A tribute to the late Kildare GAA star Larry McCormack

The death of Larry McCormack, former Kilcock and Kildare footballer, occurred on July 27th 2023 in Leitrim Village, at the age of 91. His funeral Mass was held in St Mary’s Church in Carrick-on-Shannon on July 31st. Larry’s devotion to his beloved wife, Colette, his care for his family of Lorcan, Seán, Shona, Ciara, Aoife and the late Coleen, and all his grandchildren was justly highlighted at the ceremony.

Apart from his wife and family, it is as a footballer Larry will be remembered by the people of Kilcock and Kildare.

Larry was born in Borris, Co Carlow on January 24 th 1932, where his father, Larry Snr, served as a Garda, but later in the mid-1930s he was transferred to Kilcock. Young Larry first appears on the scene as a ten-year-old on a Kilcock CBS

Primary Schools’ football team, coached by Brothers O’Neill and Devlin. Kilcock were to win the Rural section of the Schools’ League, for the Art O’Connor Shield, in 1942, 1944 and 1945. In 1945 Kilcock also defeated Kildare Town, the Urban winners, to win the overall Primary Schools’ Championship. With Larry on the teams were such players as Paddy Gibbons, Morgan Foley, and Tommy Goulding, later to become team mates on Kilcock Senior teams.

As a result of his exploits at this level, Larry was selected on a Kildare Primary Pupils Inter County team to play Dublin in 1946. After Primary, Larry attended Knockbeg College, Carlow Secondary School, which was a hotbed for football.

By 1949 Larry was playing on the Kilcock junior team, their main adult team at the time. In 1950 Kilcock won the Kildare Junior A Championship by beating Monasterevin, then became outright champions by beating Johnstownbridge, the B Champions. Larry was now operating at centre forward.

Kilcock also won the Intermediate Football League of 1950. In 1951 there was a North Kildare team entered in the Kildare Senior Championship, an amalgamation of seven clubs, Kilcock had four players on the team, Davy Dalton, Noel Moran, Paddy Gibbons and Larry McCormack, who was described as “the babe of the team”. They lost the county final to Sarsfields after a fine performance.

Kilcock entered the Kildare Senior Football Championship in 1953, but it took until 1955 to reach the county final, against Sarsfields. The first day ended even, Kilcock 3-13 and Sarsfields 4-10. For the replay Larry had been moved from centre forward to full back to shore up a weak full back line. Larry was unbreakable in defence, Kilcock won by 0-9 to 1-4. Kilcock also won the 1953 Leinster Leader Cup, finally played in late 1955. Kilcock again won the county finals in 1957 and 1958, beating Round Towers on both occasions. In 1957 Larry, now the captain, scored the winning point. Again in 1958, against Round Towers, Larry was described in the report as “the brains of the side”. Kilcock won by 3-12 to 3-8.

Shortly afterwards Larry emigrated to the USA along with his great friend Noel Moran. Larry, at this stage was to marry Colette Eivers, sister of Galway star Frank Eivers. Larry continued to play football in New York, lining out with them in Croke Park, against All-Ireland Champions Down, for the St Brendan Cup in late 1960.

Larry and Colette returned to Ireland in 1962, when Larry resumed his football career with Kilcock and Kildare. In the Kildare Championship Kilcock progressed to the semifinal against Moorefield on September 16th. This was to be the beginning of a long bitter saga which did not conclude until April 21 st 1963, after four games.

These games had everything that was anathema to sportsmanship, too much needle, brawls, objections and counter objections after the second game. Again, in the third game there was too much needle with players being deliberately kicked.

Eventually a Kilcock player was sent to the line. However, veteran Larry McCormack’s surprising mobility and brainpower sprayed passes with pin point accuracy. Unfortunately, his fellow forwards were so poor they could not avail of them. Kilcock refused to play the fourth game in the closed season, so it was not replayed until 21 st April 1963. On this occasion Kilcock’s defence and midfield were not able to cope, so Larry was forced back repeatedly to help out. Moorefield went on to win by 2-8 to 1-4.

Kilcock’s power was now beginning to decline, and although they reached semifinals in 1963 and 1964, they failed to make further progress. “Larry always made openings galore but the finish from his colleagues was often too weak.” Larry played his last match as a senior club player on August 18 th 1968, when Kilcock lost heavily to Moorefield by 2-17 to 2-5. Larry scored one of the goals.

Kilcock went Intermediate in 1969 and Larry was persuaded to play on. They went on to defeat Athy in the Final by 1-5 to 0-7. This was to be Larry’s final game with Kilcock, the end of the road for probably Kilcock’s most stylish footballer ever.

Larry’s County representation began in 1949 when selected for the Kildare Minor team, and again in 1950. He was on the Kildare Junior football teams of 1951, 1952 and 1953. He was first picked for the Kildare Senior team for the National Football League of 1951, and again in 1952 and 1953. He made his County Championship debut against Carlow in 1954. It took three games to decide this contest. On the second day he scored the levelling point, and on the third day he scored a goal and point to win by 1-7 to 1-6. This was to start an inter county career which lasted up to 1958, when Larry emigrated to New York.

Larry’s most significant occasion in a Kildare jersey was the Leinster Senior Football title in 1956, beating Louth, Longford, Offaly and Wexford in the final. Larry played at centre back for that final, blotting out a succession of Wexford players. A feature about Larry was his versatility as a player. He could play full back, centre back, centre field, centre forward and full forward, and be a star in all positions. Probably his contemporary, the great Seán Purcell of Galway, was the only other player with such versatility. In the All-Ireland semifinal against Cork, Larry was switched to midfield near the end to try and salvage the game, but Kildare lost by 0-9 to 0-5.

The other great highlight of his inter county career was to captain Kildare in the National Football League final of 1958 against Dublin. Even though they led by 3-7 to 2-6 at half time, Kildare lost by 3-13 to 3-8 to a team which included such greats as Kevin Heffernan and Olly Freaney. Dublin also won the All-Ireland in 1958.

Larry’s other great achievements at this time were his appearances with Leinster in 1955, 1956 and 1957, when he was captain. In 1957 he also lined out for an All-Ireland team against the Combined Universities, many great stars of the 1950s on both sides.

When Larry returned from the USA in 1962, he had one final campaign with Kildare. His last County Championship game was against Offaly on July 1st in Croke Park. Kildare lost by 3-5 to 2-6. Larry played a few challenge games and O’Byrne Cup games for the rest of the year, before he called time on his inter county career.

In total it is estimated he played 58 times for Kildare.

In 1964 and 1965 Larry served as secretary of the Kilcock club. He also dabbled in hurling for a short while when hurling was revived in Kilcock in 1962, after a lapse of 23 years. We find Larry lining out at corner back in a challenge game against Moynalvey. His participation in hurling was short lived. I think he said himself on one occasion that having suffered a hurling injury medical advice was that the game was not for him.

Larry, Colette and their young family were to move to Leixlip, nearby. Larry continued his interest in GAA with his new community and was a mentor and coach to Leixlip teams, his two sons were now growing up as well. Larry also served as a county selector and manager in the 1970s. When his family had grown up and moved on, and when Larry had retired from work, he and Colette moved to settle between Rathangan and Allenwood – a very quiet and peaceful place.

Larry continued to follow Kildare and Kilcock. I met him in Navan, Tullamore and outside Croke Park after Kildare defeated Meath to win the 1998 Leinster Senior title. He was delighted that the baton had been finally passed on. Larry and Colette then moved to Leitrim in 2014 as two of their daughters had settled in that part of Ireland.

The last time I met Larry at a Kildare match was a year or two later when, on a visit back for the weekend, he attended a National Football League game in Newbridge against Clare.

I had the pleasure of visiting Larry and Colette in Leixlip, Rathangan and Leitrim Village. In fact, the last time we met was about six or seven years ago when my wife, Eithne, and I met Larry and Colette in Carrick-on-Shannon and we spent a most enjoyable day with them. Larry would always talk about the game of football, and he loved to reminisce and recall the years he played with Kilcock and Kildare, but always very humble about his own achievements.

Kilcock produced many great players since the founding of the GAA.

Christopher Rochford was the first Kilcock player to play for Kildare in 1896; Tommy Kelly was on the first Kildare team to win the All-Ireland Senior football crown in 1905; James ‘Ginger’ Moran, Kit Flynn, George Magan and Joe Connor of the 1919 All-Ireland winning team; the quartet of Davy Dalton Snr, Noel Moran, Paddy Gibbons and Larry McCormack of the 1956 Kildare team; All-Star Davy Dalton Jnr of the 1980s and 1990s; and finally Shane Farrell, who captained Kildare to win the 2023 All-Ireland U-20 title. However, I think it can be safely said that Larry McCormack was the prince among all these.

Anois, tá an Prionnsa ar lár ach beidh cuimhne go deo ag Gaeil Chill Choca agus ag Gaeil Chill Dara air. Arís fíor comhbhrón dá bhean cheile, Colette, agus dá chlann uilig. Solas na bhFlaitheas dá anam uasal.

To conclude, it is fitting to quote lines written by Bríd Dáibhís, an tSíur Fionntan, written after Kilcock won the Kildare 1958 Senior Football final against Round Towers:

“And in between was Larry

The star we’ll ne’er forget

For every time he got the ball

He sunk it in the net.

This engineer of many a score

My pencil couldn’t praise

But history will see to that

And pen the worthy phrase.”

Slán, Larry