Galway out in force in final tribute to hurling legend

One of the greatest hurlers Galway ever produced – and one of the greatest hurlers from any county never to win an All-Ireland medal – was laid to rest on Monday when former inter-county goalkeeper Seanie Duggan (90) was buried at Forthill Cemetery in the city.

Former team-mates and rival players from all over the country attended the Requiem Mass for the Liam Mellows clubman, who grew up at College Road in the city and played between the posts for the Tribesmen for a decade between 1943 and 1953.

Duggan, who died peacefully last Thursday, was not named on the GAA Team of the Century in 1984. But the man who was named in goals, Tony Reddin, moved from Mullagh to Tipperary because he could not dislodge the Mellows man from the Galway team.

Reddin went on to win three All-Irelands in a row for Tipp, while Duggan was named on the consolation Team of the Century, featuring players who had never won an All-Ireland medal.

There were emotional scenes outside St Patrick’s Church in the city after the Funeral Mass when Reddin, who became a life-long friend despite their sporting rivalry, stepped forward to embrace Seanie’s brother Jimmy – another Galway hurling great, who played with distinction for the men in maroon for 18 years and played in three All-Ireland finals.

Mourners recalled that Seanie won a Railway Cup medal with Connacht in 1947 and a National Hurling League title, in New York, four years later. Sean used to recall with fondness the rousing reception the Galway team received in Eyre Square when they returned with the League trophy in 1951.

They were barren years for Galway hurling, before the county entered the Munster championship, but he was a key member of the side who shocked Kilkenny in the 1953 All-Ireland semi-final – before losing to Cork in the final.

Sean was selected on the Galway Team of the Millennium by a panel of local sports journalists in 2000 and was inducted in the GAA Hall of Fame in 2002. He used to recall epic battles against such acclaimed hurlers as Christy Ring (Cork), Nicky Rackard (Wexford), Mick Mackey (Limerick), and Jimmy Doyle (Tipperary).

Sean turned 90 last year and was delighted to see the Galway team win last year’s Leinster final. He swam every day at Blackrock in Salthill for over 40 years until the end of last year, and many of Galway’s regular group of year-round swimmers attended the Requiem Mass on Monday.

See full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.