All-Ireland medals in plentiful supply in Louisburgh

All-Ireland medals in plentiful supply in Louisburgh


There are more All-Ireland medals in Louisburgh than you might think

Tommy Morahan

There’s an oft-told tale about how in Kerry when they throw-out change at the bar, a few All-Ireland medals will land on the counter, the point being that they are as common as copper coins down there.
Well Kerry may be out on their own in that regard but every place has its own tale to tell and the story of Louisburgh may surprise some. Not many people would figure on many All-Ireland medals having arrived the way of those who donned the Louisburgh colours but when all levels of GAA are examined, the figure is over 50 and counting.
Why bother with compiling a list of accolades won some might say. While this is a legitimate and to some an obvious question,  when I started compiling the list of All-Ireland GAA medals won by individuals who had worn the Louisburgh jersey, the question didn’t occur to me. But I do know why I thought the project was worthwhile. Whether it will prove my assumptions correct stands to be discovered.
When I visited the Dr Crokes GAA club in Killarney some years ago in the company of my U-10 daughter, I was struck by the display of items of interest, news items and record of accolades won by the club on the walls of the interior of the building. It was a little overwhelming. Some might even criticize the display as overly self-congratulatory. While my daughter trained with the other U-10s, I viewed, read and soaked up the display.
By the time I left the club house I knew one thing about Dr Crokes for sure - the club is proud and is not afraid to call themselves winners. And these notions scream at you when you enter the clubhouse.
I wondered why the younger generation are not aware of the accomplishments of the Louisburgh GAA club and its members. The answer is that they are not told.
My belief is that when young people are made aware of past success stories it can serve to encourage them to excel. It also gives them the self-belief in their identity. Sharing this positive knowledge can have positive effects on the psychological make up of a person and community.
With this in mind I asked the question ‘How many All-Ireland GAA medals are won by people who have worn the Louisburgh jersey?’ The information compiled may be read and instantly forgotten. Or it might not? Read on and make up your own mind.
Certainly there’s a lot of pedigree in the Louisburgh club. From Austie O’Toole and Mick O’Malley who were part of the all conquering Mayo teams of the 1930s, onto great men from the 1950 and 1951 teams like Joe Staunton and Liam Hastings and onto the most recent medal winner, Claire Egan, who picked up her thirteenth All-Ireland medal thanks to club success with Carnacon only last month, All-Ireland medals haven’t been in short supply in Louisburgh.
A lot of exhaustive research went into compiling this list and thanks to all who helped in any way. However, as is the nature with such things, it is hard to be certain if this is a definitive listing. If there are any omissions that you are aware of, I would be delighted to hear of them. Feel free to contact me via email on tommymorahan@gmail.com or phone on 087 7700316.

Louisburgh GAA Club
All-Ireland Medal Recipients

Affiliation    Player            Competition and year
Individual    Austie O’Toole (Moneen)    Handball 1930s
Mayo    Mick O’Malley (Askelane)    Minor 1935
Mayo    Mick O’Malley (Askelane)    All-Ireland Colleges 1935
Mayo    Mick O’Malley (Askelane)    All-Ireland Senior 1936
Mayo    Austie O’Toole (Moneen)    National League 1937
Mayo    Mick O’Malley (Askelane)    National League 1937
Mayo    Mick O’Malley (Askelane)    National League 1938
Mayo    Mick O’Malley (Askelane)    National League 1939
Mayo    Mick O’Malley (Askelane)    National League 1940
Mayo    Austie O’Toole (Moneen)    National League 1940
Jarlath’s    Tommy Lyons (The Colony)    Hogan Cup 1947
Mayo    Joe Staunton (Lecanvey)    Junior All-Ireland 1950
Mayo     Liam Hastings (Drummin)    Senior All-Ireland 1950
Mayo     Joe Staunton (Lecanvey)     Senior All-Ireland 1950
Mayo    Joe Staunton (Lecanvey)    Senior All-Ireland 1951
Mayo    Liam Hastings (Drummin)    Senior All-Ireland 1951
Mayo    Tommy Lyons (The Colony)    All-Ireland Junior 1957
Mayo    Colm O’Toole        All-Ireland Junior 1957
Mayo    Paddy Gannon (Lecanvey)    All-Ireland Junior 1957
Jarlath’s    Fr Austie Fergus        Hogan Cup 1958
Jarlath’s    Michael Lyons (The Colony)    Hogan Cup 1958
Jarlath’s    Paddy Gibbons (Accony)    Hogan Cup 1960
Jarlath’s    Michael O’Malley (Long St)    Hogan Cup 1966
Mayo    John Gibbons         Under 21 1967
Mayo    John Gibbons        NFL 1970
UCG    Michael Joe Gibbons    Freshers C’ship 1974-5
Jarlath’s    Brendan Morahan (Moneen)    Hogan Cup 1982
Mayo    John Prendergast (Accony)     Minor 1985
Mayo    Claire Egan        Ladies Under 14 1994
Mayo    Brendan Heneghan        Junior 1995
Allergan     Edward Ball (Ballyhip)    Inter-Firms 1998
Allergan    Aiden Ball (Ballyhip)        Inter-Firms 1998
Allergan    Niall Corrigan        Inter-Firms 1998
Allergan    Alan Mayberry        Inter-Firms 1998
Mayo    Claire Egan        Ladies All-Ireland 1999
Mayo    Claire Egan        Ladies All-Ireland 2000
Mayo    Claire Egan        Ladies NFL 2002
Mayo    Claire Egan        Ladies All-Ireland 2002
C’nacon    Claire Egan        Ladies Club 2002
Dublin    John Gibbons        Masters (Over 40s) 02
Mayo    Claire Egan        Ladies All-Ireland 03
Mayo    Claire Egan        Ladies NFL 04
C’nacon    Claire Egan        Ladies Club Sevens 04
Mayo    Claire Egan        Ladies NFL 07
C’nacon    Claire Egan        Ladies Club 07
Mayo    Richard Austin        Masters (Over 40s) 08
Mayo    Aoife Gibbons        Ladies U-14 B Shield 08
C’nacon    Claire Egan        Ladies Club 08
Mayo    Edward Ball        Masters (Over 40s) 09
Mayo     Áine O’Reilly        Ladies U-14 A Shield 09
Mayo    Lisa Needham        Ladies U-14 A Shield 09
Mayo    Áine O’Reilly        Ladies U-16 B Shield 10
C’nacon    Claire Egan        Ladies Club 11