James O'Grady (4 October 1922 – 4 February 1986) was an Irish hurler. At club level he played with Cloughduv, Canovee and St. Finbarr's, while at inter-county level he lined out with the Cork senior hurling team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Séamus Ó Gráda | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Right wing-back | ||
| Born |
4 October 1922[1] Cloughduv, County Cork, Ireland | ||
| Died |
4 February 1986 (aged 64) Wellington Road, Cork, Ireland | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
Cloughduv Canovee St. Finbarr's | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Cork titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1951-1952 | Cork | 0 (0-00) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 1 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 15:45, 4 April 2023. | |||
Career
editO'Grady first played hurling at club level with Cloughduv. He was part of the club's minor team that won numerous Mid Cork MHC titles and lined out in the Cork MHC final defeat by Glen Rovers in 1938. O'Grady was just out of the underage grade when he won a Cork IHC title in 1941.[2] He also played Gaelic football with Canovee and won Mid Cork JFC titles around this time.[3]
A lack of employment opportunities during the Emergency resulted in O'Grady emigrating to England for a period. On his return he re-joined the Cloughduv club but later transferred to St. Finbarr's in Togher. O'Grady soon came to the notice of the inter-county selectors and he was a non-playing substitute when Cork beat Dublin in the 1952 All-Ireland final.[4] He later won a Cork SHC medal with St. Finbarr's in 1955.[5]
Post-playing career
editIn retirement from playing, O'Grady became involved in the administrative and coaching affairs of the game. He was chairperson of the juvenile section of the St. Finbarr's club for a number of years and also served as club delegate to the County Board. O'Grady also served as an inter-county selector at all levels. He was part of the selections teams that won All-Ireland MHC titles in 1978 and 1979 and an All-Ireland U21HC title in 1982. O'Grady was also a senior team selector when Cork lost All-Ireland finals in 1969 and 1983.[6]
Personal life and death
editO'Grady married Catherine McGrath in Cork in 1949. His brother-in-law, Kevin McGrath, was the first player to win three All-Ireland MHC medals.[7] His son, Donal O'Grady, is an All-Ireland SHC-winning player and manager, while another son, Des O'Grady, played Gaelic football with Cork.[8]
O'Grady died after a period of illness on 4 February 1986, at the age of 64.[9]
Honours
editPlayer
edit- Cloughduv
- St. Finbarr's
- Cork
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: 1952
- Munster Senior Hurling Championship: 1952
- All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship: 1947
- Munster Junior Hurling Championship: 1947
Management
edit- Cork
References
edit- ^ "James O'Grady". Irish Genealogy website. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Board's tribute to Jim O'Grady". Cork Examiner. 5 February 1986. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "A tribute to Jim O'Grady". The Corkman. 14 February 1986. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Cork SHC teams: 1950-1959" (PDF). Cork GAA website. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "The Barrs - a history". St. Finbarr's GAA website. Retrieved 24 June 2022.
- ^ "Jim is a father figure". Cork Examiner. 1 September 1983. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Nothing compares to ..." Irish Independent. 19 August 2001. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Dónal O'Grady: If I hadn't gone to the doctor when I did, it would have been curtains". Irish Examiner. 17 December 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2023.
- ^ "Death of former Cork hurler". Cork Examiner. 5 February 1986. Retrieved 4 April 2023.