GAA honours farm families' contribution

PEOPLE who were not even born when Tom Cheasty was playing hurling for Waterford sought his autograph in Kilkenny at the weekend.

It was a remarkable tribute to a man who was the automatic choice for the centre forward berth on the Farming Fifteen team.

It showed his reputation as a centre-forward of power and skill has spanned the generations and it also underlined the place the game has in the hearts and minds of the Irish people.

Cheasty, who helped Waterford to All-Ireland success in 1959, has a special place in the history of the game. His great skill was to outsmart the opposition with power running and flashing passes.

Yet, he said he never went to a gym in his life to train. He developed his strength and fitness through farm work, which included lifting churns filled with milk.

He and his colleagues on the Farming Fifteen won a total of 34 senior All-Ireland medals spanning 50 years. Readers of The Journal, in association with IFA Telecom, invited nominations from their respective readers and members, and the team was then chosen by a panel of judges.

There was a double celebration for Kilkenny's John Power, who has been known to hop off a combine in corn fields during the height of the harvest and rush into Nowlan Park for pre-All-Ireland final training.

He was greeted with a happy birthday serenade by people from most of the hurling clans, as a specially decorated cake was presented to him.

Indeed, the sacrifices made by farmers for the games they love to play and watch was in the mind of GAA president-elect Nicky Brennan.

He praised the role farm families have played in the association, from making fields available for games in the early years to womenfolk washing jerseys and togs and cleaning boots for their menfolk.

One such woman is 91-year-old Angie Carroll, who was at the banquet where her late son, Pat Carroll of Offaly, was among those who were honoured.

Two other players on the selected team, Billy Rackard of Wexford, and Des Foley of Dublin, have also passed away. They were represented at the awards by family members.

The floodgates of golden memories opened after Emmet Moloney, managing editor of The Journal, and IFA Telecom general manager Celine Reynolds presented the awards.

Commentator Micheál Ó Muirchteartaigh teased Sylvie Linnane of Galway about the day he lost his hurley during a game against Offaly.

He said Linnane grabbed a high incoming ball, but took hold of an Offaly man's stick, cleared the ball and then handed the camán back to his opponent.

Farming Fifteen

Pat Nolan (Wexford)

Bobby Rackard (Wexford)

Noel Hickey (Kilkenny)

John Doyle (Tipperary)

Sylvie Linnane (Galway)

Ger Henderson (Kilkenny)

Len Gaynor (Tipperary)

Des Foley (Dublin)

George O'Connor (Wexford)

John Power (Kilkenny)

Tom Cheasty (Waterford)

Joe Cooney (Galway)

Pat Carroll (Offaly)

Tony Doran (Wexford)

Tim Flood (Wexford).