Sean "Goggie" Delaney (1949 – 12 April 2004) was a Gaelic games sportsman from County Laois, Ireland.[1]
Delaney was an inter-county goalkeeper and corner-forward with Laois GAA, and a senior goalkeeper with Portlaoise GAA hurlers. He was also a League of Ireland footballer with Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and St. Patrick's Athletic.[1]
Later in his career as a manager to the Laois ladies' Gaelic football team, he guided the county to its first All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship title in 2001.[1]
Early life edit
The son of Morgan and Mai Delaney, Delaney spent his early years in Portlaoise and attended St Mary's CBS where he won a number of underage titles.[2]
With the Portlaoise hurlers, he won Laois Minor Hurling Championship titles in 1964 and 1965, and at 17 played in the Laois Junior Hurling Championship decider defeating Camross in 1965.[2][3] He was in goal for Laois in 1966 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final, a match which Laois lost to Down.[2]
As a soccer player, Delaney was a free kick specialist. On his debut for Shamrock Rovers, he scored twice, once from a free kick. Upon scoring he was reputed to have turned to the crowd and said "If you want to see another one like that, I'm in Portlaoise next Sunday at 3 o' clock".[2]
Senior GAA career edit
Delaney was selected as the number one goalkeeper for Portlaoise GAA club, and he was in this position for the club's four-in-a-row campaign from 1981 to 1984.[2]
He also played club hurling with Park–Ratheniska where he won a Laois Junior Hurling Championship title in 1971 and a Laois Intermediate Hurling Championship in 1977.[citation needed]
He played senior football with Stradbally GAA, and won a Division One league medal with the club.[2]
At the end of his playing career, he turned to coaching, and coached football, hurling, camogie and ladies football teams at several County Laois clubs.[2][4]
Family and later life edit
His father Morgan played on the Laois team that won the 1946 Leinster Senior Football Championship title, and in 2003 his son Damien Delaney lined out on the team which regained the Leinster Senior Football Championship title - after a gap of 57 years.[1]
Delaney died suddenly in 2004, aged 55.[2]
Notes edit
- ^ a b c d "Sport - GAA - Around the Counties". Independent News & Media. 14 April 2004.
[Delaney]'s father Morgan was on the Laois team that won the Leinster title in 1946, while his son Damien was on the team that bridged a 57 year gap last year [..] He played senior football for Laois and League of Ireland soccer for Shamrock Rovers, Shelbourne and Bohemians in the 1970s before going on to win five Laois SHC titles, playing in goal with Portlaoise in the 1980s [..] He also managed the Laois ladies to the All-Ireland title in 2001
- ^ a b c d e f g h "Delaney, Sean". HoganStand.com. 30 April 2004.
- ^ "History of Camross GAA Club - 1903-1997". Gerdooley.com. Retrieved 9 October 2018.
- ^ "Ladies Gaelic Football Association - History by County - Laois". Ladiesgaelic.ie. Archived from the original on 11 July 2012.
Sean Delaney [..] had been with the Laois ladies since the beginning of 2001. He trained the minor, junior and senior teams [..with..] plenty of experience in training and coaching in previous years. He trained the Laois senior team of [19]93 and [19]94 and was involved with club teams also. He is a native of Stradbally and [..] a noted footballer for Steadbally and Co Laois. He played hurling and was a noted goalkeeper with Ratheniska and Portlaois and won 6 senior county hurling championships with Portlaoise