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James Smyth (1 January 1931 – 9 February 2013) was an Irish hurler who played as a full-forward for the Clare senior team. Smyth made his first appearance for the team during the 1948–49 National Hurling League and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his retirement after the 1967 championship. During that time he won one
Oireachtas The Oireachtas ( ; ), sometimes referred to as Oireachtas Éireann, is the Bicameralism, bicameral parliament of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Oireachtas consists of the president of Ireland and the two houses of the Oireachtas (): a house ...
medal and one Thomond Feis medal, and was a
Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
final runner-up on two occasions. At club level, Smyth was a five-time county club championship medallist with Ruan. After retirement from play Smyth, in 1984 he was named on a special Hurling Team of the Century made up of players never to have won an All-Ireland medal. In 2000 he was named on the Munster Hurling Team of the Millennium.


Playing career


Colleges

Smyth first experienced success on the hurling field during his tenure at St. Flannan's College, a famed hurling nursery in
Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...
. At Flan nan's he was a hurling protégé, going straight into the Dean Ryan Cup team as a thirteen-year-old and winning his first medal when Ennis won the junior championship. In his second year he made his debut on the Harty Cup team. He won his first Harty Cup medal that year as St. Flannan's defeated the North Monastery of Cork to take the title. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Smyth's side face St Joseph's of Marino. A 7–10 to 2–3 trouncing gave Smyth his first
All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...
medal. St Flannan's retained their Harty Cup crown in 1946 following another defeat of the North Mon. O'Connell School from
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
were the opponents in the All-Ireland final and a close game developed. A 5–7 to 5–2 scoreline gave Smyth his second All-Ireland medal. Smyth collected a third consecutive Harty Cup medal following a defeat of St. Colman's College in 1947. Once again St Flannan's reached the All-Ireland decider where St Joseph's of
Roscrea Roscrea () is a market town in County Tipperary, Ireland. In 2022 it had a population of 5,542. Roscrea is one of the oldest towns in Ireland, having developed around the 7th century monastery of Crónán of Roscrea, Saint Crónán of Roscrea, p ...
provided the opposition. A 6–8 to 3–1 victory gave Smyth a third consecutive All-Ireland medal. At St Flannan's Smyth also won three inter-provincial colleges medals with the Munster selection.


Club

Smyth played his club hurling with Ruan and enjoyed much success. In 1948 Smyth represented Ruan in the minor, junior, intermediate and senior grades. It was a successful year as Ruan defeated
Clarecastle Clarecastle (''An Clár'' or ) is a village just south of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland. Name The town is named after the Clare Castle, which stands on an island in the narrowest navigable part of the River Fergus. The Irish ''Clár'', meani ...
in the county decider, giving Smyth his first
championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...
medal. He also collected an intermediate championship medal that same year. Having secured their very first championship title, Ruan captured a second three years later in 1951. After a period in the doldrums, Smyth's side reached the championship decider once again in 1959. A defeat of Éire Óg gave Smyth his third championship medal. A defeat of Scariff in the final of 1960 gave Ruan a famous two-in-a-row. It was Smyth's fourth championship medal. Three-in-a-row proved beyond Ruan, however, the team reached the final once again in 1962. Sixmilebridge fell on that occasion, giving Smyth a fifth and final championship medal.


Inter-county

Smyth first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Clare minor hurling team. He made his debut as a fourteen-year-old in 1945 and subsequently set up what must be an all-time record for Clare by playing at this grade for five years in a row. In his debut year, Clare reached the
Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
decider. An 8–10 to 0–2 trouncing by Tipperary was Clare's lot on that occasion. As a seventeen-year-old Smyth made his senior debut in a
National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
game against
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 ...
in 1948. He played no part in the subsequent 1949 championship due to his involvement as captain of the Clare junior hurling team. He won a
Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
medal in that grade following a 3–3 to 0–6 defeat of Cork. Clare later defeated
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 ...
before facing
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 ...
in the All-Ireland decider. A close game developed and, at the full-time whistle, Clare were narrowly defeated by 3–7 to 3–6. Smyth made his senior championship debut in a Munster semi-final defeat by Tipperary in 1950. Within just a few seasons he became known as one of the most prolific scorers in the championship. His 6–4 against
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 ...
in the Munster quarter-final in 1953 is a record which still stands. In 1954 Clare qualified for the final of the post-season Oireachtas Tournament. All-Ireland runners-up
Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...
provided the opposition on that occasion, however, the game ended in a 2–8 apiece draw. The replay was also a close affair with Clare eventually triumphing by 3–6 to 0–12. It was Smyth's first silverware with the Clare senior hurling team. The following year Smyth's side dominated the provincial championship. Defeats of Cork and Tipperary led to Clare being installed as the favourites to take the Munster crown for the first time since 1932.
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 ...
provided the opposition and went on to defeat an optimistic Clare side by 2–15 to 2–6. Smyth added a Thomond Feis medal to his collection in 1956 as Clare won the pre-season warm-up tournament. In late 1964 Smyth dropped out of the Clare team. This was surprising as he was just as prolific as ever, scoring 16–27 for Clare in seven outings in 1963. His retirement from the inter-county scene at this stage was premature but he returned to play for the Clare intermediate team in 1966 before making a return to the Clare senior team in 1967. That year he lined out in his second-ever Munster decider. A 4–12 to 2–6 defeat by Tipperary brought the curtain down on Smyth's inter-county career.


Inter-provincial

Smyth also had the honour of lining out with
Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...
in the inter-provincial series of games. He first lined out for the team in 1952 and was an unused substitute as Munster claimed the
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 ...
that year. By 1955 Smyth had made his way onto the starting fifteen. He won his first Railway Cup medal on the field of play that year as Munster defeated
Connacht Connacht or Connaught ( ; or ), is the smallest of the four provinces of Ireland, situated in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, C ...
by 6–8 to 3–4. After surrendering their title in 1956, Munster bounced back the following year with Smyth lining out in the forwards. A 5–7 to 2–5 defeat of
Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
gave him his second Railway Cup medal. It was the first of five successive Railway Cup titles for Munster with Smyth playing a prominent role in all of those successes. Six-in-a-row proved beyond Munster, however, the province reached the Railway Cup decider again in 1963. A narrow 2–8 to 2–7 defeat of Leinster in a replay gave Smyth his seventh Railway Cup medal on the field of play and an eight overall. It was also his last appearance for Munster.


Personal life

Born in Ruan, County Clare, Smyth received his first schooling at Kells National School, where his mother was a teacher and hurling enthusiast. His uncle had lined out as a hurler for Clare. Smyth later received his secondary schooling at St Flannan's College in Ennis. In 1959 Smyth married Veronica Gleeson from Coore, Mullagh, and they came to live in Ennis. They had four children Ann Patrica Brighid and Peter. In 1964 Smyth was appointed to an executive position in
Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...
and he and his family moved to Dublin. Following his retirement in 1988 Smyth studied philosophy at
Trinity College, Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Univ ...
, where he completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1993. His Master of Arts thesis was based on the songs, poems and recitations of Gaelic games in Munster. Jimmy Smyth died on 9 February 2013.


Honours


Team

;St Flannan's College * Dr Croke Cup:
1945 1945 marked the end of World War II, the fall of Nazi Germany, and the Empire of Japan. It is also the year concentration camps were liberated and the only year in which atomic weapons have been used in combat. Events World War II will be ...
,
1946 1946 (Roman numerals, MCMXLVI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar, the 1946th year of the Common Era (CE) and ''Anno Domini'' (AD) designations, the 946th year of the 2nd millennium, the 46th year of the 20th centur ...
,
1947 It was the first year of the Cold War, which would last until 1991, ending with the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Events January * January–February – Winter of 1946–47 in the United Kingdom: The worst snowfall in the country i ...
*
Dr Harty Cup The Dr. Harty Cup is an annual inter-schools hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster PPS GAA division of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It has been contested every year, except on three occasions, since 1918. As the pin ...
: 1945, 1946, 1947 ;Ruan * Clare Senior Club Hurling Championship: 1948, 1951, 1959, 1960, 1962 ;Clare * Oireachtas Tournament: 1954 * Thomond Feis: 1956 ;Munster *
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 ...
: 1952 (sub), 1955, 1957, 1958, 1959, 1960, 1961, 1963


Individual

;Awards * Hurling Team of the Century (non-All-Ireland winners): 1984 * Munster Hurling Team of the Millennium: 2000


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smyth, Jimmy 1931 births 2013 deaths Ruan hurlers Clare inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers Gaelic games administrators 20th-century Irish sportsmen