Mick was ‘first man to score in a live televised GAA match’
“The first man to score in a live televised GAA match,” Mick Kennedy will forever be remembered by Faughs GAA after nearly 70 years with the club.
Mick, a Tipperary native and passionate hurling player who moved to Dublin in the mid-1950s, passed away on January 9 at the age of 89.
When he joined Faughs GAA in 1957, he already held a regional Minor Hurling medal and an All-Ireland trophy won with Tipperary.
It was while playing for Leinster that he became the first to score in a televised hurling match, the Leinster-Munster Railway Cup aired in 1962 on Telefís Eireann, a distinction he would always talk about to the young generations of Faughs.
With his adoptive club he went on to win three Dublin Senior Hurling Championships in 1970, 1972 and 1973, after ironically losing out to Tipperary by one point in 1961.
When his playing days were over, Mick maintained his interest in all things hurling and went on to become a selector, for Faughs and for the Dublin Senior team, an administrator at Faughs and eventually Club President for one term.
His impact, however, went well beyond the game itself, as he “was never far from the pitch,” and would always “stand in corner forward,” at Faughs matches, said Karol O’Brien from the club.
“Mick would never let his beloved Faughs down,” Karol went on, not even “on many a cold wintery Sunday morning when men of youth struggled to get out of bed.”
However, “To just ‘stand in’ wouldn’t be in Mick’s nature and as soon as the ball would be thrown in, he would be pulling hard and often.”
Faughs GAA still have on record Mick togging out for the Faughs Senior Hurlers in a game against Cuala in Dalkey, at the age of 64, and scoring two points.
“Off the field, Mick worked for John O’Malley’s clubhouse team for functions every weekend, usually as door man but would occasionally step in behind the bar when a busy period arrived,” explained Karol, highlighting how everyone involved easily became fond of him.
“Following an illustrious career Mick was always happy to sit down and regale his captivated listeners with a yarn or two about the ‘Good Old Days’ and how hurling was played back in the day.
“He was an accomplished footballer too and played for Dublin’s Kickhams.”
For Mick, Faughs was a “family affair”, said Karol, as his wife Kitty was also involved in the club’s social scene and their sons Tom, Micheál, Paul and Liam all played hurling with Faughs through the years and adding up more titles to the family collection.
Mick will be deeply missed by Kitty, their four sons, their daughter Helen, and their 15 grandchildren.
