Mid Tipperary GAA legend Willie Fogarty is a worthy ‘Hall of Fame’ winner

Willie Fogarty has spent a lifetime absorbed in the GAA and in life in his home parish of Moyne-Templetuohy. The gaelic games stalwart was honoured recently at a prestigious awards night at Revel in The Ragg when he received the Hall of Fame award after a lifetime of service. Mid-Tipperary has been the home of many county winning teams over the decades but one of the most memorable was the 1971 win by Moyne when they beat a star-studded Roscrea team. 

Hurling that day was Willie Fogarty who said at the awards night recently that he wa honoured to win the award: “It is going back, since 1984 and like, to be in the same category as John Doyle, Mick Maher, Tony Wall and these fellas - and one of the first to get it was John Maher of Killinan - he captained the Tipperary team of 1945.
“Only for the club I wouldn’t be here tonight,” said Willie who hurled for decades. I played for the club for 32 years and I missed one game,” he said. 

One of the most memorable wins across his playing days was the county victory over Roscrea, who were the first team to win the club All-Ireland title in 1971. He recalls the year well: “Going into the county final we were given no chance as Roscrea were an experienced team.” 

The underdogs did however have a great team spirit and indeed some county players of their own: “We had seven of the first fifteen players that had already played county hurling and I had a brother that had won an All-Ireland that year in 71. We had an All-Ireland winning captain on the team as well, as in 1966 Bill Grady captained the Tipperary Intermediate team and his brother was on the team. Dinny Dunne was on the panel as well,” he says.      

A remarkable stat in relation to that Moyne team is that there were seven players from one townland - three Fogarty brothers and four Gradys. Willie says there were three more players from just over the fields: “The next townland over we had Tom Egan, Fr. John Egan and Fr. Joe Egan!”

A lifetime in hurling has seen many changes and Willie says it is remarkable the way training sessions have changed. They highlight the changes in Ireland over the decades: “You go down to the field now and you’d see nearly nothing only white sliotars!

“Tis the same in football. You have 20 footballs out there and that time you only had one football! The clubs didn't have money that time. 25 years ago we had nothing below in the field so we put in dressing roms and stands in the field. Lisheen Mines were very good to us that time as well. They put a lot of money into the parish and the club. We have a lot more work to do yet. 

“It is great for the clubs all over the county to have facilities there now which they didn’t have before. There were no facilities there before, you tog out at the side of the ditch, you throw the clothes there, you go out onto the field and you could have bad bicycles and everything else. You put on wet clothes going home because you’d have nothing else. Eleven of us used to cycle over to the field in Moyne that time to train together. That is the way it was in a lot of clubs but by playing the games you get to know a lot of different people from different parishes. 

“When hurling is over and you’re retired you get to make great friendships with different players from all over the county. I was marking Tadhg O’Connor in 71 and I was very great friends with Tadhg O’Connor after that.” Clubs are strong now because they are built on the shoulders of giants. Gaelic games owe so much to heroes of the ash plant game, heroes like Willie Fogarty.