Horses and hurling integral to the life and times of the late Tom Broderick

HE was a fearless and honest giant on the hurling fields; he was a familiar figure at Galway Racecourse for over half a century; and a day rarely went by when he didn’t invest in a Lucky 15 on the horses. Tom Broderick was also a man of deep faith.

His passing late last month has evoked many memories of the Castlegar native who lived in the townland of Bruckey, barely a mile as the crow flies from the racetrack at Ballybrit.

Though Tom will be forever associated with the Galway Races, he was also a loyal and dedicated Castlegar clubman. He gave sterling service as a player, winning six county senior hurling titles in 1957, ’58, ’67, ’69, ’72 and 1973. He also won a Galway minor medal in 1953.

Full back was his position and he guarded the Castlegar posts with a vigour that served the team well for nearly 20 years. Opponents found him a difficult marker to shake off.

Around that time, Carnmore’s Tom Lenihan had something of a fearsome reputation as a full forward, but when a row would start, Broderick would just lock his two big arms around him until tempers between the neighbouring teams cooled down.

Tom’s performances at club level earned him some recognition with Galway and he was a substitute on the senior team which lost to Tipperary in the 1958 All-Ireland final on a 4-9 to 2-5 scoreline.

For more, read this week’s Connacht Tribune.

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