HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

Michael "Babs" Keating (born 17 April 1944) is an
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
former hurler and
Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...
er who played as a forward for the
Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
senior teams. Born in
Ardfinnan Ardfinnan () is a small village in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is situated on the River Suir and R665 regional road. The Catholic parish of Ardfinnan is made up of three areas: Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, and Grange. Ardfinnan is also a civil p ...
,
County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...
, Keating first played competitive
Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...
during his schooling at
CBS High School Clonmel CBS High School Clonmel (Ardscoil na mBráithre), is a second level Christian Brothers school in Clonmel, County Tipperary in Ireland. It was built in 1899 and its first Superior was Joseph White. A new school building was first occupied in 19 ...
. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Tipperary minor teams in both codes, before later joining the under-21 sides. He joined the senior football panel during the 1960 championship before being added to the senior hurling panel four years later. Keating was a regular member of the starting fifteen on both teams, and won two
All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
medals, four
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
medals and two
National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions. As a member of both
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
inter-provincial teams on a number of occasions, Keating won a combined total of three
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
medals. At club level he was a five-time
football championship The English Football League Championship (often referred to as the Championship for short or the Sky Bet Championship for sponsorship purposes) is the highest division of the English Football League (EFL) and second-highest overall in the E ...
medallist with
Ardfinnan Ardfinnan () is a small village in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is situated on the River Suir and R665 regional road. The Catholic parish of Ardfinnan is made up of three areas: Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, and Grange. Ardfinnan is also a civil p ...
. Keating played his club hurling with Ballybacon–Grange. Throughout his career Keating made 27 championship appearances with the senior hurlers. He retired from inter-county hurling following the conclusion of the 1975 championship, however, his inter-county football career lasted until the end of the 1980 championship. Keating is widely regarded one of the greatest players of his generation. In 1971 he was named on the inaugural All-Star team, while he also collected the
Texaco Hurler of the Year The Texaco Hurler of the Year was a hurling award, created in 1958, that honoured the achievements of a hurler of outstanding excellence. The award was part of the Texaco Sportstars Awards, in which Irish sportspeople from all fields were honour ...
award. Delaney was also chosen as one of the 125 greatest hurlers of all-time in a 2009 poll. In retirement from playing Keating became involved in team management and coaching. At various times he has served as manager of the
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
,
Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
and
Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
senior teams, however, it has been with his own native Tipperary that he enjoyed his greatest success, guiding the team to two All-Ireland victories.


Biography

Michael Keating was born in
Ardfinnan Ardfinnan () is a small village in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is situated on the River Suir and R665 regional road. The Catholic parish of Ardfinnan is made up of three areas: Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, and Grange. Ardfinnan is also a civil p ...
,
County Tipperary County Tipperary ( ga, Contae Thiobraid Árann) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary, and was established in the early 13th century, shortly after th ...
in 1944. The youngest member of a large family, he received the nickname 'Babs' when he went to national school where he was the youngest of three Michael Keatings in the school. The nickname has remained with him into adult life and he is almost always exclusively referred to as Babs. As well as his sporting career, Keating has worked for many years for the petroleum oil company
Esso Esso () is a trading name for ExxonMobil. Originally, the name was primarily used by its predecessor Standard Oil of New Jersey after the breakup of the original Standard Oil company in 1911. The company adopted the name "Esso" (the phonetic p ...
. He is married to Nancy Maher, sister of Gerry Maher and his son-in-law is Irish jockey
Johnny Murtagh Johnny Murtagh (born 14 May 1970) is an Irish flat racing trainer and former jockey from Bohermeen, near Navan, Kells, County Meath. As a jockey he won many of the major flat races in Europe, including all the Irish Classi ...
, who is married to his daughter Orla.


Playing career


Club

Keating enjoyed a lengthy club hurling career with Ballybacon–Grange, winning a number of divisional championship medals, however, it was with the
Ardfinnan Ardfinnan () is a small village in County Tipperary in Ireland. It is situated on the River Suir and R665 regional road. The Catholic parish of Ardfinnan is made up of three areas: Ardfinnan, Ballybacon, and Grange. Ardfinnan is also a civil p ...
footballers that he enjoyed his greatest successes. In 1962 Ardfinnan made a long-awaited breakthrough in the senior championship. A 4–11 to 1–6 defeat of Thurles Crokes gave Keating, who lined out at centre-forward, his first
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...
medal. The following year Keating was at full-forward as Ardfinnan qualified for a second successive county decider. A relatively comfortable 1–9 to 1–2 defeat of
Templemore Templemore () is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is a civil parish in the historical barony of Eliogarty. It is part of the parish of Templemore, Clonmore and Killea in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. The 2011 Censu ...
gave him a second championship medal. Ardfinnan made it three-in-a-row in 1964. Keating bagged 2–2 in a 5–10 to 3–3 defeat of a disjointed and disappointing North selection. It was Keating's third championship medal. After securing the three-in-a-row, Ardfinnan went on to lose three deciders in-a-row at the end of the decade. This losing streak was halted in 1970, with Keating collecting a fourth championship medal following an ugly 1–11 to 2–2 defeat of
Clonmel Commercials Clonmel Commercials GFC is a Gaelic Athletic Association Gaelic football club located in the town of Clonmel in County Tipperary, Ireland. The club is part of the South Division of Tipperary GAA. They have been Tipperary Senior Football champ ...
Keating won a fifth and final championship medal in 1974, following a narrow 1–6 to 1–4 defeat of Fethard.


Minor and under-21

Keating first played for Tipperary as a
dual player Dual player or dual star is a term used in Hiberno-English to describe someone who competes in multiple sports — for example, in Victorian Ireland, cricket and hurling. The term today in Gaelic games typically describes a male player who plays ...
in the minor grades in 1960. He won his first
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
medal with the hurlers that year, following a 6–7 to 4–3 defeat of
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
. The subsequent All-Ireland decider saw Tipperary face
Kilkenny Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512. Kilken ...
in a repeat of the previous years final. A huge 7–12 to 1–11 defeat was Keating's lot on that occasion. In 1961 Keating added a second Munster medal to his collection following a 7–11 to 1–6 defeat of
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
. The subsequent All-Ireland decider saw Tipperary face Kilkenny for the third successive year. The game was much closer than the previous year, however, Keating still ended up on the losing side by 3–13 to 0–15. Keating was captain of the minor team in 1962. He won a third successive Munster medal that year as Tipperary outclassed Cork by 4–11 to 4–1. Kilkenny were the opponents in the subsequent All-Ireland decider once again, however, "the Cats" maintained the upper hand over their near neighbours. Goals were key as a 3–6 to 0–9 defeat meant Ketaing ended up on the losing side for a third successive year. It was his last game in the minor grade. In 1964 Keating was an automatic choice on Tipperary's inaugural under-21 hurling team. An 8–9 to 3–1 defeat of
Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...
gave him a
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
medal in that grade.
Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland decider, however, the game turned into a rout. A huge 8–9 to 3–1 victory gave Keating an
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (G ...
medal. Keating missed Tipperary's second consecutive Munster under-21 triumph in 1965, however, he was restored to the starting fifteen for the subsequent All-Ireland final against Wexford. The Leinster champions avenged the previous years defeat as Tipperary fell to a 3–7 to 1–4 defeat.


Senior


Early success

Having been a regular member of the Tipperary senior football team since 1960, Keating joined the Tipperary senior hurlers in 1964. He won his first
National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
medal that year following a 4–16 to 6–6 defeat of
New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...
. Keating made his senior championship debut on 5 July 1964 in a 6–13 to 2–5 Munster semi-final defeat of
Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...
. Tipperary later cantered casually past Cork by fourteen points in the provincial decider, giving Keating his first
Munster Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
medal. The All-Ireland final on 6 September 1964 saw reigning champions Kilkenny enter the game as firm favourites against Tipperary. John "Mackey" McKenna scored Tipp's first goal after ten minutes as the Munster champions took a 1–8 to 0–6 interval lead. The second half saw Tipperary score goals for fun, with
Donie Nealon Donie Nealon (born December 1935) is an Irish former hurler who played as a right corner-forward at senior level for the Tipperary county team. Born in Newtown, County Tipperary, Nealon first played competitive hurling whilst at school in ...
getting a hat-trick and Seán McLoughlin another. Kilkenny were humiliated at the full-time whistle as Tipperary triumphed by 5–13 to 2–8. It was Keating's first
All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
medal. Keating found it difficult to nail down a permanent place on the team over the next few years, and he missed Tipperary's All-Ireland triumph in 1965.


Tipperary decline

After surrendering their provincial crown in 1966, Tipperary bounced back the following year, with Keating, who was restored to the team, winning a second Munster medal following a 4–12 to 2–6 defeat of Clare. 3 September 1967 saw Kilkenny face Tipperary in the All-Ireland decider. Tipp looked like continuing their hoodoo over their near rivals as they took a 2–6 to 1–3 lead at half-time. Goalkeeper
Ollie Walsh Patrick Oliver Walsh (13 July 1937 – 9 March 1996) was an Irish hurler and hurling manager. His career included All-Ireland Championship victories as a player and later as a manager with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. After beginning ...
was the hero for Kilkenny as he made a series of spectacular saves, however, the team lost
Eddie Keher Edward Peter Keher (; born 14 October 1941) is an Irish former hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Kilkenny county team. Born in Inistioge, County Kilkenny, Keher first played competitive hurling whilst at school in ...
and Tom Walsh to injury in the second half. In spite of this, Kilkenny laid to rest a bogey that Tipperary had over the team since 1922, and a 3–8 to 2–7 victory resulted in defeat for Keating's team. Keating added a second league medal to his collection in 1968 following a 6–27 to 4–22 aggregate defeat of New York. Tipperary later retained their status as provincial kingpins and a 2–13 to 1–7 trouncing of Cork gave Keating a third Munster medal. For the fourth time of the decade, Wexford were Tipp's opponents in the subsequent All-Ireland final on 1 September 1968. At half-time it looked as if Tipperary were cruising to another victory as they took an eight-point lead. Just after the restart Wexford had a
Christy Jacob Christopher "Christy" Jacob (born 1944) is an Irish retired hurler who enjoyed a successful career as a centre-back with the Wexford senior team. Born in Wickmore, County Wexford, Jacob was introduced to hurling in his youth. His granduncle, ...
goal disallowed before
Tony Doran Anthony "Tony" Doran (born April 1946) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a full-forward for the Wexford senior team. Born in Boolavogue, County Wexford, Doran first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he fir ...
scored a goal after just six minutes. Tipp fought back; however, it was too late as Wexford won a remarkable game by 5–8 to 3–12.


Twilight success

By 1971 Keating had come to be regarded as one of the great full-forwards of the era, as Tipperary regrouped for one final push at glory. A 4–16 to 3–18 victory over
Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
gave him a fourth Munster medal. On 5 September 1971 Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final, the first to be broadcast in colour by Telefís Éireann and the only eighty-minute meeting between the two sides. Kilkenny's ever-dependable goalkeeper,
Ollie Walsh Patrick Oliver Walsh (13 July 1937 – 9 March 1996) was an Irish hurler and hurling manager. His career included All-Ireland Championship victories as a player and later as a manager with the Kilkenny senior hurling team. After beginning ...
, had a nightmare of a game in which he conceded five goals, one of which passed through his legs, while Keating played out the closing stages of the game in his bare feet. Tipperary emerged the victors on a score line of 5–17 to 5–14. It was his second All-Ireland medal. Keating finished off the year by winning an All-Star before being named
Texaco Hurler of the Year The Texaco Hurler of the Year was a hurling award, created in 1958, that honoured the achievements of a hurler of outstanding excellence. The award was part of the Texaco Sportstars Awards, in which Irish sportspeople from all fields were honour ...
.


Final years

Tipperary went into decline following this victory as Limerick and Cork dominated the provincial series. On 20 July 1975 he played his last game for the Tipperary hurlers in a 0–17 to 1–10 Munster semi-final replay defeat by Limerick. He lined out with the Tipperary footballers for one further season in 1976, however, he was recalled to the team at the age of thirty-six in 1980.


Inter-provincial

In 1965 Keating was at left wing-forward as the Munster inter-provincial hurling team faced their age-old rivals
Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
in the championship decider. The southern province was completely outclassed on that occasion as Leinster powered to a 3–11 to 0–9 victory. After failing to be picked for the team over the next two years, Keating was back with Munster in 1968 as the team faced Leinster once again in the inter-provincial decider. A 0–14 to 0–10 victory gave him his first
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
medal. In 1970 Keating lined out with Munster once again as the team faced Leinster in the decider. A huge 2–15 to 0–9 victory gave him his second Railway Cup medal. Keating was a regular on the Munster inter-provincial football team during this period as well. In 1972 he was a member of the starting team that faced Leinster in the decider. A 1–15 apiece draw was the result on that occasion, however, the southern province made no mistake in the replay. A double scores 2–14 to 0–10 victory gave Keating a Railway Cup medal with the footballers, his third overall.


Managerial career


Galway

Keating had just retired from inter-county hurling when he became involved in inter-county coaching. After an unsuccessful one-year stint as trainer of the
Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
senior hurlers during the 1976–77 season, he was back as coach a year later. A good run of results during the group stage of the league allowed the team qualify for the final where Ketaing's native county of Tipperary provided the opposition. A 3–15 to 0–8 trouncing was the result on that occasion. Keating's side later shocked four-in-a-row hopefuls Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final and qualified for an All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny on 2 September 1979. In one of the worst All-Ireland finals of the decade,
Tipperary Tipperary is the name of: Places *County Tipperary, a county in Ireland **North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh **South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel *Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
-born Galway goalkeeper
Séamus Shinnors James N. Shinnors''s (born 1945) is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Newport and with the Tipperary and Galway senior inter-county teams in the 1970s. Early life Séamus Shinnors was born in Newport, Cou ...
had an absolute nightmare of a game. A 70-yards free by Liam "Chunky" O'Brien after just four minutes dipped, hit off Shinnors and ended up in the Galway net. Galway fought back and went two points up twelve minutes into the second half, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Four minutes before the end of the game another long-range free for Kilkenny ended up in the net behind Shinnors. It was a score which summed up the day for Keating's side as Kilkenny went on to win by 2–12 to 1–8.


First spell with Tipperary

In 1986 the Tipperary senior hurling team had hit an all-time low. The county hadn't won a Munster title since 1971 and went almost a decade without winning a single championship game.
Tony Wall Anthony "Tony" Wall (born 9 May 1934) is an Irish former hurler and manager who played as a centre-back at senior level for the Tipperary county team. Wall joined the team during the 1953–54 National League and was a regular member of the ...
took over as manager in 1986, however, at the end of the year the Tipperary County Board turned to Keating in an effort to revive the county's flagging fortunes. In his first full season in charge, he guided the team to the Munster title after a stunning draw and extra-time replay victory over six-in-a-row hopefuls Cork. Keating's side secured the league title in 1988 following a 3–15 to 2–9 defeat of
Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
. He later guided the team to a second successive Munster title as Cork were easily accounted for by 2–19 to 1–13. On 4 September 1988 Tipperary faced Galway in the All-Ireland decider. Galway had defeated Tipp in the semi-final the previous year, however, with an extra year's experience it was expected that Tipperary might shade the victory. Galway used this to motivate themselves. Noel Lane again scored the crucial goal for Galway while captain for the day
Nicky English Nicholas J. "Nicky" English (born 20 October 1962) is an Irish former hurler who played as a full-forward at senior level for the Tipperary county team. Born in Cullen, County Tipperary, English first played competitive Gaelic games during h ...
sent a late penalty over the bar for a point. A 1–15 to 0–14 score line resulted in defeat. Keating's two star players,
Pat Fox Patrick "Pat" Fox (born 8 July 1962) is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Éire Óg Annacarty GAA and with the Tipperary GAA senior inter-county team in the 1980s and 1990s. Playing career Club Fox played his ...
and Nicky English, did not play to their potential that day and the manager also received criticism for introducing John Leahy, then an unknown teenager. Tipperary made it a provincial three-in-a-row in 1989, with Keating's side winning a third Munster title following a 0–26 to 2–8 defeat of an overtly physical Waterford. On 3 September 1989 Tipperary faced Antrim in a unique All-Ireland final. The game was a one-sided affair from start to finish, with Nicky English setting a new scoring record by bagging 2–12 in the 4–24 to 3–9 victory. It was a first All-Ireland title for Keating as manager. In 1990 Keating set out to prove that Tipperary's All-Ireland victory was not a flash-in-the-pan. Accordingly, both the team and the manager exuded an over-confidence from the start of the championship. In an infamous interview Keating dismissed Cork's chances in the championship by stating that "donkeys don’t win derbies." This comment severely riled the Cork hurlers, so much so that they defeated Tipperary by 4–16 to 2–14 in a classic Munster final. Keating's side regrouped in 1991 and collected a fourth Munster title in five years following a remarkable 4–19 to 4–15 replay defeat of Cork. On 1 September 1991 Tipperary faced old rivals Kilkenny in the All-Ireland decider. The opening thirty-five minutes saw both sides trade score-for-score, however, a controversial 20-metre free, miss-hit by Michael Cleary, landed in the net and gave Tipp a lead which they never surrendered. The final score of 1–16 to 0–15 resulted in a second All-Ireland title for Keating as manager. After a disappointing 1992 season, Tipperary claimed the Munster title again in 1993 following a huge 3–27 to 2–12 trouncing of Clare. Tipperary annexed a second league title under Keating's stewardship in 1994, however, his side later exited the championship at an early stage. This defeat brought the curtain down on his managerial career with Tipperary.


Laois

On 8 September 1995 Keating was appointed manager of the
Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medie ...
senior hurling team. Success came early as Keating's new charges qualified for the semi-final of the league. A narrow two-point defeat at the hands of Tipperary was the result on that occasion. Unfortunately for Keating, this proved to be the highlight of his tenure as Laois failed to record a single championship victory in either 1996 or 1997. Keating resigned following the team's 1997 championship exit.


Offaly

On 21 October 1997 Keating was appointed manager of the Offaly senior hurling team. Offaly, unlike Laois, had enjoyed much success in the recent past. They had won the All-Ireland title in 1994 and were generally regarded as one of the most skilful groups of hurlers in the country. Unfortunately, the team also earned a reputation for being lazy when it came to training. This was something that Keating set out to rectify, however, he quickly earned the enmity of some key players. Relations is the dressing room were frosty at best, however, Keating's feelings weren't properly expressed until after the 1998 Leinster final defeat by Kilkenny. In a post-match interview Keating lamented his players performance and described the team as "sheep in a heap." The Offaly players took umbrage to his statement and effectively forced Keating out as manager. He was replaced by
Michael Bond Thomas Michael Bond (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was a British author. He is best known for a series of fictional stories for children, featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold ...
and Offaly later went on to win the All-Ireland title.


Return to Tipperary

In 2005 the Tipperary senior hurling team was in the doldrums. After winning the All-Ireland title in 2001 the team took a backward step and recorded few victories of note in the intervening years. After
Ken Hogan James Kenneth Hogan (born 1 May 1963) is an Irish former hurler who played as a goalkeeper at senior level for the Tipperary county team. Born in Lorrha, County Tipperary, Hogan first played competitive hurling whilst at school at the Presen ...
's resignation as manager at the end of that year's championship, the Tipp County Board turned to Keating in an effort to revive the county's flagging fortunes once again. Keating's first game of the championship was a Munster quarter-final meeting with near neighbours
Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
on 14 May 2006. In the first ten minutes Limerick scored two goals, however, Tipp fought back to seal the victory. A defeat of
Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...
in the Munster semi-final set up a second consecutive Munster final meeting with
Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
. Keating's side got off to a good start, however, the All-Ireland champions showed their worth by a capturing a 2–14 to 1–14 victory over Tipp. The subsequent All-Ireland quarter-final saw Keating's side take on Waterford for the second time that year. There was some mild controversy from the Tipp camp over this second meeting of the two sides. Keating was less than pleased when Waterford reversed the earlier defeat and captured a three-point victory. 2007 saw Keating's side taken on Limerick in their opening game. It was a game that Tipp were expected to win, however, Limerick put up a good fight and the game ended in a draw. For the replay of the game Keating made the drastic move of dropping legendary goalkeeper Brendan Cummins. The second game saw Keating's side lead by ten points at one stage, however, by the end of the seventy minutes both sides were level once again. A period of extra-time failed to separate these two sides were forced to meet for a third time. Once again extra-time had to be played, however, after nearly four hours of hurling Limerick emerged as the winners. After the defeat Keating looked less than impressed when he was forced to do a television interview alongside ecstatic Limerick manager
Richie Bennis Richard "Richie" Bennis (born 1945) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a centre-forward for the Limerick senior team. Born in Patrickswell, County Limerick, Bennis first played competitive hurling during his schooling at CBS Sexton Street ...
. The All-Ireland qualifiers saw Keating's side win all of their games, including a victory over Cork for the first time since 1991. It looked as if Tipp had come out on the easy side of the draw as their opponents,
Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
, were not regarded as being up to much. Because of this Keating may have been guilty of having one eye on the All-Ireland semi-final. His decision to relegate star forward Eoin Kelly to the substitutes bench baffled many, particularly since Kelly tops the chart as Tipp's all-time top scorer. The game itself was an exciting one, however, a
Damien Fitzhenry Damien Fitzhenry (born 5 July 1974) is an Irish retired hurler. His league and championship career with the Wexford senior team spanned eighteen seasons from 1993 until 2010.Fitzhenry is widely regarded as Wexford's greatest ever goalkeeper. ...
penalty sealed the victory for Wexford and dumped Tipp out of the championship. Keating resigned as manager shortly after this defeat.


Career statistics


Player


Manager


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Keating, Michael 1944 births Living people All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Ardfinnan Gaelic footballers Ballybacon-Grange hurlers Dual players Hurling managers Munster inter-provincial hurlers Munster inter-provincial Gaelic footballers People educated at CBS High School Clonmel Tipperary inter-county hurlers Tipperary inter-county Gaelic footballers