Tommy Murphy (hurler)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Tomás Ó Murchú | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Left corner-forward | ||
| Born |
1942 The Rower, County Kilkenny, Ireland | ||
| Died |
(aged 80) Ballyragget, County Kilkenny, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||
| Nickname | Fr. Tommy | ||
| Occupation | Roman Catholic priest | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Rower–Inistioge | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Kilkenny titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1963-1969 | Kilkenny | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 4 | ||
| All-Irelands | 2 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
Thomas Murphy (1943 – 14 November 2022) was an Irish hurler. He played for his local club Rower–Inistioge and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1963 until 1969.[1]
Death
[edit]Thomas Murphy died on 14 November 2022, at the age of 80.
Playing career
[edit]Rower–Inistioge
[edit]Murphy began his hurling career at club level with Rower–Inistioge. After coming to prominence as an 11-year-old member of the club's successful under-14 team, he progressed through the juvenile and underage ranks before eventually joining the club's senior team. The high point of Murphy's club career occurred on 27 April 1969 when he claimed a Kilkenny Senior Championship title after a 3-09 to 3-07 defeat of Bennettsbridge in the 1968 final.[2]
Kilkenny
[edit]Minor and intermediate
[edit]Murphy first played for Kilkenny as a 16-year-old when he was drafted onto the minor team for the 1960 Leinster Championship. He won a Leinster Minor Championship medal in his debut year after the 6-14 to 5-05 win over Wexford. Murphy later won an All-Ireland medal after scoring a hat-trick of goals in the 7-12 to 1-11 final defeat of Tipperary.
After missing the following year's minor championship due to his priesthood studies, Murphy was drafted onto the Kilkenny intermediate team for the 1963 Leinster Championship.
Senior
[edit]Murphy's performance in the intermediate grade drew the attention of the senior selectors and he was one of a number of players promoted to the Kilkenny senior team prior to the start of the 1963 Leinster Championship. He made his first appearance in the senior ranks on 7 July 1963 when he scored a goal in a 4-09 to 3-08 defeat of Wexford. Murphy subsequently lined out in his first Leinster final and claimed his first winners' medal after the 2-10 to 0-09 defeat of Dublin. On 1 September 1963, he was selected at left corner-forward against Waterford in an All-Ireland final. He scored 2-01 from play and claimed his first All-Ireland medal after the 4-17 to 6-08 victory.[3]
After collecting a second consecutive provincial title after the 4-11 to 1-08 defeat of Dublin in the 1964 Leinster final, Murphy lined out in a second consecutive All-Ireland final on 6 September 1964. In spite of being regarded as the favourites, Kilkenny ended the game as runners-up after a 5-13 to 2-08 defeat by Tipperary.[4]
Murphy claimed his third provincial winners' medal as a substitute after a 1-15 to 2-06 defeat of Wexford in the 1966 Leinster final. On 4 September 1966, he again started the game on the bench when Kilkenny faced Cork in the All-Ireland final. Murphy was introduced as a substitute for Pa Dillon at full-forward but ended on the losing side after a 3-09 to 1-10 defeat.[5][6]
Murphy's priesthood studies impacted on his hurling career on a number of occasions over the following years, however, he claimed his fourth provincial winners' medal after lining out as a substitute in the 3-09 to 0-16 defeat of Offaly in the final.[7] On 7 September 1969, Murphy was again included amongst the substitutes when he claimed his second All-Ireland winners' medal after the 2-15 to 2-09 victory over Cork.[8] It was his last major game with the Kilkenny senior team.
References
[edit]- ^ "Kilkenny GAA profile". www.hoganstand.com. Archived from the original on 14 October 2011. Retrieved 1 August 2010.
- ^ O'Sullivan, P.M. (17 August 2019). "'They say Tipp have never won an All-Ireland without a Ryan'". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 8 May 2020.
- ^ "Kilkenny cause major upset". Irish Times. 3 September 2008. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ McEvoy, Enda (4 September 2014). "Tipp's old dogs teach Cats lesson". Tipp Supporters Club. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ Crowe, Dermot (4 January 2014). "Kings for a day find it hard to repeat trick". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ Moynihan, Michael (3 September 2016). "The mission accomplished to end Cork famine in 1966". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ Kilfeather, Seán (19 September 1998). "Recalling a fright in 1969". Irish Times. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
- ^ "Cork v Kilkenny Classics: 1969 SHC final". RTÉ Sport. 26 August 2006. Retrieved 7 May 2020.