Remembering Kilkenny's Paddy Phelan: The hurling artist from Sart

During the very successful 1930s decade, the Kilkenny team included a number of really outstanding hurlers from Lory Meagher to Matty Power, and of course the great Paddy Phelan.

Paddy was born on September 16, 1910 in a townland called Sart up the hill from Threecastles in the parish of Freshford.
Over the years, Paddy has been recognised as one of the greatest hurlers of all time, and so it was no surprise then, that he was named as a half back on the hurling ‘Team of the Century’ in 1984, the ‘Kilkenny team of the Century’, the ‘Millennium Hurling team of 2000’, and the ‘Tullaroan Team of the Century’ in 1988.

The latter commemorated the foundation of the famous Tullaroan club in 1888. Paddy also became a inductee into the Hall of Fame in Croke Park in 2013, a position reserved for only a very select few GAA players.
CLICK HERE FOR THE LATEST IN KILKENNY SPORTS NEWS

And while he learned most of his hurling skill around his home in Sart during his early years, he was eventually to play most of his adult hurling with his neighbouring parish of Tullaroan. He was clearly identified as a hurling star in the making by the age of 20, and by a strange coincidence he was called upon to play with Leinster in the Railway Cup final of 1930 before he actually played with the Kilkenny senior hurlers.

He had travelled to the game in Croke Park with Lory Meagher, and Paddy was asked to play in goal against Munster on that particular St Patrick’s Day, as the goalkeeper who had been picked was not available. And so began a massive 13 year term for Paddy Phelan with the Leinster hurlers, as he was picked for the province every year until he retired from intercounty hurling in 1942. Kilkenny had been defeated by a poor Dublin team in the Leinster final of that year, and Paddy was picked to play in goal.

Tom Ryall in his great book, Kilkenny — The GAA Story 1884-1984, said that while: “Paddy started his last game for Kilkenny in goal, he was later moved outfield, and Billy Burke then took over between the posts.”

This was indeed an unusual occurrence.
Paddy’s first full year playing with the senior hurlers was in the 1931 Championship, and as Kilkenny reached the All-Ireland final, he played in the three All-Ireland finals against Cork of that particular year.

Kilkenny came out on the losing side following the second replay, as many of the first team players were missing through injury, during the drawn and the first replay games.

Then began Kilkenny’s great success during the 1930s beginning with the two All-Ireland victories in 1932 against Clare, and in 1933 against Limerick, and Paddy played a vital part during all those victories with Kilkenny.
They also won the National Hurling League in 1932-33 also against Limerick with the result that they were awarded a boat trip of six weeks to America during the spring of 1934. Paddy was often heard to say that he really enjoyed that trip to the States ‘as it was so different and everything was so new to us’.

I called down to Clonmel recently to meet with his son — also called Paddy — who has lived with his wife Catherine (the former Catherine Wynne of Ferbane, County Offaly) in the Tipperary town for the past 40 years. Now in his 70s, Paddy is still in good health.

He is very proud of his two grandsons, Darragh aged 14, and Pat aged 17, who both play with the local St Mary’s Club.
And maybe, just maybe, there is a chance that a great grandson or two of Kilkenny’s Paddy Phelan would wear the famous blue and gold jersey of Tipperary in a few years from now. We will just have to wait and see.

While recalling the wonderful Kilkenny All-Ireland win of 1935 against Limerick, Paddy often remarked to his son Paddy Jnr that they were lucky to win as Limerick were very good and fought to the very end.

He remembered the rain being terrible during the second half in particular, with Martin White scoring a goal which probably helped to seal the victory. It is recorded by Tom Ryall that Paddy Phelan, Peter O’Reilly and Paddy Larkin were outstanding in the Kilkenny defence on that day.

That 1935 team then lost the following two All-Irelands as they were past their best, but they returned with a younger team to win the 1939 final. Jimmy Kelly scored the winning point following a seventy by Paddy Phelan. Bobby Hinks, Billy Burke, and Paddy Phelan enjoyed great games on the half back line.

Paddy Jnr also remarked that his father was great friends with Christy Ring of Cork whom he greatly admired. He also said that his father had great time for Lory Meagher who he said ‘was the greatest hurler that he had ever seen’ and ‘Matty Power too was excellent’.

However, he added that everyone had to be very good, ‘as all the county teams were brilliant during those particular years’. It is also worth mentioning that Paddy Phelan’s grand-nephew is none other than DJ Carey of Gowran. The Phelan family lived in Blackmill Street in Kilkenny for many years, when Paddy ran a coal distribution business from a yard down at the bottom of Friary Street.

However, Paddy and his family of eight children decided to emigrate to Coventry in England 1961, as both Kilkenny and Ireland were struggling economically at the time. Paddy did reckon that it might be easier to make a decent living in England.

The Phelan family settled well in Coventry, but Paddy died suddenly following a massive heart attack in 1971, just 10 years following his emigration. He was only 61 years of age, a devastating blow to his wife and family.

The Phelans also endured two more terrible tragedies over the years in England, because a son named Kevin died following a car crash in 1979, and as well, a daughter named Frances also died suddenly at the tender age of 28 following a fall through a glass door shortly after the birth of her new baby.

I am glad that I called down to see Paddy Phelan (son of the great Paddy) in Clonmel. He is a real gentleman, and he gave me a great welcome.

We had a lovely chat, mostly about hurling of course, and the cherished memories of his wonderful father and mother. He mentioned the fact that he still attends the odd hurling match.

I think that it is important that we remember with pride a number of those great Kilkenny hurlers of days gone by, men like Paddy Phelan of Sart, who hurled at a time when life was certainly more difficult than now, but maybe not as complicated. May he rest in peace.

HONOURS
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship medals: 1932, 1933, 1935, 1939.
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship medals: 1931,1932, 1933, 1935, 1936, 1937, 1939, 1940.
Railway Cup medals: 1932, 1933, 1936, 1941.
County Senior Championship medals with Tullaroan: 1930,1933,1934.
Hurling Team of the Millennium: Right half back.
Hurling Team of the Century: Left half back.
Kilkenny team of the Century: Left half back.
Tullaroan team of the Century: Left half back.
GAA Hall of Fame Inductee: 2013