Search Results for 'Seán Purcell'

Galway made it to the All-Ireland final in 1956 for the first time since 1942. They beat Mayo, Roscommon, Sligo, and Tyrone on the way and faced Cork in the final. The match was delayed for three weeks because of an outbreak of polio in Cork. It was played on October 7 in front of more than 70,000 people and it turned out to be one of the most exciting and thrilling finals in the history of the sport.

There is a gush of expectation and excitement in Galway football circles this week in anticipation of a first county final between Tuam Stars and Corofin for 16 years.

•The Sean Purcell Academy Day takes place this year on Saturday and will be hosted by Tuam. This annual event is a blitz day for all intercounty u-14 academy players which will see 13 teams from six counties taking part. The participating players have been chosen after a selection process. The games will be played at two venues in Tuam, Tuam Stadium and the Tuam Stars ground, commencing at 11am.

Every generation has its heroes. The people to whom we all look up to for various forms of inspiration. These could be political, literary, sporting, or just in the field of sheer bravery. In most cases we use them as a form of escapism, as a distraction to take our minds off the realities of life. And in Ireland in the post-war period, there was much need for such distraction. The greyness of the fledgling state was mirrored in the lives of its citizens.

There was the end of an era this week in Galway football and in the town of Tuam itself with the death of the great Frank Stockwell at the age of 80 after a long battle with illness.