Larry was happy to follow path of his famous father

THE PEDIGREE of the man named at right half-back on the Wexford Junior hurling team to play Carlow in the championship on May 23, 1993, couldn’t be questioned. Larry O’Brien was reared in Slieverue in south Kilkenny and donned the black and amber with distinction in the under-age grades.

However, for local followers in the know, his claim to fame was that he was a son of Jimmy, that superb forward who claimed All-Ireland medals with Wexford in 1960 and 1968, as well as helping Geraldine O’Hanrahans to the county Senior title of 1966.

Larry had played in the half-back line for Kilkenny on a day that Wexford supporters of a certain vintage still recall with a shudder - that double Croke Park sickener in 1984 when a late goal denied the Minors the Leinster title, before Offaly ruined our Senior prospects.

He wore the number five jersey for the Cats in that game, and by 1985 O’Brien had graduated to the opposite wing for their Under-21 team.

They went through Wexford for a short cut in a one-sided provincial final, but O’Brien didn’t add All-Ireland honours in either year, losing to Limerick in a replay at Minor level before Tipperary toppled Kilkenny in the following year’s Under-21 final.

Incidentally, there was one very interesting substitute on our neighbours’ squad in 1985. P.J. Greene had transferred ‘over the bridge’ from Geraldine O’Hanrahans to Tullogher-Rosbercon at the start of that year, having played at corner-back with the Wexford Minors in that heartbreaking Minor final loss to Kilkenny in ’84.

Larry O’Brien joined Rathgarogue-Cushinstown in 1993, and duly followed in his father’s footsteps by donning the purple and gold jersey.

He played once with the Wexford Seniors, at right half-back in the first National League game of 1992-’93 when Galway prevailed by 2-14 to 1-10 in Athenry on October 17.

And in 1994, O’Brien figured on the left flank of the defence for the Juniors in successive victories over Offaly and Dublin respectively, although, for the second year running, he missed out on the subsequent Leinster final defeat to Kilkenny.

Tom Kavanagh, a man with strong links to the hurling heartland of south county Carlow, came to Gorey Community School to teach in the mid-nineties, winning an Intermediate football medal with the local Naomh Eanna club in 1995.

Earlier that year, the man who most recently assisted Buffers Alley made two appearances with the Wexford Junior hurlers, scoring 1-1 from left corner-forward in the Leinster semi-final versus Laois.

Every county has a tale of at least one player blessed to have been in the right place at the right time.

And it could be argued that there was nobody more fortunate than Liam Turley to arrive in Wexford and take his place as an extended member of the All-Ireland winning squad of 1996.

The Galway man had a couple of years with St. Martin’s, and his debut with the Seniors didn’t come until after the annexation of Liam MacCarthy.

He figured in all three South-East League games against Kilkenny, Cork and Waterford at the tail end of ’96, starting the first two at full-forward before coming on against the Déise men.

It’s sometimes forgotten that he also featured in the pre-Christmas matches in 1997, although he hadn’t been involved in the earlier National League and championship campaigns.

Alternating between centre- and corner-forward, he lined out in three Oireachtas games along with one in the South-East League, starting with an appearance off the bench versus Cork in Bellefield.

Turley was on the ’40 and scored his first Wexford point in a loss to Waterford in Walsh Park, and then split the posts three times when Kilkenny won a clash in Cushinstown by 5-9 to 0-16.

His final appearance came at right corner-forward in a narrow 2-8 to 0-13 defeat to Limerick in the Oireachtas in O’Kennedy Park, New Ross, on December 14, 1997, scoring one point.

As I recall it, that was the day when the game almost didn’t go ahead because the very strong winds had caused damage to the roof of the stand. And on that stormy note, Liam Turley moved on!