Seán Purcell (17 December 1928– 27 August 2005), was a

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 at senior level for the Galway county team. Best known as a centre half-forward, he played in most outfield positions during his career. In 2009 he was named in the ''

Sunday Tribune The ''Sunday Tribune'' was an Irish Sunday broadsheet newspaper published by Tribune Newspapers plc. It was edited in its final years by Nóirín Hegarty, who changed both the tone and the physical format of the newspaper from broadsheet to tab ...

''s list of the "125 Most Influential People In GAA History". Born in

Tuam Tuam ( ; ga, Tuaim , meaning 'mound' or 'burial-place') is a town in Ireland and the second-largest settlement in County Galway. It is west of the midlands of Ireland, about north of Galway city. Humans have lived in the area since the Bron ...

County Galway "Righteousness and Justice" , anthem = () , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Galway.svg , map_caption = Location in Ireland , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = ...

, Purcell was educated at Tuam Christian Brothers School and

St Jarlath's College St Jarlath's College () is a Catholic secondary school for young men in Tuam, County Galway. The college was founded in 1800 and in 2009 absorbed St. Patrick's College, Tuam. The College, which operates under patronage of the Archbishop of Tuam, ...

. He played in the St Jarlath's College side that won the

Hogan Cup The Hogan Cup ( ga, Corn Uí Ógáin), also known as the All-Ireland Post Primary Schools Senior A Football Championship, is the top level Gaelic football championship for secondary schools (sometimes referred to as colleges) in Ireland. The com ...

in 1947, beating

St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh St Patrick's Grammar School ( ga, Scoil Ghramadaí Naomh Pádraig), Armagh, is a Roman Catholic boys' non-selective voluntary grammar school in the city of Armagh, Northern Ireland. The present-day school was officially opened on Thursday, 27 O ...

in the final at

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. His nickname "The Master" originated when he taught at Strawberry Hill National School in Dunmore. His footballing career spanned three decades, from the 1940s to the 1960s. Purcell formed a successful on-field partnership with Frank Stockwell at Galway, culminating in the team winning their fourth All-Ireland championship in 1956 and leading to their nickname as the "Terrible Twins". Further successes in which Purcell was involved include winning the

League League or The League may refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Leagues'' (band), an American rock band * ''The League'', an American sitcom broadcast on FX and FXX about fantasy football Sports * Sports league * Rugby league, full contact footba ...

title in 1957, three Railway Cups, one of which he captained, the 1950

Sigerson Cup The Sigerson Cup is the trophy for the premier Gaelic football championship among Higher Education institutions (Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Technology) in Ireland. It traditionally begins in mid January and ends in late February. ...

, appearances with the Combined Universities side and ten county titles with the

Tuam Stars Tuam Stars ( ga, Réalta Thuama) is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Tuam area in County Galway, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The club is a member of the Galway GAA. Underage teams up to U-16's play in the Galway GAA, Galway lea ...

, including seven in a row from 1954 to 1960. His involvement in the GAA continued long after his playing days as he served in a number of positions as team mentor and administrator in Galway. In 1984, the GAA's centenary year, he was named on the GAA's Football Team of the Century and the organisation's

Football Team of the Millennium 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 ...

in 1999. In 1984 the ''Sunday Independent'' invited readers to vote for their Team of the Century. Purcell won more votes than any other player. In 1991 he was inducted into the All-Stars All-Time Hall of Fame. In 2003, he was named on the St Jarlath's All Stars team. Seán Purcell died on 27 August 2005, aged 76. His grandson Simon Carr is a professional

tennis Tennis is a racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent ( singles) or between two teams of two players each ( doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket that is strung with cord to strike a hollow rubber ball ...

player. Another grandson, Sam McCartan, has played Gaelic football at senior level for

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Sean 1928 births 2005 deaths Gaelic football forwards Gaelic games administrators Galway inter-county Gaelic footballers Irish schoolteachers People educated at St Jarlath's College Tuam Stars Gaelic footballers

See also

References