The 2011 Leinster and All Ireland Championship has been a historic one for Danesfort GAA Club, with an unprecedented three players from the club playing in all three championship matches to date.
Brothers Patrick and Richard Hogan, along with Paul Murphy, have flown the ‘Fort flag as Kilkenny bid for their fifth All-Ireland title in six years. Paul Murphy made his championship debut at right half back in the Leinster semi-final against Wexford in June, putting in a solid workman-like performance, which was topped off with a long-range point.
Paul first came to the notice of the hurling public when he was part of the winning Kilkenny under-14 Tony Forristal team in 2003. He progressed through the underage ranks, played for the Kilkenny minor team for two years, and also with the Kilkenny under-21 and Intermediate teams, picking up All-Ireland medals along the way.
The young Murphy, along with the Hogan brothers, was also putting in a good shift with his club. Danesfort won junior county, provincial and All- Ireland titles in a memorable 2007/2008 season.
The quietly-spoken 22 year old from Ballyda was born into the GAA. His late father Tommy was a hurler and administrator with the Danesfort club. He followed that with a stint as chairman of the northern board and the county board, both of which he served with distinction.
His mother Marion (Molyneaux ) is also steeped in the gaeldom tradition. A native of Stoneyford, her father PJ Molyneaux was a prominent referee in the county during the 1960s, and he hurled with Carrickshock.
Marion has been the driving force in the development (and in the car ) of this fine young hurler. She ferried him to venues all over the county ever since he began playing with a hurl that was as big as himself from the time he was a toddler.
In the juvenile years, Marion was banned by the young Paul from watching him in action. But like all parents interested in their children, she generally sneaked back into the venue a few minutes into the game to support her son and the team.
Paul is a member of the Irish Defence Forces and he is based in the Curragh. It’s a lifestyle that he loves.
The Hogan brothers, Patrick and Richard, were always tipped to reach the top.
They are from another family steeped in hurling, with their father Séan a permanent fixture on the John Lockes team sheet for over 20 years. Their mother Liz was a camogie player with Bennettsbridge, and the family bloodline includes the McCarthys and the McGarrys, so they had to be able to hurl.
Their grandfather Mick was a prominent member of the famed Bennettsbridge team of the 1950s and 1960s, winning a host of county championship medals in the green and gold jersey.
Patrick’s progress has been steady and methodical over the past five years. The older of the two brothers, at 24 years of age, Patrick (Paddy as he is popularly known ) is a powerfully-built athlete, and over the past two seasons he has began to reach his full potential.
Looking back on his career as a minor, colleges and under-21 player, it’s not difficult to understand why it took a while to settle him into a definite position.
He won an All-Ireland senior colleges medal with St Kieran’s as a goalkeeper, he played midfield and centre half forward with the Kilkenny minor team, and then wing forward and centre half back with the under-21s. Add in an All-Ireland championship with the Kilkenny Intermediate team in 2008, when as a full forward he hit the only goal of the final and was top scorer in the championship. With a track record like that, it is easy to understand the versatility and the brilliance of this young man.
Patrick is a primary school teacher in Ballymun, in Dublin.
The younger Hogan, Richard, was one those Primary School players that always stood out. He is blessed with brilliant hands, a beautiful balance, and an eye for a score that can’t be taught by any coach. His hand-to-eye coordination is a gift from on high, and the addition of a ferocious competitive streak makes him a top class player at just 23 years of age.
Richie, as he is called, was the best under-14 forward in the county at the age of 13. He spent three years on the Kilkenny minor panel and four years on the under 21 panel, coming off the bench at the age of 18 to hit the equalising goal in Croke Park in 2007.
That was followed by a starting place in the replay, which was garnished by a top class display in Thurles a week later, as they strode to victory over Tipperary. Older brother Patrick was at wing forward on that day, and slipped a daisycutter into the Tipperary net in the first half.
Richard is a Primary School teacher in Clontarf in Dublin, and he is also a top class handball player.
Three fine young players, with different personalities and hurling qualities, but great ambassadors for their families, club and community.
We look forward to watching and supporting them on the hurling’s biggest stage over the coming decade.
