Éamonn Grimes

Infobox GAA player
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = Éamonn Grimes
irish = Éamonn Ó Greacháin
fullname = Éamonn Grimes
placeofbirth = Donoughmore
countryofbirth = County Limerick
dob = 1947
height =
nickname =
county = Limerick
province = Munster
club = South Liberties
clposition = Midfield
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty =
clprovince=
clallireland =
counties = Limerick
icposition = Midfield
icyears = 1966-1982
icapps(points) =
icprovince = 3
icallireland = 1
allstars = 2
clupdate =
icupdate =

Éamonn Grimes (born 1947) is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club South Liberties and with the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1966 until 1982.

Early life

Éamonn Grimes was born in Donoughmore, County Limerick in 1947. From an early age he showed great interest in the game of hurling and he was considered a born athlete. He was educated locally and subsequently attended Sexton Street Christian Brothers School in Limerick, a virtual hurling academy. It was here that his hurling skills were developed and nurtured. He won three Harty Cup medals with the school in 1964, 1965 and 1966. The 1964 and 1966 provincial wins were subsequently converted into All-Ireland Colleges’ titles with Grimes captaining the winning team in the latter year.

Grimes later worked as a sales representative for Beamish and Crawford.

Playing career

Club

Grimes played his club hurling, along with his brothers Lar, John, Mikey and Joe, with the famous South Liberties club in Limerick. With the club he won Limerick SHC titles in 1972, 1976, 1978 and 1981.

Inter-county

Grimes began playing for the Limerick minor team while still at secondary school. He won Munster minor medals in 1963 and 1965 but lost out in both All-Ireland finals. Grimes made his senior inter-county debut against Tipperary in 1966. Victory went to Grimes’s team, however, he took an awful chance in playing the game as his Leaving Certificate exams were beginning on the following day. Limerick were later defeated by Cork in the Munster final. Five years later in 1971 Grimes had his first major success when he won a National Hurling League medal.

Two years later in 1973 Grimes was personally honoured by being appointed captain of the Limerick senior hurlers. During his tenure, Limerick won the Munster Championship for the first time since 1955. Grimes’ side subsequently defeated a depleted Kilkenny team to win the All-Ireland. Grimes was so confident of success that he played the entire second-half of the game with his victory speech in his sock. Following the consclusion of the championship Grimes was personally honoured by being presented with his first All-Star award, as well as being named Texaco Hurler of the Year.

In 1974 Grimes won his second Munster title, however, in the subsequent All-Ireland final Kilkenny gained revenge for the previous year by beating Limerick. For the next five years Cork were the kingpins of Munster hurling. In spite of this, Grimes’ performance in 1975 earned him a second All-Star award. In 1980 Cork were bidding for a record-breaking sixth Munster title in-a-row. In the Munster final, Limerick defeated the Leesiders, and Grimes captured his third Munster Championship medal. In the subsequent All-Ireland final Limerick were defeated by Galway who won their first All-Ireland title since 1923. Grimes continued to play with Limerick until 1982 when he decided to retire from inter-county hurling. His name re-appeared in sports reports many years later when his friend and fellow member and benefactor of the South Liberties club, J.P. McManus, named his successful racehorse 'Grimes' in his honour.

Provincial

Grimes also regularly lined out with Munster in the Railway Cup interprovincial competition. He won Railway Cup medals in 1976 and 1978.

Teams

References

* Brendan Fullam, "Captains of the Ash", (Wolfhound Press, 2002).