Outstanding hurling goalkeeper from halcyon era has been honoured by Tipperary United Sports Panel

John O'Donoghue, an All-Ireland hurling medal winner with Tipperary during the 1960s, has been honoured by the Tipperary United Sports Panel by being chosen for the Knocknagow Award, which each year is presented to a famous sportsperson of the past.

He and the other Annerville award winners will be presented with their awards, which are sponsored by Bulmers, at the United Sports Panel's presentation ceremony at the Talbot Hotel Clonmel on Saturday night, January 21.  

As a talented hurling goalkeeper, John O’Donoghue first came to prominence in the late 1950s as a member of the Tipperary minor hurling team. He won both Munster and All-Ireland titles at that grade in 1959 and also won a Harty Cup medal with the Abbey CBS in Tipperary Town, the school's only success in the Munster Senior Colleges Hurling Championship. 

The following year, he was captain of the Tipperary minor team when he captured a second Munster Under 18 title. He later won his place on the all-conquering Tipperary senior team, regarded as one of hurling's most formidable sides of any era.

He won his first National Hurling League in 1964. Later that year John won his first senior Munster title, as well as his first senior All-Ireland medal after Tipp had beaten Kilkenny by 5-13 to 2-8.

The following year Tipperary continued to dominate the hurling landscape, as the Arravale Rovers clubman won another set of National League, Munster and All-Ireland honours at senior level.

After a brief hiatus in 1966, Tipperary regained their grip on the Munster championship in 1967, when John O'Donoghue collected a third provincial medal, although they were beaten by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final.

In 1968 he won a third National League medal and a fourth Munster title. As he brought the curtain down on a very successful inter-county career, he won a fifth and final Munster senior medal and a third All-Ireland senior medal in 1971.

He resumed his involvement with the county senior hurlers 20 years later, as a selector on the team that won Munster and All-Ireland honours for the second time in three years in 1991.

John O’Donoghue’s sporting prowess wasn’t confined to the hurling pitch. He is also an accomplished golfer, representing Ireland at international level when he won senior international caps in 2003 and 2004.

He also won the Tipperary senior badminton championship on a number of occasions, and represented Tipperary in the Munster championship for a number of years.