When GAA legend Mícheál Ó Muircheartaigh left his mark on a small Kilkenny village
Micheál declared to all “it was the longest match” he was ever at
The sad news of the passing of the broadcasting legend Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh recalled the time when he visited Windgap 44 years ago to act as the fear an tí for a GAA team quiz and again, a generation later, when he recalled the sporting history of the area at a national presentation to mark his retirement.
In the days of very limited communications, the trail to invite him involved attending the Dublin-based Kerry county players training sessions that he took on the south side, a visit to his home on the north side and being astounded at the amount of high speed running that the football legends led by Jack O’Shea put in, as the intercounty hurlers dwelt on their playing skills.
Having broadcast a National Hurling League match in Thurles, Micheál Ó Muircheartaigh made the trip to Windgap, where 30 quiz teams formed the centrepiece of a packed Parish Hall.
In the very early hours, as more questions were needed to decide a winner, Micheál declared to all “it was the longest match” he was ever at.
The eventual result saw the Graigue-Ballycallan team of Tom Ryall, Nicholas Teehan, John Power of Foxcover and Milo Hennessy win out, when they pipped the James Stephens, Rower-Inistioge and Enniscorthy sides.
The strength of the Graigue-Ballycallan team saw them take three of the top individual prizes when, after the final individual question, Tom Ryall pipped team-mate Nicholas Teehan with Milo Hennessy in fourth place. Wexford’s Paddy Wickham took third prize with Nicholas Hally from Muckalee fifth.
Such was the success of the event that the organising team of Gabriel Hawe, John O’Brien, Martin O’Shea and Michael Egan with the support of sponsors Ferrum Fabrications, Brett Brothers and Coca-Cola, arranged another quiz for the following year.
When the time came it saw Graigue-Ballycallan retain their title when RTE Gaelic games personality Liz Howard was the quizmaster.