Tipperary Hurling Tipperary GAA Premierview

Born: 1898

Died: 1983



Tipperary championship career: 1922-1936



Club: Toomevara



Honours



2 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Medals – 1925, 1930



4 Munster Senior Hurling Medals – 1922, 1924, 1925, 1930



1 National League Medal – 1928



6 Railway Cup Medals – 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931, 1934, 1935



4 County Senior Hurling Medals – 1919, 1923, 1930, 1931



11 North Tipp Senior Hurling Medals – 1919, 1922, 1923, 1925, 1926, 1927, 1928, 1929, 1930, 1931 (with Toomevara) 1934, 1938 (with Kildangan)



‘Men may come and men may go, but Martin Kennedy will go on for ever’



He was the first of the great modern full-forwards, bringing new dimensions of power, panache and skill to this position. His goal-scoring exploits are still spoken of and his prowess was recognised with his selection on the Tipperary Hurling Team of the Millenium, the oldest player chosen. Martin Kennedy typifies what is meant by the term ‘hurling immortal’.



Ironically, he first played as a goalie for Borrisoleigh, great rivals of his club Toomevara. He had been born in that portion of Toomevara parish closest to Borris and contested two county intermediate finals with the latter before transferring his allegiance in 1919. It was only when the regular Toom full forward got injured that Martin tried his hand in this position, and he proved to be a revelation.



He was called up to the Tipperary team in 1923 (in the delayed 1922 championship) as the team travelled through war-torn countryside to Cork to play the Leesiders in the first round of the Munster championship. Undoubtedly, there have been fewer more emphatic debuts in Tipperary hurling history. Martin lined out at full forward against the great Sean Óg Murphy; he scored four goals as Tipp took the spoils. It was to be the beginning of a great rivalry with the renowned Cork full back. Later Tipp accounted for Limerick in the Munster Final, but fell victim to a late Kilkenny comeback in the All-Ireland final. Regrettably, Martin missed a late goal chance in that game, with his scooped effort ending up on top of the net.



Martin collected his second Munster medal in 1924, but complacency was blamed for their defeat to Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final, played in November. However, Martin was part of the successful Tipperary team that won the county’s first All-Ireland in 9 years in 1925, with the larger-than-life Johnny Leahy captaining the side. The victorious team embarked on a tour of North America in May 1926, playing and winning six games. One game in Chicago was advertised with the evocation ‘Come for an eye-full of sport fifteen hundred years old! Arms and legs snap occasionally’. Remarkably, Martin scored 27 goals on the tour, including seven in one game.



Further honours followed as Martin’s reputation grew; 1927 saw the start of an amazing run in the newly inaugurated Railway Cup competition. He was a regular on the Munster team for nine years, at a time when the competition was much more prestigious and when selection was seen as a tremendous honour for players. In 1928 he was on the team that won Tipperary’s first National league title, while he also represented Ireland in the Tailteann Games that year.



Perhaps his most successful year and the peak of his career was 1930 when he helped Tipp to another All-Ireland title and also captained Toomevara to their first county senior title since 1923. He scored 1-1 for in the All-Ireland final against Dublin. Another US tour followed in 1931 and Martin had the honour of captaining the side. He was presented with a magnificent World Hurling Champions trophy engraved with the names of travelling team members. On his return he led Toom to back-to-back county titles.



Martin continued to play with Tipp until a serious injury forced his retirement from the inter-county scene in 1936. He did continued to play until well into his forties and threw in his lot with the Kildangan club after marrying and settling there. The evergreen full forward was still playing with an LDF selection in Limerick during the Emergency and a colleague on that team remarked ‘He laid on the ball and all we had to do was hit it into the net’. He remained involved in club and county hurling, serving as a selector on Tipperary teams during the golden era of the ‘50s and ‘60s.



Tales of his exploits are legion. The most famous is his use of feathers placed strategically at the corners of the parallelogram or on the ‘21’ before each game. The feathers allowed Martin to develop a unique ‘radar’ system that meant he could shoot for goal without having to glance at the posts. John Maher of Thurles recalled many instances of Martin’s skill around the square, such as his ability to deflect the ball into the path of a team-mate, his aptitude at trapping an incoming ball, and his knack of being able to shoot first time. Although relatively small at 5’ 8”, Martin was physically strong and this, combined with his skill, made him one of the most formidable full forwards in the history of the game and one of the greatest hurlers of the inter-war period. His place in the pantheon of Tippeary Hurling Immortals is assured.



Sources:

Sources used:

Fogarty, P. Tipperary’s GAA Story, 1884-1934

Fullam, B. Captains of the Ash

King, S.J. ‘World Hurling Champions 1931’ Tipperary Star, January 14th, 1995, p.24

King, S.J. Tipperary’s GAA Story 1934-1984

Article on Martin Kennedy on Toomevara GAA Club website - toomevaragaa.com