Willie Hough

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This article does not cite any references or sources. (April 2008)
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Personal information
Willie Hough
Sport	Hurling
Irish Name	Liam Ó hEochaidh
Full name	William Hough
Place of birth	Newcastlewest , County Limerick
Club information
Club	Newcastlewest
Position	Half-back
Inter-County
County	Limerick
Position	Half-back
Inter-County(ies)**
County	Years	Apps (scores)
Limerick	1915-1929
Senior Inter-County Titles
Munster Titles	3
All-Ireland	2
* club appearances and scores correct as of . **Inter County team apps and scores correct as of .

Willie Hough (1892-1976) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Newcastlewest and with the Limerick inter-county team in the 1910s and 1920s.

1 Early life
2 Playing career

[edit] Early life

Willie Hough was born near Newcastlewest, County Limerick in 1892. He was born into a family that had a strong association with Gaelic games. His father, who excelled in both hurling and football, was chairman of the West Limerick Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1902 until 1910.

Hough was educated locally and later attended the De La Salle College in Waterford where he qualified as a national school teacher. His performance on the hurling field with the college brought him to the attention of the Waterford inter-county selectors. In 1913 he played as captain in their game against Tipperary in the Munster Championship, however, he ended up on the losing side.

Having qualified as a teacher Hough worked in Baltimore, County Cork. Here he played hurling with UCC and was even offered a place on the Cork inter-county team, however, he declined.

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Club

As well as playing club hurling with UCC, Hough also played with his native Newcastlewest. He won a county title in 1917.

[edit] Inter-county

After his earlier encounters with the Waterford and Cork hurling teams, Hough made his debut for Limerick in 1915. Three years later in 1918 he was captain of the team and captured his first Munster title in the process following a win over Clare. Hough later collected his first All-Ireland medal following a victory over Wexford in the championship decider. Three years later in 1921 Hough added a second Munster title to his collection. This was later converted into a second All-Ireland medal following a huge win over Dublin. Two years later in 1923 he won a third Munster title, however, Limerick were defeated by Galway in the All-Ireland final. Hough continued playing at inter-county level until 1926 when he retired. He made a comeback in 1929 for the championship match against Waterford, however, he ended up on the defeated side.

[edit] Post-playing career

In retirement Hough took up refereeing and distinguished himself in National Hurling League and Munster Championship games. He also took charge of an All-Ireland semi-final between Galway and Kilkenny. Hough also excelled as an administrator within the GAA. He was vice-chairman of the West Limerick from 1924 until 1928. In 1936 he was appointed treasurer of the Munster Council and remained in that position, unopposed, until 1962.

Willie Hough died in 1976.

Preceded by '	Waterford Senior Hurling Captain 1913	Succeeded by '
Preceded by '	Limerick Senior Hurling Captain 1918	Succeeded by '
Preceded by John Ryan (Dublin)	All-Ireland Hurling Final winning captain 1918	Succeeded by Jimmy Kennedy (Cork)