Augustine P. Flynn (1933 – 26 April 2021), known as Austin Flynn, was an Irish hurler. As a player, he was noted in newspaper reports as a "fine hard-tackling but honest player" and "a sturdy sentry on the edge of the square." Flynn had a fifteen-year association with the

Waterford senior hurling team The Waterford county hurling team represents Waterford in hurling and is governed by Waterford GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Seni ...

and has been described as "one of its greatest defenders."

Career

In the late 1950s and early 1960s, the Waterford senior hurling team rose from obscurity to enjoy a

golden age The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during wh ...

in the sport. Flynn, having earlier lined out at minor level but declined a position on the junior team because of his youth, first played for the team in 1952 but only established himself as first-choice full-back five years later. It was a position he retained for over a decade. After winning the first of three Munster Championship medals in 1957, Flynn went on to claim his sole All-Ireland Championship title after a replay defeat of

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

in 1959. He also won a

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

medal in 1963. At club level, Flynn enjoyed a lengthy career playing for

Abbeyside Abbeyside () is a townland in Dungarvan in County Waterford, Ireland. It lies on the east bank of the Colligan River. History MacGrath's Castle was a notable landmark in Abbeyside, overlooking Dungarvan Harbour, until it collapsed in January ...

in both hurling and

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

. With Munster he won two

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...

medals. Flynn had a number of personal achievements including three

Cú Chulainn Cú Chulainn ( ), is an Irish warrior hero and demigod in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology, as well as in Scottish and Manx folklore. He is believed to be an incarnation of the Irish god Lugh, who is also his father. His mother is the ...

awards. He was recognised as his county's greatest full-back when he was picked in that position on the Waterford Hurling Team of the Millennium.

Death

Flynn's death was announced on 27 April 2021.

References

1933 births 2021 deaths Abbeyside hurlers Waterford inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners 20th-century Irish sportsmen {{Waterford-hurling-bio-stub