GAELIC GAMES: RICHARD FITZPATRICKon how many of the mighty boys and men who will line out for both the Kilkenny minors and seniors on Sunday didn't lick it off the stones, as they say
FENNELLY. LARKIN. Power. The words are like the kind of incantations the monks at St Canice’s Cathedral might have been chanting during medieval times. If so, their prayers have been answered.
Kilkenny hurling fans have been bellowing their names for the last century, it seems, to great effect. Kilkenny, of course, are on the cusp of an unprecedented five-in-a-row of All-Irelands.
If they win tomorrow, they’ll have bagged 33, also a record, pulling them three past their old nemesis, Cork.
Run a finger down though the Kilkenny senior hurling team and substitutes that lined out for the All-Ireland semi-final against the Leesiders and a series of family links jump out at you, several of them being the latest in a line of famous Kilkenny sons.
Eoin Larkin (photograph number 24, above), Hurler of the Year in 2008, has played in the previous four successful finals, all of them in the number 12 jersey. He’s a second cousin of Philly Larkin, the James Stephens man, who played in both of Brian Cody’s first two All-Ireland wins as manager – 2000 and 2002.
Philly’s father Fan (25) won a clatter of All-Ireland medals – 1963, ’72, ’74, ’75 and ’79, the last coming against Galway when he was 38 years of age.
He was christened Philip Larkin, like the poet, but was called “Fan” around the yard so he was distinguishable from a cousin of the same name.
Fan’s father, Paddy, won All-Ireland medals in 1932, ’33, ’35 and in the Thunder and Lightning Final in ’39, the inclement September day in which the second World War broke out.
He was captain in ’36 when they lost an All-Ireland final to Mick Mackey’s Limerick, and again in ’38 when they went down in a Leinster final to Dublin.
The father of PJ Ryan, Kilkenny’s present-day netminder, also PJ Ryan, also tended goal for Kilkenny, pocketing All-Ireland winning medals in 1974, ’75 and ’79 as sub goalie for Noel Skehan, the man with “the frying pan”.
JJ Delaney (7) is a nephew of Pat Delaney (8), the Kilkenny centre forward who, while picking up four All-Ireland winning medals, became famous in the 1970s for developing the “Delaney Bounce”, an almost forgotten art of hopping the sliotar on the ground while bursting through a ruck of defenders.
Richie Power’s (1) father, also Richie, (3) was a mainstay of Kilkenny teams for over a decade, picking up two All-Stars and three All-Ireland winning medals.
John (2), a brother of Richie Jr’s, will be playing in this year’s minor All-Ireland final against Clare, hoping to emulate his older brother who captained Kilkenny to their minor All-Ireland victory in 2003.
Playing at midfield on this year’s Kilkenny minor team is a certain Ollie Walsh, a name that resonates beyond the confines of The Marble County. His grandfather and namesake (18) won five All-Ireland medals from 1957 to ’72, during which time he established himself as one of the game’s greatest goalkeepers.
He was also manager of Kilkenny’s back-to-back All-Ireland winning teams in 1992 and ’93, years in which his son Michael (16), father of today’s minor star, kept guard of the Kilkenny goal.
Pat Carroll, another minor on this year’s Kilkenny team, is a grandnephew of Ted Carroll, who was a three-time All-Ireland medal winner with the county in the 1960s.
It goes on. Pádraig Walsh (19), who nicked four points from play in the All-Ireland minor semi-final against reigning champions Galway, is a brother of the mighty Tommy Walsh (20).
It doesn’t stop there – their sister Grace was called into Kilkenny’s senior camogie panel for the recent defeat to Wexford in the penultimate stage of this year’s All-Ireland series.
Denise Gaule (21), a goal-scoring substitute for Kilkenny that day, is a first cousin of John Dalton (26), the corner back on Kilkenny’s senior team.
Centre back on the Kilkenny camogie team is Leanne Fennelly, who is a first cousin of Michael Fennelly (11), Kilkenny’s All-Ireland winning captain last year.
Leanne is a daughter of Liam Fennelly (13, shown with his children Jamie, then five, and Lorraine, six, after the 1992 All-Ireland victory), who captained Kilkenny to two All-Ireland wins in 1983 and ’92.
There have been many great sets of brothers who have graced the country’s hurling fields. One thinks of the Dooleys in Offaly, the Connollys in Galway, the Lohans in Clare, and even the Hendersons of Kilkenny.
But is there a band of brothers like the Fennellys?
When Ballyhale Shamrocks beat St Finbarr’s of Cork for their first All-Ireland club hurling title in 1981, seven of the starting positions were taken up by the Fennelly brothers, including Ger (22) and Kevin (23), who, together with Liam, have won nine senior All-Ireland medals with the county.
The Comerfords are not far behind. Martin “Gorta” Comerford (15), who broke Tipperary hearts when sprung from the bench in last year’s All-Ireland final, is a brother of Andy (17), Kilkenny’s winning captain in 2002.
The pair have amassed a tidy eight winners’ medals over the last decade.
Richie (14) and Paddy Hogan (12), the Danesfort boys on Kilkenny’s panel this year, are also siblings, as are Noel (4) and Canice Hickey (5).
Noel has policed the square for Kilkenny since 2000. The name Hickey comes from Ó Hicidhe, or “descendant of the healer”. There aren’t many full forwards in the land, however, who found much balm from him.
The name of his brother Canice, a sub on this year’s panel, is bound up with the very origins of Kilkenny. (Incidentally, Ollie Kilkenny, who won two All-Ireland medals in 1987 and 1988, was a Galwayman.)
Cill Chainnigh means “church of Cainnech”, the Gaelic name for Canice. Cainnech, by all accounts, was quite a man. The story goes that in 597, Cainnech led an army of Christian soldiers in wiping out the last bastion of Druidic rule, a rump of which had retired to a mound in Kilkenny for shelter. For his endeavours, his name adorns Kilkenny city’s 13th century cathedral.
Brian Cody (6), Kilkenny’s great present-day leader, won four All-Ireland medals, one as a non-playing substitute in 1979. His son Donnacha (also 6), also won a winner’s medal as a non-playing sub in 2008, when Kilkenny trounced Waterford in that year’s final.
Martin Fogarty (10), part of Cody’s brains trust as a selector, is the father of Damien Fogarty (9), the Erin’s Own man who is another panellist this year.
Not that Tipperary, who will face Kilkenny in Sunday’s All-Ireland final, are without their illustrious family ties, some of them which cross the codes.
Brendan Cummins, their cat-like keeper, is a son of John Cummins, the Gaelic footballer who played inter-county and Railway Cup in the 1960s.
Paul Curran, the team’s rock at full back against Waterford in the semi-final, is a brother of Niall, a current member of the senior Tipperary football team.
John O’Brien, another star performer against Waterford that afternoon with his six-point haul, is a brother of Paddy O’Brien, who came on as a sub in Tipp’s last All-Ireland senior hurling final win, against Galway in 2001, slipping over a point in the process.
Eoin Kelly, a survivor from that team in ’01, played in the final alongside his brother Paul, who, funnily enough, practised his club hurling across the county border for a couple of years with O’Loughlin Gaels, home to Kilkenny’s centre back Brian Hogan.
Interestingly, the Kellys are first cousins of the Moran brothers, Ollie, James and Niall, inter-county hurlers with Limerick.
Benny Dunne, sent off in last year’s final and a panellist this year, is a brother of Tommy Dunne, captain in ’01.
Pat McGrath, his club being reigning county champions, was selected as Tipp’s captain in 1989, but struggled to hold down a place on the starting 15 so Bobby Ryan ended up receiving the Liam MacCarthy Cup that year. Pat’s son is Noel McGrath, the precocious, free-scoring forward on this year’s team.
Pádraic Maher’s father Paddy won an All-Ireland medal as a minor in 1980. They’re direct descendants of John Maher, who captained Tipp to an All-Ireland win in 1945. Pa Bourke, who came on as a sub against Waterford in this year’s semi-final, is also a grandson of the famous Killinan man.
As to Kilkenny, is there to be no end to the famous hurling dynasties from their county? You may or may not be aware that Henry Shefflin, who holds nine All Stars to date, married Deirdre O’Sullivan, a noted club camogie player, in March 2007.
Fr Tommy Murphy from Ballyragget, himself an All-Ireland senior hurling winning medal winner with Kilkenny in 1963, was the chief celebrant at the wedding.
The pair had their second child last October. This time they had a boy. In the same way PJ Ryan, Man of the Match in last year’s final against Tipp, was named after his father, and in the same way that Richie Power, Man of the Match against Cork in the semi-final, was called after his old man, King Henry’s baby boy is also called after himself - Henry.
Uh-oh.
