Paddy Molloy - RIP

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The Biff
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Paddy Molloy - RIP

Post by The Biff »

Sad news that I came across that Paddy Molloy has passed away.
https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2020/0506/ ... lloy-dies/

I grew up in the Football end of Offaly so I was not aware of his reputation back then, and I never saw him play. But when an Offaly hurler can get on a Leinster Railway Cup team multiple times in the 60's, and clearly was more than competent at that level, that pays firm testament to his abilities.

Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.

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Bord na Mona man
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Re: Paddy Molloy - RIP

Post by Bord na Mona man »

I never saw him play but there is no doubt he was an exceptional player.
His misfortune was that he was around in era when Offaly weren't well organised off the field or disciplined on the field to make a real impact.

ryot
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Re: Paddy Molloy - RIP

Post by ryot »

RIP Paddy

Saw him in County Finals but memory has faded but the glorious June day in 1969 when completing a treble in Croke Park by dethroning All Ireland Champs. Wexford Paddy was magnificent...……

He was also a fine footballer and won a County Senior with Tullamore...….(allowed to play as Drumcullen did not have a football team that year or many other years !!!)

Plain of the Herbs
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Some Paddy Molloy headlines

Post by Plain of the Herbs »

I meant to post this before but never got the chance. My sympathy to his family on their loss.

1953
Senior debut in goals for Drumcullen in their 3-7 to 2-6 win over Tullamore. Doesn’t feature in the next game two months later when Drumcullen’s 4 in a row bid is ended at the semi-final stage by Rahan.

1954
Becomes Drumcullen’s regular goalkeeper and wins his first Senior championship following wins over Ballinamere, Rahan, Killeigh and Coolderry.

1955
Paddy’s goalkeeping form saw him make his Leinster championship debut between the sticks in a 2-3 to 2-11 defeat by Westmeath, the only time he lined out in goals for Offaly.

He was again Drumcullen’s regular goalkeeper, and they reached the final following wins over Birr and Coolderry. Tullamore eat them by a goal in the decider when Paddy was brought outfield in a bid to save the game.

1956
Paddy became a regular in Drumcullen’s half-back line, where he wins his second SHC at right half-back and scored 0-2 in the Final win over Coolderry.

1957
Offaly’s right half-back in the championship games against Laois, Westmeath and All-Ireland champions Wexford.

Again at right half-back as Drumcullen are completely dominant, winning the SHC with a 6-10 to 3-3 win over Birr, 4-4 to 2-2 semi-final win over Birr and a whopping 10-7 to 1-3 Final win over Shanon Rovers, who were appearing in their first final.

1958
Still suspended after the incident in Carlow Paddy describes in his Oral GAA interview, he missed Offaly’s Leinster championship.

He was still suspended for Drumcullen’s semi-final win over Rahan. He came back for the final (though he was only freed to play on the day before, and he had someone else carry his gear bag and hurl into St Brendan’s Park in a bid to convince the opposition he wouldn’t be playing) when he was right half-back in the 3-5 to 1-4 win over Coolderry.

1959
Restored to the Offaly team, Paddy was right half-back for Offaly’s win over Westmeath and defeat by Laois.

Drumcullen’s three in a row bid was thwarted by Tullamore at the semi-final stage.

1960
Again right half-back for Offaly, whose championship was ended with a 3-1 to 5-6 hammering by Westmeath.

Drumcullen reached the final with a win over Tullamore, and overcame Final newcomers Shinrone with a 4-11 to 4-10 win. Paddy’s long range freetaking came to the fore with 0-4 in the semi-final and 0-3 in the Final.

1961
And again Offaly’s right half-back for Offaly’s only championship outing, this time against Westmeath that Offaly lost 3-5 to 3-13.

Paddy was switched to centre half-back for 1961 when Drumcullen reached the final with wins over Tullamore and Kilcormac. There was no final, as Drumcullen conceded after their request for a postponement was denied.

1962
Paddy lined out at midfield for Offaly where he scored his first championship goal in Offaly’s 5-8 to 2-1 defeat by Laois.
Drumcullen again reached the Final with wins over Kilcormac and Ballyskenagh, but the team was ageing and they fell to a 1-5 to 2-12 defeat to Coolderry in which Paddy scored 0-3 from long range.

1963
Moved to centre half-forward, Paddy scored 2-0 for Offaly against Carlow, a match that was lost 5-5 to 3-7.

As the Spains and Dooleys who led Drumcullen throughout the 1950s finished up, Paddy was moved to attack from 1963 onwards. His scored 1-5 I the quarter-final win over Birr, 4-3 in the semi-final win over Ballyskenagh, but is held to 1-2 by Coolderry in the final where the south county men prevail by 4-7 to 3-4.

1964
Paddy scored 1-6 in Offaly’s 3-7 to 2-16 defeat by Westmeath.

He scored 2-5 in Drumcullen’s quarter-final defeat by eventual champions Tullamore. The rest of the Drumcullen team can manage only 0-1 between the rest of them, and Drumcullen’s 0-6 is no match for Tullamore’s 5-7.

1965
Though Offaly remain in the doldrums, it is a measure of Paddy’s stature that he is recognised by the Leinster selectors. He lines out at right half-back and Leinster win the Railway cup with a 3-11 to 0-9 win over Munster.

Offaly achieve their first Leinster championship win since 1957 when Paddy scored 2-7 in the 5-12 to 0-5 win over Carlow. Paddy again scored 2-7 the next day against Laois, but Laois advance with a 2-14 to 2-9 win.

The infamous match where referee Clem Foley was threatened with his life, the game was abandoned and awarded to Coolderry. I the previous round, Paddy scored 1-7 in Drumcullen’s 7-10 to 3-4 win over Edenderry.

1966
Midfield on the Leinster Railway cup team that went down by two points to Munster in the Final.

As Br Denis’ training begins to have an influence, Paddy scored 3-4 in the win over Westmeath and 1-4 when beating Carlow. This set up a Leinster semi-final crack at Kilkenny at Birr, where Paddy scored 0-5 as Offaly ran Kilkenny for long stages before the visitors pull away in the final quarter.

In scintillating scoring form, Paddy aggregated 5-26 as Drumcullen reached the Final. 0-11 in the first round win over champions St Rynagh’s, 2-6 in the quarter-final defeat of North Offaly and 0-6 in the semi-final win over South Offaly set up a rematch with the champions. But Drumcullen are no match for St Rynagh’s in that Final, and despite Paddy’s 3-3, Drumcullen fall to a 4-5 to 6-10 defeat.

1967
Left half-forward on the team that beat Munster 2-14 to 3-5 in the Railway cup final.

Paddy scored 2-5 in the infamous ‘battle of Birr’ when Offaly threw away their previous good progress when losing an ugly encounter by 5-10 to 4-8.

Paddy scored 0-4 in the 4-10 to 1-9 first round win over Coolderry, but Paddy’s 2-3 is not enough to stop a youthful KInnitty, and Drumcullen exit at the quarter-final stage by 2-7 to 3-6.

1968
Left corner-forward when Munster defeated Leinster 0-14 to 0-10 in the final.

Moved to the full-forward line, Paddy’s 0-8 helps Offaly to a 3-15 to 3-8 win over Westmeath. Later, Offaly run Kilkenny to four points when Paddy scored 0-4.

Match reports are sketchy here, but Paddy scored 3-2 against Tullamore. Drumcullen reached the semi-final where they are overturned by St Rynagh’s 2-3 to 1-10 with Paddy scoring 1-3.

1969
Paddy follows up his 5-4 against Laois with a 3-4 when dethroning All-Ireland champions Wexford. Paddy went on to score 0-8 in the Leinster final against Kilkenny, which wasn’t enough and Kilkenny won 3-9 to 0-16.

A scoring highlight was Paddy’s 3-5 from left corner-forward in a 5-15 to 2-5 win over Tullamore, but Drumcullen are restricted to 0-6 against St Rynagh’s with Paddy scoring 0-5 in a 0-6 to 0-12 defeat.

1970
Left corner-forward on the Leinster team beaten by Munster in the final. This time, Paddy is joined by Paddy Spellman and John Joe Healion on the Leinster team.

Paddy scored 1-3 in a 2-15 to 2-9 win over Laois, and 0-4 when Kilkenny again ended Offaly’s Leinster championship hopes.
Paddy scored 0-8 in Drumcullen’s 3-10 to 2-17 semi-final defeat by St Rynagh’s.

1971
Paddy brought the curtain down on his Offaly career, scoring 2-3 (his 24th and 25th Offaly goals) in the 2-6 to 2-14 defeat by Leinster champions Wexford.

Early round match reports not available, but Paddy scored 2-6 in a quarter-final win over Killeigh, but Drumcullen fall by a single point to Birr in the semi-final, losing out by 3-6 to 1-13 when Paddy scored 1-2.

1972
Match reports aren’t available for this year in which a first round win over Tullamore was followed up by a quarter-final defeat by Balyskenagh.

1973
Drumcullen reach the final for the last time. By then, Paddy was lining out in goals. They brought him outfield after 45 mins of the final, and though Paddy scored a point, Drumcullen were beaten 1-7 to 0-12 by St Rynagh’s.

1974
Again, match reports are sketchy, but from corner-forward Paddy scored 2-5 in a quarter-final win over Killeigh.

1975
Paddy had retired from Senior hurling at the start of 1975, but came out of retirement for a semi-final meeting with St Rynagh’s. Paddy scored 0-5 in a 2-9 each draw, and was Drumcullen’s only scorer in the replay that Drumcullen lost 0-7 to 5-9.

1976
Again, match reports are sketchy but it appears Paddy’s last game was at corner-forward in a semi-final defeat to St Rynagh’s.
Pat Donegan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

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Lone Shark
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Re: Paddy Molloy - RIP

Post by Lone Shark »

That's a phenomenal post, a great record of a great man.
Kevin Egan. Signed out of respect for players and all involved with Offaly.

ryot
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Re: Paddy Molloy - RIP

Post by ryot »

anything on his football with Tullamore...…….in the early sixties...……. Later on Drumcullen did field in Junior football and I played against them at least once. The game was in Birr and we scraped past them ( semi final I think) on our way to losing the County Final !!!!!!!!!!!

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Re: Paddy Molloy - RIP

Post by Tmacmahon »

Reading some of Paddy's exploits is great. clearly a brilliant player long before we made the breakthrough. a pioneer in offaly hurling. RIP

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Bord na Mona man
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Re: Paddy Molloy - RIP

Post by Bord na Mona man »

Going by that year-by-year schedule, Paddy didn't line out in the forwards for Offaly until he was 28. I wonder in hindsight was it an oversight to have him at wing back for so long when he had obvious scoring ability?

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