The death in Brisbane, Australia on Wednesday, 11 January of Mick Hughes at the age of 94 has severed the last remaining Tinryland link with the 1944 Carlow Leinster-championship winning squad.
Affectionately known as "Ding Dong", Mick figured on four championship-winning Tinryland teams during the club's golden era in the1940s playing alongside such Tinryland and Carlow legends as Peenie Whelan, John Doyle, Willie Hosey, Paddy Sullivan and Andy Murphy. Such was the strength of Tinryland during that era the club, with two guest players, representing Carlow defeated Cork in a challenge game two weeks before the rebel county won the Sam Maguire cup in 1945.
Reared in Ballincarrig; Mick Hughes attended Tinryland NS and was subsequently employed at Reddy's of Tullow St, Carlow. Two years after Tinryland won the last championship of that era in 1950 Mick emigrated to Australia where he finally settled in Brisbane and worked in the hotel and restaurant business. He always kept in contact with his lifelong friend Tommy Doyle, the long-serving Tinryland GFC officer, and in 1978 he paid his only visit back to these shores. On that occasion he was presented with some uncollected medals from Tinryland's golden era by Tommy Doyle and the late Pennie Whelan, who was Carlow's captain in 1944.
Hughes' passing leaves Ted Joyce of Borris as the last living member of the great Carlow team of 1944.

Courtesy of the Carlow Nationalist

24th January 2012 Tweet

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