New cup presented to West Tipperary GAA Board in honour of a great Gael

Above: At the presentation of the new Johnny Leahy Cup to the West Tipperary GAA Board were, from left, Seanie O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs), Shane Stapleton (Sean Treacys), Conor English (West Board Secretary), Kevin Fox (Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill), Emmet Leahy, Eileen Ryan (Eire Og Annacarty/Donohill), Kevin Leahy (sponsor), Tommy Hayes (West Chairman), John O'Shea (West PRO) and Seamus Leahy

Kevin Leahy, Clonmel, recently presented the new Johnny Leahy Cup to the West Tipperary GAA Board.

The old Johnny Leahy Cup has been in existence since 1931 but sadly has come to the end of its reign and is being retired.

In the modern Ireland, many people are trying to rewrite or certainly change our history and also our culture.

It’s very important that we in the GAA maintain our links with the past generations and recognise their contributions, not only to our organisation, but to society in general. Many were involved in the foundation of the state and contributed hugely to the maintaining of our games and our culture.

Johnny Leahy is a man that I would include in this category.

History of the Johnny Leahy Cup

Johnny Leahy was Secretary of the Tipperary County GAA Board from 1927 – 1947 and played a key role in setting up the West division.

A meeting was held in Dundrum, across the road from Páirc Ciocaim, Dundrum in the Golden Vale, on Sunday, January 26, 1930 with a view to setting up a fourth division in Tipperary.

Johnny Leahy acted as temporary chairman of that famous meeting and the presence of such an esteemed and well-respected person was a huge endorsement of the new body. It was decided at this meeting that the County Convention be requested to sanction this new fourth division.

The new West division was sanctioned at the County Convention in Clonmel on Sunday February 2 1930. The first annual convention of the West Board was held, again at the Golden Vale, Dundrum, on January 18 1931 and was attended by Johnny Leahy.

At this convention, Captain Leahy offered a cup for junior hurling in West Tipperary. This cup was designed by Messrs Egan of Cork and was subsequently on display for the first time at a board meeting on February 22 1931.

Later that year, Knockavilla became the first holders of the Johnny Leahy Cup when they defeated Cashel after a replay at Clonoulty on December 13.

The cup has been in use within the division since that time and at a board management meeting earlier this year it was decided to retire the famous cup on the grounds of “ill health”.

Following the decision to retire the cup, it was decided to find a replacement and as a result I made some enquiries with a view to try and establish a family link to the great Captain Leahy.

This led me to make contact with Kevin Leahy, a grand nephew of the late Johnny Leahy who, on hearing about the history of the cup, was only too delighted to donate a replacement to the board.

This new cup will be presented for the first time to the winners of the divisional Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship in July.

Johnny Leahy (December 27 1891 – November 19 1949) came from a great hurling dynasty in Tubberadora, Boherlahan, which included his brothers Paddy, Mick and Tommy, who all played inter-county at various times.

Johnny first played with Tipperary in a tournament game in 1909 and made his championship debut in 1914, and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his retirement after the 1928 championship.

During his playing career he won five Munster medals and two All-Ireland medals as captain in 1916 and 1925. He was also on the losing Tipperary side in the All-Ireland finals of 1917 and 1922. He also won a National League medal in 1928 and a Railway Cup medal with Munster the same year.

He won nine county senior hurling medals with Boherlahan/Dualla, including four in a row between 1915 and 1918.
Leahy also took part in the War of Independence in Tipperary.

On September 9, 1923, he started a tradition that endures to this day. On that occasion, as captain of the Tipperary hurling team playing against Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final, he brought his players before the game to pray at the spot in Talbot Street in Dublin where Sean Treacy of Soloheadbeg was fatally wounded in action in the War of Independence by British forces on October 14 1920. The GAA Grounds at Cashel, Leahy Park, are named in his honour.

Following his retirement from playing Leahy became involved in the coaching and administrative affairs of the GAA. He served as County Chairman for two years, in 1925 and 1926, and County Secretary from 1927 until 1947.

Johnny Leahy passed to his eternal reward on November 19 1949, aged 58 years.