Premier Legends: Remembering the famous exploits of Tipperary and Nenagh hero Mick Burns

When the history is written down, of the anicent game in Nenagh town,

The scripted focus surely turns, to attend the exploits of Mick Burns.

Five All-Irelands in ten years, brought great joy and happy tears,

To Ormonds famous player, of dash and steel so rare.

Nenagh town has had many great hurling men down through the decades with All-Ireland medals coming to a number of famous sons including the likes of Michael Cleary, Johnny McGrath, John Heffernan, and Conor O'Donovan to name just a few.

However, the reality is that Mick Burns will always be regarded as one of the greatest with an All-Ireland medal haul of five titles to his name during a ten year career in the blue and gold jersey, which accounted for seven final appearances.

By any stretch of the imagination, that was a remarkable achievement for Mick Burns and when considers that Nenagh Eire Og were not a local powerhouse, it makes his achievement even more noteworthy.

PIC: Mick Burns and the 1962 Tipperary team ahead of the All Ireland final. Mick is pictured on the extreme left in the front row 

The club, despite a number of county final appearances, did not win a first until 1995 when they defeated Boherlahan Dualla – Mick Burns was long since finished by then, but the title meant a hell of a lot nonetheless.

As a half back he had everything the hurling purist could wish for - command of the ball on the ground or in the air, wonderfully stylish sticksmanship, uncanny anticipation, speed - he was one of a relay quarter that won a Munster schools title - and a strength that belied his slim form.

His fighting weight was always just above 10 stone but many an unwitting opponent learned to his cost that beneath the skill and bone, the man was made of steel. If Burns rattled you, the crash could be heard among the Heavens.

Above all else, and what probably separated him from many others, Mick had a temperament that makes a great hurler - he never panicked in the heat of battle, even under the greatest of pressure when the backs were to the wall, but always remained on an even keel whether his team was in front or behind.

His easy graceful swing was a joy to watch and he was regarded as one of the games great gentlemen, on the field as well as off it. Perhaps that is why he was so popular with colleagues and opponents alike. They respected Mick Burns for what he had achieved on the field, but also for what the gentleman he was off of it.

Like so many of the greats, he always seemed to have a hurley in hand as a youngster. Living not too far from the old Nenagh Showgrounds, Mick was to hone his skills, gain a trusted eye and play out many big games in his own head, while all the time, unknowingly, preparing himself for the major battles that lay ahead.

For that was the way back then – the hurley became a constant companion and by the time Croke Park, of the Athletic Grounds, or the Limericks or Thurles Sportsfield beckoned, the camán was almost an extension of the commanding limb.

From the outset it was clear that Mick Burns was something special - that he has something others didn't have. And, the fact that he was still in primary school in Nenagh when he won a Croke Cup medal with Nenagh CBS in 1951, probably tells it's own story.

Here was a guy on the move, a young fella who could compete way above his years, a mortal who would walk with the hurling Gods in years to come.

“We were hearing about this fella from Nenagh who was a classy hurler and it turned out to be very true. Mick Burns was so styling and he knew how to look after himself.

He certainly lived up to his early reputation, that's for sure, and he was a quiet kind of an individual who did a lot to prepare himself for the rigors of battle,” Tipperary great and former Coach Len Gaynor said.

Tipperary completed the Treble Crown of '49, '50 and '51 and there were no shortage of heroes around at the time. It was a great era to be a youngster growing up in a town where hurling was appreciated and fostered.

Names like Stakelum, Kenny, Doyle, Finn and Byrne were on everyone's lips – Tipperary heroes who would go on to win much more in their careers, thereby inspiring the men who would come after them.

Mick played minor for Nenagh for five years, winning North championships in 1951 and 1953. He captained the side to victory in 1955 also and was on the Tipp minor team in 1954 which, with Jimmy Doyle playing in goals, lost to Dublin in the All-Ireland Final by four points.

Mick played at centre field twelve months later as Tipperary made up for the defeat the year before, to win a ninth All-Ireland minor hurling title for The Premier County. His club colleague Michael Gilmartin was also on the squad and a year later Anthony Tierney was to follow in his footsteps.

It took a while for the talented minor to come through the ranks and Mick's first senior game for Tipperary was to be in November 1957. It was to end up in defeat too - Limerick defeating Tipp in the first tie of the league, shortly after the senior squad had returned from a trip to the United States.

The following summer though, Mick was included in the Tipperary panel before the Munster semi-final against Cork. He had starred for Tipp in a tournament game against Clare a week beforehand when he had the unique distinction of holding the great Jimmy Smyth scoreless - Jimmy was one of the finest forwards of his day, indeed any day, and the fact that Mick had nullified his influence spoke volumes for the of character the Nenagh man was.

When Jimmy Finn departed the Tipperary scene after picking up a serious eye injury, Mick Burns was waiting in the wings and he was to make the half back berth his own and was to play a key role in what was to become a golden era for Tipperary hurling. Indeed, he was to continue right up to 1968 when Wexford brought the curtain down on a special era in the All-Ireland Final of that year.

By the time Tipperary's era had come to a close, Mick had established himself as one of the finest ever Premier defenders. He had played in seven All-Ireland senior hurling finals in ten years, winning five – his club colleague Johnny McGrath was also on the 1958 squad.

He won eight Munster senior hurling championship medals, six National Hurling Leagues titles, four Oireachtas titles, and had the pleasure of visiting the United States with Tipperary on four occasions. He also played Railway Cup for Munster, lining out alongside the great Christy Ring in what was to be his final appearance for the province.

On the club front Mick Burns was so highly regarded by Eire Og Nenagh, not just for his length of service, for for his commitment to the club and to the game.

However, he didn't have the same level of success that many of his inter county colleagues had with their clubs. Eire Og had been something of a sleeping giant and while Mick delighted in being part of the bridging of a forty two year gap when the North senior hurling championship was captured in 1957, it was to be another seven years before the silverware returned to the Ormond town again - this time with Mick as captain.

However, Nenagh then had to wait tortuous 28 years before the divisional silverware touched base in the town again - 1992. He delighted in seeing the club win it's first and only County senior hurling title in 1995 - a long time in coming and very fondly remembered for all club people.

“I remember him playing a lot for Nenagh and he was a great man for them. He played mostly at right have back and he was just a joy to watch on the field. He could strike left and right and just had a style about him which set him apart from others. He played some terrific games for Nenagh and was a great servant of the club.

You always felt that they should have won more, but they would have won nothing at the time without Mick, that's for sure. He led them very well and for Tipperary he was a vital cog in a very solid defensive unit. You didn't get onto that Tipp time at the time without being good and Mick was certainly that,” Len Gaynor said.

Hurling enjoys a storied history in Nenagh. Indeed, the game was played in the town long before the Gaelic Athletic Association was founded. The first game played under the new rules after the founding of the GAA was between a Nenagh team, John Mitchell’s, and a Lorrha selection.

However we have to wait until 1915 for Nenagh to win its first senior title (North Tipperary) when they defeated Moneygall in the final. Some of the names to feature on that team were: Frank McGrath, Billy Flannery, Bill Coonan, Mick Egan and Martin Ayres.

Following 1915 and a troubled period in Irish history hurling it was not until 1926, with the emergence of the Red Rovers, that hurling came to the forefront again. This Red Rovers team was drawn from a small area of the town around the Birr Road and the Turnpike.

The team was drawn from a small number of families with very many brothers being involved. They subsequently changed their name to Éire Óg. Some of the prominent players from that period were Bobby and Tucker Morgan, Chris Kennedy, Dick Hogan, Paddy Rohan and John ‘Hyder’ Ryan.

The old Nenagh club was still in existence at this time and drawn mainly from around Pound Street. There were many sterling duels between these two teams.

It was after witnessing one such duel that a local curate Fr Hayes decided to try to amalgamate the two teams – he succeeded and the clubs were united in 1947 under the name St Mary’s.

The new club had instant success winning the north intermediate title and county junior title in its first year. Some of the people involved in this new St Mary’s team were Jack Nolan, Billy O’Brien, Eddie John McGrath, Tom Brophy, Jimmy Spearman, Toddy Bolger, Chris Kennedy and Bart Coffey.

They contested a north senior final in their early years, but success at senior level eluded St Mary’s. There were however many successes at minor level with one particularly noteworthy occasion in the 1950s when St Mary’s won the north minor hurling and football titles on the same day with 11 of the hurlers going straight back onto the field to assist in winning the football final.

St Mary’s survived as a club until the mid-1950s when, during a low period, it was decided at an AGM to change the club’s name to Éire Óg. The first big success for this club came when it won the north senior championship in 1957 and again in 1964.

One of the big talking points of the county championship in '64 - a year when he also won an All-Ireland medal in the Tipp side captained by Michael Murphy of Thurles Sarsfields - was the marathon contest between Nenagh Eire Og and Holycross Ballycahill in the county semi-final.

They were locked on 2-12 apiece after a really tough, dour and hard hitting battle and when they squared up again two weeks later for the replay, the game went to extra time in Thurles. A missed 65 meter free in the dying embers of the game, played on a crisp November afternoon, ensured that the Mid men came through by the slenderest of margins.

However, the battles had taken their toll on Holycross Ballycahill and their neighbours Sarsfields completed a four-in-a-row of county tiles, a year before they completed their second five-in-a-row, in eleven years - a remarkable haul of silverware from the the all conquering Blues.

Mick Burns takes his place amongst the finest half backs in the county - and there has been no shortage of those in Tipperary down through the generation. But, when people speak of him they speak of a quiet man who just seemed to be able to adapt his game to any circumstance.

They speak of an efficient style which resulted in ball being cleared without fuss; they speak of a man who curtailed danger before it was even identified; and they speak of a man of courage and fire who knew his job inside out and completed it with the minimum of fuss.

He was responsible for supplying much ammunition to the Tipperary sharp shooters up-front - the Jimmy Doyle's, Liam Devaney's, Donie Nealon's, Sean McLoughlin's and Babs Keating's to name just a few.

His game involved crisp clearances from defence but always with a mind to giving good ball to the forwards - clear the lines by all means, but make sure the deliveries have a name on them too.

Perhaps this is one of the elements which set Micks Tipperary apart at the time - the backs defensive duties were never mentioned because they were the basic meat and drink of any backman at the time.

But, the placing of ball for the forwards to run onto, or indeed the long deliveries into the square at the far end, were what helped make Tipperary so great during that era. In many ways, Tipperary were far thinking and ahead of the posse at the time – their tactics resulted in glory days for The Premier County.

Mick Burns played a massive role in this department. His record speaks for itself - five All-Ireland senior hurling medals on one of the best ever Tipperary teams - no wonder he is regarded as a legend of the game.

Taken from Premier Legends (Noel Dundon)