Tributes paid to Galway and Tuam legend Stockwell

GALWAY football is mourning the loss of one of their finest players following the death yesterday of Frank Stockwell.

The 80-year old passed away after a long battle with illness. He was predeceased in 2005 by his Tuam Stars and Galway colleague Sean Purcell. The Bishop Street pair became known as the ‘Terrible Twins’ as they inspired a golden era for Galway football with the capturing of the 1956 All-Ireland final.

Stockwell, lining out at full-forward, scored 2-5 as Galway defeated Cork by 2-13 to 3-7 in that final — a scoring record by a player which was never surpassed in a 60-minute final. Stockwell also had an ‘advisory’ role on the sideline as Galway captured three All-Ireland titles in a row in 1964, ‘65 and ‘66.

He made his debut for Galway at the age of 19 in 1948 and won every major honour in an inter-county career that lasted until they were defeated by Kerry in the 1960 All-Ireland semi-final. Along with Purcell, they led Tuam Stars to a record seven Galway senior football titles in a row from 1954-60.

He continued to stay involved at club and county football and in 1999 a new road in Tuam was named after Stockwell and Purcell.

“He was an iconic figure during what turned out to be a glorious period for Galway football,” said Galway football board chairman John Joe Holleran. “Generations have grown up in Galway hearing about their exploits and it was a privilege for us to see them in action.”

Holleran said that Stockwell played a key role in the three-in-a-row success, long before team managers, selectors and coaches were involved.

“I suppose you could say he was the technical man behind the team. If things were not going well you see Frankie racing out and having a few words with a player. A switch would be made or some change would happen and usually it would lead to something positive. Those men of that era brought the bar to a new high and they set a standard for everyone. The death of Frank Stockwell is undoubtedly the end of an era and Galway football is all the poorer for his passing,” added Holleran.

Meanwhile a Cork GAA club secretary has resigned from his post claiming improper procedures were followed when the club staged a meeting to vote on the two motions in relation to the county’s GAA crisis.

The Dohenys club in Dunmanway held an executive meeting last Wednesday where it was decided to call a general members meeting for Saturday to discuss the motions.

This decision prompted Donie McCarthy to tender his resignation in protest at the club not giving ten days notice to members in relation to this general meeting. McCarthy issued a letter outlining the reasons for his resignation on the club’s official website, but his request that the letter be read out at Saturday’s meeting was not followed.

McCarthy, a referee at both west Cork and county board level, also stated yesterday that he “wished Dohenys GAA club every success and will always be a supporter and admirer of the club.”

Dohenys chairman Jerry O’Mahony declined to comment on McCarthy’s resignation when contacted yesterday.

Meanwhile, the Cork County Board will be confronted tonight by threats from club representatives of withdrawal from this year’s county championships. This evening’s information/consultative meeting in the Rochestown Park Hotel, hosted by the Cork County Board, comes after an eventful week.

Last Friday club officials met in Clonakilty, while there was another club meeting in the Maryborough House Hotel on Sunday night.

At Sunday night’s meeting club chairmen and officials, debated two motions — calling for the removal of Gerald McCarthy as senior hurling team manager and proposing changes to county board delegates’ functions — which were passed overwhelmingly.

The officials also expressed their frustration with the board, calling for a “root and branch” review of how the GAA was run in Cork, while the possibility of not fulfilling county championship fixtures was also aired.

Ironically, the threat of withdrawal from competitions comes on the same week that the board is to approve county championship fixtures. That was the original aim of the board meeting scheduled for tonight, which has now been deferred until Thursday.

Tonight’s meeting will be attended by the board executive and club chairmen, secretaries and delegates.