Willie John Daly

Infobox GAA player
code= Hurling
sport = Hurling


name = Willie John Daly
irish =
fullname = Willie John Daly
placeofbirth = Carrigtwohill
countryofbirth = County Cork
dob =
height =
nickname =
county = Cork
province = Munster
club = Carrigtwohill
clposition = Half-back
clubs =
clyears =
clapps(points) =
clcounty =
clprovince=
clallireland =
counties = Cork
icposition = Right wing-back
icyears = 1947-1957
icapps(points) =
icprovince = 4
icallireland = 3
allstars =
clupdate =
icupdate =

Willie John Daly (born 1925 in Carrigtwohill, County Cork) is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Carrigtwohill and with the Cork senior inter-county team in the 1940s and 1950s.

Early & private life

Willie John Daly was born in Carrigtwohill, County Cork in 1925. One of five children, he was the son of a point-to-point jockey. Daly grew up next door to the Carrigtwohill Gaelic Athletic Association grounds, giving him a love of hurling from an early age. He later worked with the Electricity Supply Board in Midleton.

Playing career

Club

Daly played his club hurling with his local Carrigtwohill club. His first winners’ medal with the club was in the Junior B grade in 1941. He later won several East Cork junior titles with ‘Carrig’ as well as a county junior title in 1948. The following year Daly played a key role in helping Carrigtwohill win the county intermediate title.

Inter-county

Daly’s performances for his club brought him to the attention of the Cork inter-county team. He won an All-Ireland medal with the county’s junior team in 1947 and was later drafted into the senior squad in time for that year's All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. Daly came on as a substitute in the game, however, Cork lost by a point. It would be 1952 before he won his first Munster title, as Cork broke Tipperary’s provincial dominance. Daly later won his first senior All-Ireland medal following a win over Dublin.

In 1953 Daly captured his second Munster medal before later winning a second consecutive All-Ireland medal following a win over Galway in one of the dirtiest championship deciders ever played. 1954 was a special year for Cork’s hurlers as the team were aiming for a third All-Ireland victory in-a-row, while Christy Ring was hoping to become the first player to win eight All-Ireland medals. After a third Munster victory in-a-row Daly later captured his third All-Ireland medal in-a-row as Cork defeated Wexford. Two years later in 1956 he won his fourth provincial title, however, Cork were later beaten by Wexford in a classic All-Ireland final against Wexford.

In 1957 Daly’s side were beaten in their first championship outing by an up-and-coming Waterford team. The following year Daly and six other players were dropped from the senior hurling panel. In retirement he later served as a selector on victorious Cork teams in the 1970s.

Trivia

Daly is the last surviving member of the Cork team that beat Dublin to win the All-Ireland title in 1952. He recently captured an Intermediate championship with Carrigtohill starring at wing forward.

Teams