Galway football legend Noel Tierney has died at the age of 82. Regarded as one of the finest full-backs to play the game, he was part of the renowned Galway team to win three All-Ireland championships in a row between 1964 and 1966.
He was named the Texaco/Caltex Footballer of the Year in 1964 at the age of 22. This was the highest honour in the pre All-Stars era.
The 2024 Footballer of the Year Paul Conroy was in Milltown in recent weeks at a packed event honouring the life and legendary career of Tierney. Noel was honoured for the 60th Anniversary of his 1964 Footballer of the Year win.
Tierney was highly regarded from a young age, winning the All-Ireland Minor Championship in 1960.
Other honours in his illustrious career include five Connacht Championships and a National League title with Galway in 1965, plus two Railway Cups with Connacht, captaining the 1969 winning side. In 1971, Tierney was an integral part of the Milltown team that won the senior football championship, their first ever county title.
