Seán Herbert (born 1923) is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played

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 Ahane and with the

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 ...

senior inter-county team from 1942 until 1953.

Playing career

Club

Herbert played his club hurling with the famous Ahane club in Limerick, and won his first senior county title in 1942 in the company of fellow player Mick Mackey. It was the first of seven county championship victories in-a-row for Herbert and his club. He won an eighth county medal in 1955.

Inter-county

Herbert's performances with his club brought him to the attention of the

selectors. He made his senior debut for the team in 1942. Two years later in 1944 Herbert lined out in his first Munster final.

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 * ...

, a team attempting to capture a fourth successive All-Ireland title, provided the opposition. The game was an exciting one with thousands of people walking to the match in

Thurles Thurles (; ''Durlas Éile'') is a town in County Tipperary, Ireland. It is located in the civil parish of the same name in the barony of Eliogarty and in the ecclesiastical parish of Thurles. The cathedral church of the Roman Catholic Arch ...

as a result of war-time travel restrictions. The spectators were not disappointed, however, the game ended in a draw – Cork 4–13, Limerick 6–7. Cork however won the replay. In 1945 Herbert played in his second Munster final. Tipperary were the opponents on that occasion, however, for the second time he ended up on the losing side. Tipp claimed the victory by 4–3 to 2–6. The year 1946 saw Herbert play in a third provincial decider. Cork, the victors at the same stage two years earlier, provided the opposition once again. Limerick, however, had defeated All-Ireland champions Tipperary in the Munster semi-final and looked a good bet to take the title. Cork however won the game by 3–8 to 1–3. In 1947, Herbert had his only success with the Limerick team as he captured 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 ...

medal. Once again his side reached the Muster final as the All-Ireland champions Cork played the League champions. The game was a close affair, however, for the fourth year in-a-row Limerick were defeated. Two years later in 1949 Herbert was back in his fifth Munster final. Once again it looked as if Limerick might claim the victory. Tipperary were the opponents on this occasion and it was that team that claimed a 1–16 to 2–10 victory. This was Herbert's last big occasion with Limerick. He continued playing with his county until 1953.

Provincial

Herbert also lined 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 hurling competition. He captured his first

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 ...

title in 1946 as Munster defeated

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

. Herbert captured further Railway Cup medals in 1948, 1949, 1952 and 1953.

Teams

References

* Corry, Eoghan, ''The GAA Book of Lists'' (Hodder Headline Ireland, 2005).

External links

Limerick GAA honours
{{DEFAULTSORT:Herbert, Sean 1923 births Possibly living people Ahane hurlers Limerick inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers 20th-century Irish sportsmen