When the hurlers for Queen’s county were Kings of Ireland

On Saturday night, 24 October 1915, a group of about 25 men from Queen’s County were staying in a hotel on Gardiner Street in Dublin. They were the hurlers of Leix – as Queen’s County was officially known in GAA circles – and they were in Dublin to play the All-Ireland hurling final against Cork.

After the players had gone to bed, the officials of the county board paid for four men to patrol the corridors of the hotel. Their job was to intercept any man attempting to avail of a night out in the city.