WHAT YOU have always believed may not always be correct. Ireland's legendary handballer, Kilkenny's "Duxie" Walsh, has always been wrongly called Duxie in the media throughout his long career. Only recently, in the RTE GAA programme Breaking Ball, it transpired that Duxie is in fact Ducksy. Seamus "Shinnors", the former Galway goalkeeper has become the correct Shinners, while famous Wexford hurler Ger Cush has, in recent years, acquired an "e" and assumed the correct family name of Cushe.
All Star and Offaly corner back Brian Whelehan, or is that Whelahan, is a particularly hard nut to crack. When The Irish Times Gaelic Games correspondent, Sean Moran, spoke to Brian's mother Susan after Birr had won the All-Ireland Club Championship for the second time, she cleared up the confusion.
She said that Pad Joe (father and trainer of Birr) spells his name Whel(a)han, but Susan spells hers Whel(e)han and that's what is on her cheque book.
However, Brian and brother Simon spell their name the same way as dad Pad Joe with the `a', while third brother Barry sticks with mother's version of Whelehan with the `e'. All very simple!
