SlaNey Sport
Wexford hurling teams of the sixties fondly remembered in new book In a book published last month, prominent Carlow businessman and keen hurling fan Tom Byrne sings the praises of the Wexford hurling teams of the sixties. Byrne’s book, entitled Three Miles of Road - Tales of Country Life in the Sixties, focuses on his memories of growing up in Graiguenaspidogue, including a local road sign pointing towards Wexford that evoked thoughts of Wexford hurling prowess. As he generously recalls, “At that stage in our young lives Wexford was a near mythical place populated by giants such as the Rackard brothers, Nick O’Donnell, Ned Wheeler, Hopper McGrath, Jim English and many others who played hurling for Wexford when they’d won the All-Ireland a couple of years previously. We listened regularly to Michael O’Hehir on a Sunday afternoon on our little Bush radio to hear the exploits of these men. We heard about clubs and places such as Buffers Alley, Oulart the Ballagh, Faythe Harriers, Rathnure, the Shelmaliers and the Rapparees.” Byrne also has fond memories of the Artane Boys Band playing ‘The Boys of Wexford’, ‘Kelly the Boy from Killane’ or ‘Boolavogue’ at Croke Park when Wexford were playing. As he puts it, “We had learned a lot of these songs at school, so when the band struck up ‘Kelly the Boy from Killane’ we were able to sing along with them. The Rackard brothers also hailed from the village of Killane, so we had our very own boy from Killane in the person of Nicky Rackard, the captain of that great Wexford team. He fitted the bill for us in almost every way with his dashing speed, and he almost matched the words of the song as we belted out “seven feet is his height, with some inches to spare and he looked like a king in command”. And when Nicky stepped up to take one of his frees and slapped the sliothar past the diving goalkeeper into the back of the net, he really was our very own king.” Three Miles of Road comes with generous endorsements from several literary figures, including Wexford resident Jackie Hayden, author of the number one bestseller My Boy, and whose editorial assistance and advice is acknowledged by Byrne in his book. n
If you enjoy a great game of golf, don't miss the annual Ferns Village Golf Classic on Friday, July 8th. To book a place contact Tom on 087-2142339 or Teresa on 086-6049340. Book now to avoid disappointment. n
5th July 2022 - Page 99
