Remembering Willie John Daly: ‘I never shook an opponent’s hand until the game was over’

The news last week that Willie John Daly had passed away brought me back a few years, to an unforgettable hour in Cobh, writes Michael Moynihan.

Writing a book about the GAA in Cork, I got in touch with Willie John through his beloved Carrigtwohill, and when I landed down in the town to chat to him, the stories started to flow.

For those without a point of reference, Willie John was a central character in Munster hurling finals of 1949 to 1954, epic games at the hinge of the century that copperfastened the provincial decider as one of the high holidays in the Irish sporting calendar. The great Tipp team of the time had stars in every line, in the opposite corner Cork balanced those with household names of their own.