Willie John Daly

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Willie John Daly
Personal information
Sport Hurling
Full name Willie John Daly
Place of birth Carrigtwohill , County Cork
Club information
Club Carrigtwohill
Position Half-back
Inter-County
County Cork
Position Right wing-back
Inter-County(ies)**
County Years Apps (scores)
Cork 1947-1957
Senior Inter-County Titles
Munster Titles 4
All-Ireland 3

* club appearances and scores
correct as of .
**Inter County team apps and scores correct
as of .

Willie John Daly (born 1925) is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Carrigtwohill and with the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1940s and 1950s.

Contents

[edit] Early & private life

Willie John Daly was born in Carrigtwohill, County Cork in 1925. One of five children, he was the son of a point-to-point jockey. Daly grew up next door to the Carrigtwohill Gaelic Athletic Association grounds, giving him a love of hurling from an early age. He later worked with the Electricity Supply Board in Midleton.

[edit] Playing career

[edit] Club

Daly played his club hurling with his local Carrigtwohill club. His first winners’ medal with the club was in the Junior B grade in 1941. He later won several East Cork junior titles with ‘Carrig’ as well as a county junior title in 1948. The following year Daly played a key role in helping Carrigtwohill win the county intermediate title.

[edit] Inter-county

Daly’s performances for his club brought him to the attention of the Cork inter-county team. He won an All-Ireland medal with the county’s junior team in 1947 and was later drafted into the senior squad in time for that year's All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. Daly came on as a substitute in the game, however, Cork lost by a point. It would be 1952 before he won his first Munster title, as Cork broke Tipperary’s provincial dominance. Daly later won his first senior All-Ireland medal following a win over Dublin.

In 1953 Daly captured his second Munster medal before later winning a second consecutive All-Ireland medal following a win over Galway in one of the dirtiest championship deciders ever played. 1954 was a special year for Cork’s hurlers as the team were aiming for a third All-Ireland victory in-a-row, while Christy Ring was hoping to become the first player to win eight All-Ireland medals. After a third Munster victory in-a-row Daly later captured his third All-Ireland medal in-a-row as Cork defeated Wexford. Two years later in 1956 he won his fourth provincial title, however, Cork were later beaten by Wexford in a classic All-Ireland final against Wexford.

In 1957 Daly’s side were beaten in their first championship outing by an up-and-coming Waterford team. The following year Daly and six other players were dropped from the senior hurling panel. In retirement he later served as a selector on victorious Cork teams in the 1970s.

[edit] Trivia

Daly is the last surviving member of the Cork team that beat Dublin to win the All-Ireland title in 1952.

[edit] Teams