Had a great debate in the local last night discussing great players (hurling & football) who work/ed on a farm for a living. Mention farming to anyone and they will tell you it is hard work so throw in the rigorous demands of an inter county career and you'd wonder if they'd need to be eating the feed themselves to stay on top of their game..

So what farmers were the best players that lined out for their county? Are there any current players that farm?

Of course the usual names of John Power (Kilkenny), Mike Houlihan (Limerick), Liam O'Flaherty (Kerry), Tomás Mannion (Galway) and Bernard Morris (Cavan) immediately come to mind. But I am sure there are a good few more. Any suggestions?

JohnJoeGreene (Kilkenny) - Posts: 9 - 01/07/2015 09:14:05    1745756

Michael Ennis (Westmeath) - should have received at least one allstar (IMO)
John Heslin (Westmeath) - Student and Farmer

ExiledCuCu (Cavan) - Posts: 228 - 01/07/2015 09:28:58    1745774

From a Wexford point of view, Bobby Rackard (who was unfortunate to lose a limb farming) Tony/Colm Doran, Mick Jacob (jnr/snr), George O'Connor, Paul Codd, spring to mind.

Pinkie (Wexford) - Posts: 4100 - 01/07/2015 09:30:53    1745776

John Power was one of the toughest men ever to play the game. I remember in the old Croker, one of the Tipp lads pushed him & his hand ended up going into the fence around the stadium. He was reefed, had a moan at the ref but just got on with it. He took a lot of punishment from centre backs down through the years. A warrior.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 01/07/2015 09:34:01    1745778

Slayer wasn't john Galvin a farmer?

KingdomBoy1 (Kerry) - Posts: 14092 - 01/07/2015 09:51:21    1745786

Liam Harnan for Meath. By far the strongest and toughest man on any of Sean Boylan's Meath team's. Remember reading a piece by Colm O'Rourke where he said when he was injured for one game Harnan gave him his watch to mind. O'Rourke said when he put it on his own wrist it slid up to his elbow. Remember a Leinster final many years ago where Harnan shouldered Barney Rock, got him shoulder to shoulder. Barney Rock's collar bone ended up being broken in the incidence. Mick Lyons, while not a farmer was brought up on a farm.

bdbuddah (Meath) - Posts: 1363 - 01/07/2015 10:00:45    1745796

I grew up on a dairy farm myself (the aul fella is happily retired now) and you certainly don't get much free time but you are your own boss (the cows don't mind if you turn up for milking still drunk!) and it can be a nice way of life.

Can't think of many at the minute but I think Paddy O'Rourke farms and Liam Harnan who used to play for us was a farmer as well, we could really use someone like him today!

Htaem (Meath) - Posts: 8657 - 01/07/2015 10:11:56    1745802

One of the Barr brothers (Erins Isle) loved a bit of farming.

JayP (Dublin) - Posts: 1772 - 01/07/2015 10:18:39    1745808

Darren Hughes is a farmer.

patk (Monaghan) - Posts: 936 - 01/07/2015 10:18:40    1745809

The Greatest, Francie Bellew

BigBallerSize5 (Fermanagh) - Posts: 61 - 01/07/2015 10:23:27    1745814

A lot of Donegal players would have come from farming backgrounds over the years. But don't forget you are talking about different style farming/ farms in Donegal compared to in Meath / tipp/ Cork / Kilkenny as a lot of Donegal farms contained massive stretches of mountain/ highland and a lot of small 40/50 acre farms
Noel Heagerty 1992Donegalwas a farmer as I believe Neill Gallagher / Frank MC glyn. Are of farming stock

SamOnErrigal (Donegal) - Posts: 1427 - 01/07/2015 10:28:59    1745819

Remember there were a couple of TV ads for farming products in the 80s or 90s that had GAA men in them - was it not Joe Rabbitte who advertised fluke protection? He was a farmer anyway. I know there were also ads for products by lads who weren't farmers (think even DJ and the baul Spillane got in on the act though may be wrong).

Offside_Rule (Antrim) - Posts: 4058 - 01/07/2015 11:04:16    1745840

From our county I would like to mention Seamas Killoran who played county football midfield for Roscommon in the late eighties and early nineties. This guy would put in some serious shifts in a game and when others were wilting he was only finding his stride. Played along side the graceful John Newton who could pluck a low flying plane from the air and Killoran would be the mop up operation on the ground picking up any dirty /loose ball. Pity is we really haven't had as good or near as good as a midfield ever. Seamas O Neill some time after was a farmer but he never went forward from a brilliant display against Galway in 2001. Yep Killoran was a good one and deserved to win two back to back Connacht titles in 1990 and 1991 and should have reached the All Ireland final with Ros succumbing to a great Meath team that year. Midfields in Connacht those times were fairly good all round for example Killgallon, Willie Joe Padden, Mannion ( Galway )Leitrim had some good midfielders too pat ? but Killoran and Newton were on top in the early nineties

moros (Roscommon) - Posts: 1083 - 01/07/2015 11:21:00    1745851

Offside_Rule

John Fenton had an ad for one of them and they kept showing his classic goal v Limerick. That was painful. I hope the animals his product was dosing fared better.

slayer (Limerick) - Posts: 6480 - 01/07/2015 13:38:40    1745991

BigBallerSize5
County: Fermanagh
Posts: 39

1745814
The Greatest, Francie Bellew

Francie's not a farmer, he worked laying concrete on building sites for years and now has an electrical supplies shop with his brother! Hardy bucko all the same!

RangerDanger (Armagh) - Posts: 101 - 01/07/2015 13:50:06    1746001

rooney from meath is a farmer. i think i heard ciaran kilkennys father is a farm mangager round castlenock/mulhuddart, so he probarbly no stranger to it. were the barrs keith barr farmers in old finglas when it was culchieland?

dickie10 (UK) - Posts: 697 - 01/07/2015 14:10:04    1746010

Wasn't Galway's Joe Cooney a farmer ?

Greengrass (Louth) - Posts: 6031 - 01/07/2015 14:27:48    1746028

The great Gus Gremin's, a fine stretch of land he had out towards Ballydonoghue. He only died a few months ago the last surviving player of the match in the Polo Grounds, RIP.

I'm sure there are loads more Kerry greats from back in the day from similar backgrounds.

TheHermit (Kerry) - Posts: 6354 - 01/07/2015 14:45:38    1746039

From Cork, Timmy McCarthy was a farmer (still is). Doubt too many would put him in their list of greats though. Still he retired with 7 All-Irelands (3 senior, 2 under 21, one minor, one colleges with Colmans) so he fared ok.

He is the only one that I can think of. Noel O'Leary works in forestry which is tough (but without the cows).

From Kilkenny, TJ Reid is definitely from farming stock somewhere along the line. I would say he grew up on a farm perhaps even if he is not farming now.

bennybunny (Cork) - Posts: 3917 - 01/07/2015 14:56:18    1746053

Noel Hickey is a farmer,he was bringing in bales on the Sat night before the 2008 AI

mooncat (Kilkenny) - Posts: 534 - 01/07/2015 15:05:35    1746058