<span class="postTitle">Liam O’Dwyer – A Versatile Sporting Enthusiast</span> Tipperary Star, August 20, 2026

Liam O’Dwyer – A Versatile Sporting Enthusiast

Tipperary Star, August 20, 2026

In the All-Ireland 60 metres dash for over 45s at Nenagh in 1995, Liam O’Dwyer got the verdict ‘by a whisker’ in a photo finish, courtesy of his substantial beard!. A most satisfying moment for the Rossmore man! He attributes the success not to any specialised training for the event but to working for a number of weeks beforehand on a building site in Cork, which involved climbing up a hundred steps in Cork carrying stainless steel pipes. It did a great job strengthening the muscles in the legs!

Liam, who was born in Rossmore in 1950, went to the Vocational School in Thurles for a year after completing National School. He then went to serve his time at O’Dwyer Steel in Dundrum, where he spent twelve years becoming a welder/steel fabricator. He got a job in Thurles Sugar Factory in 1976 and was made redundant in 1983, when the factory started the process of closing down, which eventually came about in 1986.

Ancient Forge

Liam may have been redundant but he wasn’t idle. He began working in the family forge, which had a long tradition of welding and shoeing horses going back centuries. In fact the known records of the place go back to 1812, but tradition has it that the forge was there long before that and that it existed in 1690, when Galloping Hogan and the Jacobite followers used it when they were travelling by horseback from Rearcross to Ballyneety to blow up the Williamite siege train on its way to Limerick. The forge closed down in 1989.

Liam’s life wasn’t all work. Sport played a major part in it from an early age. He played hurling and football with Clonoulty and was on the successful side that won the west 161/2 hurling championship in 1966 and repeated the success in 1967. He progressed to under-21 and was on the successful side when Clonoulty won their first final in the grade in 1971, beating Cappawhite in the final. Liam, whose favourite position was in the full-forward line, was also part of the successful Clonoulty Number 1 hurling side that won the west final in 1974 but lost to Knockshegowna in the county semi-final.

Football

Liam had further success in football. He was part of the Clonoulty junior side that won the west and county titles in 1985. The team beat Arravale Rovers in the west final and overcame Ballyporeen and Eire Óg, Nenagh to take county honours. He was part of the side again that repeated the success at intermediate level in 1986, beating Eire Óg, Annacarty in the west, and Borrisokane and Newcastle at county level. Liam won a third west and county championships when Clonoulty were successful in the junior football A championship of 2000, beating Emly in the west and Cahir and Ballina in the county championship. In all he has a collection of seventeen medals in hurling and football.

Rugby also

As early as 1973 Liam’s interest turned to rugby and he joined Thurles rugby club and got a place on their seconds team. Although still new to the game he scored a try on his first outing! He continued to play with Thurles until 1978, initially at wing-forward and later as a prop. In that year he joined Cashel and continued to play with them until he retired in 1991. He got headlines in the local press on one occasion after playing with Clonoulty in hurling and scoring 1-1 in the game and then playing rugby later in the day with Cashel and scoring a try! On another occasion, after completing a 10K road race, he lined out for rugby. He has a collection of eighteen trophies from the game.

Athletics

Liam’s great love was athletics and he was a versatile performer, participating at sprint , 100 and 200 yard levels as well as high, long and triple jumps, and numerous field events, which included shot putt, 56 lbs over bar, javelin, discus and hammer throw. He also took part in relays and has the distinction of winning the Munster 4 x 100 relay for over-forties with Fr. Dick Browne, Fr. Bobby Fletcher, and Johnny Kelly.

His athletics career commenced while still in Vocational School. At the age of 16 he joined Dundrum and moved to other clubs including Ballytarsna. One of the highlights of his career was winning the Munster senior team 5,000 event in 1970. Incidentally the members didn’t receive their medals for 27 years, when they were presented with them in Rossmore at a special event in 1997, which made newspaper headlines.

Probably the best indication of Liam’s involvement in so many sports over a long period of time is the number of medals and trophies in his collection, which numbers over 500. This includes 65 in track and field won for finishing first, second or third in All-Ireland competitions at senior or veteran level. Liam’s insatiable appetite for sports included racquetball, soccer and tug-of-war. He retired from athletics in 2022 when his knees were giving out!

Interest in Vintage

Liam’s interest in the past and in rural heritage is tremendous and he commenced collecting metal objects and cast iron implements as early as the 1980s. He was one of the founding members of the Vintage Rally at Clonoulty in 2001, which is still going strong and he is still president of the club. The rally has been run in aid of South Tipperary Hospice since the beginning and the huge sum of €500,000 has been collected to date, Liam was involved in the production of a booklet, which was produced annually up to Covid.

In the course of this busy life Liam married Judy Hayes of Kilbreedy and the couple reared three children, Damian, Sandra and Shane. They didn’t participate in sport with the same intensity as their father but they did turn out in hurling and camogie with their local clubs.

Liam O’Dwyer is steeped in the rural history of Rossmore and the extent of his knowledge can be heard in an oral recording he did for Rossmore Heritage Day in 2025. This was recorded by Tipperary Studies, who interviewed a number of people from the parish in a series recording the oral history of the parishes of the county. Liam’s contribution revealed his great knowledge of the buildings, famous people and many stories of this history and the changes that have taken place in Rossmore over time. The recording is available on the internet.

<span class="postTitle">Fifty Years Picking Stars</span> The Nationalist, May 7, 2026

Fifty Years Picking Stars

The Nationalist, May 7, 2026

Johnny O’Loughlin was recently honoured by the United Sports Panel for fifty years’ service to the committee. The main object of the Panel is to promote amateur sport throughout Tipperary by the annual presentation of the Annerville Awards to the selected stars. Founded in 1959 and sponsored by Bulmers Ltd since 1964, the United Sports Panel is the longest existing sports awarding body in the country.

Johnny joined in 1976 having been introduced by Sean Lyons, one of the founding members. Sean used to run a major sporting quiz in the Trades Hall (then situated opposite the Clonmel Garda Barracks), in which Johnny was a regular participant. Sean asked him to join and the rest is history. He was a good choice and has the record of never missing a committee meeting during the intervening years!

Johnny was eminently qualified to become a member of the United Sports Panel in 1976. Born in Old Bridge in 1941, he went to primary school in St. Peter and Paul’s and to secondary in the High School. He showed an early interest in games and soon showed his proficiency in hurling, football and basketball, turning out with St. Marys in hurling and in football and basketball with Commercials.

Basketball may appear a surprise inclusion but Johnny remembers it as a very popular game in Clonmel when he was growing up. The Commercials team played in the old Casino Hall and in St. Luke’s. Occasionally they played in Kickham Barracks. He remembers as a minor playing against the Army and beating them, even though they were hairy minors, since one had to be 18 to join!

Johnny graduated to play senior hurling and football with St. Mary’s and Commercials respectively but got a shock at the age of twenty when he was advised to give us sport because of heart problems. Probably had he been active in sport today he’d have been diagnosed with SADS. His ailment didn’t stop him from looking after juveniles later in life with Commercials, and with Clonmel Óg after it was founded in 1984.

Umpiring

Having to give up active sport was a huge disappointment for a young man with such enthusiasm, who was a regular player of hurling, football and basketball. Fortunately Johnny found a substitute in umpiring, not as active by any means but as close as he could come to the game without playing it. For nearly sixty years he was to act as umpire for such reputable referees as Brian White, Willie Barrett, P. J. Corby and Brian Tyrell.

Umpiring took Johnny all over the country. His record is impressive. He refereed senior football finals is all four provinces, numerous club finals and college finals as well. He loved the job, the travel and the camaraderie and continued doing it up to Covid.

He doesn’t recall any bad experiences. On one occasion he waved for a ’50 and the goalkeeper – he thinks it was against Roscommon – grabbed his arms and waved the ball wide! Brian White had to come in to sort matters out. Another incident was in Clones. They arrived without the correct documentation as they had been appointed as a replacement the Friday before, and the gate official wouldn’t let them in because they had no written information. It took the county chairman to sort matters out. There was also a problem in Portlaoise when they found the advertisements behind the goals deprived them of space to go behind to get a view of points. It was difficult to get the groundsman to see their point of view but he did agree eventually.

Johnny’s life wasn’t all sport. He met the love of his life in Kathleen Phelan and they married in 1968 and took up residence in College Avenue. The marriage produced seven children, six boys, and one girl, Michael, Christopher, Derek, Brendan, Seanie, Anthony and Melissa. They have all done well for themselves, and Seanie was the best footballer among them, with four county senior football titles won with Commercials. Until she died on May 2024, Kathleen used to cater for the whole clan on Christmas Day! It must have been a noisy household!

Johnny continues as an active member of the United Sports Panel, always the first to arrive for meetings. His contributions to discussions are always well-informed and clearly stated. He prides himself in organising the presentation dinner and in lining up the Stars for their awards. Interestingly the Star who received the golf award in 1976, Arthur Pierce, was the recipient of the Knocknagoiw award fifty years later!

Johnny’s long association with the awards is a tribute to his immense love of sport and his great knowledge of so many expressions of it.