Globe trotter who led both Brazil and Liberia into battle

Talking Sport with Stephen Glennon

LOCAL sports broadcaster and columnist Ralph O’Gorman once mused why James Berry was not on the Corinthians RFC ‘Wall of Fame’. A valid question given the Galway City native has the unique distinction of captaining both the Liberian and Brazilian rugby teams in international matches.

A globe trotter for the best part of his life, Jim Berry is now retired from the telecommunications industry, having moved home to the West of Ireland in March, 2004. He leads a quiet existence these days but still has fond memories of a life’s adventure that has taken him to some remarkable places.

It would be easy to jump into the middle of this tale – to how a man who was born in a house where the Dáil Bar exists today – came to play rugby in two of the unlikeliest of places but that would not do justice to his sporting origins.

The second eldest of eight children – a girl and seven boys, brothers Mike and Frank also played with Corinthians while Des crossed the border to Galwegians – Jim received his sporting tutoring on the streets and greeneries of Galway and in his local national school, ‘Old Mon’, located on Market Street.

“I played hurling then with ‘The Bish’ (St. Joseph’s College) and we won the Connacht Colleges for the first time ever. We were beaten by St. Flannan’s (Ennis) in the semi-final and they then beat St. Kieran’s (Kilkenny) by more than they beat us in the final. That was in 1958.”

Remarkably, Jim, who scored a point in the 6-8 to 1-3 semi-final defeat to Flannan’s, never played club hurling although he did join the newly formed St. Michael’s Gaelic football club as a minor that summer. “In football I was corner forward or left half forward,” he continues.

“I loved being on the ’40 and being able to wander. I loved the freedom of the half forward line. I played for Galway Town a few times. There was a street league and St. Nicholas was my team. They would then pick a team from the town and we would play Tuam or someone else. Again, that was minor.”

It was not until he became a science student at UCG that he turned his hand to rugby. By this stage, the majority of his friends were playing and he joined them by playing in the Christmas Street League, which had been organised by Professors of Celtic Archaeology, Michael Duignan.

“I just loved the idea of it,” says Jim, who began his career on the wing running for the corner flags but later moved to out-half. “Then I joined College, playing for their minor team, and I learned the game there.”

For the most part, he toiled with the College’s juniors but he did line out against UCC in a Colours match. “Guess who was on the UCC team?” he enthuses. “Full-back Tommy Kiernan and centre Jerry Walsh, both Ireland internationals, and I was marking a man named Len Harty, who played for Munster. They had a great team.

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