Tadhg Lyne
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | half-forward | ||
| Born |
1930 Killarney, County Kerry | ||
| Died | 2000 | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
1950s–1960s | Dr. Croke's | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1952–1960 | Kerry | 24(5–65) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 6 | ||
| All-Irelands | 3 | ||
| NFL | 1 | ||
Tadhgie Lyne ( 8 December 1930 – 31 May 2000) was an Irish Gaelic footballer with Kerry. Called 'the Prince of Forwards',[1] Lyne was one of the finest scoring forwards of his time.
Early life
[edit]Tadhgie Lyne grew up on High Street, Killarney, only half a mile from the famous Kerry ground of Fitzgerald Stadium. His football talent apparent from an early age, and he spent hours daily practicing the skills of the game with a ball suspended from the rafters of his father's house. Nevertheless, despite being called for trials for the Kerry All-Ireland Minor Football Championship for two years in succession he could not make the panel, with contemporaries such as Jerome O'Shea and Seán Murphy outshining him.[citation needed]
Playing career
[edit]Lyne's county career only began after his club, the Dick Fitzgeralds, won the 1951 Kerry Senior Football Championship. Lyne kicked 1–5 from right-half forward in the final against Dingle. He became a fixture in the Kerry team for a decade. In 1953, Lyne played at wing-forward on the Kerry team that won the Munster Senior Football Championship and went on to play in his first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, giving a man-of-the-match display with six points as Kerry beat Armagh 0–13 to 1–6.[1]
Kerry won Munster and reached the All-Ireland final again in 1954, but Meath beat them by 1–13 to 1–7. In 1955, Lyne might have been lost to football, but he turned down the offer of a professional soccer contract with Glasgow Celtic to play with Kerry. Kerry was Munster champions for the third consecutive time that year. They progressed to face Cavan in the All-Ireland semi final. Lyne scored 1–6 and punched a goal in the last moments to earn Kerry a draw. They went on to win the replay and faced Dublin. Lyne kicked a fine point in the first minute and notched five more as Kerry won by 0–12 to 1–9. The game is remembered as "Tadhgie Lyne's All-Ireland". He was the championship's top marksman that year with five goals and forty-two points and was named Footballer of the Year.
Lyne won another Munster senior medal in 1958 when he came on as a replacement in the final. However, Kerry was beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final. The 'Prince of Forwards' gained his third and final All-Ireland in 1959.[2] Kerry won the Munster championship and went on to qualify for the All-Ireland final, in which they beat Galway by nine points.
Later life
[edit]Tadhg Lyne died at his home on Killarney Road, Castleisland on 31 May 2000 at the age of 69.[1]