Starred in the sixties
Donie Nealon, Tipperary
Slightly built, and a specialist at palming the ball to the net, whilst being tightly marked, enabled him to score frequently.
Eddie Keher, Kilkenny
Like many other Kilkenny players, Keher practiced and perfected his hurling skills at the famed St Kieran’s College. He was a prolific scoring machine and his free talking was a feature of his game.
Larry Guinan, Waterford
A product of the famous Mount Sion club in Waterford city, Larry first came into the team in the late fifties. A tough, skilful player who was not easily intimidated by wily defenders.
Achille (Liam) Boothman, Dublin One of three sets of brothers in the Dublin team that played Tipperary in the 1961 All-Ireland hurling final. His brother Bernard was equally as good as Achille, so it’s difficult to pick one of them for my selection. Achille shaded it for me, with his brilliant display against strong man John Doyle. Not the ordinary looking fellow you would meet going to the bog, he had a bald head and gold earring dangling from his ear. Achille was a wonderful hurler with the speed of a greyhound and a great hurling brain.
Liam Devaney, Tipperary
An outstanding player who was lethal around the forward line, Liam had great positional sense and the ability to spot an opening either for himself or a colleague.
Paddy Molloy, Offaly
One of the greats of Offaly hurling at a time before the ‘Faithful County’ joined the elite. He had the frustration of losing many games, but never lost the desire to give of his best. A lethal, inspirational forward, tough, talented and a name never to be forgotten in Offaly.
Tom Walsh, Kilkenny
The blonde bombshell who sadly lost an eye playing in the 1967 hurling final to Tipperary, Tom played for Thomastown, a town steeped in hurling tradition. His class and all-round ability made him a hurler of truly exceptional class.
Oliver (Hopper) McGrath, Wexford Hopper was the first Wexford player to come out of the town of Wexford in the late fifties. Though small in build, he made up for his size with his bewildering pace and unlimited hurling skills.
That’s it folks until next week. In the meantime, do look after yourselves and stay safe.
CHRISTY O’BRIEN WAS ONE OF THE FINEST EXPONENTS OF HURLING IN THE FIFTIES AND SIXTIES.