Fast on the heels of Paddy Fagan (R.I.P.), another Great of the 1965-66 double winning side, Johnny Keary has gone to his eternal reward.

A native of Streete, he was a great servant to Castlepollard hurling. Quite a few young men from that area from as far back as 1911 to recent times, played hurling with the Club and made significant contributions in various grades .

However, surely the greatest to emerge from that area has to be Johnny Keary. It seems down in Streete he was known as "The Hurler" and hurler he was without a doubt. He first came to notice in 1957 when he figured on the Pollard Minor Team that won that year's Minor League defeating Castletown-Geoghegan in the Final. Inexplicably he was not on the 1956 minor side which won Castlepollard's 1st ever Minor Title again defeating Castletown. The only possible explanation being that the Club mentors were not then aware of this emerging talent. The general consensus in Pollard in 1957 was, that here was an automatic addition to the up-and-coming young Senior Team .

However he opted to play with an amalgamation of Ringtown and Crookedwood called St. Vincents. This outfit lasted until 1962 when they disbanded, and thereby he missed out on a Senior Championship Medal with Pollard in 1961, and certainly would have been an important part of the Senior team narrowly beaten in the 1960 Final , again by Castletown. It was always a source of regret in the area that he was lost to Pollard for those five years.

By 1961 Johnny had caught the attention of the County selectors and figured at left half forward alongside Jobber McGrath- centre forward- against Dublin in the Leinster Semi-Final. Result-Dublin 2-15 Westmeath 2-5. From then until 1973 he was a regular wearer of the maroon jersey.

Now back with Pollard he won his first Senior Medal in the 1963 Feis Cup Final with Pollard defeating Clonkill by 3-4 to 2-5.. He did not have too long to wait for the ultimate reward. While 1964 was a barren time ,  back to back titles were just around the corner. During this time he had been forging a formidable partnership at mid-field with an up an coming Mickey Fagan (R.I.P.) and they were a rare handful for any opposing midfield. He collected his first Senior Championship on Sunday October 24th 1965 in a great win over Castletown Geoghegan who were the reigning champions. This was especially sweet as Castletown had deprived Pollard in the finals of 1958 and 1960.

However it was in 1966 that he proved the importance of his dedication and heart. With the 2nd round of the championship v. Raharney set for Sun. July 24th he was sidelined with injured ribs and the team was further depleted by five other absent regulars. The outlook was grim and with 15 mins. to go they were holding on for dear life. Keary was sprung from the bench -injuries and all- and in the dying minutes fired over the winning point. The final was again reached and the title was retained at the expense of Pearses Mullingar. The Westmeath Examiner was lavish in its praise. Quote-"Without their captain Paddy Fagan and Midfielder Johnny Keary, Castlepollard would have had a slim chance of retaining their title. Keary scored four valuable points over the hour and from start to finish was an inspiration to the side. Without the 1-6 scored between Fagan and Keary Castlepollard's tally would have been scant. These two men played by far the biggest part in the defeat of Pearses." Unquote. How ironic that they should die within a couple of weeks of each other.

After all these heroics there occurred a hiatus for both Johnny and Pollard. Another Senior Championship was not reached until 1972 which ended in a disappointing loss to St. Brigids. However there was consolation with another Feis Cup victory at the expense of Lough Lene Gaels. Score- 3-13 to 1-8. Again he was the subject of lavish praise from The Westmeath Examiner Correspondent. Quote-"While Pollard played well as a team, it was their centreforward Johnny Keary who was their match winner. He finished with a tally of 1-8 which equalled the Gaels score. He was a tireless worker and scored some great points from play and placed balls." Unquote.
In 1973 he received the ultimate recognition as he was voted-- Westmeath hurler of the Year-and received his trophy at The Annual Awards Dinner.

The following year 1974 saw him collect his third Senior Championship when again Raharney were in opposition and again at centre-forward he contributed 5 points. His final major trophy with Pollard was achieved on April 3rd  1976 when Pollard defeated Ringtown in the 1975 Feis Cup Final at Cusack Park-his 3rd Feis Cup Medal to match his three Championships.

Now well into his 30's he continued , and played his last Senior Final in 1978. This was v. Brownstown resulting in disappointment. He had to go off with a hand injury sustained when scoring a goal which left only 3 pts. between the sides at a crucial stage. As the Westmeath Examiner noted "His loss was a huge blow to Castlepollard. By 1980 he had hung up his Camain.

In his prime he was a tall lean cut of a chap. He was a great stylist, wonderful to watch and although predominantly right handed he was equally adept on his left and was equally accurate on that side. His accuracy was his great strength.

Since the Club's inception there have emerged a lot of great players who have been talked of and remembered. When the era from 1960 to 1980 is recalled and conversation turns to great players, Keary is invariably included. He will always be remembered as a Castlepollard hurling great-from Streete.

On Saturday 20th December his Funeral Mass was celebrated in Boherquill Church which was unable to accommodate the huge turn-out of people coming to pay their last respects. He was escorted on his last journey by a large guard of honour comprising his surviving team-mates, and present players and officials, plus football colleagues from his beloved Streete.

To his daughters Marie and Catherine, brother Pat, sisters Margaret and Cathy, sons-in-law, grandchildren  and extended family, deepest sympathy is tendered from the club he served so well.

Special word of thanks to his former Team mate Paddy McCabe (Snr) in composing this tribute.

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