Burgess and Duharra perpetuates Donie Nealon’s hurling legacy

By Shane Brophy

The legendary Donie Nealon was immortalised by his native Burgess GAA and Burgess/Duharra Camogie Clubs on Sunday evening with the unveiling of a mural outside the clubhouse at Pairc na nGael, Kilcoleman.

The thundery weather which forced the cancellation of the North Tipperary Minor ‘A’ Hurling Final a few hours earlier, just a couple of miles away, as the crow flies, in Nenagh, had cleared by the time the guest of honour arrived to a guard of honour from players, officials and well-wishers.

He was greeted by Burgess GAA Club Vice-Chairperson and creator of the mural, Hughie Ryan, who said “what Donie has done for the GAA, Tipperary and Burgess is without equal,” in terms of his service as player, coach/teacher, referee, and administrator.

The mural was officially unveiled by Tipperary senior hurling manager Liam Cahill, who described Donie as a man as “a great leader and an inspiration through all areas of the association,”

Also present were a who’s who of Tipperary GAA hurling royalty including Michael ‘Babs’ Keating whom Donie played and coached with, plus fellow Tipperary selector John O’Donoghue, and former players including 1971 All-Ireland winning captain Tadhg O’Connor, Len Gaynor, Dinny Ryan, Nicky English, Noel Sheehy, Michael Cleary, 1989 All-Ireland winning captain Bobby Ryan, Pat Fox, and the inimitable Joe Hayes, plus great friend Pat Hartigan from Limerick.

OVERWHELMED

Moving inside the complex, Donie explained he needed some convincing to allow the mural to be created such is his modesty but was glad he agreed to it and was “overwhelmed by it.”

In a very light-hearted address, which had the huge crowd enthralled at his every word, the 90-year-old explained how the parishes of Burgess and Youghalarra have always been “close to my heart” recalling how the two clubs in the area as a child joined forces to become Burgess.

Youghalarra and Burgess were two of seven clubs/units he played for, going onto win a Dr Harty Cup with St. Flannan’s College Ennis in 1954 before going onto St Patrick’s teacher training college in Dublin where he played with UCD, one Dublin senior hurling title, as well as 3 Fitzgibbon Cups, which provided the platform for him to go on and hurl for Tipperary where he 24 major honours as a player at senior level.

Reflecting on his playing career, Donie predictably downplayed his greatness, which saw him selected as Texaco Hurler of the Year in 1962, the year in which he won the third of his five All-Ireland senior hurling medals, revealing that victory over Wexford was the toughest match he ever played in, as they prevailed 3-10 to 2-11.

“My motto always was, there is no I in team. I was never on my own as it was always a team effort,” he said.

Explaining what motivated him throughout his playing career, he said to be successful that a player must have ambition and the correct attitude, adding that he feels the modern day player don’t hurt enough when they lose, and when he was on the wrong side of a result, he always felt like he had let his club, family and friends down more than anything else.

MISSIONARY

His teaching career brought him initially to a hurling outpost at the time in Crough National School in the parish of Ardfinnan in South Tipperary, helping inspire the creation of the Liam Lynch’s (which would become Ballybacon/Grange), which inspired the creation of Na Piarsiagh, an amalgamation team of five junior clubs who came together to play senior and reached the county final of 1957, and provided the platform for Theo English (Marlfield), Liam Connolly (Fethard/Killusty) and Tom Larkin (Kilsheelan) to go on and have great careers with Tipp which they might not have had.

Reflecting on that time in his address, Michael ‘Babs’ Keating recalled how, then as a twelve year old, Donie “set the tone” in creating hurling icons in that part of the county to in what was previously a hurling desert, inspiring him and others to go on and play senior hurling, which he did as Donie’s team-mate with Tipperary in 1964 and 1965, then under him as a coach in 1971, and then as coach under Babs as manager for eight successful years from 1987 to 1994, in which they won 2 All-Ireland’s and 5 Munster titles, the anniversary of their appointment coming forty years to the day last Sunday, “we could have won more but we won enough,” Donie said.

It was teaching that brought him back home to Newtown in 1963 where he succeeded his legendary father Rody Nealon as principal of the local Youghalarra National School where hurling was part of the curriculum, for both boys and girls, and as part of the development of a new school in 1977, ensured a playing pitch was part of the plans.

In the same year, he took up the post of secretary of the Munster Council, where he would remain for 27 years, having been North Board secretary prior to that for nine years.

LOCAL PRIDE

With Burgess, he won 8 North Tipperary Intermediate Hurling titles spanning 23 years from 1953 to 1976, the last one finally securing the elusive county medal. Indeed, he never lost a final with Burgess intermediates, adding another as a coach in 1993.

He also found time for refereeing in which he officiated in no fewer than 11 North Tipperary Senior Hurling finals between 1961 and 1986.

Donie was also centrally involved in the establishment of Burgess/Duharra Camogie Club, to provide the same opportunity for girls to play hurling, and during his time as club chairperson the club won 8 County senior titles, including seven in a row, with Munster glory coming in 2016 and 2017.

Invoking the words of the late Tony Ryan of nearby Silvermines who established Ryanair who had a similar work ethic who said: “I intend to wear out rather than rust out.”

There was a poignant conclusion to the official formalities with a letter read on behalf Liam King, coached by Nealon to the 1971 All-Ireland Senior Hurling title, who subsequently passed away only a couple of hours later, light-heartedly recalling Donie’s refereeing career because of the number of times he sent the Lorrha man off.

Donie Nealon Fact-file

TIPPERARY

5 - All Ireland Senior Hurling titles in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964 & 1965,

8 - Munster Senior Hurling titles 1958, 1960, 1961, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1967 & 1968

6 - National Hurling League titles in 1959, 1960, 1961, 1964, 1965 &1968

5 - Oireachtas Cup Medals – 1960, 1961, 1963, 1964 & 1965

3 – coached Tipperary to All-Ireland Senior titles, 1971, 1989 & 1991

4 - Railway Cup with Munster, 1959, 1963, 1966 & 1968

1 - Texaco Senior Hurler of the Year

THIRD-LEVEL

3 - Fitzgibbon Cups with UCD, 1958, 1960 & 1961

SECOND LEVEL

1 Harty Cup Medal – St. Flannan’s College Ennis 1954

CLUB

1 - Dublin Senior Hurling County Championship (UCD) 1960

1 - County Intermediate Championship with Burgess, 1976

8 – North Tipperary Intermediate Hurling titles with Burgess – 1953, 1956, 1989, 1963, 1964, 1969, 1970 & 1976

REFEREEING

11 – North Tipperary Senior Hurling finals, 1961, 1962, 1965, 1969, 1973, 1977, 1980 & replay, 1981, 1983, 1986

ADMINISTRATION

- Secretary of North Tipperary GAA Board, 1969-1978

- Secretary of Munster GAA, 1977-2004

- Chairperson of Burgess/Duharra Camogie Club, 2006-2018

- Current President of Burgess GAA, North Tipperary GAA, and County Tipperary GAA Board