Brian O'Driscoll and Paul O'Connell two of the distinguished Warriors who after a fiercely contested game in Paris brought the Six Nations trophy to Ireland in 2014.
They were born in 1979. O'Driscoll was first heard of as a star Gaelic player but nobody was surprised when he took up Rugby. His Dad Frank and his two uncles Barry and John had all worn the Irish jersey. Brian became captain when the great Keith Wood retired. He richly deserved the honour. He was to become Ireland's most capped player with 103 caps.
Brian sustained severe injuries from two of the All Blacks players in 2005 soon after the start of the first test in Christchurch. It happened after the ball had been cleared out of the ruck. Brian was carried off on a stretcher and the authorities took no disciplinary action. But some months later the International Rugby Board after viewing footage - ruled that such dangerous tackles have no place in the game. Brian is the most capped player in the history of rugby union and the highest try scorer in Irish rugby. Among the great scoring centres he is the highest ever. He graduated from U.C.D. with a Diploma in Sports Management. Among his many awards is an Honorary Doctorate from Dublin City University.
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Paul O'Connell was famous as a swimmer before he revealed his talent on rugby fields. He made his debut with Ireland in 2002. In the absence of his mate Brian through injury in 2004 he captained the team to win the triple crown. He also helped to win the Six Nations two years later. His height gave him an advantage in line - outs but probably made falls more risky . It was a long way down for him and when he tried to rise he often felt pain in an ankle or knee or to his back. He always felt
frustrated when an injury forced him to miss a big game.
frustrated when an injury forced him to miss a big game.
He scored the last try at Landsdown Road before it was closed. When Brian was injured again in 2007 Paul led the team that played against France on the Gaelic pitch at Croke Park. Similarly in 2009 he captained the Lions team that toured South Africa. At a big function in Limerick in 2012 Paul was awarded the Freedom of Limerick City. Paul and his wife Emily have a lovely baby boy. I never met them and they could never have heard of me but I was interested to hear that they called him Paddy. I wish them all good luck and I hope the little fellow grows up to be as strong as his Dad.
Early in 1949 I commenced practice with Jane at Clondalkin near Dublin. Walter was born there and we were happy for two years until we felt it would be advantageous for us to move back and bring up our family in Britain. We purchased a little farm near Rugby.Soon after we settled in our new home I learned that the game of rugby was ' born ' there in 1823 when William Webb Ellis in a game at the school picked up the ball and ran with it. To commemorate the ' birth' this bronze statue by Graham Ibbeson of the ball being carried was erected near the school.
In the twelfth century there were laws banning football in parts of Britain.
History books tell us that the statute of Galway mentioned football in 1527.
I also read of a game in 1712 between a team from Louth against another from county Meath.
I was also interested to hear that students at Trinity college played the Webb
Ellis type of football from about 1860. Although catching and kicking remained the main type of ball game in Ireland rugby and soccer were being introduced at a number of schools.
The game called Soccer that allowed nobody but the goalkeeper to handle the ball was being played and attracting spectators in a growing number of countries.
It received a great boost from Glasgow in 1937. 149,415 people paid to see England play Scotland at Hampden Park and about another twenty thousand were said to have burst in without tickets. There was also guesswork about the attendance for the 1950 World Cup final in Rio de Janeiro. Stewards at the Maracana stadium estimated that it was close to two hundred thousand.
The G.A.A. Gaelic Athletic Association controls the amateur football and hurling for men and also promotes the minor competitions for the under eighteens. The rules were registered in 1887 and within a year the first All Ireland football championship was won by a team from county Limerick .
Women control their Camogie matches. One of the most sensible rules was that the goalkeeper's jersey must be of a different colour to that of the other 14 players. Apart from hitting the ball the hurling stick is used for picking it up from the ground to the fist in order to throw it in the air before striking it. If there is any clear space a player may choose to run with the ball balanced on the stick. Anyone wishing to see the fastest and most skilful game in the world should see our Hurling Final at Croke Park on a dry September day.
In 1961 a record crowd of over 90,000 attended the All Ireland football final between Down & Offaly. Kerry have won an amazing thirty six football championships. Dublin are in second position with twenty four. At hurling three counties have proud records. Kilkenny were champions thirty four times, Cork won thirty times and Tipperary were close up with twenty six.
During my time Donegal always had a few outstanding footballers who were selected for the team representing Ulster in the Railway Cup competition. It was not until 1992 that we had a county team good enough to win our first All Ireland Championship. Our successful manager then was Brian McEniff from Bundoran and Anthony Molloy from Ardara was the Captain. Manus Boyle from Gweedore scored nine of the eighteen points which gave us the historic win over Dublin. The margin was four points.
Up to that time the manager just aimed to train players to catch and kick the ball as quickly and as accurately as possible. As time passed competitions became more professional. After another twenty years we got a new manager called Jim Mac Guinness with a degree in sports psychology which helped him coach players with a scientific approach. He taught our 2012 team to hand-pass the ball at speed to a position from which it would be easier to score against Mayo in the final at Croke Park. Our captain Michael Murphy from Glenswilly and McFadden from Dunfanaghy each scored a goal & four points. Other points were added by Bradley, Gallagher and McGlynn to win the match by four points. Our Simon drove Jane and me to see the eagerly awaited match on Television by courtesy of the Irish Club in Leeds. We thought that Lacey and the two McGee brothers made major contributions to the result.
I was interested to hear that Mac Guinness has since been invited to assist manager Neil Lennon in coaching the young players signed by the Celtic club in Glasgow. He appears to be an honest and intelligent man and I wish him good luck.
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Among the friends I made in the veterinary college there were a few famous names from the GAA world. For the greatest I have to say his name was Nicky Rackard. He was not just outstanding in a team of great footballers. With a hurling stick he was a genius. He was so popular that everyone wanted to shake his hand. He was a real nice guy and he was kind. One day while jumping for the same ball he hit me and he was very sorry because I was sore for a week. He got a taste for the Guinness and when he qualified and set up in practice too many people wanted to treat him. He eventually became an alcoholic. Fortunately he had the willpower to resist the temptation. He then went around Ireland helping people whose health had suffered. He convinced many to take the pledge. He was known as Cuchulainn's Son and Tom Williams wrote the song about him. All too soon he suffered a cruel blow. Cancer took him away when he had so much inspiration and goodness to give to the thousands who admired him. There is a statue of him in Wexford town where he will never be forgotten.
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| This is Christy Ring the Cork genius whose brilliant career lasted longer than poor Nicky's. |
He scored 33 goals and 208 points.
X X X X X X
During the next fortnight
I' m going with Jane & Charley to Sheriff Hutton to care for the fowl & Pepper - the whippet of Simon & Lyn who are going to Berlin to see Ruth - their daughter.
Take care, Be lucky and Don't let the gangsters get you down.
pleased to find Ruth happy and well and they thoroughly enjoyed their stay with her. While we were in their cottage I found a picture of our 1942 football team in the Dublin veterinary college and took a few photos from it.
Kneeling on the left is Jarlath Canavan who will be remembered by many surviving fans who were thrilled by him while playing for Galway or Connaught. In and around
Tuam Jarlath established a successful practice which has been carried on by Francis his son.
When in Galway in '05 I was anxious to see my old friend. When I called I was very sorry to be told by his wife that he had lost his sight. Francis said he was with a local friend and I must wait while he fetched him. He also said he would not mention my name. When his Dad got out of the car I was talking with Mrs Canavan some distance away. I noticed that he was listening intently. We had not met for thirty years and he was still twenty yards away when he said, " It's Paddy from Donegal I hear". We had a warm and hour-long reunion. Unfortunately I had to refuse their plea that I should stay for the night. Four years later I was very sorry to hear of his passing. He was only a year my senior and he surely was one of the better guys I knew.
Here is the Vets college of Ireland team with the famous stars Jarlath Canavan, Paddy Smith, Weeshie Murphy and Nicky Rackard I have been telling you about. The sad and surprising facts are that the one standing in space is myself and that somehow, I am the sole survivor. The fittest and strongest of us was Weeshie the great defender who helped Cork to win the All Ireland in 1945. I still remember the shock I felt in 1973 from the news that he had collapsed while watching a match at Croke Park! It was a really cruel blow when he was about to be honoured with the leadership of the GAA. games. I was pleased to hear that his son Doctor Con was appointed medical officer to the Cork teams.
Looking back on my long life I must attribute it to my Dad and Mama. They lived for me and my brothers and sisters. Mama was a devout Catholic and Dad was always anxious to do what was right. They were full of love, truth and goodness. They were concerned that we had enough of a healthy diet, clothes to keep us dry and a warm bed. They ensured that we took enough exercise to keep us fit. We lived near
aunts Maggie and Cassie (sisters to Dad) who helped to nurse us. I remember learning to walk along the seashore where we inhaled the clean air from the Atlantic. I was taught to eat and drink sensibly and to avoid becoming overweight. Dad advised me to keep away from cheats and liars when I went to study in Dublin because I might be judged by the company I kept.
What a marvellous couple of hours I have just spent reading the maestro's blog, ….Thanks Paddy
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