Finbarr Gantley
Finbarr Gantley (1 September 1950 – 16 July 2021) was an Irish hurler who played for a number of club sides, including St. Gabriel's and Beagh. He also lined out at inter-county level with the Warwickshire, London and Galway senior hurling teams.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Fionbarra Mag Sheanlaoich | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Right wing-forward | ||
| Born | 1 September 1950 Shanaglish, County Galway, Ireland | ||
| Died | 16 July 2021 (aged 70) Tubber, County Galway, Ireland | ||
| Height | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||
| Occupation | Farmer | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Seán McDermotts Brothers Pearse St. Gabriel's Beagh | |||
| Club titles | |||
| London titles | 6 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1977-1982 | Galway | 11 (3-10) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 0 | ||
Career
Born near Shanaglish on the Clare-Galway border, Gantley had an uncle, Paddy Gantley, who had played with the Galway senior hurling team in the 1940s and is regarded as one of their greatest ever players. After emigrating to the UK at the age of 16, Gantley won County Championship titles with the Brothers Pearse and St. Gabriel's clubs.[1] He also lined out with Warwickshire and London, losing five All-Ireland finals across the junior, intermediate and senior B grades. After returning to Ireland Gantley joined the Beagh club and was drafted onto the Galway senior team. He lined out in three successive All-Ireland finals, coming on as a substitute for Galway's 1980 All-Ireland final defeat of Limerick.[2]
Personal life and death
Gantley's sons Finbarr Jnr and Rory also hurled for the Galway senior team in the 1990s and 2000s.[3] He died in Tubber, County Galway on 16 July 2021.[4][5]
Honours
- Brothers Pearse
- London Senior Hurling Championship: 1968, 1972
- St Gabriel's
- London Senior Hurling Championship: 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977
- Beagh
- Galway
References
- ^ "Hurling's prodigal sons: The players who returned home to win All-Irelands". Sky Sports. 21 August 2015. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Not prodigal, just prodigious". Irish Times. 13 May 2000. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Elder Gantley back in Galway's colours". Irish Independent. 22 March 2000. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Death of Galway All-Ireland winning hurler Finbarr Gantley". Hogan Stand. 17 July 2021. Retrieved 17 July 2021.
- ^ "Tributes paid to the late Finbarr Gantley, All-Ireland winner with Galway". Irish Examiner. 18 July 2021. Retrieved 19 July 2021.