Noel Tierney (2 February 1942 – 10 November 2024) was an Irish

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 ...

er. At club level he played with Garrymore and Milltown, while he was also a member of the

Galway senior football team The Galway county football team ( ) represents Galway in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Galway GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ire ...

Career

Tierney began playing

with the Garrymore club in south Mayo, however, he subsequently transferred to the Milltown club. Success was immediate, with Tierney winning a divisional minor title in 1960 before winning a Galway JFC medal in 1961. On the inter-county scene, Tierney first play for

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 ...

during a two-year stint with the minor team. He won back-to-back Connacht SFC medals before ending his minor with a 4-09 to 1-05 defeat of

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

in the 1960 All-Ireland minor final. Progression to the senior team soon followed and he won the first of four successive Connacht SFC medals in 1963. Tierney also made four successive All-Ireland final appearances at this time, with victories in 1964, 1965 and 1966. He also claimed 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 1965 before ending his inter-county career with a fifth Connacht SFC medal in 1968. Tierney's performances at inter-county level earned his selection to the

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 ...

team. 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, including one as

team captain In team sport, captain is a title given to a member of the team. The title is frequently honorary, but in some cases the captain may have significant responsibility for strategy and teamwork while the game is in progress on the field. In eithe ...

in 1969. Tierney brought his inter-county career to an end at the age of 27, however, he continued to line out at club level. He won a Galway SFC medal in 1971.

Recognition

Tierney's performances for Galway earned him consecutive Cú Chulainn Awards in 1963 and 1964. He was also named

Footballer of the Year Footballer of the Year may refer to: Association football World * FIFA World Player of the Year (1991–2009) * FIFA Ballon d'Or (2010–2015) * The Best FIFA Men's Player (since 2016) Other * African Footballer of the Year * Asian Footballer o ...

in 1964. Tierney was inducted into the Galway Football Hall of Fame in 1993. He received the ultimate accolade in 1999 when he was selected in the full-back position on the Galway Football Team of the Millennium. His achievements were acknowledged at a special event in 2024 marking 60 years since he won his first of three All Ireland medals. His home club of Milltown made a presentation to him in the company of family, friends and supporters.

Death

Tierney died after a period of ill health on 10 November 2024, at the age of 82.

Honours

;Milltown *

Galway Senior Football Championship The Galway Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition between the top Gaelic football clubs in Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It ...

: 1971 *Galway Junior Football Championship: 1961 *Galway North Board Minor Football Championship: 1960 (c) ;Galway *

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...

1964 Events January * January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved. * January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...

1965 Events January–February * January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years. * January 20 ** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

Connacht Senior Football Championship The Connacht Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Connacht Championship and shortened to Connacht SFC, is an annual Gaelic football competition for the senior county teams of Connacht GAA. All of the county teams of Connacht particip ...

1963 Events January * January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cove ...

1968 Events January–February * January 1968, January – The I'm Backing Britain, I'm Backing Britain campaign starts spontaneously. * January 5 – Prague Spring: Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Cze ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

: 1964–65 *

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it was replaced by an under ...

1960 It is also known as the "Year of Africa" because of major events—particularly the independence of seventeen African nations—that focused global attention on the continent and intensified feelings of Pan-Africanism. Events January * Janu ...

Connacht Minor Football Championship The Connacht Minor Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Connacht Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18 until 2017, now under-17) in the province of C ...

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

;Connacht *

: 1967, 1969 (c) ;Individual *Galway Football Team of the Millennium: 1999 * Caltex Footballer of the Year: 1964 *Galway Football Hall of Fame Inductee: 1993 * Cú Chulainn Award: 1963, 1964

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Tierney, Noel 1942 births 2024 deaths Garrymore Gaelic footballers Milltown Gaelic footballers Galway inter-county Gaelic footballers Connacht inter-provincial Gaelic footballers Dairy farmers Gaelic football backs 20th-century Irish farmers