Free Brothers in Sport by Donal Keenan Page A

Dooleys, Connors, Coughlans and Mulrooneys were just some of the families that lived side by side and played hurling almost every day. Kevin Kinahan was another neighbour. As a group they became a powerful force in Offaly hurling, breaking through in the 1980s to challenge the traditionally strong clubs of Lusmagh, Kinnity, Birr, Coolderry and St Rynagh’s that had dominated Offaly for the previous two decades.
    When the Offaly county team embarked on the historic journey to its first All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in 1981, the stylish full back was Eugene Coughlan from Seir Kieran. Seven months later, in April 1982, Joe Dooley was handed the Offaly senior jersey for the first time. Thus began a Dooley presence on the Offaly hurling team that continues today in the form of Joe’s son Shane.
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    ‘Sure I was only a kid when Joe started playing for Offaly, he’s a lot older than me,’ jokes Johnny. But he clearly recalls those early days following Joe’s progress with the county and becoming a regular in the Offaly forward line for the 1984 Championship. It was the centenary year of the GAA and the All-Ireland hurling final was switched from the traditional setting of Croke Park to Semple Stadium in Thurles, the town in which the association was founded 100 years previously.
    Offaly’s breakthrough in 1981 had proven to be a huge inspiration to the young hurlers of the county. Men like Damien Martin, Pat Delaney, Ger Coughlan, Joachim Kelly, Mark Corrigan, Pat Carroll, Pádraig Horan and Johnny Flaherty were not just local heroes, but national heroes. To have big brother Joe playing alongside these hurling giants had a massive impact on the younger Dooleys.
    Johnny and Billy were among the large family contingent that travelled to Thurles on the sunny first Sunday of September 1984 when Offaly contested the All-Ireland final against Cork. The sense of anticipation was heightened by Offaly’s form in the semi-final when they had beaten Galway by fourteen points. But that form deserted them. ‘It was a huge disappointment,’ recalls Johnny. The story, however, was only beginning.
    By 1985 it became clear to the outside world that something special was happening in Offaly hurling. The team that had failed to perform in the centenary year final, retained its Leinster title and reached another All-Ireland final where Galway provided the opposition. Joe lined out at left full forward alongside Pat Cleary and Pádraig Horan – a powerful line that made a major contribution to Offaly’s 2–11 to 1–12 victory.
    Earlier in the year Birr Community College, with Billy Dooley in the attack, won the first of two consecutive Leinster Colleges titles. A year later they went one better and won the 1986 All-Ireland title, beating the famous Cork hurling nursery, North Monastery (or North Mon for short). Billy was also a member of the Offaly minor team that won the county’s first ever All-Ireland title at that grade in the same year. The roller coaster was gaining momentum. ‘For Offaly to come back after the setback of 1984 and win the 1985 final was very important,’ says Johnny. ‘There was a lot happening at under-age level and in the Community College, so the All-Ireland win gave it another boost.’
    Johnny’s own career in the Offaly colours began in 1987 when, as a fifteen-year-old, he joined Billy as a member of the minor squad. It was a group of young hurlers brimming with talent – John Troy, Brian Whelahan, Brian Hennessy, Joe Errity, Adrian Cahill, Johnny Pilkington and Declan Pilkington would share dressing-rooms together for the best part of a decade. They beat a Tipperary team in the All-Ireland final that included Liam Sheedy, Conal Bonnar, Michael Ryan and John Leahy.
    It was a defining period for Offaly hurling, according to Johnny. ‘We had an abundance of talent in the county at the time and a major talking point was about who would go on and make it to the next level. You were always