GAA hero Molloy a major figure in Galway hurling’s renaissance

Talking Sport with Stephen Glennon

This Saturday night, Galway legend and double All-Ireland senior hurling winner PJ Molloy will receive the Hall of Fame award at the Galway Sports Stars of the Year gala banquet. For a man who gave so much in the jerseys of Athenry and Galway – and to Gaelic Games in general – it is an accolade well-deserved.

In an illustrious playing career, Molloy was involved in the Liam McCarthy Cup successes of 1980 and ’87 while he also claimed All-Ireland honours at U-21 level in 1972 and a National League medal with the Tribesmen in 1975. In addition, he picked up an All-Star award in 1977 and has five Railway Cup medals – from a time when the competition really meant something – to his name.

It takes a massive work ethic to achieve such success and, certainly, Molloy was never found wanting in this respect – on or off the field. It’s just in his DNA and, in some respect, that could be linked to his upbringing.

At just age 16, he lost his father Martin and, all of a sudden, he was the man of the house. “My father played a bit of hurling with the local club, Newcastle but, unfortunately, he died very young. He died in 1968. I was 16 and we were after winning the U-16 county championship. It was tough.

“My father used to drive a lorry and draw milk into the creamery. That time it was cans. By that time, I had been pulled out of school because he had a heart attack a few years previously. So, I left school at 13 or 14 and was helping out on the lorry. Loading the milk.

“It was an awful shock to lose him. Out of nowhere, I was the only lad in the house. There were four girls and myself. I came from a small thatched house, 28 acres of land. Times were hard, no doubt about that.”

His mother Sarah, now in her 96th year, was only in her mid-40s then and Molloy says she was a great worker. “She worked very, very hard and kept the show together. It wasn’t easy. The older sister Marie then was the head of our family, if you like although my mother was still the general, but we all did our bit.”

For more, read this week’s Galway City Tribune.