One of the best programmes on the box is Laochra Gael. The story of Tony Keady was on last night. For those of you who don’t know he was centre half back in the Galway two-in-a-row team in 1987 and 1988. He won hurler of the year in 1988, immigrated to America in 1989 due to lack of employment, played hurling over there and was subsequently banned for the year from playing for Galway
According to my auld lad, he was one of the best hurlers of his generation. A rock of a centre back. few things came out of the show:
- major nostalgia. Those matches constitute my earliest GAA memories.Tipp are good at hurling but are shite at football. Joe Cooney is the best hurler ever etc
- Keady was threated disgracefully by the GAA. As he said himself ‘I was banned for promoting the game abroad’. Another great moment was where he commented on the ill fated game in America. ‘I wasn’t going to paly but I saw one of the other team’s players come out with a blue and gold jersey on him and I naturally wanted a piece of him’
- Pete Finnerty is an idiot. He was there with Keady for most of it and started cursing and stuff. Fool.
- He was a legend at frees from way out - similar to McMahon for Clare. Apparently he never used to practise them but as soon as the Championship came he never missed. One story he told was of how whilst bending down to take the free he saw the umpire reaching for his white flag
- He seemed to have had a frosty relationship with Cyril Farrell. Farrell, when asked to descibe him, said he was hugely gifted but was hard to handle