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Cyril Farrell recalls his first interactions with late Galway legend Tony Keady

Since Galway hurling legend Tony Keady passed away in early August, the tributes have flowed in. ...



Cyril Farrell recalls his firs...
Football

Cyril Farrell recalls his first interactions with late Galway legend Tony Keady

Since Galway hurling legend Tony Keady passed away in early August, the tributes have flowed in.

Tonight at our Off The Ball Roadshow at the Radisson Blu in Galway, three Galway greats Cyril Farrell, Anthony Cunningham and Pete Finnerty joined Ger on stage to share their memories of Keady as well as the successful 1980s era for the senior team.

"UCG were playing a game against Galway in a stadium. I wasn't over the team but I knew it was on and I went into see it," said Farrell of his first memory of Keady.

"There were two guys I liked that were different. Keady was one a lad by the name of John Lee was the other one. And John Lee was a UCG student but he was from Clare, you see. This was the trouble, when I found out, no good to me.

Cyril Farrell recalls his first interactions with late Galway legend Tony Keady

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"But Keady played half that game centre back and I said to myself, 'If ever I was over [Galway], there's a future centre back. So what happened then when I came in, Sean Silke, Joe McDonagh, Iggy Clarke, they were the half back line.

"So we brought in Keady and he was brought in more as a forward and I remember the first night I was picking him, on a Tuesday I picked the team, and I said, 'I'd better tell him, he's on'. I went over to him. We were playing Offaly in Birr.

"I said, 'Tony, you're playing next Sunday and you're playing centre back' and he looked at me and he said, 'You're mad!' And I said to him, 'Look, you're mad as well, so there's two of us in it, so don't worry.'

"But he went in centre back against Offaly and it was a great introduction and he was there then until he kind of made it his own. He was a brilliant hurler. He just had a special talent. The boys would tell you, you'd have to know him to get the best of him."

He also added that Keady can be an inspiration for the current Galway team.

This article was brought to you in association with Bord Gáis Energy, proud sponsor of the GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship – keep up to date and follow #HurlingToTheCore

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