John Leahy

John Leahy was born in Lixnaw, Kerry in 1927 and played hurling for the local club, Lixnaw, until he emigrated to New York in the late 1940s. The interview covers the role of the GAA in Lixnaw, which was dominated by hurling rather than football. The clothing and equipment used by players and the difficulty in acquiring hurleys, and the fields and facilities available in the 1930s and 1940s are discussed. The role of local politics, the Pioneers, teachers and the clergy within the GAA are also covered. Training and styles of play are discussed, as are the toughness of the game and injuries and treatment. The ban on foreign games and the role of the radio are covered, as is travel to see Kerry teams play. The shortages caused by the Emergency are also discussed. Emigration and the Irish experience in New York from the late 1940’s onwards are key themes and the pitch and social life at Gaelic Park are discussed, as is John Kerry O’Donnell, who was a close friend of the interviewee. The social life and special place of the Pioneers and clergy in GAA in New York are also covered. The Clare Hurling Club in New York and the style and high-standard of hurling in New York in the 1950s are discussed with special reference to the 1958 hurling team, which Leahy was a selector on. The relationship between the GAA in Dublin and that in New York are also covered. The interviewee was drafted into the US Army and served in Korea and his continued involvement in the GAA during this period is dealt with, as is the emigrant’s ability to stay in touch with the GAA in Ireland, and trips home to see the All-Ireland. The changes to the GAA in New York since the 1950s and the role of Irish Americans and youths in the game are also discussed, and the example given by Chicago and Boston. The bringing of players out from Ireland is also mentioned and the interviewee tells a number of interesting stories about GAA figures including a American football kicking contest for Mick O’Connell, and the incident where Brendan Tumulty punched Australian Rules star Ron Barrasi.