Déíse hurling legends recall playing for Kilkenny against Wexford in New York in the '70s
Dave 'Dob' Long and Frankie 'Horse' Whelan reading over press cuttings from their heyday
Two former legends of Waterford hurling recalled a time in the 70s when they donned the colours of Kilkenny to play a game in New York against Wexford.
Dave 'Dob' Long and Frankie 'Horse' Whelan recalled the event when they visited Portlaw GAA club recently to view the facilities at the club. The two men were stalwarts of Portlaw and Waterford senior hurling in the 60s and 70s and during their visit to the club they got to view paper cuttings from the their time on the pitch and much of that press coverage from the time featured their names prominantly.
One of those involved with Portlaw GAA commented: "At our new clubhouse where they viewed the new gym and club rooms, they also enjoyed viewing some paper cuttings of great matches and county finals they played in the past and reminisced about great hurling battles they competed in together."
One such match was the 1962 county final, which Portlaw won, and a game in which Dob, as a county minor, played midfield and in a storming display was named man of the match.
The two friends spoke of the great men from Portlaw they have the privilege of playing with - many of whom had since passed away.
"They remembered the tough training sessions," said one of those in attendance, recalling names synonymous with Portlaw and Waterford hurling.
When viewing the new gym equipment Frankie quipped: "Be God, if we'd done this stuff in our day we'd have won a load more county finals on top of all the ones we won already."
The two won many county finals and were honoured to represent their county on numerous occasions. They played together in Gaelic Park, in New York, in the early 1970s, along with other Portlaw and Waterford greats such as Jackie Whelan and Martin Hickey.
Dave and Frankie spoke about how they were among five Waterford men who donned the black & amber of Kilkenny to play the New York final against Wexford, only to be beaten by a solitary point after two previous drawn games.
The two men also recalled their time working on the building of the Word Trade Centre in Manhattan. It was a great occasion for everyone in attendance who got to share in brilliant memories from two of Portlaw's legendary sportsmen.
