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John Mackey (1914-1989) is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1932 until 1947.
[edit] Early life
John Mackey was born in Castleconnell, County Limerick in 1914. He was born into a family that was steeped in the traditions of the game of hurling. His grandfather, Michael Mackey, was involved in the promotion of Gaelic games even before the establishment of the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1884. His father, John 'Tyler' Mackey, captained Limerick in the 1910 All-Ireland Hurling Final and was one of the greats of the game in the early 20th century. His older brother, Mick Mackey, with whom he shared much of his success with went on to become one of the greatest players off all-time.
[edit] Playing career
At club level Mackey had much success with his local Ahane side in both hurling and football. Ahane were the kingpins of hurling during Mackey's club career. In all he won 15 Limerick SHC titles, beginning by capturing his first senior title in 1931. He later won seven championships in-a-row from 1933 to 1939, and again from 1942 to 1948. He also won five Limerick SFC titles in-a-row with Ahane between 1935 and 1939.
[edit] Inter-county
Mackey first came to prominence as a member of the Limerick minor hurling team in 1929. He later joined the Limerick senior football team in 1932 before later joining the senior hurling team. In 1933 Mackey won his very first Munster Championship medal, however, his side subsequently lost out to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. Mackey and Limerick were still the kingpins of Munster in 1934, however, this time they went all the way and defeated Dublin to win the All-Ireland title. A third Munster title was claimed by Mackey in 1935, however, the side once again lost out to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. Mackey and Limerick made it four Munster titles in-a-row in 1936, and subsequently claimed a second All-Ireland victory.
The next few years saw Limerick make early exits in the Munster Championship. In spite of this the Mackey’s side claimed a fifth National Hurling League title in-a-row in 1938. Two years later in 1940 Mackey claimed yet another Munster title before going on to defeat reigning All-Ireland champions Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. In 1941 Mackey’s brother, Paddy, died. As was customary at the time both John and Mick Mackey withdrew from championship hurling for one year. Mackey continued hurling in the 1940s, however, Cork were the dominant team of the time. His last major win was a National league title in 1947. He retired from inter-county hurling shortly after. Mackey also won 6 Railway Cup medals with Munster.
Mackey died in Dublin in 1989 aged 75.
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Limerick - All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions 1934 (4th title) |
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Limerick - All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions 1936 (5th title) |
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Limerick - All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions 1940 (6th title) |
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