AFTER CAPTAINING GALWAY to their first All-Ireland senior hurling title in 29 years, David Burke took the opportunity to pay tribute to two former hurlers with the Tribesmen who are no longer with us.
After lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup following this afternoon’s 0-26 to 2-17 victory over Waterford at Croke Park, Burke remembered the late Tony Keady and Niall Donohue.
Keady, who was man of the match from centre-back when Galway last won the All-Ireland in 1988, passed away last month after suffering a heart attack just days after watching his county book their place in today’s decider at the expense of Tipperary.
At the age of just 22, Donohue died tragically in 2013. He was nominated for an All-Star the previous year when he won a Leinster senior hurling medal and played in the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny, which Galway lost after a replay.
Donohue’s cousin, Conor Whelan, was part of the victorious Galway team this afternoon.
David Burke's captain's speech in its full 8 minutes of glory. Drink it in, Galway fans #RTEGAA #GalvWat pic.twitter.com/K3aQUmhNQD
— The Sunday Game (@TheSundayGame) September 3, 2017
Burke said: “Twenty-nine years ago, this man was man of the match in the All-Ireland final of 1988. It would be remiss of me not to mention his name — the great Tony Keady.
“To Tony’s wife Margaret, children Shannon, Anthony, Jake and Harry, we’re hoping that lifting the cup today will give you some solace from your grief, if only for a few seconds.
“There’s one other person who I can’t let the day pass without mentioning. He was soldiering with us for years, a good friend of mine, first cousin of Conor Whelan, he passed away in 2014 — Niall Donohue, we’ll never forget him, we remember him today.
“We’ll also give a shout-out to the Charity Chariot and Pieta House, who are doing great work for people who are in depression. Hopefully they’ll help many more.”
