Phil Purcell (13 November 1902 – 2 February 1961) was an Irish hurler who played for his local club Moycarkey–Borris and at senior level for the Tipperary county team from 1926 until 1937.

Playing career

Club

Purcell played his club

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

with his local club Moycarkey–Borris and enjoyed much success. He won his first senior county title in 1932. It was the first of four county victories for Purcell, the other three coming in 1934, 1937 and 1940.

Inter-county

Purcell began his inter-county hurling career at a time when there was no minor hurling championship. He first came to prominence with the Tipperary junior team in the early 1920s. He was captain of the team in 1924 as Tipp captured 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 ...

junior title. Purcell later captured an

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 ...

junior title as Tipperary defeated

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 the final. Purcell later joined the Tipperary senior team and made his debut in 1926. It was a time when

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 * ...

were dominating the provincial championship. Purcell, however, first tasted major success sin 1928 as Tipp defeated

Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

to take the

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 ...

title. Two years later in 1930 Purcell lined out against

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

in the Munster final. It was Tipperary’s first appearance in the provincial decider in four years; however, they hadn’t won the title in five years. Purcell’s side were the dominant side for the whole game and went on to win by 6-4 to 2-8. It was his first

senior title. Tipp later defeated Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final, setting up a championship decider with

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 ...

. Two goals just before half-time gave Tipp the edge and the team hung on to win by 2-7 to 1-3. It was Purcell’s first and only

medal. Tipperary went into decline following this victory as

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 ...

became the dominant force in Munster. Purcell retired from inter-county hurling in 1937, shortly before Tipp reclaimed the provincial and All-Ireland titles.

Provincial

Purcell also lined out with

in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He first played for his province in the second year of 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 ...

competition in 1928. On that occasion he collected his first winners’ medal as Munster defeated

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 ...

. Coughlan remained on the team and helped Munster to capture a further four titles in-a-row in 1929, 1930 and 1931 when he captained the side. Purcell captured a fifth Railway Cup medal in 1934.

References

* Corry, Eoghan, ''The GAA Book of Lists'' (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005). * Donegan, Des, ''The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games'' (DBA Publications Limited, 2005).

External links

Munster final winning teams

Tipperary GAA honours
{{DEFAULTSORT:Purcell, Phil 1902 births 1961 deaths All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final referees All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Hurling referees Moycarkey-Borris hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers Tipperary inter-county hurlers 20th-century Irish sportsmen