Death of a Déise Legend

There are few that can argue that down the years Waterford has not produced some of the finest hurlers that the game has ever seen.

In the thirties and forties men like John Keane, the Wares from Erin’s Own, as Willie Barron and Christy Moylan from the Dungarvan Club were amongst the finest to grace the game at the time.

Roll on a decade and another group of outstanding hurlers came to the fore. Names such as Martin Óg Morrissey, Seamus Power, Larry Guinan, Mick Flannelly, Johnny Kiely, Phil Grimes, Joe Harney, Austin Flynn, John Barron, Mick Lacey and Tom Cheasty were amongst those up and down the country that people spoke of.

In the 70’s and 80’s and other group of fine hurlers came along, all be it with little or no success on the National Scene compared to those that came before them.

Tom Casey, Mossie Walsh, Seamie Hannon, Pat McGrath, Jim Greene, Mick Connolly, Damien Byrne, Liam O’Connor, John Galvin, John Dalton, Declan Fitzpatrick, Noel Crowley, Kieran Delahunty, Shane Ahearne, Pat Ryan and Kieran Ryan were all fine hurlers.

Roll on the late 90’s and the turn of the new Millennium and another group of fine players came to the fore. Players like Paul Flynn, Fergal Hartley, Stephen Frampton, John Mullane, Dan Shanahan, Eoin Kelly, Ken McGrath, Tony Browne, Michael Walsh and Stephen Molumphy all became household names up and down the country and became idols to many, young and not so young alike.

Who Waterford’s finest hurler of all time is, is something that can never be agreed upon. Different era’s brought different players, and different styles of hurling.

One thing however is for certain, Frankie Walsh the last Waterford man to lift the Liam McCarthy Cup on the steps of the Hogan Stand was one of the finest.

When news of Frankie’s death broke on the morning of December 29 a widespread gloom hung over the G.A.A. Community not just in Waterford but right across the country.

Tributes began to flow in for Frankie from those that played with him and against him. From those that had the privilege of seeing him play and from those that knew him.

Born in 1936, Frankie was influenced from a young age by John Keane who was also a member of the same Mount Sion Club as Frankie. After his idol and other members of the 1948 All-Ireland winning team of 1948 brought the Liam McCarthy Cup to the Mount Sion school after winning the All-Ireland it influenced many, Frankie included to take up playing take up a hurley and aim to be as good if not better than those that brought the famous trophy to them to see at first hand.

 

In 1949, Frankie won a Street league medal and four years later he was part of the Mount Sion team that brought the Dr Harty Cup to Waterford for the first time.  The same year he was part of the Mount Sion club team that won a Minor Hurling championship.

Twelve months on he had broken into the Mount Sion senior team and was part of the panel that won successive finals between 1954 and 1961. In 1962 he was part of a Mount Sion team beaten in the County Final by Erin’s Own on a 5-7 to 1-4 scoreline at Walsh Park at the second attempt after the sides had earlier drawn 3-6 to 3-6.

Mount Sion with Frankie again in the team won three finals in a row between 1963 and 1965 and won titles again in 1969 and 1972. He was also in the Mount Sion team beaten in the 1966 and 1968 finals.

Frankie made his inter county debut between the championships of 1955 and 1956 and made his championship in 1956 when Waterford played Cork at Fermoy coming on as a sub but his first taste of Munster Championship hurling was a short lived one as he sustained a very serious head injury which required him to be taken back off.

In 1957 he was part of the Waterford Senior team that reached the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny but he and Waterford on the day had to settle for second best.

Two years on, he was named as Captain of Mount Sion and of Waterford. He guided Waterford to a Munster Final success. In the All-Ireland Waterford and Kilkenny finished all square, the last final up to 2012 to end in a draw, and in the replay Waterford came out on top.

Waterford did not get back to Croke Park again for an All-Ireland until 1963 when again Kilkenny provided the opposition and for the second time Waterford had to play second fiddle to the near neighbours.

In between the 1959 and 1963 finals there was some further success for Frankie and Waterford on the inter county scene. An Oireachtas Final was won in 1962 beating Tipperary in the final on a 4-14 to 3-12 scoreline at Croke Park. Twelve months on, Waterford beat Tipperary again in the home final of the National League, the prize for which was a trip to New York to take on a team from ‘The Big Apple’ in the final propper.

The favourites tag is one that never sits lightly on the shoulders of any Waterford team and it was defiantly the case in this game as the host city side for much of the game were in front and Waterford had to hit some late scores to get a second bite of the apple.

After drawing 3-6 to 3-6, the replay was fixed for Nolan Park in Kilkenny and again the game proved to be a tight affair with Waterford coming out on top on a 3-10 to 1-10 scoreline.

Frankie’s last medal won in a Waterford Shirt was a Munster Championship medal won in 1963 where the Déise County ran out 0-11 to 0-8 winners over Tipperary.

In 2001 Frankie was honoured by the Munster Council when a ‘Hall of Fame’ Award was presented to him.

During the course of his Career he also played on Numerous Occasions for Munster in the Railway Cup, helping the Southern Province to five titles between 1957 and 1966, captaining the side to their success in 1960.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam