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 London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

and

Galway senior hurling team The Galway county hurling team ( ) represents County Galway, Galway in hurling and is governed by Galway GAA, the County board (Gaelic games), county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-co ...

Career

Born near

Shanaglish Shanaglish is a village in the parish of Beagh in the south of County Galway, Ireland, close to the border with County Clare. The name Shanaglish comes from the Gaelic 'Sean Eaglais', meaning 'old church'. The village was formerly in the parish ...

on the

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

border, Gantley had an uncle, Paddy Gantley, who had played with the

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 The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

titles with the Brothers Pearse and St. Gabriel's clubs. He also lined out with Warwickshire and

, losing five All-Ireland finals across the

junior Junior or Juniors may refer to: Aircraft * Ekolot JK-05L Junior, a Polish ultralight aircraft * PZL-112 Junior, a Polish training aircraft * SZD-51 Junior, a Polish-made training and club glider Arts and entertainment Characters * Bowser Jr., ...

, 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 Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

Personal life and death

Gantley's sons Finbarr Jnr, Rory, and Joe also hurled for the Galway senior team in the 1990s, 2000s, and 2010s. He died in Tubber,

County Galway County Galway ( ; ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Northern and Western Region, taking up the south of the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht. The county population was 276,451 at the 20 ...

on 16 July 2021.

Honours

;Brothers Pearse *

London Senior Hurling Championship The London Senior Hurling Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association cup competition between the top hurling clubs in London, England. Format Group stage Six clubs start in the group stage. Over the course of the group stage, each team p ...

: 1968, 1972 ;St Gabriel's *

: 1973, 1974, 1976, 1977 ;Beagh * Galway Intermediate Hurling Championship: 1980 ;Galway *

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest-tier competition for ...

1980 Events January * January 4 – U.S. President Jimmy Carter proclaims a United States grain embargo against the Soviet Union, grain embargo against the USSR with the support of the European Commission. * January 6 – Global Positioning Sys ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gantley, Finbarr 1950 births 2021 deaths Beagh hurlers London inter-county hurlers Galway inter-county hurlers Connacht inter-provincial hurlers All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners 20th-century Irish sportsmen