Paddy Grace

Infobox GAA player
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = Paddy Grace
irish = Páidí Grás
fullname = Patrick Grace
placeofbirth = Dicksboro
countryofbirth = County Kilkenny
dob =
height =
nickname =
county = Kilkenny
province = Leinster
club = Dicksboro
clposition = Corner-back
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty =
clprovince=
clallireland =
counties = Kilkenny
icposition = Corner-back
icyears = 1939-1950
icapps(points) =
icprovince = 5
icallireland = 2
nhl =
clupdate =
icupdate =

Paddy Grace (1917-1984) was a famous Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Dicksboro and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1939 until 1950.

Playing career

Club

Grace played his club hurling with his local Dicksboro, a club that his father helped to found in 1909. He enjoyed some success and captured a senior county title in 1950.

Inter-county

Grace first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Kilkenny minor hurling team in the early 1930s. He won a Leinster title in that grade in 1935 befor elater capturing an All-Ireland medal following a victory over Tipperary in the final. Grace later made his way onto the county’s senior panel and made his debut in 1939. That year he won a Leinster title in the top grade of inter-county hurling befor elate rlining out in his first seniro championship decider. The 1939 All-Ireland final between Cork and Kilkenny has gone down in history as the ‘thunder and lightning final.’ Played on the day that World War II erupted the climax of a very close game was played in a tremendous thunderstorm. Kilkenny went on to win the game by a single point, giving Grace his first All-Ireland medal at senior level.

In 1940 Kilkenny defeated Dublin giving Grace a second Leinster title. He later lined out in his second successive All-Ireland Final where Limerick provided the opposition. After a close game it was the Munster men who emerged victorious. Kilkenny were disqualified from the championship for the next few seasons due to an outbreak of foot-and-mouth disease in the county. ‘The Cats’ bounced back in 1945 and Grace collected a third Leinster medal. Kilkenny later faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final, however, victory went to Tipp on that occasion. In 1946 Grace won a fourth provincial medal following an exciting game against Dublin. Cork provided the opposition in the first meeting of these two counties since the famous 1939 final. Cork scored two goals just before half-time and added five more in the second-half to seal the victory. In 1947 Grace won a fifth Leinster medal and lined out in his fifth All-Ireland final. It was Kilkenny’s third championship decider in-a-row and, after losing the previous two, the pressure was on as no team has ever lost three successive All-Ireland finals. The game itself has been regarded by many as the greatest hurling final ever. Both sides remained neck and neck, however, a Terry Leahy point sealed a narrow victory for Kilkenny giving Grace his second All-Ireland medal. In spite of continuing to play until 1950 this was Grace’s last big occasion in Croke Park.

Province

Grace also lined out with Leinster in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He played in four Railway Cup finals in all, however, he ended up on the winning side on only one occasion in 1941.

Post-playing career

In retirement from playing Grace became involved in the administrative side of the Gaelic Athletic Association. He served as secretary of the Kilkenny County Board for a record 38 years.

Paddy Grace died on 21 July, 1984.

Teams