Where’s this?
In the period from 1978 to 1988, nine different clubs won the Galway club championship, some would argue one reason why Galway were so successful at IC. While there were arguably better teams in that era, none were as stylish as Killimorday, who also contested the 84 and 85 finals. In addition to the two players your mentioned, that team also features the Ryan twins John RIP and Pascal, Michael Earls, Paul Cooney, Tom Monaghan and arguably the most stylish hurler of all of them, Michael Haverty. All of whom played minor and U21 with Galway and featured at senior at some point or other.
I was lucky enough to see Tony Keady from a young age and he was always going to be a great. He was absolutely the life blood of that great Galway team, and regardless of how well Sean Treacy played, Keady was sorely missed in 1989, if for nothing else his leadership. It’s truly sad that a man of his stature and contribution to our great game was treated so shabbily by the association he belonged to, sad that his legacy is “the Keady affair” rather than his heroic performances for club and county.
RIP Tony, you absolute legend. Hopefully the man wearing your #6 and his teammates will do you proud on September 3rd.
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RIP. Class player
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On the Tony Keady affair, it was a bit before my time, what was the outrage about? Is it that others had done it and nothing had been said? I mean he broke the rule and knew he was doing it, as he played under a false name, so was it just that he was being made an example of or what?
Very sad story, be nice for Galway to go on and win it now. I see he was giving a Croke Park tour as an ambassador recently so he must have been in relatively good health. Still only a young man really.
JG
The issue was that an awful lot of IC hurlers and footballers were playing in the US those years on the QT . Keady was grassed up.
Crime and time etc. What was the appeal on the basis of? I was caught but sure they are all at it?
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Vincent Hogan wrote that the New York GAA was not officially affiliated to the GAA in 1989.
If so, how could they have imposed a ban?
I think the Derry Foley case changed how the GAA looked at disciplinary matters .
The thing is that if the New York GAA was not officially affiliated, the GAA should have had no jurisdiction to impose a ban. It would be like them imposing a ban for somebody playing an association football match and being sent off in it.
I’m only surmising here as I don’t know what the actual status of New York GAA as regards the GAA here was in 1989.
I know the National Football League winners played a mickey mouse “final” against New York in 1988 and 1989 so I find it hard to believe New York wasn’t officially affiliated. Was this the case in hurling that year too?
Kilkenny played New York in the Leage Final in 1990.
I don’t know but a friend of mine was grassed up around then for playing in London . He got a 6 month ban .
Ar dheis Dè go raibh a Anam. He seemed like a lovely fella.
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RIP, Keady and Eanna Ryan were my two favourite players from that Galway team.
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Keady and Eanna’s older brother John are causing some commotion in a parallel universe as we speak. Eanna was great but his brother (and John’s twin Pascal) were very good as well. Lithe and soft on their feet, flew over the ground, incredible wrists. John fired in a goal from 40 yards in an AI schools final against Flannans, and in his spare time scored the insurance point against Limerick in 1980.
A lot of the good ones die young. John Ryan was 45.
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Some yarns, the Bluebird and the Garda siren 
I enjoyed Finnerty and Lynskey last night on OTB. The emotion was was palpable even thru radio. I’d say Lynskey had already shed a few tears and was at the bext stage, think Finnerty would have had it after the interview, he was only barely holding it together.
I fear the stories in 20-30 years time will be dreadfully boring and drab compared to these lads and that era.
He didn’t really want to say it, but you got the impression Tomas Mul was told to go out and stop Keady rather than the other way around.
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The “Hai Horse, do you need some help” story was outstanding. Shocking emotion in both men.
Ya there was some funny anecdotes. He sounded like a kinda cocky rougue. But those kinda things were probably psychological warefare. Reminding the oplosition about how good this half back line is.
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No flowers, donations to Oranmore-Maree GAA Grounds Development Fund. A simple gesture, and I dont know the man, his people or his place, but for a family to do that, If ever a line summed up a mans love for his adopted home.
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I never saw him play unfortunately but the fact that the outrage about 89 is still ongoing tells you how good he was