Anthony "Tony" Wall (born 9 May 1934) is an Irish former
hurler and
manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities o ...
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 starting fifteen until his retirement after the
1967 championship. During that time he won five
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, six
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 six
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. Wall captained the team to the All-Ireland title in 1958.
At club level Wall was a ten-time
county club championship medalist with
Thurles Sarsfields
Thurles Sarsfields is a Tipperary GAA club which is located in County Tipperary, Ireland. Both hurling and Gaelic football are played in the "Mid-Tipperary" divisional competitions. The club is centred in the town of Thurles at Semple Stadium. T ...
.
Playing career
Colleges
Wall first experienced hurling success when he was a student at
Thurles CBS
CBS Thurles is a Congregation of Christian Brothers, Christian Brothers all-boys secondary school, post-primary school located in Thurles, County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The school has over 550 students and operates under the tru ...
. He won back-to-back
Dr Harty Cup
The Dr Harty Cup, officially known as the Munster Colleges Senior A Hurling Championship, is an annual inter-schools hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-schools ...
medals in 1950 and 1951 as Thurles defeated Cork opposition on both occasions.
Club
Wall played his club hurling with
Thurles Sarsfields
Thurles Sarsfields is a Tipperary GAA club which is located in County Tipperary, Ireland. Both hurling and Gaelic football are played in the "Mid-Tipperary" divisional competitions. The club is centred in the town of Thurles at Semple Stadium. T ...
.
After graduating from the minor team in 1952, Wall immediately joined the club's senior team. That year Thurles Sars reached the final of the club championship. A 5–6 to 1–8 trouncing of
Borris-Ileigh gave him 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.
It was 1955 before Thurles Sarsfields reached the championship decider again. The team was now beginning to assert itself as the dominant force in club hurling. Another 4–10 to 0–6 trouncing of Borris-Ileigh gave Wall 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. It was the first of a record-breaking five successive championships for Thurles Sarsfields. Subsequent defeats of
Lorrha
Lorrha (from ) is a small village at the northern tip of County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located on a minor road between the R489 Birr to Portumna road and the N65 Nenagh to Portumna road about five kilometres east of the point where the Rive ...
,
Na Piarsaigh
Na Piarsaigh are a hurling and Gaelic football club based in the north side of Cork City, Ireland.
History
Formation
In 1943 a group of idealistic young men drawn mostly from the hurling nursery of North Mon laid the foundations of Cumann I ...
,
Toomevara
Toomevara, officially Toomyvara (), is a village in County Tipperary, Ireland. The village is at the junction on the R445 where it meets the R499 regional road. The village was bypassed in December 2010 by the M7 Dublin - Limerick motorway. It ...
and
Kilruane MacDonagh's brought Wall's medal tally to five.
Six-in-a-row proved beyond Thurles Sarsfields, however, Wall's side lined out in a seventh successive championship final in 1961. A 3–4 to 0–9 defeat of Toomevara gave Wall a seventh championship medal. Once again Thurles Sars went on to dominate the club championship for the next four seasons. Further defeats of
Moycarkey-Borris,
Roscrea
Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland, which in 2016 had a population of 5,446. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Saint Crónán of Roscrea, parts of which rem ...
,
Holycross-Ballycahill and
Carrick Davins
Carrick is an Anglicised version of ''creag/carraig'', Gaelic for "rock", and may refer to:
People
*Carrick (surname)
* Donnchadh, Earl of Carrick (died 1250), Scottish Mormaer and first Earl of Carrick
* Marjorie of Carrick (1256–1292), moth ...
in a replay gave Wall his tenth championship medal.
Wall retired from club hurling shortly afterwards without any further success.
Inter-county
Wall first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Tipperary minor hurling team in 1950. That year 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 as
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 ...
were trounced by 12–3 to 2–0 in the provincial decider. Tipp were later beaten by
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 the All-Ireland decider.
Tipp lost their provincial title to
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 ...
in 1951; however, Wall added a second Munster minor medal to his collection in 1952 when he captained the team from the half-forward line. Once again the county reached the All-Ireland final.
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 ...
provided the opposition on that occasion; however, Tipp trounced the Metropolitans by 9–9 to 2–3 giving Wall an
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). I ...
medal in the minor grade.
Wall subsequently became part of the Tipperary senior team and made his debut in 1953. The county was going through a fallow period as Cork dominated the provincial championship in the early 1950s. Wall played in the full-back position for a number of years and collected his first silverware, a
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. in 1957 as Tipp defeated Kilkenny.
When
Pat Stakelum
Pat Stakelum (6 May 1927 – 4 April 2008) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Holycross–Ballycahill and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1947 until 1957. Stakelum captained Tipperary ...
retired after the 1957 championship, Wall was the obvious choice to take over his position at centre-back. Not only that but he was appointed captain for the 1958 campaign. That year Tipp regained the
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 ...
title for the first time since 1951 following a 4–12 to 1–5 trouncing 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 ...
. It was Wall's first provincial medal at senior level. Tipp later defeated Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final before lining out against
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 ...
in the championship decider. Galway got a bye into the final without picking up a hurley.
Liam Devaney
Liam Devaney (1935 – 15 August 2017) was an Irish hurler. His league and championship career with the Tipperary senior team spanned fourteen seasons from 1954 until 1968.
Born in Borrisoleigh, County Tipperary, Devaney was born into a strong ...
,
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 ...
and
Larry Keane
Laurence Keane (1931 - 16 July 2017) was an Irish hurler. At club level he played with Thurles Sarsfields and was also a member of the Tipperary senior hurling team.
Career
Keane first played hurling at juvenile and underage levels with Thurl ...
all scored goals for Tipp in the first-half, while Wall sent a seventy-yard free untouched to the Galway net. Tipp won the game by 4–9 to 2–5 giving Wall his first senior
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 and the honour of collecting the
Liam MacCarthy Cup
The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the main competition in the prehistoric sport of hurling. Based on the design of a ...
. Wall was also named as
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
and had now gone down in history as one of the few players to captain his county to All-Ireland titles at both minor and senior levels. He was later honoured by becoming the inaugural winner of the
Caltex Hurler of the Year award.
Wall won a second National League medal in 1959 following a 0–15 to 0–7 defeat of Waterford, however, Tipperary surrendered their provincial and All-Ireland crowns.
Tipperary asserted their dominance in 1960 by retaining the National League title with a 2–15 to 3–8 defeat of Cork. It was Wall's third winners' medal in that competition. He later won a second Munster medal following a narrow 4–13 to 4–11 defeat of Cork in what has been described as the toughest game of hurling ever played. This victory allowed Tipperary to advance directly to an All-Ireland final meeting with
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 ...
. A certain amount of over-confidence was obvious in the Tipperary camp, particularly in trainer
Phil Purcell's comment that no player was capable of marking
Jimmy Doyle
James Doyle (20 March 1939 – 22 June 2015) was an Irish hurler who played as a right wing-forward for the Tipperary senior team.
Born in Thurles, County Tipperary, Doyle first played competitive hurling whilst at school in Thurles CBS. He ar ...
. The game ended in remarkable circumstances as the crowd invaded the pitch with a minute to go, mistaking the referee's whistle for the end of the game. When the crowd were finally moved off the pitch Tipperary continued playing with only twelve men, but Wexford won on a score line of 2–15 to 0–11.
1961 saw Wall collect a fourth National League medal, however, he missed the subsequent Munster final against Cork due to his duties with the army in
Cyprus
Cyprus ; tr, Kıbrıs (), officially the Republic of Cyprus,, , lit: Republic of Cyprus is an island country located south of the Anatolian Peninsula in the eastern Mediterranean Sea. Its continental position is disputed; while it is geo ...
. The absence of the All-Ireland semi-final allowed Tipp to advance directly to the final itself with Dublin's first native hurling team providing the opposition. The game was a close run thing, however, Tipp held on to win by 0–16 to 1–12. It was Wall's second All-Ireland medal.
In 1962 Tipperary defeated all before them in the Munster Championship yet again. A 5–14 to 2–3 trouncing of Waterford in the decider gave Wall, by now the vice-captain of the team, a third Munster medal. Tipp's nemesis of two-year's earlier, Wexford, waited in Croke Park to test them once again in the subsequent All-Ireland final. Wexford, however, were not the force of old and the side got off to possibly the worst start ever by a team in a championship decider. After just ninety seconds the Leinster champions were down by 2 goals, however, the game turned out to be much closer than people expected. Tipp eventually secured the win on a score line of 3–10 to 2–11, giving Wall a third All-Ireland medal.
After losing the following year's Munster final to Waterford in one of the hurling shocks of the decade, Tipperary bounced back in 1964 with Wall collecting a fifth National League medal. Tipp later cantered casually past Cork by fourteen points in the provincial decider, giving Wall a fourth Munster medal. Kilkenny, the reigning All-Ireland champions and staunch local rivals of Tipp, provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final and were installed as the firm favourites. Tipp had other ideas and their fourteen-point winning margin, 5–13 to 2–8, was the biggest All-Ireland final win since Tipperary had overwhelmed
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 ...
in the 1949 decider. It was Wall's fourth All-Ireland medal.
In 1965 Wall won a sixth and final National League medal as
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
* '' ...
fell in the final once again. Tipp demolished all opposition in the provincial championship once again and a 4–11 to 0–5 trouncing of Cork gave Wall a fifth Munster medal. Wexford were Tipp's opponents in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however, the game failed to live up to the two classic games between the two sides in 1960 and 1962. Victory went to Tipp on that occasion by 2–16 to 0–10 with Wall collecting a fifth and final All-Ireland medal.
Tipp lost their provincial and All-Ireland crowns in spectacular fashion at the first hurdle in 1966 when a young
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 ...
team took them by surprise. The team bounced back in 1967 with Wall collecting a sixth Munster medal. By this stage, however, Tipp's pool of players were getting older and the county's hurling fortunes were in decline. Kilkenny provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final and provided more than a match for Tipperary. Three quick goals laid to rest a bogey that Tipperary had over Kilkenny since 1922. This was Wall's last appearance for Tipp as he retired from inter-county hurling shortly after the 3–8 to 2–7 All-Ireland final defeat.
Inter-provincial
Wall also had the honour of being picked for the
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 ...
team in the inter-provincial hurling championship.
He first played for his province in 1958 as Munster qualified for the decider. A narrow 3–7 to 3–5 defeat of archrivals
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 ...
gave Wall 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. It was the first of two-in-a-row, as Wall won a second medal following another defeat of Leinster in 1959.
Army duties ruled Wall out of the team in 1960, however, he returned to the Munster fifteen as captain in 1961. A 4–12 to 3–9 defeat of Leinster gave Wall a third Railway Cup medal while he also had the honour of lifting the cup.
After surrendering their title the following year, Munster once again lined out against Leinster in the final of 1963. A 5–5 apiece draw was the result on that occasion, however, Wall collected a fourth Railway Cup medal following a one-point victory in the replay.
After back-to-back defeats over the next two years, Munster had to wait until 1966 for further success. A 3–13 to 3–11 defeat of Leinster gave Wall his fifth and final Railway Cup medal.
Managerial career
In retirement from playing Wall became involved in team management and coaching. He was appointed coach and trainer of the Tipperary senior hurling team in January 1986. It was a fallow time in the fortunes of the county hurling team as it had been a full fifteen years since the last All-Ireland title. After making little progress in Division 2 of the National League, Wall's side subsequently reached the Munster final. Tipp were beaten by Cork on that occasion by 4–17 to 4–11. Wall was later replaced as manager by
Babs Keating
Michael "Babs" Keating (born 17 April 1944) is an Irish former hurler and Gaelic footballer who played as a forward for the Tipperary senior teams.
Born in Ardfinnan, County Tipperary, Keating first played competitive Gaelic games during his ...
.
Personal life
Following his secondary education Wall became an
Irish army
The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...
officer. The pinnacle of his career came when he was appointed
adjutant general
An adjutant general is a military chief administrative officer.
France
In Revolutionary France, the was a senior staff officer, effectively an assistant to a general officer. It was a special position for lieutenant-colonels and colonels in staf ...
of the army.
Honours
;Tipperary
*
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 ...
(5):
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
(c),
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
,
1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
,
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
,
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
*
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 ...
(6):
1958
Events
January
* January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being.
* January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed.
* January 4
** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the third ...
,
1961
Events January
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and consular relations with Cuba ( Cuba–United States relations are restored in 2015).
** Aero Flight 311 ...
,
1962
Events January
* January 1 – Western Samoa becomes independent from New Zealand.
* January 3 – Pope John XXIII excommunicates Fidel Castro for preaching communism.
* January 8 – Harmelen train disaster: 93 die in the wors ...
,
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 - In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patriarch ...
,
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The Prime Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lyndo ...
,
1967
Events
January
* January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair.
* January 5
** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wall, Tony
1934 births
Living people
Thurles Sarsfields hurlers
Tipperary inter-county hurlers
Munster inter-provincial hurlers
Hurling managers
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners
Irish Army officers