Matthew Anthony Herbert (9 August 1920 – 6 March 2014) was an Irish

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

politician and hurler, who played as a full-forward for the

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 ...

senior team.

Biography

Born in Castleconnell, County Limerick, Herbert first played competitive hurling while at school in Limerick CBS. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Limerick minor team. He made his senior debut during the 1939 Oireachtas Cup. Herbert went on to play a key role for Limerick for a brief period, before later joining the

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 ...

senior team, and won one All-Ireland medal, two

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 ...

medals and one

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. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions. As a member of the

inter-provincial team at various times throughout his career, Herbert ended his career without a

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. At club level he won five hurling championship and four

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 En ...

with Ahane, before later winning five hurling championship medals with

Faughs Faughs GAA Club ( ga, CLG Fág an Bealach) is a Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) hurling and camogie club in Templeogue, Dublin, Ireland. They have won 31 titles. History Faughs GAA Club was founded in Easter 1885, "under the big tree" in the ...

. Herbert's retirement came following the conclusion of the 1954 championship. Whilst still a player, Herbert became involved in team management and coaching. He trained and coached the Dublin minor hurling team to

success in 1952. His uncle, Paddy Kenneally, was an All-Ireland medalist with

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

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 ...

. Herbert's brothers,

Seán Sean, also spelled Seán or Séan in Irish English, is a male given name of Irish origin. It comes from the Irish versions of the Biblical Hebrew name ''Yohanan'' (), Seán (anglicized as ''Shaun/ Shawn/ Shon'') and Séan (Ulster variant; anglici ...

and

Michael Michael may refer to: People * Michael (given name), a given name * Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael Given name "Michael" * Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian an ...

, and his nephew, Turlough all played with Limerick. Herbert was elected to Seanad Éireann in 1977 by the Labour Panel. He lost his seat at the 1981 election but was re-elected to the

16th Seanad This is a list of the members of the 16th Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (legislature) of Ireland. These Senators were elected or appointed in 1982, after the February 1982 general election and served until the close of poll ...

at the 1982 election. He lost his seat again at the 1983 election. At the time of his death Herbert was Limerick's oldest All-Ireland medalist, while he was also the last surviving member of the 1940 All-Ireland-winning team.

Honours

Player

;Limerick CBS *Dean Ryan Cup (2): 1937, 1938 (c) ;Ahane *

Limerick Senior Hurling Championship The Limerick Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bon Secours Hospital County Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Limerick SHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Limerick County Board o ...

(5): 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939, 1942 *

Limerick Senior Football Championship The Limerick Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by the top Limerick GAA clubs. The champions qualify to represent Limerick in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship, the winners of which progr ...

(4): 1936, 1937, 1938, 1939 ;Faughs *

Dublin Senior Hurling Championship The Dublin Senior Hurling Championship ( ga, Craobh Sinsear Iomána Átha Cliath) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Dublin GAA, Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA) since 1887 f ...

(5): 1944, 1945, 1946, 1950, 1952 ;Limerick *

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...

(1):

1940 A calendar from 1940 according to the Gregorian calendar, factoring in the dates of Easter and related holidays, cannot be used again until the year 5280. Events Below, the events of World War II have the "WWII" prefix. January *January ...

Munster Senior Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the h ...

(1):

Oireachtas Cup The Oireachtas Cup was an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1939 and 1999 for the top inter-county teams in Ireland. The series of games were usually played in the autumn months after the completion ...

(1): 1939 ;Dublin *

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurl ...

(2):

1948 Events January * January 1 ** The General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT) is inaugurated. ** The Constitution of New Jersey (later subject to amendment) goes into effect. ** The railways of Britain are nationalized, to form British ...

1952 Events January–February * January 26 – Black Saturday in Egypt: Rioters burn Cairo's central business district, targeting British and upper-class Egyptian businesses. * February 6 ** Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, becomes m ...

(1): 1948

Coach

;Dublin *

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Ass ...

(1):

References

1920 births 2014 deaths Fianna Fáil senators Ahane hurlers Faughs hurlers Limerick inter-county hurlers Dublin inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers Leinster inter-provincial hurlers Members of the 14th Seanad Members of the 16th Seanad Politicians from County Limerick All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Labour Panel senators {{Ireland-senator-stub

Biography

Honours

Player

Coach

See also

References