The greatest hurler ever

Time Line

Ni bheidh a leitheid aris ann is a phrase often used after a funeral when praising the recently departed and is indeed true as each person is unique in themselves.

When Jack Lynch spoke at the graveside of the late Christy Ring he said, “As long as hurling is played, the story of Christy Ring will be told. And that will be forever.”
Ring is indeed immortal. He was selected on the team of the century, the team of the millennium and has featured on stamps. In 1959, at the age of 39, he was named Caltex Hurler of the Year.
A native of Cloyne, he played minor hurling with Middleton and first played for the Cork underage team at wing-back.
In the All-Ireland Final of that year Cork were leading Dublin by two points with a few minutes left.When they got a 21-yard free, Ring went up the field, took the ball from the designated free taker, buried it in the net and ensured Cork’s victory.
He won a junior championship with Cloyne that same year but had a falling out with the club chairman.
As a result, himself and his brothers left the club and while he played in his first Munster senior final in 1940, he did not play any club hurling that year. He moved to Glen Rovers in the city with whom he won 14 Cork senior hurling titles.
His first was the last of the great Glen eight in-a-row in 1941 and he won his last 23 years later in 1964. He retired from club hurling during the course of the 1967 campaign after a quarter-final victory over UCC.
Had he continued a few more weeks he would have added to his total as the Glen beat the Barrs in that year final. He also won a Cork senior football medal with St Nicholas, the sister club of Glen Rovers.
Ring won eight All-Ireland medals with Cork, a minor All-Ireland, four national leagues, 10 Munster championships and a record 18 Railway Cup medals.
It is said that his appearance alone would add 10,000 to the attendance at a Railway Cup match. Wexford foiled his attempt for a record ninth medal when the great Art Foley made a famous save from Ring himself.
When the ball was cleared downfield and Nicky Rackard scored to clinch the title for Wexford, Ring is said to have gone in to the goals and shaken hands with Foley because of his save. There were moves to have him play in the 1966 final but they came to naught.
In the course of his career, Ring was one of only three men to captain All-Ireland-winning teams three times and as a selector he figured with the three in-a-row team of 1976, 77 and 78.
Christy Ring died of a heart attack at the age of 58. At his funeral, one of his old teammates remarked that it was the first time they ever had to carry Ring.
Christy Ring, one of the greats and a man who will be remembered whenever hurling is discussed died on March 2, 1979 – 31 years ago this week.