireland titles in 1997. He won a third Munster title in 1998 but events conspired to prevent him winning a third All-Ireland. Lohan continued to play with Clare until after the 2006 championship.
Lohan won Railway Cup medals with Munster in 1996, 1997 and 2000. His talent as a full-back was recognised in four All-Star awards, in 1996, 1997, 1998 and 2002.
He went into management following his retirement from playing, managing Patrickswell in 2010 and 2011. He took charge of the UL Fitzgibbon team in 2012.
Brendan Cummins (born 1975) Tipperary
Brendan Cummins was born in Ardfinnan in 1975 and as a dual player plays football with Ardfinnan and hurling with Ballybacon-Grange. In 1998 won the first of five divisional intermediate South titles with Ballybacon-Grange. He won further titles in 2003, 2004, 2007 and 2012.
At county level he won a Munster minor hurling medal in 1993 and Munster and All-Ireland under-21 medals in 1995.
By this stage he had joined the county senior hurling and football teams and he won his only football medal when the county won the McGrath Cup in 1993.
He made his championship debut with the hurlers in 1995 but had to wait until 1999 for his first success, a National League medal. He won two further league medals in 2001 and 2008.
He won his first Munster and All-Ireland medals in 2001. He collected his second in 2008, and three more in 2009, 2011 and 2012. He won a second All-Ireland medal in 2010. He made his 72nd championship appearance in 2013, his nineteenth season, which would have been 78 but for the six championship games he was dropped for by Babs Keating after the first round of the 2007 Munster championship. The figure still remains a record.
Cummins has lined out for Munster on many occasions in the Railway Cup and has three titles to his credit, winning his first in 1996 and two more in 2000 and 2001. He was on the victorious side in the Waterford Crystal Trophy on three occasions, 2007, 2008 and 2012.
Another achievement of Brendan Cummins has been his success in the annual Poc Fada competition held in the Cooley mountains. After winning the pairs competition with Ian Scallan of Wexford in 1999, he went on to win seven singles titles in 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008 2011, 2012 and 2013.
One of the measurements of his goal-keeping talent are his five All-Star awards in 2000, 2001, 2003, 2008 and 2010.
Henry Shefflin (born 1979) Kilkenny
Henry Shefflin was born in Waterford Regional Hospital in 1979 and is arguably the greatest hurler of all time. He joined the Kilkenny senior team during the 1999 hurling championship and has been a regular member of the team since then. He never failed to turn out for a championship game until 2013, when injury prevented him being picked for the opening game against Offaly. During that period of time he played sixty-two championship games and scored 27 goals and 480 points. He won twelve Leinster titles and appeared in twelve All-Irelands, winning nine on the field of play, the only hurler ever to have done so. He also won five National League titles in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2009..
Following his primary education in Ballyhale he went to St. Kieran's College and, after a slow start, made the senior team with whom he won Leinster and All-Ireland Colleges titles in 1996. He went from there to Waterford Institute of Technology and won back to back Fitzgibbon Cups with the Institute in 1999 and 2000.
With his club Ballyhale Shamrocks he won his first medal, a county minor title, in 1997. In the same year he won a county intermediate medal, following which the club was promoted senior. He won his first county senior title in 2006 and went on to win Leinster and All-Ireland titles. The club won a second county in 2007 but Shefflin played no part because of injury. He won county and Leinster titles in 2008. In 2009 there was another county and Leinster success, and a second All-Ireland in 2010.
He first came to prominence in the county at minor level and won Leinster titles in 1996 and 1997. Progressing to under-21 he won Leinster titles in 1998 and 1999, to which was added an All-Ireland in the latter year. He also played county intermediate in 1998 and won a Leinster medal before being beaten by Limerick in the All-Ireland.
As well as the senior achievements mentioned above, Shefflin has won three Railway Cup medals, in 2002, 2003 and 2009. The latter victory was achieved over Connaght and was won in Dubai.
His personal achievements are hugely impressive. He is the holder of eleven All-Star awards, a record. His hurling prowess has earned him the Vodafone, Texaco and GPA Hurler of the Year awards in 2002 and 2006. In the latter year he was also presented with the RTE Sportsperson of the Year award. In 2009 he was chosen number one on the list of 125 greatest hurling stars. In 2012 he became the first person to win the Vodafone Hurler of the Year award for the third time. In the same year in a survey to find the Most Admired Irish Sports Personality he featured in the top ten.
Probably one of his greatest performance on the field of play was in the drawn 2012 All-Ireland final. On a day when it was expected that the younger members of the team would be setting the pace and carrying the day, it was Henry Shefflin who helped Kilkenny to draw and fight another day.
Eoin Kelly (born 1982) Tipperary
Eoin Kelly was born in Mullinahone in 1982 and played hurling and football with the local club. His biggest achievement with the club was winning the county senior hurling final in 2002, a first for the club, for which he received the Man of the Match award. He won county intermediate football championships in 2000, 2006 and 2011.
While at school at St. Kieran's College, he won two Leinster Colleges medals in 1999 and 2000, and won an All-Ireland Colleges medal in the latter year. He won a Fitzgibbon Cup medal with Limerick Institute of Technology in 2005 as captain of the side.
His talent was recognised at an early age and he first played county minor as a goalkeeper at the age of fifteen years. He won a Munster title in 1997 and a second in 1999 but failed in the All-Ireland on both occasions. He won Munster under-21 medals in 1999 and 2003 but failed at the All-Ireland semi-final stage on both occasions.
Kelly made his debut on the county senior team in 2000, on a day when he doubled as sub-goalie and forward substitute. In 2001 he won National League, Munster and All-Ireland titles. He had to wait until 2008 for a second Munster title, when he raised the cup in the absence of Paul Ormonde. In the same year he won his second National League medal. He won a third Munster title in 2009 before going down to Kilkenny in the final. In 2010 following defeat by Cork in the Munster championship, Tipperary went all the way to claim the All-Ireland giving Kelly his second title, this time as captain, the first player from South Tipperary to do so. Further Munster titles were won 1n 2011 and 2012. He made his fifty-eighth appearance as a substitute in the 2013 championship at which stage he had compiled a total score of 21 goals and 362 in championship hurling.
Kelly first played Railway Cup hurling in 2001, when he won the title with Munster. He had to wait until 2005 for his next success, and he won a third title in 2007. The final against Connacht was the first hurling game to be played under floodlights at Croke Park.
Eoin Kelly's special talent was recognised early in his career when he was elected Young Hurler of the Year in successive years, 2001 and 2002. He received six All-Star awards during his career, in 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006 and 2010.
Tommy Walsh (born 1983) Kilkenny
Tommy Walsh was born in Tullaroan in 1983 and plays with his local club. While at school in St. Kieran's College he won two Leinster Colleges and one All-Ireland Colleges titles. While at U.C.C. he didn't enjoy any success on the hurling field.
With the famous Tullaroan club he enjoyed much success at underage level, winning A titles at every grade from primary school to under-21 level. Included in these successes was the 1997 Féile under-14 A division All-Ireland win. However, he still awaits his first senior county win.
At county minor level he won a Leinster medal in 2001. He was more successful at under-21 level winning two Leinster and two All-Ireland medals in 2003 and 2004.
He joined the senior panel in 2002, when he shared the county's National League, Munster and All-Ireland titles. His achievements since them have been outstanding. They include eight All-Ireland medals. As well as 2002 he won in 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011 and 2012, eight Leinster titles, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011, six National League titles in 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2012 and 2013, and four Walsh Cup medals, 2005, 2006, 2007 and 2009.
Railway Cup medals were won in 2006, 2008 as captain, and 2009.
Tommy Walsh is the outstanding wing-back in the game at the moment and would be a major contender for the title of all-time great. His incredible ability has been recognised in nine successive All-Star awards in five different positions, an achievement never equalled, in the years 2003-2011 inclusive.
The year 2009 was probably the highpoint of his achievements when he was named the Texaco Hurler of the Year, the All-Stars Hurler of the Year and the GPA Hurler of the Year. In the same year he captained the composite rules game (shinty-hurling) team to victory over the Scots at Inverness.
Final Thoughts as a P.R.O.
West Convention AGM handbook, p. 11, December 8, 2014
Coming to the end of my term as P.R.O of the West Board I would like to express a few thoughts about the position and about my memories of my years holding the position.
J. J. Kennedy resigned as West P.R.O. in December 2004 after twenty-five years in the job. He was succeeded by Leonard Fitzgerald at the 2004 convention and he stepped down at the 2005 convention after only one year. There was no one to replace him so secretary, Jerry Ring, combined the position with that of Runaí. This situation continued for 2006, 2007 and 2008. I was elected to the position at the 2008 convention in December of that year..
Job Specification
I wasn't handed an extensive job specification with the position. As a person involved in the G.A.A. for a number of years, I had a general notion of the role of the P.R.O. In fact I spent a number of years as P.R.O. of the Cashel King Cormacs club. There were also publications that could be consulted and seminars were organised occasionally at county and national level on the extent and nature of the role.
I saw my job as twofold. The first and most important was reporting on the games organised in the division. Whereas the practice previously had been to concentrate on adult games, especially senior, intermediate and junior hurling and football, I tried to cover all games organised by the board. This proved to be difficult at times especially when a multitude of minor games were played in one week in the early part of a championship. In these cases I aimed at reporting at a minimum the date, competition, score, teams and who scored.
This comprehensiveness was based on the premise that any game was as important as any other game in the sense that the players were trying their best to win and that victory was important to them as in a much more important fixture. Whereas in the normal course of events, the game might not have merited many column inches in the local newspaper or in the public interest, it was of great importance to the players involved and they had an equal right to see their achievements publicised.
The second reason for the comprehensiveness was in the interests of history. Having written a number of club histories and G.A.A. books in general, I am acutely aware of the importance of accurate and complete information.
One little example will suffice. The 1946 county intermediate hurling final was played in December 1947 at Gaile between Lorrha and Moycarkey-Borris. When I was researching the Lorrha G.A.A. club history, the only report of the game I could find was a six-line account in the Tipperary Star.
That report not only didn't give the teams and who scored, but it didn't even give the final score! All it stated was that Moycarkey were beaten and it took me a long time to discover – in a speech given somewhere by Hubie Hogan – that the score was 4-2 to 2-4 in favour of Lorrha.
This is where the accurate and complete match report is vital. Admittedly records are more complete today and divisional and county convention reports are wonderful compendiums of match results. Although that is the case the newspaper report still remains important for the clubman or woman researching his/her club past
Accuracy
That is why my mantra at board meetings have been the need for accurate information on teams. Again and again I find out that number 2 is, in fact, number four, eight is nine and vice versa, ten is twelve and it should be the other way around. There seems to be a simple answer to it. Instead of saying in the dressingroom that Fionn and Brendan are the two wing forwards, the mentor gives ten to Fionn and twelve to Brendan. I know that saying this is not going to change anything because so many G.A.A. mentors are careless or lazy and their attitude is that these aren't important things. I say they are, not only for our supporters at the game but for posterity as well.
Inadequate and Insufficient
It is only now, at the end of my term, that I realise that what I have been doing as P.R.O. has been inadequate and insuficient. The simple fact of life is that fewer people are getting their information from newpapers and P.C.s. The vast number of younger people receive their information from Twitter, Facebook and other social media. Everything I have been doing has ignored these outlets of communication. The North division uses them very well. Whoever, therefore, takes over as P.R.O. must be alive to the importance of these media and be familiar and comfortable with them.
A Website
We did discuss the setting up of a divisional website during the year but we didn't progress it. Most clubs have websites and do a good job keeping them up to date. The latter ismost important. A website that isn't updated daily quickly loses visitors and there is nothing as bad as opening a website that was last updated in 2008! One of the first tasks of the new board must be the setting up of a website and then the proper management of it.
Finally, I have enjoyed my years in the position. I have been to every venue over the years, some more than others, and am well aware of the huge effort made by clubs to improve their facilities. In fact the most of them are very good. A priority for any club that hasn't spectator shelter is to erect one immediately and it doesn't have to be elaborate.
There are wonderful secretaries and P.R.O.s in clubs who have been outstanding in giving me information during my term. I mentioned them in last year's handbook and I want to say a sincere thanks to them all. Without them my reports of matches would have been inadequate and incomplete.
A List of Schools in the Parish of Lorrha in 1825
First appeared in The Lamp, 2014 Edition, p.20 (Lorrha & Dorrha Historical Society)
When researching the article on the schools at Redwood in the National Archives, I came across a fascinating list of persons who ran schools in the parish in 1825.
The list was particularly interesting because the date of the opening of the first primary school in Redwood, 1879, was very late in comparison with the opening of schools elsewhere in the parish and in the rest of the county as well. The National School Act came into being in 1828 and many schools were established during the course of the 19th century. Why was the school at Redwood Castle so late coming into existence?
Maybe is was due to the fact that there were many independent schools already in existence! We do know that a Brian Carroll ran a hedge school at the back of Tom Quinlan's old house near Redwood Chapel in the years before the school at Redwood opened but the House of Commons Commission of Irish Education Inquiry, which was published in 1826-1827 gives us a detailed picture of the many teachers who were running schools in the parish at that time.
The List
The list is divided into two parts, one for Dorrha and the second for Lorrha. The information supplied includes the name of the Townsland, the name of the Master or Mistress, what religion, if the school were free or a pay school, what the total annual income to the master or mistress from the school and a description of the school house and the probable cost of it.
Dorrha
In Montorre (sic) Thomas Greelis, a Catholic, ran a pay school, from which he received £7 a year in a thatched house that was worth about £5.
In Armaghanery (sic) Pat Coonan, a Catholic ran a pay school, from which he received £10 a year in a thatched house worth about £3.
In Togher Pat Mara, a Catholic, ran a pay school, from which he received £10 a year in a thatched house worth about £3.
In Rathcabbin John Kelly a Catholic ran a pay school, from which he received £22 – 15s a year in 'a tolerably good thatched house' worth about £12.
In Bonnham Peter Shea a Catholic ran a pay school from which he received £17 a year in a cow house!
In Two Bushes (sic) Tomothy Moylan a Catholic ran a pay school, from which he received £20 in a thatched house worth about £5,
In Coolagown Peter Byrne a Catholic ran a pay school, in which the children paid between one and a half and three pence per week, but his overall income isn't stated, in a very bad thatched house worth nothing.
In Comnegella (sic) Michael Cunneen a Catholic ran a pay school, from which he received £20 a year in a thatched house worth about £4.
In Ballycairn Edmund Ford a Catholic ran a pay school, from which he received £9 – 4s a year in a structure of 'mud walls covered with rushes'.
Lorrha
In Curahy Gerald Boate a Protestant ran a free school in a poor cabin. He had an income of about £2 a year from a quarter acre of land.
In Kilcarron the master wasn't yet appointed but the school was worth £20 a year and was held in a 'very good, slated and well-finished house' worth £30.
In Harvest Lodge Matthew Troy a Catholic ran a pay school worth about £10 – 10s in a very good thatched house, which cost about £40.
In Lahinch Thomas Ward a Catholic ran a pay school, in which the children paid from 1s 8d to 7s per quarter, but the yearly income isn't stated, in 'a wretched cabin.'
In Loughglin Pat Smith a Catholic ran a pay school, from which he received about £8 a year in a thatched cabin.
In Moatefield the Miss Clarkes, who were Catholics ran a free school in Moatefield House.
In Kilnacross John Hogan a Catholic ran a pay school worth about £10 a year in a barn!
That makes for a total od sixteen schools in the parish in 1825. It would be nice to think we were unique, the best educated population in the county but it appears there was a proliferation of schools in other parishes also.
Was the failure to set up a primary school in Redwood between 1828 and 1879 an indication that the people were satisfied with the education opportunities they had from these independent masters and mistresses? On the other hand was the decision taken in 1879 due to a decline in the number of inependent teachers, and if so, what were the reasons for the decline?
The First National School in Redwood
Redwood National School ed. Michelle Hogan, published by Redwood National School, Co. Tipperary, in connection with the 75th anniversary of the school, June 2014
There was a letter to the Education Office (the predecessor to the Department of Education) in Dublin from Rev. James Meagher, P.P. on September 8, 1879, reporting the opening on that day of a new school of Redwood, in Redwood House, which was situated beside Redwood Castle.
The letter stated that the school had been 'so nobly given for that purpose by Mr. Henry Trench of Cangort Park, Roscrea.' The letter continued: 'I have appointed Miss Winifrid Carroll, former assistant in the female school in Lorrha, as teacher and respectfully request the sanction of the appointment. There is no school within four miles of it. The attendance (today) was over 50.
He looked for a 'free stock' (of books) and 'all the help in your power for the new school'.
There was an earlier letter to the Office from Henry Trench, dated June 18, 1879, in which he requested the setting up of a National School 'in a portion of my house in Redwood.'
He added that he believed the house was suitable and that the P.P. was willing to act as manager, under him as patron.
(There were historical reasons why the location was a suitable place of a school. The Normans had built a timber structure in Redwood shortly after their arrival. It was burned down by the O'Briens in 1207 and the Normans replaced it with a strong stone fortress. In spite of its strength the O'Kennedys ousted the Normans in 1350 and installed the MacEgans, who were Brehons and Ollaves to that family, as other branches of the MacEgans held similar positions with many of the leading families in the country.
When the MacEgans were installed they enlarged the Castle considerably, so that it could function as a school. The fame of the school spread and it was helped by its location close to the banks of the River Shannon, which was one of the main thoroughfares in the country at the time. The fact that Michael O'Clery, travelled from Donegal to be educated there, as did Donald MacFirbis from Sligo, is an indication of the fame of the of the MacEgans as teachers.
In the early 1600s the building appears to have suffered fire damage, and in the Civil Survey, which was carried out in 1640 the description given was 'an old ruined castle, the walls only standing.')
There was difficulty later about Henry Trench's role as patron. He died in March 1881 and the agent of his successor, Henry Bloomfield Trench, wrote to the Office in June requesting that he be recognised as patron. In the course of the letter of June 5, 1882 he stated that the original Mr. Trench was patron of the school. He was the owner of the adjoining land and of the house in which the school was held and in which the schoolmistress resided and that he had given this accommodation without charge.
The Office replied that there was no documentation to attest that the original Mr.Trench was patron. The matter appears to have rested at that.
Application Accepted
As a result of Fr. Meagher's request for recognition of the new school the premises had to be inspected and Form A 121 completed. The inspection of the school was carried out on October 8, 1879 between 11.40 am and 3 pm. It involved answering a list of 82 queries and this was completed by a Mr. Dugan, District Inspector of National Schools, and returned to the Office on October 24, 1879.
The information contained in the document is of great interest at this remove. We are told the school was situated in one of the 15 rooms of the two-storey Redwood House. It was a large room, 30'' x 18'' x 11'', and was 'fitted up as a schoolroom.' On the privy situation there was one for the girls but the boys' wasn't yet ready. There was a separate play area for the girls.
The school was to be kept in repair with the manager's and local funds. The schoolmistress occupied two rooms in the house, Mr. Trench's steward occupied three and the remaining nine were locked up.
There was no teacher's desk on the day of the inspection but it was being made by a carpenter.. The teacher was Winifrid Carroll. She was a Roman Catholic. and was aged 22 years. She was trained in 1874 and had been assistant in the female school in Lorrha.
The school was classed as being in the First Division of Third Class. Salary levels varied according to Class and Division. A male teacher in the First Division of Class 1 was paid £52 while the lowest Division in Class 3 was paid £18.
The document tells us, in answer to the question on what amount of Local Funds was paid to the teacher, that her free residence was worth the equivalent of £5 and that school fees amounted to £12.
In answer to another question it was stated that virtually all the children paid fees. Apparently the manager had the right to absolve some children from paying.
Religious Instruction was given for 3 to 31/2 hours per week in the summer and 21/2 to 3 hours in the winter. The school day commenced at 9.30 am and finished at 3.30 pm in the summer and 3 pm in the winter. Thirty-five children, 15 males and 20 females, were in attendance on the day of inspection but there were forty-two altogether on the rolls.
We are informed that only three of the children had been in another school before the opening of Redwood. There was big support for the school from among the neighbouring farmers.
In conclusion the inspector stated that the 'school is much required' with the nearest schools about four miles distant. However, he recommended a three-month trial period in order to ensure that 'the attendance keeps up'.
At the end of the report it is stated that Winifrid Carroll was granted a salary of £25 plus whatever would accrue to her from results. The salary would be paid on condition that an attendance of thirty pupils was maintained.
The Results System
The Results System in National Schools was introduced in 1872. While it meant a significant increase in teachers' incomes there was always an element of uncertainty about it. As it depended entirely on the answering of the pupils and the number present at the examination, the amount could vary from year to year. At the end of every school year every pupil in the school, who had attended on at least 100 days was examined individually by the Board's inspector and was awarded a mark, 1 or 2 denoting a pass, or 0 denoting a failure. Each subject carried its own pass value, which ranged from one shilling for spelling to five shillings for agriculture. Result fees were paid annually in one lump sum.)
As well a free stock of books to the value of £4 was agreed on condition that a sale stock to the value of £1-5-0 was purchased.
Following the death of Fr. Meagher on the 19th March, 1881, Rev. R. Kennedy was recognised as manager.
Redwood House
According to the inspector's report, nine rooms in this house were vacant. It appears that they were later occupied by the two Kennedy families and the O'Sullivan family. The heads of these families worked on the Trench estate. Jack Kennedy, for instance worked as a herd. Later with the division of the estate in the thirties, they got divides of land and houses.
Redwood House and the surrounding estate were originally owned by the Bloomfield family, who originated in Eyrecourt, Co. Galway. It appears they acquired the estate in Redwood during the eighteenth century. It is uncertain when the house was built but it would appear to have been constructed early in the 19th century.
The house was occupied by Major Bloomfield in 1837. In 1840 the Ordnance Survey Name Books mention that Redwood was 'a commodious house at present occupied by a party of the constabulary and also the residence of Mr. Ryan, under-agent to Major Bloomfield.'
The house is marked as a police station on the 1st edition Ordnance Survey map. At the time of the Griffith Valuation (1847-1864), Phillip Crawley held the property from Lord Bloomfield and the house was valued at £15.
The estate of 1977 acres was put up for sale in 1851 and purchased for almost £13,000 by William Hort and George Armstrong.
The Trench connection commenced in 1836, when Henry Trench of Cangort Park, Shinrone, married Georgina Mary Amelia Bloomfield of Redwood. Sometime after 1864 Redwood House became a Trench home and it was valued at £18-15-00 in 1906.
Early Pupils
The names of some of the first pupils in the school are as follows. The following boys were in infants: Larry Guinan, Redwood, Thomas Quinlan, Moatfield, John J. Loughmane, Killycross, Michael Lambe, Redwood, Willie Lambe, Redwood, John Sammon, Moatfield.
Tom Lambe recalls being told that Willie Lambe attended a hedge school in Hickey's field at the back of Tom Quinlan's old house, above Redwood Chapel before Redwood School was started. Some information on that school is available in the accommpanying piece on 'Old Schools' from the Folklore Collection. The master was Brian Carroll, who was related to the first two teachers in the school at Redwood Castle, Winifrid Carroll (1879-1889) and Ellen Carroll (1889-1923).
According to the report English, Reading and Writing were taught. The school was held at night for the men and during the day for boys and girls.
The following girls are listed: Bridget Crean, Fort Alice, Anne Loughmane, Killycross, Mary Sammon, Moatfield, Julia Sammon, Moatfield, Mary Elizabeth Donoghue, Moatfield, Bridget Carroll, Ballea..
The occupations of the parents are also given in the Roll Book and they include labourer, blacksmith, farmer, orphan, herd, gamekeeper, coachman, pensioned policeman.
School Inspections
One way in which we learn of the progress of the school is through school inspections.One of the first recorded is to be found in the District Inspector's Observation Book in which he wrote his report after each visit. In his report of a visit on October 10, 1881, he states that he emphasised to the teacher that no books could be used in the school except those sanctioned by the Office. He also stated that all pupils should be on the register, including infants.
We are also informed that the monitor, Maria Somerville, was absent on the day. This is the first time we are informed that Miss Carroll had a monitor to help out with the classes in the school.
There is another inspection a month later and the inspector reported that one girl had her examination cancelled because she was found copying her answers from a book under the desk!
A Mr. Purser replaces Mr. Dugan as inspector in 1882 and he visited the school on November 15, 1882. According to the report this visit was to examine for result fees. Sixty one were present and fifty-nine were examined.. No results are given but an observation at the end noted that some children were leaving the school as soon as the roll call was completed. The inspector stated that such pupils should be marked absent.
Poor Performances
The next report, dated July 6, 1883, which was probably the result of the examination the previous November, is anything but favourable. Class 1 with 8 pupils was 'weak at tables'. Class 2 with 10 present, was weak at reading. Class 3 with 10 present was weak at grammar and geography. Class 4 with 8 present was middling at reading, poor at spelling and grammar, and defective at maths. Class 5 & 6 with 8 present were poor in 'deduction' and bad at grammar.
The inspector added the following note: 'The defects in arithmetic in these classes show that repetition is not enough attended to: only 1 in Class iv could multiply 8096 x 270 and all failed in dividing 175,488 by 297; in v & vi only one could reduce 10,001 square yards to square inches.
He made further observations. He believed the pupils were prone to copy from one another and 'this would account for the low proficiency in arithmetic.' The girls worked without thimbles in needlework. On the positive side the house was in fair order, with just one window frame in poor repair.
From the information given above the total number of pupils at school on the day was 44.
There is better news following the inspection on November 19, 1883. Fifty-two pupils were examined and the inspector found that 'the answering of the juniors was very good with the exception of grammar.' The oral examination of the seniors was very creditable. However mental arithmetic needed attention. Discipline in the school was good.
A report in May 1884 stated that needlework was not good enough. 'More care should be given to this matter – the girls to be made bring suitable material for sewing unless strips of callico for practice are provided in school.'
New Teacher
It appears that Miss Winifrid Carroll married between inspections held in November 1885 and November 1886 as she appears as Mrs Winifrid Loughnane on November 19, 1886.
There was a change in inspector in 1887, with a Mr. S Allman signing the inspection book in November of that year. In his report of a visit to the school in May 1889, the name of the principal is given as Miss Ellen Carroll. The inspector adds: 'Mrs Loughmane died on May 22, 1888. The school, since then up to 1 April 1889, had been in charge of an unrecognised teacher. Miss Ellen Carroll took charge on 1 April 1889.'
The report continues: 'Many children have been in the same class since November 1887 and it is only reasonable that they should be anxious for promotion. Miss Carroll should, however, be careful to ascertain the fitness of each pupil for promotion before making a change.'
The numbers attending appear to have dropped from a high of 59 in 1885 to under 40 in 1891. The reports given by S. Allman are much shorter than under the previous inspector and information is much less as a result. Numbers begin to climb again in the mid-nineties with 51 being examined in May 1897.
A new inspector, E. S. Cromie, was appointed in 1898 and his reports are much more detailed..
Following his May visit in 1899 he wrote: 'Throughout the school the pupils should be accustomed to speak much more clearly and distinctly than they do at present.' The teacher is advised to use the blackboard more when teaching arithmetic. Also: 'It would be well to use the inkwells. Time is lost in giving out ink bottles and these are liable to be overturned.'
There's a new inspector in 1901, Mr. D. Mangan, and for his annual inspection the following year there were 51 present. The report stated that the 'Reading is fluent, but it is not expressive or incisive.' Also: 'The children should be taught to express themselves freely and to speak distinctly and audibly.'
A Mr. A. J. McElwaine inspected the school in 1903 and found 44 out of 49 pupils present. Among his complaints was the state of spelling and grammar in the school.
The inspector's first report is interesting in that it tells us the subjects that were taught in the school in 1903: English Oral and Written, Arithmetic, Drawing, Object Lessons (sic), Needlework, Geography, Physical Drill.
In his report following a visit on July 6, 1904, Mr. McElwaine stated that the ventilation in the school was insufficient: 'One small window is not enough to ventilate the room.' We learn that there are 31 pupils on the Roll..
A Mr. J. D. Bradshaw did the inspection in September 1906 but Mr. McElwaine was back again in 1907. Further inspections in in that year and 1908 report the same old problems. Reading is generally indistinct. Writing leaves a lot to be desired and more thoroughness in teaching was required.
Detailed Report
There is a very detailed report of an inspection carried out by Mr. J. P. Dalton on May 26, 1911 The report begins: 'I consider the school accommodation here most unsatisfactory. The ventilation of the room is particularly defective: there are no means of sending a current of pure air through the schoolroom and the atmosphere is, therefore, quite oppressive.'
The report continues: 'Much more attention should be paid to order, arrangement, tidiness, etc. Copy books and papers are left lying about in loose heaps, official documents are scattered through the records, and no attempt seems to be made to keep things in their right places. Some school portfolios should be got and used for filing papers.'
'The organisation would admit of much improvement. The whole tone of the school needs bracing up. The pupils seem to be allowed to answer their lessons along in an aimless, unthinking way; the desks are not supervised and much of the work shows great carelessness. The teaching methods show some radical faults.'
A new inspector, J.A. McMahon, was appointed in 1912 and a report of his following a general inspection in March 1915, is much more positive, The report stated: 'The teacher here works honestly though with moderate success. The progress of the pupils is fair generally. There is need of increased attention to the development of intelligence at arithmetic and oral answering. Desk discipline might be easily improved. . . . A globe is needed.'
The most interesting part of the report is the statement that the school was very unsuitable and that it was hoped that the new one would be built with as little delay as possible.. It was to be twelve years before the school was replaced as World War 1, the Rising in 1916, the War of Independence and the Civil War, followed by the setting up of the Irish Free State, put paid to any plans in place in 1915.
Inspections were held in 1916, 1917, 1918 and 1919. There is no report for 1920.
In the 1921 report it is stated that 'Efficiency of instruction is defective in various respects.' This is signed by J. O'Riordan, who gives his address as 46 Grosvenor Square, Dublin.. There is a second inspection in December the same year. J. C. Kyle is the inspector and his report includes the following: 'The accommodation is not ideal but at the same time the room might present a more tasteful appearance: mantelpiece and top of press should be clean and tidy and floor should be cleaner.'
The Free State
The takeover of the Education Office by the Free State Government is reflected in the inspector's report of November 16, 1922. The inspector, who now signs himself in Irish, S. C. Ó Cadhla, writes his report in Irish.
In the course of this report he informs the teacher of the new policy of the Department of Education that the school must provide 1 hour's instruction in Irish per day in every class. In the following years there is a big emphasis on the teaching of Irish, both oral and written. In his report on the 1926 visit the inspector is critical of the progress of Irish in the school. He states that the speaking of the language is awful and the handwriting is equally bad. According to him too many children are showing no signs of improvement.
New School
In the same year the children moved from Redwood Castle to the new school at Kilmurry. There were occasional reports from the inspectors over the years about the condition of the school in Redwood House.
There is a report on 25th September, 1900 that the house in only in middling repair. There's a further report on September 10, 1901 that 'the windows are bad, the floor boards are loose and the roof leaks.' On August 15th, 1904 it is reported that improvements have been carried out. There were other reports that the ventilation was very bad. The report in 1915 seemed to suggest that a new school was imminent. The commencement of World War 1 and the he political developments following the Rising of 1916 probably hindered any building plans and the replacement school wasn't opened until 1926.
In fact there is confirmation of this in the official report of the Department of Education covering the years 1925, 1926 and 1927. It included the statement that at least 350 new schools would be needed to make up for arrears of building that accumulated during the period from 1914 to 1924. As well more schools were required to replace unsanitary and unsuitable premises.
This report also states that during the year 1925-26 grants of £27,652 were sanctioned in respect of the erection of 13 new schoolhouses. The names of the schools aren't given but the new school in Kilmurry could well have been one of them. There is the additional information that grants for new schools were normally sanctioned on the basis of two-thirds of the cost, but in poor and congested districts a larger grant could be given or in extreme cases the whole cost of the building could be defrayed by the Department.
The site for the new school at Kilmurry appeared to be ideal. It was a piece of land owned by the parish and so would cost nothing. It was adjacent to the old school so there wouldn't be any great difficulty for the schoolchildren getting there. There was about an acre of land attached to the site which would provide a playground.
However, it was the site of an ancient graveyard and Tom Lambe recalls seeing bones being thrown up when the foundations were being dug.
The school at Kilmurry was in use for only 13 years when the present school was completed beside Redwood Chapel in 1939. Why this change took place so quickly is a story for another day.
Teachers: 1879-2014
Miss Winifrid Carroll 1879-1888
Miss Ellen Carroll 1889-1923
Miss Mary Guinane (later Mrs. Grogan) 1923-1930
Miss Mary Clune Jan-Aug 1930
Miss Mary Kelly 1923-41
Miss Margaret McCormack 1930-1952
Miss Nora Moran
Miss. Nora Kelleher
Mrs. Annie King 1941-1974
Mr. Jim Keane 1952-1977
Mrs. Joe Needham 1974-2000
Recent Publications - 2013
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 2014, pp.50-51
Forging a Kingdom: The G.A.A. In Kerry 1884-1934 is the standout publication among the G.A.A. books this year. Close to 500 pages, it shows how the establishment of the G.A.A. in the county ushered in a sporting revolution and how Kerry had become one of the bastions of the Association by the end of the first fifty years.
This is a scholarly work by Dr. Richard McElligott, a native of of Kilflynn, who completed his Ph.D on the early history of the G.A.A. with the School of History and Archives, U.C.D. He brings to the work a broad range of knowledge on the history of the G.A.A. together with a rigorous academic discipline. It is a major work of history that puts virtually all existing county histories in the shade.
Caid before Football!
In the light of the excellence in football later achieved by Kerry players, the description of the game of caid as played in the county before the foundation of the G.A.A. is revealing:
'Matches were usually played between teams of men from two neighbouring parishes, the ball being thrown up among them at an agreed central point. The game was played cross-country over fields and hedges, and tripping, pushing and wrestling or 'handigrips' were all recognised methods used to try and impede the progress of opponents. Fast runners were often placed on the outside of the large crush of men wrestling for the ball to enable them to gain ground quickly when their side succeeded in moving the ball out to them. The winning team was the one that first managed to bring the ball 'home' to their own parish.' Surprisingly like rugby?
For a county that was later to become such a prominent presence in the association it was late forming a county board. Not until late 1888 was the board formed and this was chiefly due to the efforts of the main founding father, Maurice Moynihan, who went on to spearhead the spread of the association in the county.
According to the author the spread of the G.A.A. in the county was due more to the economic and political climate at the time than to the influence of the I.R.B. He goes on to expand on the diverse reasons for forming clubs in the county. He cites examples of clubs formed by teachers who had trained in Dublin, learned about the G.A.A. and set up clubs where they started to teach. Also, following the tradition of landlord involvement, he cites the case of J. F. Fitzgerald in Cahersiveen, who facilitated the setting up of the club by giving a field.
The Parish
One of the greatest influences in the formation of the club was the parish. The G.A.A. grafted itself on to the parish and by doing so exploited long held traditional local allegiances and rivalries. The club became an integral part of the local community almost immediately. Another influence in the formation of clubs was the National League, the local organisation of the Irish Parliamentary Party.
In many instances the personnel in charge of the club and the league were the same.
It took some time for clubs to learn the rules of the game and there were many examples of differences in interpretation. The author cites the example of a game between Waterville and Cahersiveen when every 'real or supposed infringement of the rules took place . . . (the referee) was immediately surrounded by both teams .... this unseemly practrice became so frequent that ten minutes play alternated with five minutes argument.' Both teams were described as 'utterly oblivious of the functions of the referee', and the 'official himself seemed fairly bewildered.'
The author also has this comment to make on the accepted mantra that the G.A.A eased the tensions in the county following the Civil War, According to him 'The reality, though, was much more complex. While the G.A.A. did play a role in Kerry in helping t heal the wounds of civil conflict, it could not wash away all that enmity through the process of winning All-Irelands. Tensions and conflicts within the Kerry G.A.A. frequently threatened to split the association there in the fifteen years following their All-Ireland success in 1925.'
I have only scratched the surface of this fascinating book. The chapter notes and bibliography extend to over sixty pages and are a study in themselves. The book is published by Collins Press and retails at €17.99
A Great Goalkeeper
I mention My Father: A Hurling Revolutionary by Con Power for two reasons, even though the book was published in November 2009. Sub-titled The Life and Times of Ned Power and written by his son, I somehow missed it at the time it was published.
Most people remember Ned Power because of the famous photograph, a classic action shot that has appeared in numerous locations around the world. The photographer was a man named Louis McMonagle and it was entitled 'Hell's Kitchen'. It's a mixture of 'physical force, danger, speed and pure skill'. I have used the photograph and wrongly attributed it to the 1959 Munster championship game whereas it was taken on June 8th, 1962 in a Munster semi-final match between Cork and Waterford.
It seems as if Ned Power is at the top of his game in the picture. In fact he was far from that. He had been dropped from the county side following an uncharacteristically poor display in 1961 and his playing days appeared over. Then after a frustrating year he got a phone call that he was wanted again. He gave vent to his feelings and said that 'he must have been the best of a bad lot.' 'So along he came and the months and weeks of pent-up frustration and preparation for this moment launched him into a sparkling display that peaked with that famous leap into the sky, caught magically here for eternity.'
The second reason I mention the publication in this yearbook is because Ned Power's widow recently presented his All-Ireland winning medal of 1959, a Munster medal and his Oireachtas medal to Lár na Páirce. The museum was thrilled to get this collection and will display it, together with the famous photograph, in a special case in the near future.
You can read all about the man, the photograph and how Ned Power brought revolutionary ideas to coaching when his playing days were over in this biography.
D. J. & Sean Óg
There are two other books that will while away the winter hours the biographies of D. J. Carey (with Martin Breheny) and Sean Óg Ó hAilpín (with Michael Moynihan, Penguin Ireland).
D.J. A Sporting Legend (Blackwater Press) is a major publishing event. The player left such an impression from his playing days that seven years after he retired, his biography should create such a stir, including an appearance on the Late Late Show. DJ's is a fascinating tale of a hurling genius who had to endure as much invasion of privacy as some of the media stars and whose decision to retire in 1997 drew such an avalanche of letters to him.
The interest in Sean Og Ó hAilpin is different, the public fascination with a player whose father was from Fermanagh and mother from Fiji, neither notable places for hurling, as some commentator remarked. To this fascination was added a player of admirable behaviour who set standards of behaviour on the field of play for all players to follow.
Rover Review 2013
There is a virtual famine in G.A.A. publications from the county this year. The only one I have come across is a publication called the Rovers Review 2013. Produced by Liam Hogan and the Shannon Rovers club, this is really an annual and has appeared since 2006. It has 64 pages of text and pictures relating to the achievements of the club during the year.
G.A.A. Rivalries
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 2014, p. 77
A friend of mine recalls a customer from Holycross coming into his store in Boherlahan prior to the 1996 county final for which the local club had qualified after many years in the hurling wilderness.
My friend was full of enthusiasm and excitement about Boherlahan's success and was perplexed by his customer's apparent indifference.
'Will you not be shouting for Boherlahan on Sunday?' he eventually asked.
'No,' came the reply. 'If Boherlahan were playing China to-morrow, I'd be shouting for China!'
An extreme example, perhaps, of the intensity of the rivalries that exist between clubs, and also counties, where the G.A.A. is concerned, but such rivalry is the stuff of success, the motivation that drives clubs on.
In fact it has often been said about such local rivalries that the motivation is as much negative as positive. As the man mentioned above put it the important thing was not who won, as long as it wasn't your rival who was successful.
The founding fathers of the G.A.A. pulled a great stroke when they based the club on the territory of the parish. They knew the strength of attachment of Irish people to land and place.
The intensity of this rivalry can be as great between counties. Tipperary is surrounded by more counties than any other in Ireland, eight in all. When it is realised that virtually all the strong hurling counties are included, Offaly, Laois, Kilkenny, Waterford, Cork, Limerick, Clare and Galway, it is understandable that many rivalries exist.
The feeling is usually more intense in border areas. The Limerick-Tipperary feeling is strongest in the Newport-Castleconnell area and has a long history. The story is told of Tyler Mackey, the father of John and Mick, bringing a team of Ahane players to Newport for a challenge one day. At the time the great Ahane team would normally beat Newport out the gate but on this occasion Newport triumphed. Tyler was so disgusted at this humiliation that he made the players walk home. The great cant at the time was 'Come on Ahane!' The Newportians took pleasure in adding a rider: 'As far as Newport!'
The intensity of the rivalry can ebb and flow depending on the hurling fortunes of the county. When I was growing up in Lorrha, which is in the very north of the county, in the nineteen-forties and fifties, the hurling fortunes of Galway and Offaly were at a low ebb. Then when both counties began to come good in the eighties, I was enthusiastic for their success.
Of course I had left the area for a long time and hadn't realised that whatever latent rivalry was there in my time had now come very much into the open with Galway's and Offaly's emergence as meaningful rivals to Tipperary on the hurling field. My brother was none too pleased with this development: 'Shure you can't go into Portumna or Birr anymore but you have to listen to them!'
I suppose as a true blue Tipperary man he had a point but there was no recollection of them having to listen to Tipperary people doing their shopping in both towns for decades!
Probably the rivalry with Kilkenny is at its most intense at the moment. Tipperary supporters find it hard to live with their rival's many recent successes especially as they remember that Tipperary dominated Kilkenny on the hurling field up to 1967. The boot is very much on the other foot now as Kilkenny are way out in front in achievement and ability. Tipperary's All-Ireland win in 2010 was supposed to break the black and amber monopoly but it failed miserably and Kilkenny, Cody and King Henry were top dogs in the hurling world until this year. It's very difficult for a Tipperary person to accept that the county has seven All-Irelands more than Tipperary.
One of the most interesting hurling rivalries is with Cork. It's as old as the G.A.A., in fact predates it by a number of years. It is unusual in that it carries a high level of mutual respect. But it has gone through periods of great intensity as well. The fifties was a time when this was at its greatest. This was the period of the great Christy Ring, a player most feared by opposing players and supporters. He seemed to be the embodiment of every skill and cunning. It must have been this that caused my mother to get upset. Not a woman for going to matches but she would listen intently to Micheal O'Hehir's broadcasts and occasionally she'd get up off her chair and walk around to stop the palpitations in her heart: 'Oh, that Ring. He's a terrible man!'
Sean Gael Awards 2013
The Tipperary Star, November 14, 2013
The Sean Gael awards will be presented in the Dome, Semple Stadium on Sunday, November 17. This is the eleventh year of the presentations and thirty-two people, eight from each division, who have given significant service to the Gaelic Athletic Association over their lifetimes, will receive due recognition for their contributions.
The fairness of these awards is that they recognise all kinds of contributions and there is no discrimination in favour of any one kind. The result is that while great hurlers and footballers, administrators and sponsors, prominent personalities and notable clubmen are recognised, so also are people who have contributed in lesser and hidden ways but without whose contributions clubs could not function.
While the ranks of the recipients are predominantly male, there are equal opportunities for females to be given recognition. The predominance of males is a reflection of the way the vast number of G.A.A. clubs were run fifty years ago, when women played a much smaller role that they do today.. It is, therefore, pleasant to include in this year's group of recipients, two women from neighbouring parishes, who have made notable contributions to their clubs.
Notable Women
Mary Kenny of Borrisileigh has been involved in Scór since the early seventies. She participated in set dancing and ballad groups at senior level, winning several North titles. She later organised Scór na nÓg in the club for many years and prepared children for participation in all Scór competitions. She also adjudicated Scór competitions at every level up to and including All-Ireland.
In a different way Tess McGrath of Loughmore-Castleiney is another worthy recipient. She is head of one of the great GAA families in Tipperary and her influence and that of her late husband has contributed in no small way in bringing this about. Their family of five boys and four girls and their families are immersed in every facet of our great association and have been very influential in achieving success at club and on the National stage.
One of the most interesting recipients in this year's list is Micheal O'Meara, who was secretary of the organising committee since the establishment of the awards and who was the presenter-in-chief of the awards every year since them. Micheal's contribution to the G.A.A. has been varied and extensive and he is most deserving of an award.
Standout Hurlers
There are two standout hurlers in this year's list, Tony Wall of Thurles Sarsfields and Peter O'Sullivan of Cashel. Tony had a glorious career with his club and Tipperary, including captaining the latter to All-Ireland glory in 1958. His book on Hurling was ground-breaking at the time, providing an authoritative voice on the various aspects of instruction and training of the game.
And who will ever forget Peter O'Sullivan's defiant performance, when he replaced John O'Donoghue in the 1970 Munster final, which inspired Tipperary to within an inch of success. Unfortunately his fine goalkeeping career was curtailed by a severe works injury in 1972.
Less spectacular but equally important has been the contribution of Bernie Colclough of Inane Rovers. A native of Westmeath, he arrived in Roscrea in 1963 to set up his supermarket business. He soon immersed himself in the fortunes of the Inane Rovers club, acting as coach and selector for many years as well as contributing with other advice and help. His sponsorship has been vital to the club's survival. Equally one might mention Tommy O'Sullivan of Mullinahone, 'who did nearly all his hard work within the club in the background and out of the limelight'.
Handballers as well
Two handballers, Michael 'Boysie' Hogan of Nenagh Eire Og and Paddy Doherty of Carrick-on-Suir are included in this year's list. They add to the variety and diversity of the Gaelic Athletic Association, as do all the recipients in this year's list of awards.
As is customary at these awards, the committee invite a well-known personality to make the presentations. This adds to the prestige of the occasion as well as giving due recognition to the value of the contributions to the G.A.A. made by the recipients. This year's well-known personality with be Micheal Ó Muircheartaigh.
The members of the committee are as follows: chairman – John Costigan, secretary - Seamus J. King, Sean Nugent, Noel Morris, Seamus McCarthy.
Some Thoughts on the Parish of Lorrha
On the occasion of the Celebration of the 'Gathering 2013' at Lorrha, June 19, 2013
On the occasion of the launch of the 'Gathering 2013' here, I have put a few thoughts together on the Parish of Lorrha and Dorrha. It's a partial glimpse into the distant past of this ancient place
When I was growing up in this parish it was always known as Lorrha. Then about 1980 – I'm not very sure when – it began to be known as Lorrha & Dorrha for G.A.A. purposes. It may have become the practice in the Centenary Year of 1984, when a banner was produced by the club for the parade of G.A.A. clubs around Liberty Square in Thurles before the county convention. I do know that when the first County G.A.A. Directory was produced in 1989 the club was named Lorrha and Dorrha.
Maybe I was partly responsible myself since I named the club history, published in 1984, Lothra agus Doire 1884-1984 Iomáint agus Peil!
Of course there is a nice balance in the Lorrha and Dorrha name. So many G.A.A. clubs have two names in their titles, though not so much in North Tipperary with the exception of Borris-Ileigh, which incorporates the two ancient parishes in the title of the club. There are many more such clubs in Mid Tipperary where you find Holycross-Ballycahill, Boherlahan-Dualla, Loughmore-Castleiney, Moycarkey-Borris, etc
I hadn't realised that this parish was called Lorrha and Dorrha until I read The Parish Churches of North Tipperary by Willie Hayes and Joseph Kennedy, which appeared in 2007. The authors named this place the Catholic Parish of Lorrha and Dorrha.
Yet, the same authors tell us that the parish includes the three medieval parishes of Lorrha, Dorrha and Bonachum. Lorrha means low-lying or hollow places, Dorrha means oak woodlands and Bonachum means the bottom of the valley. The names tell us a lot about the topgraphy of the area. While we associate Lorrha with St. Ruadhan, St. Brecan is given as the founder of the monastery in Dorrha. Pallas church may have been the ecclesiastical centre of Dorrha.
While the name Ruadhan is occasionally used as a Christian name – and I have a son of that name – I haven't heard anyone with the name of Brecan. Maybe if we knew a bit more about the saint, his name might come into use.
Dorrha and Bonachum were already united into one parish as early as the 16th century and they in turn were amalgamated with Lorrha parish in the early 1700s to form the united parish of Lorrha.
This brings me back to the beginning when I said that I grew up with Lorrha as the name and only later did the parish and the club come to be named Lorrha and Dorrha. I suggest that if we persist with the latter we should really be calling the place, Lorrha, Dorrha and Bonachum!
And when we're on the subject, what about Lougheen? The Lougheen section of the parish of Birr and Carrig should definitely be in Lorrha. How it came to be part of the parish of Birr-Carrig I don't for the life of me know. We are told it was a separate medieval parish and became amalgamated with Birr parish towards the end of the 17th century.
The reason I question its attachment to Birr is because a river, the Little Brosna, is the boundary between Lougheen and Birr. Rivers form distinct boundaries between territories and jurisdictions and were even more important for this purpose in the past. The river in this area also acts as the boundary between the counties of Tipperary and Offaly. How, therefore, did Lougheen, so distinctly cut off from Birr by the Little Brosna, became part of that parish, rather than the parish of Lorrha? Was there a row or a falling out of some sort? A look at the map will show you how naturally at home in the parish of Lorrha, Lougheen would be. Any Lougheen people present who could throw some light on the question?
Then there is the little matter of Lusmagh, the only part of the Diocese of Clonfert that is east of the Shannon. It was incorporated into the parish of Dorrha at some stage and appears so on some 6 inch Ordnance map, according to George Cunningham. St. Dimma has associations there, even though he's mainly associated with Roscrea and he was adopted by the people of Lorrha.
Anyone called Dimma around? On second thoughts it might be better if parents didn't call their sons by that name. The poor devil might get a terrible time at school or on the hurling field.
How many of you are aware that Dimma's well exists in the townsland of Graigue. As far as I know it is on Maher's farm. Eileen Duffy told me that she collected water from it for the late Father Martin Ryan on one occasion. Apparently it is much overgrown now though it is a place of some importance. At some stage St. Dimma, who failed to find a well in Lusmagh came to Graigue and found one there. There is a rock beside the well with the imprint of Dimma's hand on it
Dimma left a book named after him and it can be found in Trinity College, Dublin. It is an eighth century pocket Gospel Book, predating the Stowe Missal, originally from the Abbey of Roscrea, which was founded by St. Cronan. In addition to the four gospels it has an order for the Unction and Communion of the Sick. It has some illuminated initials as well as portraits of the Evangelists.
The experts tell us the work was written by different hands but each of the gospels is signed at the end by Dimma MacNathi. There is a story that he was commissioned by St. Cronan to write out in one day the whole of the text of the gospel book. We read how he set about the task, working incessantly for 40 days and nights until he had finished. Happily the sun did not set for all that period, so that the 40 days counted as but one day.
This Dimma has been traditionally identified with the Dimma who was later Bishop of Connor, who was mentioned by Pope John IV in a letter on Pelagianism in 640, so that would date him. The Book of Dimma would have at first been carried round in a leather satchel or hung up in its satchel inside the monastery cell or scriptorium. Later it was encased in a richly worked cumdach or reliquary case, which remains at Trinity.
The reliquary and manuscript of Dimma were preserved in the Abbey of Roscrea until the dissolution of the monasteries in the sixteenth century when they came into lay hands. Eventually they came into the possession of a Dr. Harrison of Nenagh, who sold them on to a Mr. Mason. He sold on to Sir William Betham and they were eventually purchased by Trinity College in 1842 for £200.
How did these Medieval parishes come into existence?
Prior to the twelfth century the provision of pastoral care in Ireland was at best patchy and disorganised, divided between a secular clergy which served churches predominantly owned by local chieftains and controlled by them, and a monastic clergy supplied by the many monasteries that were spread all over the land.
The old parochial divisions were based on monastic territories. The coarb, or successor of the founder of the monastery, became rector of the parish even though he may have been only a simple cleric or even a layman.
The medieval parish may also have originated in the tuath, the smallest political unit at the time, or may have been co-extensive with it.
With the reform movement in the 12th century a determined effort was made to set up an efficient parochial organisation in the country together with an effective, comprehensive pastoral ministry, supported by a tithe system.
The most significant consequence of the creation of a parish system in Tipperary was the widespread provision of resident priests supported by the payment of the tithe. Although monastic houses came to control the tithes of many parishes, the development of the vicarage system, under episcopal supervision, ensured that livings were provided for resident priests.
The old medieval parish system began to disappear after the Reformation. It was better preserved by the Church of Ireland than by the Catholic Church. Especially during Penal Times many of these medieval units were grouped together into bigger units, sometimes incorporating as many as six or seven medieval parishes. As we said earlier the Medieval parishes of the Lorrha area were amalgamated in the 16th and 17th centuries. This became necessary because of the shortage of clergy.
How did the medieval parishes support their priests or rectors?
A taxation system was imposed on the country during the period 1302-06 and under it every parish was given a taxation rating. While the wealthiest parish may have been assessed at 10 marks, the parish of Lorrha was assessed at 3 marks. Dorrha and Bonachum were assessed at 20s each, which I believe to have been less than 1 mark.
So the parishes were not wealthy and it makes one wonder how any of them could support a clergyman. When one realises that there were monasteries at Lorrha and Dorrha at the same time and the monks had to be supported, it must have been a difficult time for the layman who contributed to the support of his pastor.
So, on the occasion of the Gathering here today it may be of interest to learn that there was a very definite parish structure here long before the Dominicans and the Augustinians founded their monasteries, long before Lackeen or Redwood Castles were built, long before O'Sullivan Beare passed through our parish and long before Martin O'Meara and the rest of us were heard of.
Hurling Sevens
The Lamp (Lorrha & Dorrha Historical Society, 2013 Edition, December 2013) pp 19-23
The game of seven-a-side hurling was common in East Galway in the nineteen-thirties, forties and fifties, and spilled over into North Tipperary and even South-West Offaly as well. Lorrha teams participated in many of these tournaments in which seven-a-side was the game and played for prizes such as medals, suit-lengths, ten shilling notes and even bicycles!
Fifteen-a-side
Today we're mostly used to the game of hurling as fifteen against fifteen, and it has been so as long as anyone can remember. But it's only so for 100 years and what is that in the context of a game to which the earliest historical reference goes back to 1272 BC!
When the G.A.A. was founded in 1884 it was agreed that the number of players a side would be 21, and it would be interesting if we had the minutes of the meeting that decided on that number. Undoubtedly there were people arguing for a much greater number as some would have come from a tradition in which the game played was between parish and parish.
What is interesting is the speed with which clubs accepted the new rules, which were drawn up at the end of 1884, especially those relating to the number of players. The number of 21 lasted only a few years and was reduced to 17 in 1892 and to 15 in 1913.
The value of lowering the number was recognised early on as it reduced the tendency of players to gather in a bunch. As the amount of open space increased with the reduction in the number of players, it became easier to move the ball faster, with the resultant improvement in the quality of the games.
The idea of reducing the number of players still more was discussed about 1970. There was a perception that the game had got dogged and rough and not enough goals were being scored. It was decided to introduce thirteen-a-side in colleges games and the experiment lasted for about three years. It produced a feast of goals as the game was speeded up and with the absence of a full-back and full-forward, it opened up the space in the goal area. Much greater mobility was required by backmen and this tended to reduce the difference between backs and forwards.
After the period of experiment the 13-a-side idea was scrapped. It was never tried at inter-county level. Some experts believed it gave forwards too much power as the extra space was exploited. While the extra goals made the games more exciting, there was another experiment going on simultaneously with the length of games extended to 80 minutes and this in itself ensured plenty of goals. In the first three 80-minute All-Ireland finals a total of 29 goals were scored! Whatever the reasons, the 13-a-side experiment wasn't continued.
Seven A-Side
Although 15-a-side became the norm for G.A.A. games from 1913 onwards, another game of seven-a-side has a long history in the G.A.A. Tom Barry, who is the editor of the program for the Kilmacud-Crokes All-Ireland Hurling Sevens, has researched the history of this parallel game in the history of the G.A.A. The first account of a seven-a-side competition he has come across goes back to Kilbeacanty (Co.Galway) in June 1918. Nine teams, six from Galway and three from Clare, took part with Tynagh victorious.
The competition was to raise funds for a presentation to Fr. Michael Ryan, who was about to be ordained a priest and was due to be sent to Australia. The purpose of such tournaments down the years has been invariably to raise funds for church, parish or club causes.
Barry's research has turned up a large number of such tournaments down the years to the 1970s, when the Kilmacud Crokes Club started a national sevens tournament in 1973, with an entry of 21 clubs. This tournament was given official G.A.A. All-Ireland status in the late eighties and celebrated 40 years of success in 2012.
During this period Tipperary clubs have won on fourteen occasions, with Borrioleigh the most successful club with five wins. Other successful clubs were Nenagh Eire Óg in 1996 and 2008, Mullinahone in 2002 and 2005, Roscrea in 1979, Kilruane MacDonaghs in 1984, Portroe 1999, Moycarkey-Borris in 2009 and Kildangan in 2011.
Sevens in the Thirties
Lorrha took part on a number of occasions in the Kilmacud Sevens but they had no success. In taking part they were carrying on a strong tradition of teams from the parish taking part in sevens competitions.
Michael O'Meara of the hill has one of the longest memories of one such tournament and it was played in Killimor and he thinks it was over two years, 1934 and 1935.
He's a bit vague as to the lineout but recalls that Tom Duffy was on goals and gave out to all and sundry from between the posts! As well as Duffy, other members of the team were Jack Lane, Jerry Whitaker, Tom Smith (the first year), Son Ryan, Mick Kennedy (of Eglish, later of Ballymona between Ballingarry and Carrig), Mick Hoctor, Mick Cronin and Tommy Burke.
The reason that Tom Smith only played the first year was that he was put off in a match against Knockshegowna and wasn't eligible for the final. At any rate Killimor, Tynagh and Lorrha came through and a draw had to take place to decide on the semi-final. The two Galway teams were drawn out and were none too pleased with the draw. Their semi-final ended in a draw and, according to the Lorrha version of events, it was deliberate. As a result the final couldn't be played until the following year.
Lorrha beat Killimor, who came through in the the replayed semi, by a goal in the final. The winning score was got by Jerry Whitaker. The team received eight medals for their victory and there was a bit of a row about their distribution. The seven members who played got medals and Tommy Burke, who came on as a sub. Tom Smith, who was under suspension, was excluded.
Tom Duffy was notorious for speaking his mind and he was derogatory towards one of the Tynagh players, Jim Power, who won an All-Ireland with Galway in 1923. He let him know that he had won an All-Ireland in a year when he (Duffy) 'and all the good men of Ireland were in jail.'
Mick O'Meara was involved in another seven-a-side tournament at Woodford in 1939 and a photograph of the team exists. With him were Mick Donohue, Michael Hoctor, Tommy Ryan, Joe Gardiner, Tom Lambe, Son Ryan, Joe Abbot
A Set of Bicycles
Tom Lambe's memories of sevens tournaments also stretches back into the thirties. He recalls a tournament for bicycles at Loughrea in 1938. Lorrha had a team in it and were beaten in the first round. He recalls that the bicycles, all racers, were on display in the field during the games. He is also of the belief that there was no way that the organisers were going to allow the bicycles to cross the Shannon into Tipperary!
Asked about the nature of the hurling in these competitions, he stated that it could be very rough: 'If you were winning they'd have a fierce go at you but if you were losing they'd be the nicest under the sun!'
Were there many injuries? He doesn't remember many. One was to Ned Waters who got his collarbone broken in a tournament at Meelick in 1940
For him sevens tournaments were all the go in Galway. Asked if it were difficult to pick seven or nine players to represent the club, he said it wasn't, as not everyone wanted to go. He recalls that one of Lorrha's best players, Mick O'Donoghue, would seldom travel.
He played in other tournaments in Tyrnascragh in 1941 and 1942 and remembers being beaten by Mullagh. He believes that the latter, Tony Reddin's home club, had a great team at the time.
Playing for Ten Shillings
Eugene O'Meara, who also has clear memories of playing sevens, was one of the Lorrha team that played in the suit-lengths tournament at Portumna in 1948 and was scorer-in-chief, scoring 8 of the 9 points in the final. The ninth was scored by Tony Reddin in a clearance from his goals.. Lorrha beat Kilruane MacDonaghs in the semi-final and Tyrnascragh in the final.
The suits were a magnificent reward at a time, when a new suit was a rare purchase. Lorrha won the suitlengths and the picture of the winning group of players, shows nine in all, as two subs were allowed. As well as Eugene, the other members of the successful team were Jimmy O'Meara, Des Donohue, Mick O'Meara (B), Tom Lambe, Tony Reddin, Billy Hogan, Brendan Donohue, Dan O'Meara.
Tony Reddin recalls cycling home from the final with the suit-lengths draped on the handlebars of the bikes. They did a lot of shouting along the way and stopped off at Sean Grogan's at Grange – he was a tailor – to get their measurements taken.
Billy Hogan wore the suit when he went for his first passport photograph. A picture of Billy in the suit features in my recent publication, 'A Lorrha Miscellany'. On the same day as the final Tony Reddin won the long puck competition with a strike of 106 yards.
Eugene recalls playing with Redwood, in an earlier tournament at Portumna in 1941, when the prize for the winners was ten shillings each. You could get seven large packets of Players cigarettes for it at the time, so it was a very desirable prize. Redwood beat Killimor in the final but the ten shillings each failed to materialise. He believes they had to make do with ten shillings between the lot of them!
Another tournament he played in was Rathcabbin in 1943. It was in connection with acarnival and sevens tournaments were often the highlight of such entertainments. Eugene played with the Lorrha number 2 team and they beat Borrisokane in the final, 'and, I have the medal to prove it!' The medal has his name on it in Irish: 'Eóin Ó Madhra' and also the inscription : 'Rathcabbin LDF 1943'. They took great pleasure out of winning because the Lorrha number 1 team was beaten!
Actually this tournament commenced in 1942 but was unfinished. Michael O'Meara, who didn't take part the first year, remembers it well. Lorrha Number 1 and Number 2 got through to the second round. The latter beat a good Tynagh team that included Connie Boyle, who played inter-county hurling with Galway. The next day Borrisokane were to play Lorrha Number 1 and Lorrha Number 2 were to play Ballinderry. However, both visiting teams had illegal players and weren't allowed to play. The matches were postponed after a few squabbles and rows.
The tournament was finished the following year, when Ballinderry had a proper team entered but they were beaten by Lorrha Number 2. In the second semi-final Borrisokane, who had a very good Seven, including Dinny Doorley, Ted Joe Foley, Dinny Hayes, Son Kelly and two or three of his brothers, many of whom had represented North Tipperary in the Millar Shield competition, defeated Lorrha Number 1, and then Lorrha Number 2 defeated Borrisokane in the final as stated above. The winning team was as follows: Mick Donohue, Matt Cahalan, Seamus O'Meara (R), Eugene O'Meara, Michael O'Meara (R), Billy Hogan and Paddy Sullivan (goals).
Another tournament he played in was at the Banagher carnival in 1943. At that stage he played with Belmont (Offaly), where he worked for D. E. Williams, and he remembers playing Shannon Harbour. Lorrha had a team in it and a team from Eyrecourt was also involved. The games were played in the evenings and Michael O'Meara remembers they would meet at Rathcabbin and cycle to Banagher. Lorrha defeated Carrig in the semi-final and Eyrecourt in the final. Tom Ryan, a county Galway hurler, played with Eyrecourt. Mick Brophy marked him in the final and gave him a hard time. As well as Brophy the other members were Hubie and Billy Hogan, Michael and Seamus O'Meara (R), and probably Matt Cahalan and Johnny Deely.
Eugene has a memory of a parish seven-a-side held in Abbeyville about 1940. He was too young to play, being still in short trousers! About six teams took part and the final was played between Abbeyville and Roughan. The latter had a powerful team and won. The players were Seamus, Eddie and Michael O'Meara, John Deely, Matt Cahalan, Billy Rigney, Mick Donohue and Paddy Sullivan.
It wasn't a Sevens tournament but two of the best games Michael O'Mears remembers were eleven a-side games between Lorrha and St. Rynaghs in the late sixties. The first game was a draw and Lorrha won the replay by two points. Mick Liffey was captain and Liam King and the two Lanes were playing at the time. Podge Mulhare was with St, Rynaghs. Tipperary played Galway in Portumna the Sunday after the replay. Michael met Eamon Lynch a few days after and he said that the county match was only 'pitching pins' compared with the Lorrha-St. Rynaghs game!
A Faster Game
The modern sevens game is a much faster game than the ordinary game of hurling. It emphasises speed, accurate striking, maintenance of possession and taking the scoring opportunities offered, in fact, most of the characteristics the Clare team revealed in their recent, brilliant All-Ireland win. The same characteristics are to be seen in that new game, Super Elevens, that was unveiled during the year.
I don't believe the sevens games of seventy or eighty years ago put such emphasis on speed of foot, of hand, of striking, of catching, of scoring, but they were entertaining and they brought a bit of variety to hurlers' lives at a time when there were few games outside of the championship and the occasional tournament.
I'm not sure if the material benefits to be gained in the event of victory were an enticement to take part but, at a time when the material rewards of living in rural Ireland were meagre, there must have been some inducement in a prize of bicycles, which were the main means of transport at the time, or of suit-lengths, when a suit was purchased only on major occasions, or a ten shilling note when it would buy you eleven pints of Guinness!