An Bhfuil Fhios Agat?

Egan Clancy walked from Grange to Limerick Railway Station to join his team-mates on the train for Dublin on the morning of the 1910 All Ireland Senior final against Wexford. The game was played at Jones's Road (later Croke Park), Dublin, on 20th November when Wexford (Castlebridge) defeated Limerick (Castleconnell) on the score 7-0 to 6-2.

Mick Sexton of Bruree played for six years on the same club team with three of his sons—James, John and Michael. And for good measure his daughter, Margaret, represented Bruree club at several county conventions.

Dave Clohessy of Fedamore scored four goals in the replay of the 1934 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final in which Limerick beat Dublin by 5-2 to 2-6.

Timmy Ryan, John Mackey and Mick Mackey each hold 20 Limerick Senior Championship medals—15 won in hurling and 5 in football.

John J. Fanagan of Kilmallock—one of the greatest stars that ever graced the athletic firmament—secured the hammer event for his adopted country (USA) in three successive Olympiads between 1900 and 1908.

Richard J. Casey of Martinstown, near Kilmallock, Co. Limerick, founded the famed Toomevara Greyhounds Hurling club in North Tipperary.

Bohercrowe, Tipperary beat Portlaoise, Laois, in the 1889 All-Ireland Senior football final. Five Ryans played for Tipperary and five Cushions figured with Laois.

Johnny Walsh of Tubberadora won his fifth All-Ireland Senior Hurling medal in 1900 at the age of 23. He was only 17 when he won his first six years earlier, in 1895.

John Joe Callanan, who won 1920 All-Ireland senior honours with Dublin, was captain of the Tipperary team that beat the Liffeysiders in the 1930 final.

Mick Kennedy, Young Irelands, born at the Ragg, near Thurles, is the only Tipperary man to win three All-Ireland Senior Hurling medals with Limerick. A product of Thurles CBS, he played with Tipperary minors in 1928-29.

At the closing of the storied Celtic Park in New York in August 1930, Clarina born Mike Kenny established what is believed to be a world record at rising and striking the hurling ball, with a distance of 122 yards.

Bob McConkey of Young Irelands, captain of Limerick's All-Ireland winning team in 1921 and first to gain possession of the Liam Mc Carthy Cup, played altogether in four All-Ireland finals—the last in 1934 when he was 39 years of age.

1932: Opening of Davin Park

The Maurice Davin Memorial Park, Carrick-on-Suir was officially opened by Munster Council Chairman W.P. Clifford on Sunday August 7th 1932.

Among those present for that historic occasion were:-

Rev. J.J.Meagher, Chairman Tipperary Co. Board GAA;
Johnny Leahy, Sec. Tipperary Co. Board GAA;
Rev. Fr. M.J. Lee, Thurles;
Pat Davin, brother of Maurice;
and the renowned athlete, Tom Kiely.

In his address, Mr. Clifford said that the Park was a fitting memorial in the most appropriate form to the famous Tipperary athlete whose genius brought the Gaelic Athletic Association into being.

The Munster Council gave due recognition to the occasion by staging the Munster Senior Football Final between Kerry and Tipperary as the opening game. Even with home advantage, however, the Tipperary team could never come to grips with a rampant Kerry and having trailed by 2-5 to 0-3 at the break, Tipperary went under finally by 3-10 to 1-4.

Both All-Ireland football semi-finals were played at Croke Park on 21st August when Mayo beat Cavan by 2-4 to 0-8 and Kerry beat Dublin by 1-3 to 1-1. The All-Ireland final was played at Croke Park on September 25th when Kerry beat Mayo by 2-7 to 2-4.

The first Directors of Davin Park were:- Richard Cleary, T.F. Kiely, Jerry Shelly, John Keating, Denis O'Driscoll, Wm. Morrissey, Dick Walsh, James McCormack and John Higgins.

Great Win For Carlow

Leinster U-21 Hurling Quarter Final:

Carlow 1-13; Dublin 1-11

Carlow Under-21 hurlers achieved a notable victory at Parnell Park, Dublin last evening when a last minute goal, scored by Marty Kavanagh, gave them victory over Dublin in the Leinster under 21 hurling championship. The fact that Dublin have been very strong for a number of years in the minor and under 21 hurling championship adds to the significance of this Carlow win. It shows what a small county, with a limited pool of hurlers, can achieve with the right spirit and proper organization. I wish them the best of luck for the rest of the campaign—they should not fear any one now!

Tom Kiely of Ballyneale

In the following I will include brief extracts and also a short synopsis from a contribution by Michael Navin in Romantic Slievenamon:

The World's Champion All-Round Athlete 

"Kiely and the Davins always represent to me the ideal type of the Gael and the sportsman. On the athletic field they could beat the best the world could send against them. In hurling or football or handball they were performers well above the ordinary. They could whistle and sing, they could play the fiddle, and they could dance as light and airy as any fairy that ever trod the slopes of Slievenamon" (Patrick Purcell). 

Thomas F.Kiely of Ballyneale, Carrick-on-Suir—still referred to in his native locality as "The Champion". A title well deserved, for his athletic achievements at home and abroad, he proved himself to be Ireland's greatest ever all round athlete. Prompted, no doubt, by the deeds and fame of his great and immediate predecessors and neighbours, the famous Davin brothers of nearby Deerpark, he was a willing pupil and needed no urging. 

In the All-Ireland championships of 1892, held at Jones's Road (now Croke Park), he won seven of the titles. The victories were in the hurdles race, the shot putting, hammer throwing, putting the weights (7 lbs and 28 lbs), long jump and hop step and jump-in the latter event he cleared a distance of 49 feet 7 inches—a few inches short of the world's record. 

On 21st July 1904, at the world's fair in St. Louis on the mighty Mississippi river, he achieved first place with 6086 points—by coming first in the hurdles, first in the hammer, first in the 56 lbs throw and first in the 880 yards walk. He was second in the long jump and third in the shot and pole jump. 

On 23rd June 1906, in the American all round championship decided at Boston, Tom was again victorious, achieving 6274 points, as against 5064 points for his nearest rival, John Bridemus. 

Tom Kiely's last year of competition was in 1908 when on 16th August at Dungarvan he took part in an exhibition of weight throwing with Irish-American athlete, Martin Sheridan. He died in 1951 and is laid to rest in Ballyneale churchyard in the shadow of his beloved Slievenamon.