John Doyle..1930-2010...A true legend, RIP.

For some strange reason, probably due to my absence for a few days, the passing of the legendary John Doyle has gone un-noticed on this, Ireland's premier GAA forum. Thankfully, I can report that I've seen this iconic figure play twice in the flesh, both on Railway Cup days in the mid 60's. John Doyle was a big strong man, renowned for a no-nonsense approach, possessor of 8 Celtic Crosses, countless NL titles and a myriad of other accolades. The fact is often overlooked though, that Doyle was a skillful hurler,and the phrase "un-compromising" was invented for him.
It's somewhat of an unknown fact, just the same, that in 18 years in the Tipp senior colours, he was never taken off injured, substituted or dropped. That statistic says a lot about the man himself, his character, his levels of fitness and commitment. These were of course, the days of dust clouds in the square when no quarter was asked or given, when men were men and hamstrings were seen outside butchers shops.
A modest man, by all accounts, he rated Ring the greatest of them all, immortalised in the comment "Oh, I won 8 A/I's all right, but it was my team mates won them for me, Ring won all his by himself".....

Ní beag a leithíd againn arís....

Yep one of the greats indeed. May he Rest in Peace.

I was at the finals in 64/65/67 and 68 when John was playing.

In 64 and 65 Tipp were untouchable, and when they won their 21st and Doyle's 8th by hammering a youthful Wexford, it was all taken as matter of fact.

By 68 he was struggling as Wexford reversed a 12 point deficit and won a truly memorable game.

But Doyle really belonged in the 1949-54 era, which was the real "hell's kitchen" era with dust flying in the square as they went toe to toe with Ring's Cork with no quarter asked or given. Tipp won 3 in a row, Cork won 3 in a row.

An uncompromising defender was Doyle but could hurl aswell, hence his naming in the team of the century and such.

His sons also gave great service to Tipp and were a credit to the man himself.

RIP.

Ar dheis dé go raibh a anam dílis

patrique wrote:I was at the finals in 64/65/67 and 68 when John was playing.


By 68 he was struggling as Wexford reversed a 12 point deficit and won a truly memorable game.

But Doyle really belonged in the 1949-54 era, which was the real "hell's kitchen" era with dust flying in the square as they went toe to toe with Ring's Cork with no quarter asked or given. Tipp won 3 in a row, Cork won 3 in a row.


His sons also gave great service to Tipp and were a credit to the man himself.

RIP.

Without reference I doubt if Doyle contested the '68 final as a player....
To my memory, again off the head, it wasn't until the emergence of Jimmy Finn about '61 @5 that forced Doyle backwards.......P.OSé....'82/86
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the only son who hurled for Tipp at Senior (Michael)..blast away a M/F about '86........**

**The Clonlara man will fill in the gaps here, and in this instance, in the Clonlara man I trust.....

cant say i knew much about the man but i have been doing a bit of reading up on him since i heard of his passing. A remarkable character by all accounts and one of lifes good guys, someone you'd be proud to say was a member of the GAA fraternity.

Rest In Peace John

bocerty wrote:cant say i knew much about the man but i have been doing a bit of reading up on him since i heard of his passing. A remarkable character by all accounts and one of lifes good guys, someone you'd be proud to say was a member of the GAA fraternity.

Rest In Peace John

Good man Bocerty, but personally I fear that, in the modern ethos, the likes of the late John Doyle, are quietly being cornered into a page of "lets move on" characters.
The Ard Comhairle of today are more focussed on the likes of Canavan, Shefflin, DJ et al........

Doyle represents(d) the era of tough, hardy hoors that would pull for pullings sake and the Devil take the hindmost, Doyle was a farmer, used to irregular hours and hard work, ups and downs of rural life, but the modernists at HQ are profiling "executives" in their place of work....
Despite he being a Finé Gaelér I asrmired the late John Doyle, he had the medals to prove it, but something has been eroded from the game with his passing, to me that is the fact that HQ are too media driven.....
The statistics as already posted show what Doyle was all about.......In the top 5 of all time, along with Ring, Mackey, DJ, and his name eludes me.....

Boxtyeater wrote:

bocerty wrote:cant say i knew much about the man but i have been doing a bit of reading up on him since i heard of his passing. A remarkable character by all accounts and one of lifes good guys, someone you'd be proud to say was a member of the GAA fraternity.

Rest In Peace John

Good man Bocerty, but personally I fear that, in the modern ethos, the likes of the late John Doyle, are quietly being cornered into a page of "lets move on" characters.
The Ard Comhairle of today are more focussed on the likes of Canavan, Shefflin, DJ et al........

Doyle represents(d) the era of tough, hardy hoors that would pull for pullings sake and the Devil take the hindmost, Doyle was a farmer, used to irregular hours and hard work, ups and downs of rural life, but the modernists at HQ are profiling "executives" in their place of work....
Despite he being a Finé Gaelér I asrmired the late John Doyle, he had the medals to prove it, but something has been eroded from the game with his passing, to me that is the fact that HQ are too media driven.....
The statistics as already posted show what Doyle was all about.......In the top 5 of all time, along with Ring, Mackey, DJ, and his name eludes me.....

is it Kevin McGourty

Boxtyeater wrote:

patrique wrote:I was at the finals in 64/65/67 and 68 when John was playing.


By 68 he was struggling as Wexford reversed a 12 point deficit and won a truly memorable game.

But Doyle really belonged in the 1949-54 era, which was the real "hell's kitchen" era with dust flying in the square as they went toe to toe with Ring's Cork with no quarter asked or given. Tipp won 3 in a row, Cork won 3 in a row.


His sons also gave great service to Tipp and were a credit to the man himself.

RIP.

Without reference I doubt if Doyle contested the '68 final as a player....
To my memory, again off the head, it wasn't until the emergence of Jimmy Finn about '61 @5 that forced Doyle backwards.......P.OSé....'82/86
Correct me if I'm wrong, but didn't the only son who hurled for Tipp at Senior (Michael)..blast away a M/F about '86........**

**The Clonlara man will fill in the gaps here, and in this instance, in the Clonlara man I trust.....

Slightly right, my memory is playing up. The "famous" photo of the old guard, Doyle and Kieran Carey, leaving the field was after the 1967 defeat to Kilkenny. I was on the Canal End, first final I was allowed to travel to on my own.

Jimmy Finn however joined Doyle in the full back line in 1950. Tommy Doyle, subject of Raymond Doyle's first book, played in the half back line in those teams.


Michael got the blame for "losing" a Munster final to a superior Cork team one year, maybe it was 86.