Dual Stars

With so many All-Ireland medals and All-Star awards in both Gaelic football and hurling won by Offaly down through the years, it’s no surprise that the county produced many players who were equally adept at both codes.

The late GAA historian John Clarke of Tullamore researched a complete list of Offaly’s ‘dual stars’ at the turn of the millennium, highlighting all those who represented the county at least once in Senior Football and Hurling Championship action.

Mr Clarke had unrivalled knowledge of Offaly’s GAA history going back to the foundation of the Association and prepared a fascinating piece on all of the ‘dual stars’ for the Tullamore Tribune.

The list has now been updated to include the four players who have featured at the top level for the ‘Faithful County’ in both codes over the past 16 years.

Please note that Mr Clarke included two players, Sean Robbins and Dinny Walsh, who played Senior Hurling and Junior Football Championship games for Offaly during a period when Offaly had no Senior Football team.

Of course, there are countless others who combined Championship appearances in one code with National League or O’Byrne Cup/ Walsh Cup selection in the other who are not included.

DANIEL CURRAMS:

Though he focussed primarily on hurling for Offaly once out of under 21 ranks, Daniel Currams was also a talented footballer who was sought after by inter-county management in both codes up through the ranks.

A nephew of Offaly’s most famous dual star, Liam Currams, the Kilcormac/ Killoughey club man made just two Senior Championship appearances for Offaly footballers – both as a substitute – whereas he lined out 16 times for the hurlers between 2008 and 2015.

It was in a qualifier tie versus Limerick in ’08 that Daniel made his championship debut with the hurlers and Offaly’s failure to return as contenders on the big stage unfortunately limited his tally of appearances.  Nevertheless, he did help the Faithful County to win NHL Division 2 titles and collected a Railway Cup medal with Leinster.

For the footballers, Daniel came on as a substitute versus Tipperary in 2012 and Tyrone in 2013, but the demands on inter-county players are such that performing in both codes at the same time has proven almost impossible.

With his club, Daniel won four Offaly SHC titles – he was captain for the 2014 triumph – and a Leinster Club SHC medal in 2012, though an injury unfortunately ruled him out of the All-Ireland Club final the following St Patrick’s Day.  In addition, Daniel was the 2017 Offaly Senior Hurler of the Year (having previously received the Junior Football of the Year accolade).

SEAN RYAN:

A resurgence in club football in Birr, spearheaded by a small group of clubmen that included his father John, contributed to Sean Ryan’s prominence in both codes during a lengthy inter-county GAA career.

One of Offaly’s longest-serving dual stars, he clocked up over 80 senior appearances for Offaly in the league and championship, a tally reached by giving almost equal service to his county in hurling and football.

Selected mostly at midfield for the hurlers and in the forward line for the footballers, Sean represented Offaly at Minor and U-21 in both codes. He moved up to the Offaly senior football panel in 2006 and the senior hurlers a year later, hitting 1-2 in his championship debut against Tipperary.

Indeed, Sean holds the rare distinction of being a member of two championship panels at different venues on the same day, when Offaly’s qualifier fixtures clashed on July 19th 2008. The Faithful County hurled Waterford in Thurles, where Sean was an unused substitute, and he quickly returned to Tullamore and entered the fray in the second half for the footballers v Down.

Remaining with the footballers until the end of 2011, he switched allegiance to the hurlers in 2012 and remained with them from then on.

Unsurprisingly, as a member of the Birr club, it’s with the small ball that he won most of his accolades, including four Offaly SHC medals, three U-21s, two Minors and a Leinster Club, though there is also an Offaly JFC medal among the collection.

With an all-action style, Sean compensated for his lack of size with super athleticism and never-say-die spirit which has endeared him to Offaly fans for over a decade.

CONOR MAHON:

One of several Kilcormac/ Killoughey players of his age group who were equally talented in both codes, Conor Mahon would surely have enjoyed a longer career for Offaly footballers had he not decided to devote his energies at inter-county level with the hurlers.

As it transpired, his only appearance in the Senior Football Championship was as a substitute in the defeat to Dublin 2007. In fact, his senior hurling debut didn’t come until the following year and he gave many whole-hearted displays in League and Championship.

Someone who has never gave less than 100% when wearing the green, white and gold, Conor was equally comfortable at midfield or in the forwards.

Conor was a central figure in Kilcormac/ Killoughey’s historic breakthrough to win the Offaly SHC title for the first time in 2012 – the first of three Sean Robbins’ Cup victories in a row, and he won a Leinster Club SHC medal. He has collected championship medals at all grades of underage hurling in Offaly, including U-21, and in football, won U-14, U-16 (as captain), two Junior and one Intermediate medals.

NEVILLE COUGHLAN:

A player known for his versatility, strength and goal-scoring ability, Neville Coughlan gave sterling service to Offaly in the first decade of the new millennium.

The Shamrocks club man’s all-round ability was noticed from a young age and after winning a Leinster Minor Hurling Championship with Offaly in 2000, he made his senior with the footballers later that year in the National League versus Donegal.

Neville played hurling and football at all grades for Offaly and his Leinster Championship debut for the footballers came in the summer of 2001, when he starred in the victory over Laois. He remained a regular for the footballers for most of the decade, until his final game in 2009.

Meanwhile, he continued to devote considerable efforts to hurling and represented Offaly in 2003 (making his debut v Wexford), 2004 and 2005.

Unfortunately, while he played in the Leinster SHC final of 2004 and SFC final in 2006, he did not collect a medal in either occasion.

At club level, he too suffered disappointment in three Offaly SFC finals, but among his club honours were U-21 FC and Intermediate HC in 2000 and he gave many towering displays for Shamrocks and Offaly in a fulfilling career.

JOHN RYAN:

Hailing from a parish (Shannonbridge) where hurling was almost non-existent, he most certainly defied the odds in being considered for the county’s premier hurling 15 at a time when the standard was as high as it has ever been.

John made his championship debut for the footballers as a young midfielder in 1995 and remained on the fringes of both teams before winning a National Football League medal in 1998. He was then selected at full back versus Meath in the championship. A few weeks’ later, he was sprung from the substitutes bench in the hurling semi-final, his ‘double’ coincided with one of this county’s most remarkable achievements as Offaly went on to win the Liam McCarthy Cup.

Also a key member of the Shannonbridge side which won their first and only Offaly SFC title in 1996, John was a teak-tough player in both codes whose bravery and commitment endeared him to supporters of both codes throughout the county.

MICHAEL DUIGNAN:

His inter-county hurling career began auspiciously in 1986 when he was a member of the team that brought the first All-Ireland minor title to Offaly. Promotion to the under 21 squad followed immediately and in 1988 he played his first senior game against Dublin at Croke Park.

After that, he became an automatic choice, performing with distinction in a variety of positions from half-back to the full-forward line. Winner of All-Ireland senior medals in 1994 and 1998, he also received an All-Star award in 1998 and lined out for the Faithful County in the All-Ireland final defeats in 1995 and 2000.

Michael’s talents as a footballer tended to be overlooked in the heady years of hurling greatness, but as the football selectors attempted to build a championship-winning team, the St Ryangh’s man was called into the squad and made his debut in the victory over Westmeath in 1989, followed by the loss against Meath. He also played twice for Offaly in the Leinster SFC in 1991.

The demands of hurling, however, were too great and after the game against Meath in the next round of the Leinster SFC, he concentrated on hurling to great effect. Brief though his football career was, it did win him a place with a distinguished group of Offalians.

LIAM CURRAMS:

It is no more than a simple fact to state that the Kilcormac man was Offaly’s greatest ‘dual star’, for he is the only Offaly man to have scaled the twin peaks of All-Ireland senior success in both codes.

The intimations of greatness were there from the earliest days and after having played with both county minor teams he moved effortlessly to the under 21 ranks where he won Leinster medals in hurling (1978) and football (1979). Promotion was immediate. On the football team which played Louth in 1980, he made the hurling team in 1981 and was very much a part of the historic All-Ireland win over Galway.

Three weeks later he bid for the double, but was thwarted by Kerry’s late flourish. But that failure merely postponed his joining the elite of the great all-rounders who have won All-Ireland senior hurling and football medals, when Seamus Darby’s late goal sank Kerry’s five-in-a-row ambitions.

All-Star awards in hurling and football expanded Liam’s achievements, but then while he was only approaching his peak, an injury brought his inter-county career to a premature end. But he had already achieved more than any player in Offaly history. His career requires no further embellishment.

OLLIE MINNOCK:

After Tullamore, Clara was one of the small number of clubs that consistently maintained a significant dual presence in the Gaelic arena in Offaly for the first 70 years of the association’s history. In those years, a number of Clara men came close to gaining recognition from both sets of selectors, but it wasn’t until the mid-seventies, when Ollie Minnock appeared on the scene, that a Clara representative finally gained dual honours. While scarcely 19 years of age, he was selected on the hurling team that met Westmeath at Croke Park in the first round of the 1976 championship.

A year later, he was a member of the football team that won the provincial U-21 title, and in 1978 he made his own piece of Offaly history by becoming the first man to win Leinster underage medals in both codes when he was a member of the U-21 hurling team that won the Leinster Championship.

In that year, he lined out for the senior footballers in the championship for the first time, thereby joining the select company of Offaly dual performers. And though he remained on the fringes of the hurling team for some considerable time, it was as a footballer that he continued to render sterling service to the county, winning Leinster and All-Ireland medals between 1980 and 1982 (with an injury ruling him out of contention for an appearance in the ’82 All-Ireland final).

Ollie Minnock may never have gained the satisfaction of a senior county medal in either code, but as already noted, he occupies a unique place in the history of Gaelic games in Offaly.

PAUDGE MULHARE:

The St Rynagh’s man was so involved in administration – as County Chairman, a hurling selector on successful teams, and many other duties over many years – that his playing career is often overlooked. And it was a distinguished career.

As an under 18 player, his ability was recognised by both county hurling and football selectors and he won a Leinster minor football medal in 1962. Three years later, he was involved with both under 21 teams and in that year he helped his club record a unique double with St Rynagh’s won the hurling and football titles.

His senior inter-county career began in 1966 when he lined out in the first round against Westmeath and he was to be an automatic choice as a forward until well into the 1970s. It was in ’67 that he made his only appearance in a senior championship football game when he came on as a sub against Meath in the Leinster final. Hurling, however, absorbed most of his energies and interest thereafter, but he was still sufficiently involved with football to win a Leinster junior medal in 1972. Dual player, county chairman, hurling selector – Paudge Mulhare was a man of many parts – all of them magnificent, and he was inducted into the Offaly GAA Hall of Fame.

PETER DALY:

Came in at the end of a great Tullamore era in underage hurling and was very much to the fore when ‘The Blues’ won the minor double in 1958. He had earlier played on both county under 18 teams.

League appearances in 1959 preceded promotion to the senior hurling team for the 1960 first-round tie with Westmeath at St Brendan’s Park. In that year, he was a sub on the team that won Offaly’s first ever provincial title but was not called in for any of the five games in that historic campaign.

However, a year later he was on both county teams, lining out against Westmeath in hurling at Mullingar and then against Carlow at Newbridge when the defence of the Leinster title was made on the way to a first All-Ireland appearance. Although his inter-county career was a relatively short one, he can claim the distinction of being the first Offaly all-rounder to play in an All-Ireland senior final.

JOE BRACKEN:

If he wasn’t the most artistic of the men who wore the Offaly jersey in both codes, he was certainly among the most enthusiastic and courageous. And these qualities were early in evidence when he first performed at minor level.
His credentials in football were immediately apparent at senior level when following Tullamore’s 1954 football success, he gained a place on the senior team for the 1955 championship. Two years later he was called upon by the senior hurling selectors and made his debut against Laois at Birr.

And if his inter-county involvement was short-lived, his commitment to his club never wavered and he won his third Offaly football medal when Tullamore were champions in 1963, and he was on the team that won the capital town’s hurling title in 1964. Joe Bracken was occasionally a figure of controversy, but there was no disputing his loyalty to club and county from start to finish of his playing career.

EAMON FOX:

Another of Tullamore’s extremely talented all-rounders of the 1950s, but unlike many of his colleagues his inter-county career was slow to materialise and though he had a number of league outings in the late fifties, it wasn’t until 1960 that he first lined out with the county in the senior football championship – against Carlow at Newbridge.

But immediately after that game, he withdrew from the panel to concentrate on hurling which was his first love. However, he here also had to wait some time for championship recognition from the county selectors and it wasn’t until 1963 that he first pulled on the Offaly jersey in the Leinster Senior Championship which was against Carlow at Portlaoise. Not a happy day for Offaly hurling as the county suffered its only senior championship defeat by the Barrowsiders.

But for the remainder of the decade, Eamon was a regular on the team and was part of the great effort of the late 1960s that marked the beginning of Offaly’s rise to hurling greatness. To be part of that historic breakthrough is a proud distinction.

DICK CONROY:

A member of a distinguished Tullamore clan who contributed much to the rise of Tullamore in both codes in the 1950s. Following his fine display for his club in the 1954 football championship, he was quickly called into the county squad, making his debut against Louth in the first round in 1955. His inter-county hurling career did not begin immediately, although when Tullamore regained the senior hurling crown after a lapse of 18 years in 1955, he was a big contributor to that success.

However, recognition by the county hurling selectors did not come until he lined out against Meath in the first round of the 1958 championship at O’Connor Park – a winning debut as Offaly won easily.

In the realm of dual honours, Dickie Conroy enjoys a rare distinction in that he is one of only two men who have captained their club to win Offaly senior titles in both codes. That certainly sets him apart – even in this company.

NOEL McGEE:

If it was only for the fact that he was the first Offaly man to receive a trophy on the Hogan Stand (the O’Byrne Cup), Noel’s place in Offaly history would be secure; but there was much more to the popular Tullamore all-rounder who gave years of devoted service to club and county.

Evan as a teenager, his talents in bot codes were recognised with appearances on county minor hurling and football teams in 1951 and three years later he was in the half line of defence on the team that reached the Leinster final. Later that year, he became the first man to receive the Dowling Cup and in 1955 he was captain of the team that played Dublin in the Leinster semi-final in Portlaoise. That year (1955) was to be a special year for him as when Tullamore won the senior hurling championship he immediately gained recognition from the selectors and had the honour of captaining the team in at least one National League game – a dual captaincy that no other Offaly man can claim.

Perhaps the high point for Noel was in featuring on both teams in 1956, but even before, and after that year, his was an illustrious career.

MICK FURLONG:

If ever the promise of a glittering minor career was later realised at senior level it was in the case of this member of one of Offaly’s most distinguished sporting families. A dual performer as a minor in 1946-47, he played junior hurling and football in 1948 in which year he was promoted to the senior football team for the Leinster Championship.

In 1951, he made his senior hurling championship debut against Laois at Portlaoise, but it was an unhappy occasion for Offaly as the home county won by double scores. In 1952, Mick moved to Dublin where he threw in his lot with Sean McDermott’s in football and Faughs in hurling, winning a Dublin championship medal with the latter in 1952.

Sadly for Offaly, he decided to emigrate to the United States in 1954, but not before he had assisted the Offaly footballers to reach the Leinster final and had played three splendid games against Westmeath and Meath (twice) in the hurling championship.

His last game for Offaly was against Roscommon in the National League on the day before he left for America and, typically, he performed with all the skill and commitment that had marked his every game for his county.

STEPHEN GAVIN:

Even people with a clear recollection of the 1940s might have difficulty in pin-pointing the inter-county career of this Birr clubman, who flashed briefly on the stage in both codes and then disappeared from the ratings almost as quickly as he had arrived.

That Birr could produce a player worthy of inclusion in the senior football panel will raise not a few eyebrows, but it did in 1946 and 1947 when Stephen Gavin caught the attention of both sets of selectors. With Birr then one of the real powers of Offaly hurling, his selection on the team to play Westmeath in the first round in St Brendan’s Park was not unexpected, but when the team to play Laois in the provincial football semi-final was chosen, Stephen was a surprise choice – though his form in the previous year’s junior championship had not escaped notice.

However, he was unlucky in that he was involved in two heavy championship defeats by Dublin in hurling and the truly disastrous showing against Laois. By the following year, there were many new faces around and among the departed was Stephen Gavin, who still, in that brief moment of glory, joined the illustrious band of all-rounders.

TOM SHEERAN:

One of the longest serving dual players in Offaly history. From the predominantly hurling area of Killeigh, it was not surprising that it was as a hurler that he first gained recognition from the county selectors – making his championship debut against Westmeath in Mullingar in 1941.

From that year until the end of the decade he was an automatic choice for the centre-half forward position and he was decidedly unlucky not to attract the attention of provincial selectors on a number of occasions during that period.
Remarkably, his inter-county football career did not being until his hurling career was almost at an end, and not until 1948 did he line out in a senior championship game for Offaly in football for the first time which was at right full back against Kildare at Portlaoise.

A year later, he was in goal for the championship and held that position for the next three years. Remarkably, his career as an inter-county footballer ended with him back in the left corner of the defence against Wexford in 1953. Tom Sheeran’s service to Offaly spanned 13 years – the longest of any of Offaly’s dual players. And that is some distinction.

MICKEY FLYNN:

A member of one of Tullamore’s greatest GAA families, he was very much a part of the club’s great revival in the 1930s. After a rewarding spell as an underage player, he was soon a regular with Tullamore senior teams in both codes and helped to win the seniors’ second double in 1935, in which year he won a Leinster junior football medal.

Promotion to the county senior squads came in 1938, when he lined out with the hurlers against Laois at Birr and the footballers against Wexford at Kilkenny. He was again on both teams in 1939, but thereafter his efforts were mainly concentrated at club level and he collected his second senior football award in 1941 when Tullamore regained the championship after a lapse of six years.

By most standards, Mick Flynn’s inter-county career was brief, but while he was there he served Offaly well.

JIM KELLY:

One of the most colourful characters ever to represent Offaly in both codes, Jim was a county under 18 star in hurling and football before graduating to senior ranks – in hurling against Westmeath in 1937 and in football against Wexford in 1938. From his debut he became an automatic choice with the hurling and football selectors for the next seven or eight years, thus becoming the first player to hold his position on both teams for such a lengthy spell.

On the ‘domestic’ front with Tullamore, it took him somewhat longer to record a championship double: the holder of senior hurling medals won in 1936 and ’37, he had to wait until 1941 for a football award, and a year later he led Offaly to a first-ever championship win over Laois at Portlaoise.

Winner of a Railway Cup football medal in 1945, in which year he retired from inter-county hurling, he continued with the footballers until 1948. Two years later, he emigrated to Australia, where he remained for the rest of his life, but he was always fondly and proudly remembered in all parts of his native county.

PADDY McINTYRE:

A native of Cloghan, he was one of the first players from that end of the county to display first-class ability in both codes. In the early part of his career, he concentrated on football and was a member of the team that won the 1935 provincial junior final. He was immediately promoted to the senior team and made his championship debut against Dublin in 1936.

By now, he was resident in Dublin where he divided his time equally between hurling and football. In 1938, he helped Offaly win Leinster junior hurling honours, but he still continued to concentrate on football, and despite his obvious hurling credentials, he did not feature on an Offaly senior team in the championship until 1946, when he was a stalwart defender in a great game against Dublin at Portlaoise.

When he retired in 1948, Paddy could boast a fine collection of championship honours, and high among them would be that he was one of the county’s outstanding dual players.

DERMOT DUNNE:

Yet another member of the distinguished band of Tullamore all-rounders, who bestrode the scene in the 1930s, he was involved in Tullamore’s double in 1932. First played with the county hurlers against Kildare in the first round at O’Connor Park in 1935, in which year he won a Leinster junior football medal, when Offaly made the provincial breakthrough.

A year later, he was performing splendidly with both senior teams and took part in the famous clashes with Laois footballers in 1936-37. He somehow managed to combine his playing-field activities with the duties of county secretary.

He was still an automatic choice for both county teams in 1939 – against Wexford in hurling and Kildare in football, but his career came to an abrupt end later that year when, like so many others, he emigrated to Britain.

JACK GIBNEY:

A native of Meath, Jack was already the holder of a Leinster minor medal (1929) when he came to Tullamore as a teenager in 1930. Two years later he was a member of the Tullamore teams that won both senior finals, but it wasn’t until 1935 that he made his mark with the county as right full back on the team that won provincial junior honours.

In 1937, he recorded a unique double when he lined out in goal for the senior hurlers against Westmeath at Mullingar and a fortnight later he was also been the posts for the first round football tie with Laois at Newbridge.

He was to hold the goalkeeping position in football until 1942 in which year – having transferred from Tullamore to Daingean – he set up a scoring record for an Offaly senior football championship game when notching 5-2 for Daingean against Rhode in the first round.

Jack Gibney may not have been a native Offalian, but his commitment to this county was never found wanting.

JIMMY COUGHLAN:

To say that his sporting interests were varied would probably be an understatement, for in an era when the liens of demarcation between the GAA and the rival associations were clearly and irrevocably drawn, Jimmy managed his interests with a most dextrous touch, as he somehow combined his attachment to soccer and hockey with an abiding interest in hurling and football.

As early as 1925, he was a medal winner with Tullamore on the hurling field, and when he returned to the fold after a few years in the ‘foreign’ wilderness, it was to gain immediate recognition from the county’s hurling selectors in 1930 – a year in which he helped Tullamore win the senior football championship – and the football selectors followed suit 12 months later.
After gaining county championship honours on the double in 1932 with Tullamore, he again departed to ‘alien’ climes; but whichever code took his fancy, once he pulled on an Offaly or Tullamore jersey no one gave more than he did in pursuit of victory.

JIMMY HENRY:

Few players have made the transition from underage to senior competition as quickly and as smoothly as Jimmy Henry. As a Daingean representative, he was a member of the first ever Offaly minor football team in 1928 and within two years he was selected for both county senior teams, with whom he performed with distinction – against Kildare in football and Meath in hurling. To the fore when Tullamore regained the senior football crown in 1930, he played a vital role in the capital town’s historic senior double in 1932.

A glittering career stretched before him but 1932 was to mark his last season with club and county as, still only 22 years old, he emigrated to Britain never to return to the scene of his former glory. Yet, half a century later, old timers in Offaly would still speak of the promise – and achievement – of Jimmy Henry.

NED NOLAN:

Although his first championship medal was won in senior football (Tullamore 1926), it was as a hurler that this Tullamore man gained early renown when he was a member of the Offaly team that won the 1929 All-Ireland junior title. A year later he was full back on the senior team that played Meath at Navan and he was to hold the no. 3 spot virtually unchallenged for the remainder of his career.

Recognition by the county’s football selectors was slow in coming, and despite a number of sterling displays with his club, it wasn’t until 1935 that he first donned the tricoloured jersey to become a member of the team that won the Leinster junior title – thus earning the distinction of being the first Offaly man to win provincial medals in both codes to add to Railway Cup hurling medals already won with Leinster.

His inter-county football career was short-lived, covering but two years (1936-37) as an injury in the latter year ended his playing career. Ned Nolan, however, had left his mark on the Offaly GAA scene.

RODY O’BRIEN:

Will always be regarded as an amiable and highly efficient County Secretary in the 1950s and early ‘60s; but it is a matter of record that in his playing days he was equally regarded as a man of great ability as a hurler and footballer.
From the moment he first pulled on a Tullamore jersey, he was rated as one of the best forwards in Offaly and he was already established with the county’s premier football 15 (1927) when he was selected on the senior hurling team for the first time in 1929 – a year in which he also ‘made’ the Leinster Railway Cup hurling team as a result of some fine displays in the National League.

Although approaching the veteran stage, he was still able to command a place on both county teams in 1932 – a year that saw him gain Offaly senior championship medals in both codes when Tullamore recorded an historic double. Rody O’Brien was a distinguished member of distinguished company.

DINNY WALSH:

Regarded by many who saw him at the peak of his career as the finest hurling that Tullamore produced in the first half of the century. It was in this code that he first featured on an Offaly senior team and his display against Kilkenny in the 1926 Leinster final was truly heroic. In the first year of the Railway Cup (1927), he was one of the three Offaly men to make the winning panel.

Football was very definitely his second love, though he was always at the service of the Tullamore selectors. And it was as a result of his displays in the 1925 domestic championship that the county mentors were prompted to select him for the 1926 Leinster Junior championship games with Laois, Longford and Kildare.

In the late 1920s, he emigrated to the US where he assisted the Offaly team that won several New York championships. By the time he returned home, his career was at an end, but the honour of being the first Tullamore born dual performer places him in a special niche of Tullamore and Offaly history.

SEAN ROBBINS:

Although it was as an able and dedicated administrator that Sean Robbins is best remembered – he was the first Offaly man to be elected Chairman of Leinster Council – he also had a distinguished playing career in both codes. A native of Clara, it was as a Birr representative that he rendered sterling service to Offaly as a player and administrator, though because of his involvement in the struggle for independence, he was a comparative late-comer in the championship scene.

As a hurler, he captained Offaly to win the 1924 Leinster Junior Championship and was soon promoted to the senior team with which he served for a number of years. His ability as a footballer with Birr brought him to the notice of the county selectors and he was a member of the team that played Kildare in the 1927 Leinster Junior final. His reputation as an administrator may have overshadowed his name as a player, but he was, by any reckoning, one of Offaly’s great dual performers.

NED HOLLAND:

It is ironic that the first man to play senior hurling and football for Offaly was from Laois. But the fact that he was a non-native who had come to live in Tullamore in his early 20s diminished not at all his loyalty to his adopted county. And his talent as a footballer was quickly appreciated by the county selectors who chose him on the team that competed in the 1908 championship.

Three years later, in the wake of Tullamore’s first hurling title win, he was one of the five players from the club who lined out against Wexford in Jones’ Road. That 1910 appearance was his only one in championship hurling for Offaly, but it did give him the distinction of being the first man to play senior championship football and hurling for the county.