Hurling giving great lift to Offaly folk hero who has met serious health ordeal head on
Supporters rallying behind improving Offaly
OFFALY hurlers got a tantalising taste of what their success means to people at their final Leinster Senior Hurling Championship group game in Newbridge on Sunday afternoon.
As Offaly coasted to a very easy 1-29 to 0-15 win, Dublin's great victory over Kilkenny a few miles up the road in Parnell Park ensured qualification for the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship quarter-finals.
Defeat is likely to be their lot there against the beaten Munster finalists but even if that happens, this young squad have taken enormous strides forward this year, grown into themselves as senior county hurlers.
They may have needed a favour from Dublin but Offaly have secured third place entirely on merit. Draws with Dublin and Kilkenny, victories over Wexford and Kildare represents heart warming progress from where a few of these players were just a short few years ago – as they trudged off the field in Newry after a penalty shootout loss to Down in the Christy Ring Cup semi-final.
They have made steady, incremental steps forward every year since then. Everything was in the right order, at the right time as they won the Christy Ring Cup in 2021, the Joe McDonagh Cup in 2024 and held onto their senior status in 2025.
Now they have taken another massive leap by finishing in the top three and qualifying. Munster may be out well ahead of Leinster at the moment but Offaly's first task was to compete in their own province. They are now doing that and the next challenge will be to emerge as All-Ireland contenders once again. That will be their toughest one yet but Offaly's performances have brought pride and joy to many.
The younger players on the side have experienced mass hype during their underage days, culminating in All-Ireland U20 glory in 2024. Sunday's atmosphere did not match those never to be forgotten days but it was still a special occasion, a blast from the past as supporters travelled in droves – they knew that their fate wasn't in their own hands but it was still a way of saying thanks to the players and management.
There was over 5,000 people at the refurbished St Conleth's Park, the biggest by far at a hurling game there and well over 90% of them from Offaly. The scenes as crowds milled around pubs and restaurants long after the game was over, enjoyed the splendid weather was a throw back to the 1980s and 1990s, albeit minus the same optimism that All-Ireland honours can be won.
There was a crescendo of noise and cheers at the game as supporters got behind Offaly, many of them young, savouring their taste of what older generations took for granted a couple of decades ago, plus.
That was the support in its obvious guise but there was a hidden element that would have slipped below the radar of the players. They can see what their form means to young people as they sign autographs and look for pictures. There is a whole older generation who will never ask a player to sign a programme or pose for a picture with them but their progress has touched them in a profound, deeply meaningful way.
There were people there who hurled for Offaly back in the 1960s and '70s, heroes with All-Ireland medals and All-Stars from the 1980s and '90s that the young guns have yet to emulate. Offaly's return to the top table means everything to them and it was emotional to observe the satisfaction so many of them have been getting this year.
One of those is Joachim Kelly, a fantastic county midfielder from the 1970s into the 1990s. He was there as Offaly began their climb out of the gutter from the mid 1970s. He was in outstanding form as Offaly won All-Ireland senior hurling in 1981 and 1985, Leinster senior hurling titles in 1980, '81, '84, '85, '88, '89 and '90; All Stars in 1980 and 1984. A powerful, strong running midfielder, a real leader, he hung on as long as he could, helping an unique array of young talent blend into county senior hurling until 1993, when he finally called it a day – just a year before Offaly won their third All-Ireland in 1994.
A retired garda instructor from their training college in Templemore, his passion for Offaly hurling continues to burn brightly and his pride was obvious as he mingled with supporters and players on the pitch afterwards.
The success story is particularly sweet for Joachim Kelly as he is getting a second chance of life after getting stem cell replacement therapy a year and a half ago,
“It is fantastic to see and anything is possible for these players,” he beamed as he saluted them for bringing Offaly hurling back to a place that many thought wouldn't be seen again.
“It is great to see days like this and the players can see what it means to people. I hope it gives them the impetus to keep driving and pushing for success. They can be so proud of what they are doing,” he added.
A teak tough hurler, one of the great images of Offaly hurling was him appearing on the steps of the Hogan Stand as Padraig Horan lifted the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship for the first time in 1980 with his head bandaged and bloodied after he had to go off following a nasty knock in the second half of the win over Kilkenny.
His health battle started a few years ago when he was diagnosed with a blood cancer, culminating in that stem cell replacement. He admits that the recovery from this was “tough” but he brought the same positivity and drive to the fight that was his hallmark on the hurling fields. He is grateful to the young donor and family who facilitated his road to recovery and remarked that he is now going very well, enjoying every day of life.
And hurling has given him a great lift as he continues to live life fully. He was getting back out and about when he saw his own beloved club Lusmagh return to the top flight when beating Carrig-Riverstown in the Senior “B” Hurling Championship final last October and the sight of him smiling with pride in the stand as the players greeted him was a deeply moving one.
Kelly had been the star player when Lusmagh won their first and only Leinster Senior Hurling Championship back in 1989. A prolific trainer of club and county teams after his own playing career ended, including Offaly, he talked with pride about what it meant to see Lusmagh return to senior hurling.
He made a staggering 171 competitive league and championship appearances for Offaly from 1974 to 1993. None of the current crop will touch that figure but Kelly is so happy with what they are doing and hopefully they will take inspiration from what their performances mean to men like this.