Seamus Looney's Magnificant Medal Haul Cork is very much the county of the famous dual star. No other county has furnished the G.A.A. with so many successful participants of both codes. Since Tom Irwin got the ball rolling with a Munster Senior Hurling medal in 1892 and added to it with Munster football medals in 1893,1894 and 1899, the list of Corkmen who have collected provincial Senior souvenirs in both hurling and football has steadily grown longer .. and longer! The most recent addition to this Hall of Fame was Erin's Own stalwart Brian Corcoran who claimed a Munster hurling in '92 and a Munster football in '93. The list is now 22-strong and Corcoran finds himself in the esteemed company of such Rebel County legends as Billy Mackessy, Jack Lynch, Ray Cummins, Brian Murphy, Jimmy Barry-Murphy, Teddy McCarthy and Seamus Looney. During the course of a relatively short but successful career, Dr Seamus Looney attracted medals like a magnet - St Finbarr's clubman amassing an incredible total of TEN All-Ireland medals at various levels between 1967 and 1975! Seamus Looney began his playing career at underage level with the famous Cork city dual club, St Finbarr's, and broke into the adult team in 1968. True to form, success came quickly and Seamus garnered a county hurling medal in his very first year of Senior fare (1968) with the 'Barrs, lining out at right half back. For the next five years, the former Cork dual star represented UCC in both codes at Senior Championship level - medals simply continued to flood in! With UCC he won two Senior county football titles (in 1969 and '73) and a Senior hurling Championship souvenir in 1970. Ironically, he helped UCC defeat the 'Barrs in the 1969 Championship quarter-final! Seamus is proud holder of more than one incredible record - in each year between 1968 and '74 inclusive he appeared in a Senior county final in either football or hurling, including both deciders in 1969! In 1974 Looney returned to his native Southside Cork city club and immediately helped them to another Cork Senior hurling Championship. His return was a welcome one - the 'Barrs had won very little between '68 and '74 while he was with UCC! A further county football title was secured in 1976! When Seamus Looney won his first county hurling medal with St Finbarrs in 1968, he lined out as a half back - but by the time he took his second such honour with the 'Barrs six years later he had moved to the forty. The Cork kingpins went on to win the 1975 All-Ireland Club Championship, defeating The Fenians from Kilkenny on a scoreline of 3-8 to 1-6 at Croke Park on March 16th. Seamus played on the edge of the square with a young man called Jimmy Barry - Murphy directly in front of him on the forty. Former Rebel County dual star Seamus Looney won his first of ten All Ireland medals in 1967 when he was right corner back on the Cork side which resoundingly defeated Laois by 5-14 to 2-3 to clinch the All-Ireland Minor football crown. The St. Finbarrs man was involved again (at left full) the following year as Cork beat Sligo 3-5 to 1-10 to retain their title. In '68 he was also on the Cork hurling team which won the Munster Minor Championship only to lose out to Wexford by three points in the All-Ireland decider. In '68 Seamus was also busy on the colleges scene and collected Munster Senior football and hurling medals with Colaiste Chriost Ri defeated Belcamp OMI from Dublin by 3-11 to 1-10 to take the All-Ireland title but were unfortunate to lose out to St Peters of Wexford after a replay in the hurling decider. For Seamus Looney, more than any other, that was probably the one that got away. Looney was a dual county Under 21 star for three years - 1969, '70 and '71 - ands his record at this level is nothing short than astonishing. Two All-Ireland football medals, and three All-Ireland hurling medals! Cork defeated Wexford in the three All-Ireland Under 21 hurling finals of 1969, '70 (after a replay) and '71 on scorelines of 5-13 to 4-7, 5-17 to 0-8, and 7-8 to 1-11 respectively, Seamus lining out at wing back in the first final and midfield in the next two. Munster Under 21 football titles were also garnered by the St. Finbarrs (then UCC!) clubman in all three years and were subsequently added to by All-Ireland crowns in 1970 and '71, Fermanagh the beaten finalists on both occasions. In 1971 Seamus Looney had the undoubted honour of becoming only the second man to captain the Rebel County to an All-Ireland Under 21 Championship. In 1970 Seamus collected his only Senior inter-county All-Ireland medal, donning the no 9 jersey as the Rebels overcame Wexford by 6-21 to 5-10 in the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final. Two years later he was back at Croke Park for All- Ireland hurling final day but this time left empty-handed courtesy of a 3-24 to 5-11 defeat inflicted by Kilkenny. The closest Seamus ever came to a Senior All-Ireland football title was in 1971 when he was a member of the Cork side which took the Munster Ireland champions Offaly by 1-16 to 1-11 in the semi-final. In all Seamus was on the Senior county hurling panel between 1969 and '72 and the football panel in '71, '72 and again in '77. Considering how short his inter-county career was, Seamus Looney's medal haul is enormous. Had he not given the game up so young, he could well have been as famous as the likes of Jack Lynch and Jimmy Barry-Murphy. On his decision to call it a day, he reflects: "By the time I was 23 I was sick of hurling and football. I was playing Under 21 and Senior in both codes at club and county level for years and had already played more games than most people do in an entire career." A Harty Cup winner in 1968 when Limerick CBS (with the likes of Pat Hartigan on board) were beaten in the final and subsequently denied the five-in-a-row, Seamus Looney won two Fitzgibbon and three Sigerson Cup medals with UCC. Seamus Looney qualified from UCC in 1974 and after training for a while in local hospitals, began his own practice in 1980. Now a General Practitioner with two practices in Bandon Road and Douglas, he has been club doctor with the 'Barrs for the past dozen years. Winner of three National hurling League medals in '69, '70 (in New York) and '72 Seamus has great memories from his GAA days fond recollection of game played, competitions won and friends made. "I had a number of great friends from all the different teams we played against. I travelled the length and breath of the country, captained Cork in the Wembley tournament and had the pleasure of walking up the steps to collect the Cup". Delighted to have rubbed shoulders with the likes of Ray Cummins, Con Roche and Willie Walsh in hurling and to have shared a pitch with footballers of the calibre of John Egan, Kevin Kilmurray and Babs Keating, Seamus Looney spent most of his career at corner back, but won his Senior All-Ireland from the midfield berth. The Cork city man has given years of service to Cork GAA and hopes to see the Rebels clinching another Senior All-Ireland of some description soon. "I think the football is going through a little transition stage now and they are in the process of rebuilding which may take a couple of years to get right. The hurlers could be more dangerous but it may also take them a year or two before they will be ready to take All-Ireland titles," notes the Corkman who knows all there is to know about winning All-Ireland medals! Sure hasn't he ten of them himself! Written by the Hogan Stand Magazine. 25th Nov 1994 Tweet

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