Tony O'Shaughnessy
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Tónaí Ó Seacnasaigh | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Corner-back | ||
| Born | 6 July 1930 Cork, Irish Free State | ||
| Died | 15 December 2006 (aged 76) | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| St. Finbarr's | |||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
| 1952-1957 | Cork | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Munster titles | 3 | ||
| All Irelands | 3 | ||
| NHL | 1 | ||
Tony O'Shaughnessy (6 July 1930 - 15 December 2006) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club St. Finbarr's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1952 until 1957.
Playing career
Inter-county
O'Shaughnessy first came to prominence on the inter-county scenen as member of the Cork senior team in 1952. that year he won his first Munster title following a defeat of three-in-a-row All-Ireland champions Tipperary in the provincial decider. Dublin provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however ‘the Dubs’ were completely outclassed by Cork on that occasion. In spite of only leading by three points at half-time Cork won by 2-14 to 0-7 and O'Shaughnessy picked up a coveted All-Ireland medal.[1]
In 1953 the year began well with O'Shaughnessy collecting a National Hurling League title and a second consecutive Munster medal. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Galway take on Cork, however, 'the Rebels' were victorious by 3-3 to 0-8.[2] The game, however, was clouded in controversy due to the injury to the Galway captain, Mick Burke. After the match at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin a fight broke out when another Galway player struck Cork's Christy Ring. The following morning another fight broke out when another member of the Galway panel attempted to hit Ring. The fights, however, ended just as quickly as they had started.[3]
In 1954 Tipperary fell to Cork by 2-8 to 1-8 in the provincial final, giving O'Shaughnessy a third Munster winners' medal in-a-row. A third All-Ireland final appearance beckoned for Cork, with Wexford providing the opposition. A record attendance of nearly 85,000 people packed into Croke Park to witness the Munster champions defeating the Leinster champions by 1-9 to 1-6.[2] More importantly for O'Shaughnessy, he had collected his third All-Ireland winners' medal.
Cork lost their provincial crown in 1955, but ‘the Rebels’ were back in 1956 and faced Limerick in the Munster final. O'Shaughnessy, in spite of being appointed captain for the year, missed the game due to injury. Cork won that day and booked their place in the All-Ireland final. Wexford were Cork’s opponents in the All-Ireland final once again and O'Shaughnessy returned for the game. The game has gone down in history as one of the all-time classic games as Christy Ring was bidding for a ninth All-Ireland medal. The game turned on one important incident as the Wexford goalkeeper, Art Foley, made a miraculous save from a Ring shot and cleared the sliotar up the field to set up another attack. Wexford went on to win the game on a score line of 2-14 to 2-8.[4]
O'Shaughnessy retired from inter-county hurling following Cork’s defeat in the 1957 championship.
Provincial
O'Shaughnessy also lined out with Munster in the inter-provincial hurling championship. He first played with his province in 1953. That year Munster defeated Leinster in the final, giving O'Shaughnessy his first Railway Cup medal. After defeat in 1954 and 1956 O'Shaughnessy added a second Railway Cup medal to his collection in 1957.
Death
Tony O'Shaughnessy died in Cork on 15 December 2006. He was survived by his wife Kathleen Fitzgerald and five of his six children, Brendan, (TONY RIP 2004), Michael, Emer, Gerard,and Clare
References
| Preceded by Vincy Twomey |
Cork Senior Hurling Captain 1956 |
Succeeded by Christy Ring |
| Preceded by Christy Ring |
Cork Senior Hurling Captain 1956 |
Succeeded by Mick Cashman |
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