Kerry football legend Mick O’Dwyer has today been inducted into the GAA Hall of Fame. O’Dwyer is one of four former players inducted to the hall of fame, with hurlers Pat McGrath of Waterford and Noel Skehan of Kilkenny and Sligo footballer Michael Kerins also inducted.
Liam O’Neill, GAA President, said: “It is a great honour to welcome these four outstanding GAA ambassadors into our Museum Hall of Fame and it is difficult to think of more fitting men for the award.
“These four individuals illuminated their respective codes, setting consistently sky high standards that thrilled crowds and highlighted the great attributes of our games.
“I congratulate Mick, Noel, Micheál and Pat and of course their families and I hope this acknowledgement helps shine a light on their efforts over many years to generations who were not lucky enough to witness firsthand the skills they brought to bear on the game.”
O’Dwyer receives the honour following his January retirement announcement at the end of a 60 year spell of involvement with the GAA.
A highly successful playing career saw O’Dwyer win four All-Ireland football titles and seven league medals with Kerry, between 1957 and 1974. However, it was as a manager that he truly made his indelible mark on the game. Over the course of over 40 years he managed Kerry, Laois, Kildare, Wicklow and Clare.
Perhaps his most memorable achievement was managing the great Kerry team of the 1970s and 80s that won eight All-Irelands, including an incredible four in a row.
He was not restrained to success with the Kingdom, however, and two Leinster titles follows with Kildare, in 1998 and 2000. He repeated the feat with Laois in 2003, bringing the county its first Provincial crown since 1946.
By the end of his career, O’Dwyer had amassed 12 All-Ireland, 25 provincial titles and 10 National League titles as a player and manager.
Noel Skehan played senior inter-county hurling with Kilkenny for over two decades, between 1963 and 1985. He won nine All-Ireland senior titles, eight Leinster titles, three National Hurling Leagues and four Railway Cups with Leinster.
The former goalkeeper held the record for All-Ireland medals, at nine, until Henry Shefflin equalled it in 2012.
Kearins was a prolific scorer for Sligo, and a groundbreaking talent for the county. During his inter-county career, spanning 18 years between 1961-78 Micheál scored 36 goals and 1,158 points in 215 games for Sligo.
He was Sligo’s first All-Star when selected for the honour in 1971.
Pat McGrath was a star of Waterford hurling between 1970 and 1986, and also a stalwart of Mount Sion, winning seven Waterford senior championships.
