Paddy Kennedy (Kerry Gaelic footballer)

Paddy Kennedy

Personal information
Irish name	Pádraic Ó Cinnéide
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Midfeild
Born	25/09/1916 Abhainn an Scáil, County Kerry
Height	6ft
Club(s)
Years	Club
1930s and 1940s	Kerins O'Rahillys Garda Geraldines
Club titles
Kerry titles	Kerry and Dublin
Munster titles	Munster and Leinster
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1936-1947	Kerry	44 (4-22)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles	10
All-Irelands	5

Paddy Kennedy was a Gaelic footballer from Kerry, active in the 1930s and 1940s. He was a member of the Garda Síochána for a time, but later became a sales representative for a mineral water company and managed the Crystal Ballroom in Dublin.

Paddy Kennedy Memorial Park

The Annascaul GAA club's home ground, opened in 1984, is named Paddy Kennedy Memorial Park after him.Regarded by many as one of the all-time greats of Kerry football, he was captain of the 1946 All-Ireland winning team. The pitch was opened in 1984; the first game played there was between Kerry and Dublin. Since then, there have been many West Kerry League championship games and finals played there by all age groups as well as many County League championships. In 2003, the Munster Ladies Minor Football Championship final between Kerry and Cork was played there. In 2008, a round of the Ladies National League was played here between Kerry and Mayo.

Playing career

Inter-county

Kennedy was Kerry captain in 1946 when Kerry defeated Roscommon in the final. He also played in the Polo Grounds final in New York in 1947 when Kerry lost to Cavan. During his playing days he won 5 Senior All Irelands, 1 Minor All Ireland, 1 Munster Minor, 10 Munster Senior Championship and 2 Railway Cups.

Kennedy played 45 games for Kerry between 1936 and 1947, 44 as a starter and 1 as a substitute, and scored 5-23 in the Championship matches. He played in 12 Munster Finals, winning 11 and losing 1. He also played in 8 All-Ireland finals, losing 3 and winning 5.

1936 Championship

• Munster Quarter Final, May 24: Kerry 7-7 Limerick 1-4. Kennedy played Left Half Forward, but did not score.
• Munster Semi Final, July 12: Kerry 1-5 Tipperary 0-5. Kennedy played Left Half Forward, but did not score.
• Munster Final, July 26: Kerry 1-11 Clare 2-2. Kennedy played Left Half Forward, and scored 0-3.
• All-Ireland Semi Final, August 9: Mayo 1-5 Kerry 0-6. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.

1937 Championship

• Munster Quarter Final, June 13: Kerry 6-7 Cork 0-4. Kennedy played midfield, and scored 0-2.
• Munster Semi Final, July 11: Kerry 2-11 Tipperary 0-4. Kennedy played midfield, and scored 0-2.
• Munster Final, July 18: Kerry 4-9 Clare 1-1. Kennedy played Midfield, but did not score.
• Kennedy did not play in the All-Ireland Semi Final against Laois, played on 15 August 1937 in Cork and which finished in a 2-3 to 2-3 draw, and also did not play in the Semi Final replay, played 22 August in Mullingar and which finished 2-2 to 1-4.
• All-Ireland Final, September 26: Kerry 2-5 Cavan 2-5. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score. Kennedy did not play in the replay, which was played in Croke Park on 17 October 1937, and won by Kerry 4-4 to 1-7. The Radio Athlone commentator mistakenly announced Cavan as the winners of the first game; Packie Boylan's late point had actually been disallowed. Kerry won the replay by six points, with goals by Timmy O'Leary (2), Miko Doyle and John Joe Landers.^[1] It was the fourth of five All-Ireland football titles won by Kerry in the 1930s.^[2]

1938 Championship

• Munster Semi Final, May 29: Kerry 2-6 Clare 0-2. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.
• Munster Final, August 7: Kerry 4-14 Cork 0-6. Kennedy played Left Half Forward, and scored 1-1.
• All-Ireland Semi Final, August 21: Kerry 2-6 Laois 2-4. Kennedy played Right Half Forward, and scored 0-1.
• All-Ireland Final, September 25: Kerry 2-6 Galway 2-6. Kennedy played Left Half Forward, and scored 0-1.
• All-Ireland Final Replay, October 23: Kerry 0-7 Galway 2-4. Kennedy played Left Half Forward, but did not score.

1939 Championship

• Munster Final, July 23: Kerry 2-11 Tipperary 0-4. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.
• All-Ireland Semi Final, August 13: Kerry 0-4 Mayo 0-4. Kennedy played Right Half Forward, but did not score.
• All-Ireland Semi Final Replay, September 10: Kerry 3-8 Mayo 1-4. Kennedy played midfield, and scored 0-1.
• All-Ireland Final, September 24: Kerry 2-5 Meath 2-3. Kennedy played Midfield, but did not score.

The 1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 52nd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. Dan Spring (later TD and father of Tánaiste Dick Spring) scored both Kerry goals. Meath rued their missed chances - they shot 11 wides.^[3] It was the fifth of five All-Ireland football titles won by Kerry in the 1930s.^[4]

1940 Championship

• Munster Semi Final, June 30: Kerry 4-8 Tipperary 1-5. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.
• Munster Final, July 21: Kerry 1-10 Waterford 0-6. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.
• All-Ireland Semi Final, August 18: Kerry 3-4 Cavan 0-8. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.
• All-Ireland Final, September 22: Kerry 0-7 Galway 1-3. Kennedy played Right Half Forward, but did not score.

The 1940 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 53rd All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1940 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. Jimmy Duggan scored a goal for Galway just before half-time, but Kerry hit four points in the second half to secure a narrow victory. The game was plagued by fouls, sixty-two frees being awarded in all.^[5] It was the first of three All-Ireland football titles won by Kerry in the 1940s.^[6] It was also the first of three consecutive All-Ireland football finals lost by Galway.^[7]

1941 Championship

• Munster Final, June 20: Kerry 2-9 Clare 0-6. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.
• All-Ireland Semi Final, August 10: Kerry 0-4 Dublin 0-4. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.
• All-Ireland Semi Final Replay, August 17: Kerry 2-9 Dublin 0-3. Kennedy played midfield, but did not score.
• All-Ireland Final, September 7: Kerry 1-8 Galway 0-7. Kennedy played Right Half Forward, but did not score.

The 1941 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 54th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1941 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Kerry completed a three-in-a-row with a goal by Tom "Gega" O'Connor. The attendance was affected by restrictions under "The Emergency", with a thousand fans travelling by peat-fueled train, and two Kerrymen cycling a tandem bicycle from Killarney to Dublin.^[8] It was the second of three All-Ireland football titles won by Kerry in the 1940s.^[9] It was also the second of three consecutive All-Ireland football finals lost by Galway.^[10]

Club

Kennedy won a Kerry County Championship with Kerins O'Rahillys in 1939 and 4 Dublin County Championships: three with Geraldines and one with the Garda club he joined in the late 1930s.

Honours

Inter-county

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 5: 1937, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1946
• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Winning Captain 1946
• All-Ireland Minor Football Championship 1: 1933
• Munster Senior Football Championship 10: 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1940, 1941, 1942, 1944, 1946, 1947
• Munster Minor Football Championship 1: 1933

Inter-provincial

• Railway Cup 2: 1941, 1946

Club

• Kerry Senior Championship 1: 1939
• Dublin Senior Football Championship 4: 1935 (Garda) 1940,1941,1942 (Geraldines)

Sporting positions
Preceded by Gus Cremins	Kerry Senior Football Captain 1946	Succeeded by Dinny Lyne
Achievements
Preceded by Tadhgo Crowley (Cork)	All-Ireland Senior Football winning captain 1946	Succeeded by J. J. O'Reilly (Cavan)

Kerry – 1933 All-Ireland Minor Football Champions (3rd title) 1 B. Reidy 2 M. O'Gorman 3 M. McCarthy 4 L. Crowley 5 S. Sullivan 6 B. Myers 7 T. O'Leary 8 W. Dillon 9 S. Brosnan 10 E. Buckley 11 B. Cronin 12 D. Griffin 13 W. Fitzgibbon 14 P. Kennedy 15 J. Counihan

Kerry – 1937 All-Ireland Senior Football Champions (12th title) 1 D. O'Keeffe 2 B. Kinnerk 3 J. Keohane 4 B. Myers 5 T. O'Donnell 6 B. Dillon 7 T. Healy 8 J. Walsh 9 S. Brosnan 10 J. Flavin 11 C. O'Sullivan 12 T. Landers 13 J. J. Landers 14 M. Doyle (c) 15 T. O'Leary Subs used T. O'Connor for T. O'Donnell Played in drawn game G. Fitzgerald P. Kennedy S. McCarthy

Kerry – 1939 All-Ireland Senior Football Champions (13th title) 1 D. O'Keeffe 2 B. Myers 3 J. Keohane 4 T. Healy 5 B. Dillon 6 B. Casey 7 E. Walsh 8 P. Kennedy 9 J. O'Gorman 10 M. Kelly 11 T. O'Connor (c) 12 J. Walsh 13 C. O'Sullivan 14 D. Spring 15 T. Landers

Kerry – 1940 All-Ireland Senior Football Champions (14th title) 1 D. O'Keeffe 2 B. Myers 3 J. Keohane 4 T. Healy 5 B. Dillon 6 B. Casey 7 E. Walsh 8 S. Brosnan 9 J. Walsh 10 J. O'Gorman 11 T. O'Connor 12 P. Kennedy 13 M. Kelly 14 D. Spring (c) 15 C. O'Sullivan Sub used P.B. Brosnan

Kerry – 1941 All-Ireland Senior Football Champions (15th title) 1 D. O'Keeffe 2 B. Myers 3 J. Keohane 4 T. Healy 5 B. Dillon (c) 6 B. Casey 7 E. Walsh 8 S. Brosnan 9 P. Kennedy 10 J. Walsh 11 T. O'Connor 12 P.B. Brosnan 13 J. O'Gorman 14 M. Kelly 15 C. O'Sullivan Subs used T. Landers for B. Myers M. Lyne for J. Walsh

Kerry – 1946 All-Ireland Senior Football Champions (16th title) 1 D. O'Keeffe 2 D. Lyne 3 J. Keohane 4 P.B. Brosnan 5 J. Lyne 6 B. Casey 7 E. Walsh 8 Teddy O'Connor 9 P. Kennedy (c) 10 J. Falvey 11 Tom 'Gega' O'Connor 12 B. Garvey 13 F. O'Keeffe 14 P. Burke 15 D. Kavanagh Played in drawn game G. Cremin W. O'Donnell Subs used in drawn game E. Dowling for P. Kennedy B. Kelleher for J. Lyne Subs used in replay G. Cremin for J. Falvey

References