Remembering Jimmy Doyle, the boy wonder of hurling

IN any debate on hurling when the issue is who the greatest ever was, the name of Tipperary and Thurles Sarsfields’ Jimmy Doyle will figure in the company of legends such as Christy Ring, Mick Mackey and of more recent vintage, Henry Shefflin.

Doyle’s place in hurling’s history is well established after a glittering career that yielded every possible major honour the game had to offer, so it is no surprise that his sudden passing in June of this year, aged 76, saddened the hurling fraternity who remember his artistry and unfailing humility in a career that spanned the fifties, sixties, and seventies.

A county minor at the age of 14 when he played in goal for the Tipperary team which lost to Dublin in the 1954 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship final, he went on to win three minor All-Ireland medals in ’55,’56, and ’57, captaining the team in the latter.

By this time he was already on the county senior team and starred in the Tipperary victory over Kilkenny in the National Hurling League final in May of 1957, having made his debut against Galway in the league in late 1956.

It is something of an understatement to say that the Thurles lad was the talk of the hurling world. His unorthodox left-hand grip, his exceptional skill developed over hundreds of hours of practice since childhood, his remarkable accuracy – right or left – from frees or play, and his boyish shyness, singled him out as a special talent respected and admired by enthusiasts everywhere, irrespective of their county allegiance.

Jimmy was truly ‘The Boy Wonder’ of his time, as he was dubbed by the late Mícheál Ó hEithir, famed radio and television broadcaster.

He won the first of his six Senior All-Ireland medals in 1958 when Tipperary beat Galway. Further medals followed in ’61,’62,’64, ’65 and ’71. He captained the team in ’62 and ’65, won seven National Hurling League medals, seven Oireachtas medals, eight Railway Cup medals with Munster, 11 county Senior hurling medals with Sarsfields and a county Senior football medal with Thurles Crokes.

He was chosen on the hurling Team of the Millennium and Team of the Century and was named Texaco Hurler of the Year in 1965. He was also Tipperary’s leading championship scorer on seven occasions.

It is not easy to single out any one display as being his best ever. There are so many, but a few spring to mind. In 1957, Tipp faced Cork in the Munster minor hurling semi-final but, though he was captain of the minor team, the senior selectors wanted him for their clash with Cork in the senior game.

Jimmy was not allowed start the minor game but, as the team saw a huge interval lead dwindle, the minor selectors sprung Jimmy on and in ten minutes he turned the game on its head and Tipperary went on to win the minor All-Ireland that year. It was a truly amazing performance.

The following year, still only 18, Jimmy almost single-handedly destroyed Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final, scoring 1-8 of Tipp’s 1-13, and equalling the tally of the entire Kilkenny team.

Tony Wall, his great friend and club mate, has said that that display established Jimmy as one of the greatest players in the game’s history.

The club was always a priority with Jimmy and he has the unique distinction of twice winning a hat-trick of county championship medals in the one year – minor, senior and junior.

That happened both in 1955 and 1956. Jimmy, a 16-year-old, was a sub on the team which won the first of the five in a row in ’55. The following year he began the Championship season with the juniors but made his senior club debut against Holycross in the mid-championship, going on to win his second Senior medal, as well as collecting medals for the minor and junior victories that year.

In a period when Sarsfields had a plethora of inter-county stars, Jimmy was probably the most influential figure in the club’s unequalled county final winning sequence, 10 in 11 years, 1955-59, and 1961-65.

He was still a leading figure by 1974, captaining a new generation of ‘Blues’ to success over Silvermines, his last county final medal.

Jimmy’s affection for, and admiration of, Cork’s Christy Ring has been well documented. Theirs was a friendship that transcended the fierce Cork-Tipp rivalry of the ‘50s and ‘60s and was cemented through their appearances together on Munster Railway Cup teams.

In his recently published life story The Boy Wonder of Hurling, Jimmy says that the greatest tribute he received in his lifetime in hurling was to be told by Christy’s brother, Paddy Joe, that the Cloyne maestro had, in the latter stages of his career, adapted his free-taking technique to mirror that of Jimmy.

Jimmy was the subject of many tributes in his honour-laden career, but the ‘send-off’ he received at his funeral surpassed all. Current and former stars – hurlers and footballers – came from the four corners of Ireland and beyond to say their farewells.

For six hours, an estimated 10,000 people filed past his remains as they reposed at Sarsfields GAA Centre. The sympathisers were led by GAA President, Aogan O Fearghaill, who shortly afterwards launched Jimmy’s book, and he headed a Guard of Honour from both club, county, and hurling superstars of the past.

The town of Thurles came to a halt. Flags flew from many houses and businesses. Schoolchildren came out to line the route. It was a hugely emotional occasion but perhaps the greatest tribute of all came when the cortege moved off the motorway at Fermoy en route to the crematorium at Ringaskiddy.

As the cortege passed through the villages along the way, the people of Cork, young and old, came out in their hundreds, waving their flags and applauding in a never-to-be-forgotten salute to a giant of the game so dear to their hearts.

A banner proudly proclaimed – Jimmy Doyle – The Van Gogh of Hurling. For the final time, Jimmy had the crowds on their feet cheering.

Sadly, Jimmy did not live to see the launch of his life story – The Boy Wonder of Hurling – which took place the following August. However, the book, which had his seal of approval, stands as a lasting memorial to a man who in his life was a hero to so many.

• The Boy Wonder of Hurling is written by former Irish Examiner GAA correspondent Diarmuid O Flynn, edited by retired Tipperary Star Editor and club colleague of Jimmy’s, Michael Dundon, and published by Sliabh Ban Productions, P.O.Box, 6369, Fortfield, Dublin 6W. E-mail- [email protected] from whom copies (€20 paperback, €25 hardback) are available.