The death has occurred of one of the great centre backs of Clare hurling, Donal O’ Grady.
The Tubber native who was in his 97th year passed away peacefully on Saturday in Carrigoran nursing home. The Tubber native lived in Clare, Germany, Dublin, England before settling in Ballyalla, Barefield.
Following school and playing for the Clare minor hurlers Donal joined the RAF at the age of 18 following his brother Noel and spent three years in England and Germany. He came back to Clare in 1948 and immediately joined the Clare hurling panel and was ahead of most due to a high level of fitness encouraged by his time in the military.
Jimmy Smyth and Donal O’Grady would have featured in the 1949 senior championship. Yet, due to the fact that the county junior team was going well and the selectors in that grade wanted them they remained junior grade. Smyth and O’Grady were on the senior bench in 1949 at Limerick but remained unused. In the 1949 junior home final, Clare defeated Kilkenny by 3-5 to 3-3 at Nenagh but were shocked by London-Irish in the final proper at Cusack Park by 3-7 to 3-6. Indeed, Donal was the last surviving member of that Clare team as well as one of the longest remaining living members of the 1955 Munster final team.
His first ever call to arms for Clare senior hurling came following the 1949 season when he was contacted by Clare GAA by letter to attend Ennis for a league game against Galway. As relayed by his nephew Michael O’ Connor (Tubber). ”During our time in the 70’s with Clare Micko McGrath from Crusheen would collect Tubber, Ruan and Crusheen lads but in those times players had to make their own way. So, Donal had to cycle in from Tubber. At Barefield he had a puncture in the bike, went in to Considine’s bar but to no avail would they have the bike fixed in time so Donal had to jog into Cusack Park for the game”.
In 1954 when Clare GAA were developing a team to be respected, they captured the famed Oireachtas title famously defeating Wexford before 50,000 people in Croke Park with Donal starring at centre back. In the 1955 season before All Star and individual awards became the norm Donal was twice selected as Irish Independent sports star of the week for his performances on the field representing his county.
“Donal O’Grady was a great centre-back – one of the best”. Jimmy Smyth
“I believe that this Clare team of Smyth, Des Dillon, Donal O’Grady, Mick Hayes, Dan McInerney and many others, was the only team capable of beating Wexford at their best.” Eamonn Cregan.
Following the end of his career with Clare in 1956 he moved due to work to Dublin and enjoyed success with Faughs winning two senior Dublin hurling championships before moving to Luton in England working as a stores manager for General Motors. In later live he moved back to Clare and worked in O Connor Engineering as office manager for the emerging company. The former Clare centre back could always be seen at the top corner of the terrace in Cusack Park near the river Fergus watching club games on his own in his traditional black overcoat. Donal was married to the late Bridget O Grady (nee Flanagan) who was a native of Lisdoonvarna who passed away in April 2023
His links to Clare hurling continued down through the greatest days that Clare hurling enjoyed. In the 1970s his nephews, Michael, Enda and Patrick all played on the Clare league winning sides of 1977-89 and also a number of Munster finals in the same era. Following on from that his grandnephew Patrick Junior achieved hurling greatness with Clare winning All Ireland Under 21 and Senior hurling honours with Clare as now his great grandnephews are beginning to play underage hurling with Tubber.
Tubber GAA club commented. “Donal O’ Grady was one of our greatest hurlers in a proud tradition of Tubber providing players for Clare teams. He excelled in the 1949 All Ireland Junior win and starred for Clare in the 1954 Oireachtas and the 1955 Munster championship. His nephews and grandnephew all played Clare Senior hurling with great success and have starred for his beloved Tubber. We would like to extend our sympathies to the family and friends of the late Donal”. Ar Dheis De ar a anam.
