Club colours, county colours, copies of photos [not portraits] of events and action done to order. Email [email protected] or 087 2321128
Going for Goal...there are few moments more exciting in the game than when the player fields, turns, holds and runs with nothing else on his mind than firing the ball to back of the opponents' net...the crowd sense it, they stand, rise and roar him to his aim, the atmosphere in the stadium electrifies, and the speed, the colour, the ferocity of the moment make the game the phenomenon that it is...to witness that moment is truly to have lived the game, not just seen it, but experienced the very heart and soul of the game itself and the men playing it...
This picture is in a Private Collection
This picture is in a Private Collection
Club hurling in full swing. New names on the horizon.
Young dreams and aspirations budding in the depth of winter
November rolls into December and the Christmas Season. And the training and the practice never stops.
This rehearsal , in the dark of the winter evenings, the cold of the winter mornings, will show itself in the green of the grass,
and the blue Spring skies to all of us.
Soon.
Take heart.
Young dreams and aspirations budding in the depth of winter
November rolls into December and the Christmas Season. And the training and the practice never stops.
This rehearsal , in the dark of the winter evenings, the cold of the winter mornings, will show itself in the green of the grass,
and the blue Spring skies to all of us.
Soon.
Take heart.
Power Play
The closeness of the game is in the chasing, blocking, harrying, hooking; all the great skills practised and applied from early years, so that they're second nature, instinctive, spectacularly effective; the essence of this unique sporting artistry. 
Goal!
It's what the people come to see, the players strive to do. Goals are to the game as oxygen to the brain, prayer to the soul, love to the heart. There isn't a hurling man or woman who isn't moved by the rasping shot, the daisy cutter swing, the billowed net and the waving of the green.
€
98.00
Anybody's
watercolour.20cmx29.5cm. In tight moments, a ball goes loose, and feet, legs and hurls flail and fly. There are odd sightings of the small round sphere, flitting in and around the melee. No one really sees whats going on at the time. Only those in that engine room of human frenzy, the players, know the swipes given and taken, the digs, the imprecations hurled onto the heads of opponents and their descendants, will ever be able to tell you who did what to whom. Eventually, one of the players bursts out in a rush of powerful triumph, ball in hand, and delivers a pass along the field for the game to continue. The ruck disperses, the players scatter, and the game goes on.
€
95.00
Goals win games
watercolour 20cmx29cm As mentioned elsewhere , the sight of the goal, the rattling net, the throaty roar of a delirious crowd often mark the high points of a game. Frequently, the lead up to it, with the forwards spreading into their own formation, the quickening pace, the urgency flitting into the nervous moves of an alarmed backline, can in the space of milliseconds, fire the air into a cauldron of frantic activity, do or die attacking, a whirlwind of frenetic defence, culminating in the three point shot to save, change or finish the contest.
€
98.00
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Bursting in The winter's training bursts out in the five seconds it takes to catch, run, strike and score; the will and determination are liberated, channelled through the power and the force of the play.
Old Reliable
watercolour 20cmx29.5cm
They're a bit like Donovan's Universal Soldier; the old reliables. Often at an age when their contemporaries are cutting back on the training, coaching the minors, bringing the missus to Bingo, they're out there, with the youngsters, training, fielding, sprinting up the dunes, giving the encouragemant, organising, validating the nervous new captain, inspiring the squad, and often for not much more than an admonition to move on and leave space for the emergents. Till the big day in summer. When they rise, run, hustle and power their way through the game, bringing all their know-how, spirit and belief into the fray, when they motivate, bully and cajole their colleagues to the level of performance they never knew existed. And then , with some luck, we may have the wit to see it. And with any good fortune, the good grace to let them know.
€
95.00
Charging out
watercolour 20cmx29.5cm In any game, as the forwards hustle, the mid-fielders harry and hassle the field, there are few more impressive sights than a back man making his play. Some of the greatest in the history of hurling have not been very big men; but have displayed a heart courage and sheer will that has made them legends in their own time; Liam Dunne of Wexford and Tommy Walsh of Kilkenny being two that come readily to mind, along with Ken McGrath of Waterford and the Lohans of Clare. Perhaps one of the most iconic of these men would be Sean Og O'Hailpin of Cork, a magnificent hurler, an accomplished athlete and a great benevolent influence on up-and-coming players. Wexford's Keith Rossiter has to be one of the most unsung heroes of the breed. |
Get it away Private collection
Covering
watercolour 20cmx29.5 The game is on, first half played, and teams exchanging lead and loss, as the tempo rises and wanes, ebbs and flows. You can see the new boys, unused to the ferocity of pace, the sheer physical force of exchanges, the depths to which the players reach within themselves. The old reliables see this. They remember their first championship encounter, when they too were wondering how in hell they were going to last the pace. So they watch for the new ones, the younger ones who have the legs and the speed and the power, but just need adjusting. So they cover, they roam the field and guard the young ones as they in turn adapt and feel their way into senior champioship hurling. And within the space of a game, two hard , fast and full games, the younger ones emerge, rediscover the talents and will that got them the jersey chance in the first place. And so it goes, year in year out, the evolution of the team , the county, the people and their tradition.
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95.00
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 When the chances come, there's frantic activity, fierce defending, and sometimes wild attack. Hurls scythe through the air, arms flail and the ball flies hither and thither among the skirmishing bodies. With a quick grip, and ferocious heave, the backman bursts free and shouts of 'Get it out! Get it out!' rip through the air. And the game goes on. |
Wexford and Limerick have met on occasion before and the results were mixed, sometimes hugely in favour of one county or the other.
this year, on September 12th., they meet again in the under 21 All Ireland Hurling Final. Having shown good form all season, Limerick are regarded by many as the favourites to win.
But there's a strong rebellious and determined spirit in the men of JJ Doyle, and the Model County are quietly, confidently, honing the skills, sharpening the cuts, working the drills. It's all down to the day. |
Burstin' through
watercolour 20cmx 29cm In the nineties, it was Offaly, Clare and Wexford leading the challenge against the traditional counties of Kilkenny, Cork and Tipperary.
Form 2003 onwards, the Deise men brought their presence to bear, with Dan Shanahan and Eoin Kelly, and Ken McGrath, and of course, the ageless Tony Brown, showing that the Waterford men were not out of the running. The sublime Paul Flynn often finished what the others had put together, and Waterford started every championship season as serious contenders. For a style that blazed on camera, goals that rocked the grounds, and a leadership that suffused throughout the pitch, perhaps among the most memorable of these great hurlers would be Shanahan, who, once he was bearing down on goal, with his courage, will and determination powering him through the strongest defenders, was a sight that thrilled the entire attendance, friend or foe, at any game, and earned himself the respect and affection in the heart of the men of any county.
€
95.00
Staying up!
19.5cmx19cm There are times when a victory or a draw can mean as much to a team or a county as a piece of major silverware. The year 2011 was such an accasion for the Wexford team, who, against ALL odds, every prediction, and under a tsunami of criticism, went out in their two remaining matches in the League, and hurled, fought, and battled their way back into Division 1. No mean feat. And a great reflection on the spirit and the skill of the men from the Model County. There's fire in the Yellabellies yet!
€
95.00
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Sold
watercolour 20cmx29cm
€
95.00
More games than he can count
pencil/wash 20cmx29cm
€
85.00
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A Man of Our Time, Wexford's Oriental Express, Lee Chin. The mastery, leadership, dogged determination, shown so valiantly by this man over the years, mark him out as a true leader, a man of example.
Originally part of the Wexford Football Team, he is now an integral member and leader of the Hurling Squad.
And already a legend in his playing career.
Long may his presence continue to grace the game, on and off the field.
Originally part of the Wexford Football Team, he is now an integral member and leader of the Hurling Squad.
And already a legend in his playing career.
Long may his presence continue to grace the game, on and off the field.
It's from small villages, like Kilmore Quay, in County Wexford, that some of the most illustrious men and women in the country have come.
From this area, came John Barry, the Founder of the American Navy.
Across the County, near New Ross, the Kennedy clan made their way to the States, where a grandson became the first Catholic President.
These villages also bred hurlers, poets, writers, artists, accomplished business people and statesmen who made their mark in the world.
