Ben Tansey

Ben Tansey
Personal information
Sport Dual player
Born (1953-06-22)22 June 1953
Ballinasloe, Co. Galway, Ireland
Died 25 March 2011(2011-03-25) (aged 57)
Occupation Garda Síochána
Club(s)
Years Club
1970–1978
1971–1978
1979–1996		 Four Roads (H)
St. Aidan's, Ballyforan
Navan O'Mahonys GAA
Club titles
  Football Hurling
Meath titles 7 2
Connacht titles 0 1
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1976–1978
1971–1978
1980–1985
1980–1989		 Roscommon (F)
Roscommon (H)
Meath (F)
Meath (H)
Inter-county titles
  Football Hurling
Connacht Titles 1 0
All-Ireland Titles 0 1 (Junior)

Ben Tansey was the son of Bernard Tansey and Kathleen Glynn of Caltraghduff, Ballyforan, County Roscommon. Ben Tansey played senior intercounty football and hurling for two different counties, namely Roscommon and Meath.

Ben started playing hurling and football with his local clubs, Four Roads and St. Aidan's in Roscommon. He won underage hurling championships with Four Roads and also a U16"B" All-Ireland hurling medal with Roscommon. He played Minor and Under 21 football and hurling for Roscommon. Ben went to Ballinafad College, in Mayo, where he played in four Connacht colleges hurling finals, won a Connacht colleges football medal and a Mayo colleges football championship. Ben joined the Garda Síochána in 1973 and was stationed in Rush, Dublin, Balbriggan, and Navan. He served in Navan for 27 years until his retirement in 2003.

During his playing days in Roscommon Ben won a Connacht Senior Football Championship in 1978 and an All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship in 1974. Ben is one of an elite group of Roscommon hurlers to have played Railway Cup with Connacht. He won 2 Roscommon Senior Hurling Championships with Four Roads and also a Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championship medal in 1977. He won an Intermediate Football Championship with St. Aidan's and was also club footballer of the year in 1975.

Ben transferred to Navan O'Mahony's in 1979. With them he won 7 Meath Senior Football Championships and 2 Meath Senior Hurling Championships, being a member of the double winning team in 1985. He also won 2 Intermediate Hurling Championships and several Feis Cup and League football medals. He was also club footballer of the year and club hurler of the year. Ben also holds the distinction of having won "Man of the Match" awards in both senior football(1979) and senior hurling(1986) finals. He was the Keegan Cup winning captain in 1981. Ben last lined out for O'Mahony's in the Intermediate Hurling Final in 1996, aged 43, rounding off a 26 year club career with 15 club championship medals.

Ben Tansey is best remembered in Meath for being an intercounty Dual player. In particular for goals he scored in Croke Park in the Leinster Senior Football Championship against Dublin in 1983 and 1984. The goal he scored in the Leinster Final in 1984 would be the only one conceded by John O'Leary in the championship that year. Ben was Meath senior footballer of the year in 1982 and won an O'Byrne Cup medal in 1983. Ben was on Meath hurling and football teams that were managed by Sean Boylan.

Ben was highly regarded in Navan as a hurling coach and coached teams at all grades. He was player/coach for the 2 senior hurling championships he won and was immensely proud to have been involved in several O'Mahony's juvenile team that travelled to Feile na nGael competitions.

Ben was interested in many other sports, such as handball, squash, fishing and pitch and putt. Ben played competitive basketball for Navan O'Mahony's, competitive soccer with Navan Gardaí in the early days of the Meath and District League and also lined out at full back for Navan R.F.C. on several occasions. After his G.A.A. days he became a member of the Royal Tara Golf Club and represented the club in competitions. He played off a handicap of 5 and once held the course record.

As well as having the distinction of being a dual player with two different counties Ben also had two uncles with unique records. John Glynn played Connacht senior football championship with 3 different counties, his native Galway, Sligo and Leitrim. His brother Tim Glynn played Munster senior hurling championship with 2 different counties, his native Galway and Limerick, he also played Junior hurling with Kerry & Junior football with Limerick. Other brothers, Martin, Tom & Frank Glynn also played hurling with Galway. Ben also had 2 aunts who played in an All-Ireland Camogie final for Galway against Antrim in 1946. His cousins Sharon Glynn & Sheila Coen were on the Galway camogie team that won an All-Ireland in 1996.

References

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