Johnny Culloty Kerry GAA Legend RIP

I am deeming Johnny worthy of a thread of his own

Johnny Culloty was a ‘dual’ in Kingdom’s crown when it came to All-Ireland football and hurling success | Irish Independent

Better known as a footballer who achieved so much in football but preferred hurling. His hurling achievements and commitment to the lesser code in Kerry were remarkable. He made Killarney a non traditional hurling town a force in hurling in Kerry for a period such was his hurling abilliy

The article gives a great but not total account of his sporting achievements. He did any amount of work in the development of Legion’s pitch and overall facilities as well

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To my shame I knew little about the man.

I thought this was a nice bit about him from JOC.

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Johnny wouldnt have courted publicity

He had some year in 1969

Captained Kerry to an All Ireland football title in 1969, won a senior county football championship with East Kerry and won a county senior hurling championship with Killarney( their one and only)

The only other man in Kerry to it since was Paul Galvin in 2007 in terms of winning that treble, he wasnt captain of Kerry though

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Could do a thread alone on Kerry legends.

Jack spoke very well about him in his book too.

A lot of the other golden generation of Kerry footballers wouldn’t look at Jack after he took Paidi’s gig but Culloty was his wingman all the way through his first term in charge. He must have been nearly 70 too at that point.

RIP

Culloty wasn’t one of the ‘golden generation’ though.

He commanded as much respect and affection as any of them.

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You would struggle to find one to beat Culloty in my book

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You must think a lot of him then. I’ve seen him play, a safe keeper behind a solid if unspectacular set of backs that would have included Mick O’Dwyer at the time. He wouldn’t spring to my mind in the pantheon of Kerry legends, possibly because of his vintage, but he certainly contributed greatly to football in the county after hanging up the gloves.

Winning All Ireland medals 15 years apart was some going.

Not many can beat that I’d say - John Doyle perhaps the obvious one in Hurling.

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I don’t want to denigrate the man but he made a terrible error at a crucial stage in the 1960 final against Down.

Sure look it.

There was many a better footballer than him in kerry but who had the range of achievements in different roles and also the dual aspect with hurling

All Ireland senior football medals at corner forward and later in goals( 5 in all), managed the kerry seniors to 3 league titles and to a senior all ireland final, came back as an all ireland winning senior selector 30 years later

Kerry seemed to be in bad way for a goalkeeper in the late 1960s, he was begged to come out of retirement in 1968 , he had retired for a few years , he came back and won 2 more all irelands

Not many kerry dual legends, he has the hurling in his locker as well over others , he was playing hurling for Kerry for a long time when I imagine he came under a bit of pressure to jack it in

I suppose back then dual was more acceptable even in kerry, Babs used do both in Tipp as well in that era

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Is Jimmy O’Brien’s pub in Killarney still going?

I was in it once. It seemed like a sort of heaven.

A Valhalla of Kerry football.

yeah i remember footage of a bad error in a final alright, cant remember which final though. also the footage of some of them all ireland finals kerry lost to Down\Galway in the 1960s show some comical defending really, galway and down were most definitely better teams

yep, Jimmy is deceased I think though

family had it and I have heard that is leased now to east kerry folk

Ambrose O’Donovan kerry captain 1984 a regular patron there

Old fashioned pub decor wise , remains popular

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The style of kicking the ball was quite comical then.

Down steadily overpowered Kerry in the second half in 1960 and won by eight points.

I think in 1968 they got two early goals and were leading by a good bit most of the way but Kerry came late and nearly caught them. 2-12 to 1-13 at the end.

Was it Din Joe Crowley who got a great goal in the 1970 final? Soloed through and leathered into the corner from between the 14 and the 21.

There was Tadghie Lyne and there was Tiger Lyons, two different people.

I love the names of those Kerry old timers.

There was a cracking photo I saw some time back of Micheal O’Muircheartaigh, Mick O’Connell and Maurice Fitzgerald sitting together on a couch talking. Wouldn’t mind seeing it again.

Oh Tadghie amd Tiger were different gravy alright, Tadghie ( uncle of Pat Spillane) would kick points all day long and Tiger was an old school corner back

Re the Din Joe goals , it was either 1969 or 1970

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Mick O’Connell, the man rowed his boat in from Valentia. The best Kerry legend in my eyes.

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