Éire Óg win North Senior Hurling Final 60 years ago - gleanings from The Guardian archives
North Tipperary Senior Hurling Champions, Roscrea, were sent crashing from their throne at McDonagh Park, Nenagh, on Sunday, when they were most deservedly and decisively beaten by an inspired Éire Óg team that surged triumphantly on to take their first senior hurling crown since 1957 on a score of 5-12 to 2-8.
Éire Óg’s form was a revelation and must have astonished even the most optimistic of their own followers among the attendance of 3,800. From first to last they hurled with a daring, dashing will to win and made a mockery of those who had doubted their ability.
Roscrea could never match the Nenagh team in the first half, but the holders did improve after the interval and for a period were in command but failed to push home their advantage.
There were scenes of great excitement after the Éire Óg captain, Mick Burns, had been presented with the Frank McGrath Cup by Mr Jim Ryan, Chairman of the North Tipperary Board. The excitement continued into the evening and bonfires blazed in celebration of Éire Óg’s great triumph that brought the title to Nenagh for the third time in almost half a century.
It was a great display by the Éire Óg team and one that will long be remembered in the division, for not even their most carefree optimists could have foreseen so resounding a victory. It was essentially a team achievement, but one player stood head and shoulders above all others and that was Éire Óg’s midfielder, Phil Hennessy. Hennessy was immense for the entire hour, raining long drives into the heart of Roscrea territory and completely outplaying those sent to curb his activities. Hennessy, who has been in London for some time past, has taken up employment with a Nenagh firm and will be training with the remainder of his team mates for their semi-final clash with the winners of the Holycross-Marlfield tie.
Hennessy was the man of the hour for the Nenagh team but Eddie O’Donnell, Johnny McGrath and Michael Kearns must all earn very high ratings for their displays. O’ Donnell gave a tremendous display in the first half, time and again coming through to clear his lines and he was equally effective after the interval. McGrath had another great hour at full-back, despite the fact that for the entire second half he played with a nasty head injury that later necessitated five stitches, and Kearns had his best ever game in senior ranks and repeatedly had the Roscrea defence in trouble as he moved goalwards.
This quartet were truly outstanding for the winners, but Mick Burns, Terry Moloney, Adrian Ayres and Padraig Kennedy all contributed handsomely. Moloney was the leading scorer with two great goals, despite the presence of Kieran Carey, and from five frees had a hundred per cent success.
Ayres had an old leg wound received in a college game reopened, and later had two stitches inserted in the injury, but both he and Kennedy picked off some great scores.
The efforts of those already mentioned would have hardly met with such outstanding success but for the help of Phil Murray, Paddy Kearns, Tony Tierney, Christy Morgan, Oliver Tucker, Gerry Quinlan and goalkeeper Connie Cleere.