Seán Óg Sheehy (24 May 1939 – 31 May 2024) was an Irish Gaelic footballer. At club level he played with John Mitchels and at inter-county level with the Kerry senior football team. Sheehy captained Kerry to the All-Ireland SFC title in 1962.

Seán Óg Sheehy
Personal information
Irish name Seán Óg Mac Síthigh
Sport Gaelic football
Position Left wing-back
Born 24 May 1939
Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland
Died 31 May 2024(2024-05-31) (aged 85)
Tralee, County Kerry, Ireland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)
Occupation Teacher
Club(s)
Years Club
John Mitchels
Club titles
Kerry titles 6
Colleges(s)
Years College
University College Cork
University College Dublin
College titles
Sigerson titles 0
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
1961–1963
Kerry 7 (1–00)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles 2
All-Irelands 1
NHL 1

Early life

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Born and raised in Tralee, County Kerry, his father, John Joe Sheehy, was a four-time All-Ireland SFC-winner and two-time winning captain with Kerry.[1][2] Sheehy first played Gaelic football as a schoolboy with Tralee CBS and was a Munster Colleges runner-up in 1956. He later played with University College Cork and University College Dublin and was a Sigerson Cup runner-up in 1960.

Club career

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Sheehy began his club career at juvenile and underage levels with the John Mitchels club in Tralee. He eventually progressed to adult level and won his first Kerry SFC after a 3-09 to 1-10 defeat of Feale Rangers in the 1959 final replay. It was the first of a record-setting five successive Kerry SFC titles for John Mitchels, with Sheehy lining out in all five triumphs.[3]

During those early successes, he also lined out with University College Cork and won a Cork SFC medal after a defeat of Avondhu in the 1960 final.[4] Sheehy claimed a sixth Kerry SFC title in 1966 after beating East Kerry by 2-10 to 1-10 in that year's final.[5]

Inter-county career

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Sheehy began his inter-county career with Kerry as a member of the minor hurling team in 1957. He made his debut with the Kerry senior football team in 0-12 to 0-06 defeat of Kildare in the National Football League in November 1961. A brief spell with the junior team was followed by being made captain of the senior team in 1962.[6] Sheehy won his first Munster SFC medal after a defeat of Cork that year before captaining Kerry to the All-Ireland SFC title after a 1-12 to 1-06 defeat of Roscommon in the final. His brothers, Niall and Paudie, were also on the team.[7]

Sheehy captained Kerry to a one-point defeat of Down in the 1963 National League home final. He claimed a second successive Munster SFC medal later that season, however, he subsequently lost his place on the starting fifteen.[8] Sheehy came on a substitute in the 1963 All-Ireland semi-final defeat by Galway in what was his last game for the senior team. He returned to the junior team and ended his inter-county career by claiming a Munster JFC medal in 1965.[9]

Death

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Sheehy died in Tralee on 31 May 2024, at the age of 85.[10]

Honours

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John Mitchels
University College Cork
Kerry

References

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  1. ^ "'Champions of the World': Unbeaten Kerry's first golden years". Irish Examiner. 17 March 2017. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  2. ^ "The Sheehys - brothers with a football pedigree belonging to the purebred class". Terrace Talk. 19 May 2015. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  3. ^ "About club". Joh Mitchels GAA website. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Club Titles - Cork". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 24 December 2019.
  5. ^ "Club Titles - Kerry". Hogan Stand. Retrieved 23 December 2022.
  6. ^ "Sean Óg Sheehy". Irish Indepdendent. 12 January 2011. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  7. ^ "ARCHIVES: Roscommon's reason to remember the Sheehys". The Kerryman. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  8. ^ "Senior football". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  9. ^ "Junior football". Munster GAA website. Retrieved 1 June 2024.
  10. ^ "The death has occurred of Sean Óg Sheehy". rip.ie. 31 May 2024. Retrieved 1 June 2024.