Jim, who passed to his eternal reward aged 93 at Mullingar General Hospital on February 1 last, was regarded as one of the finest players ever to grace the hurling fields of Westmeath. A native of Ballingarry, Co. Tipperary, he came to work in The Friary, Multyfarnham in the late 1940s. He was in his hurling prime at the time and joined Cullion, who he captained to a junior championship in 1951.

Jim subsequently transferred to the old Collinstown club and went on to play for them in a number of senior championship finals. They lost the 1953 final to Delvin after a replay by a point (Jim scored four points in that game), and were beaten again by a single point after a replay by Rickardstown in the 1954 final. It was a case of third time lucky in '55 when Collinstown were victorious over Castletown-Geoghegan in the county final. He also played in the 1957 decider which saw Castletown turn the tables.

A physically strong and stylish hurler, Aylward was equally at home in defence or centre-field. He first lined out for Westmeath in 1950 at junior level and would wear the maroon jersey with distinction over the next seven years. He was part of the team that won the An Mean Corm Iomana tournament in 1952, which culminated in a Croke Park victory over Kerry.

In 1955, he was full back on the Westmeath team that beat Offaly and Laois in the Leinster senior championship before losing to All-Ireland champions-elect Wexford in the semi-final. Jim acquitted himself well against the legendary Nicky Rackard in that game at Croke Park. 

Former Westmeath hurling board chairman and Cullion stalwart Mick Power was a great admirer of Aylward and is convinced he would have won All-Irelands with Tipperary if circumstances had been different.

"Jim could have been winning All-Ireland titles with the three-in-a-row Tipperary side from 1949 to 1951, as after coming here, he was invited in '49 to travel down to their first round Munster championship game by the county secretary, and they said they'd pay his expenses, but he decided not to go, and so ended up playing his hurling in Westmeath," Mick explained.

Jim went on to work in Dublin in the late 1950s, but his hurling prowess has never been forgotten in Westmeath. He was also a noted footballer and played on the Multyfarnham team which won the junior championship in 1956.