View source for Con McGrath

{{Short description|Irish Gaelic footballer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}}
{{Use Irish English|date=June 2021}}
{{Infobox Gaelic Athletic Association player
| code= Football
| sport = Gaelic football
| image =
| name = Con McGrath
| irish = Conchur Mac Craith
| birth_date= 1924
| death_date= 9 August 2008 (aged 84)
| feet = 6
| inches = 0
| nickname =
| occupation = [[Garda Síochána]]
| county = Cork
| province = Munster
| club = [[Multyfarnham GAA|Multyfarnham]]<br>[[Erin's Hopes GAA|Erin's Hopes]]<br>[[St Finbarr's National Hurling & Football Club|St Finbarr's]]<br>[[Garda GAA (Cork)|Garda]]<br>[[West Kerry GAA|West Kerry]]<br>[[Bantry Blues]]
| clposition =
| clubs =
| clyears =
| clapps(points) =
| clcounty = 1
| clprovince=
| clallireland =
| colleges = [[NUI Galway GAA|University College Galway]]
| sig = 1
| counties = [[Galway county football team|Galway]]<br>[[Cork county football team|Cork]]
| icposition = Centre-back
| icyears = 1943-1946<br>1947-1952
| icapps(points) =
| icprovince = 2
| icallireland = 0
| nfl = 1
| allstars =
| clupdate =
| icupdate =
| birth_place=[[Clifden]], [[County Galway]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
| death_place=[[Bishopstown]], [[Cork (city)|Cork]], Ireland
}}
'''Michael Cornelius McGrath''' (1924 – 9 August 2008) was an Irish [[Gaelic football]]er who played for numerous club sides, but most notably [[St Finbarr's National Hurling & Football Club|St Finbarr's]] and [[Garda GAA (Cork)|Garda]], and at senior level with the [[Galway county football team|Galway]] and [[Cork county football team|Cork county team]]s.
==Career==
McGrath first made an impression on the [[Gaelic football]] field when at college in [[Multyfarnham]] he lined out for the [[Multyfarnham GAA|local club]]'s senior and junior teams. From there he went to [[University College Galway]] where he won a [[Sigerson Cup]] title as well as winning a West Galway Championship with [[Erin's Hopes GAA|Erin's Hopes]]. McGrath first played for the [[Galway senior football team]] in a challenge match against [[Roscommon GAA|Roscommon]] in 1943. After moving to [[Cork (city)|Cork]] he joined the [[St Finbarr's National Hurling & Football Club|St Finbarr's]] club before filling the full-back position on the [[Cork GAA|Cork junior team]] in 1947. Promotion to the senior team quickly followed and he won his first [[Munster Senior Football Championship|Munster Championship]] in 1949.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-40220927.html|title=Former Cork captain John O’Keeffe was the heart and soul of Millstreet|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=4 February 2021|access-date=5 April 2021|first=Michael|last=Moynihan}}</ref> As [[Captain (Gaelic games)|captain]] of the [[Garda GAA (Cork)|Garda]] club McGrath won a [[Cork Senior Football Championship|County Championship]] medal in 1950 and was appointed [[List of Cork senior Gaelic football team captains|captain]] of the Cork senior team the following year. He claimed a second Munster Championship title as well as a [[National Football League (Ireland)|National League]] title in his last year with the team in 1952. McGrath was also a regular with the [[Munster GAA|Munster]] team and won back-to-back [[Railway Cup]] medals in 1948 and 1949. His son, [[Paul McGrath (Gaelic footballer)|Paul McGrath]], won back-to-back [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship|All-Ireland]] titles with Cork in 1989–90.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.echolive.ie/corksport/arid-40102082.html|title=The big interview: Cork footballer Paul McGrath on the Double, Micko's invite to Kerry and Morgan's magic|publisher=The Echo|date=25 September 2020|access-date=6 April 2021|first=Éamonn|last=Murphy}}</ref>
==Personal life and death==
Born in [[Clifden]], [[County Galway]], McGrath was educated at the Franciscan College in [[Multyfarnham]] and [[University College Galway]] before joining the [[Garda Síochána]]. After [[Passing out (military)|passing out]] he was first stationed in [[Cork (city)|Cork]] and [[Bantry]]. He was promoted to the rank of sergeant in [[Castlegregory]] and it was from [[Tralee]] that he was transferred as inspector to [[Limerick (city)|Limerick]] in 1968. McGrath was later transferred to [[Cobh]] and settled in [[Bishopstown]] with his wife and six children.{{fact|date=June 2021}}
Con McGrath died on 9 August 2008.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://rip.ie/death-notice/corneilius-con-mcgrath-bishopstown-cork/51631|title=The death has occurred of Corneilius (Con) McGRATH|publisher=rip.ie|date=11 August 2008|access-date=6 April 2021|first=|last=}}</ref>
==Honours==
;University College Galway
*[[Sigerson Cup]]: 1949
;Garda
*[[Cork Senior Football Championship]]: [[1950 Cork Senior Football Championship|1950]] ([[Captain (Gaelic games)|c]])
;Cork
*[[Munster Senior Football Championship]]: [[1949 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship#Munster Senior Football Championship|1949]], [[1952 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship#Munster Senior Football Championship|1952]]
*[[National Football League (Ireland)|National Football League]]: [[1951-52 National Football League (Ireland)|1951-52]]
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{Navboxes
|title=Con McGrath navigation boxes
|list1=
{{s-start}}
{{s-sports}}
{{succession box|
before=[[John Cronin (Gaelic footballer)|John Cronin]]|
title=[[List of Cork senior Gaelic football team captains|Cork Senior Football Captain]]|
years=1951|
after=[[Éamonn Young]]
}}
{{s-end}}
{{Cork Junior Football Team 1951}}
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcgrath, Con}}
[[Category:1924 births]]
[[Category:2008 deaths]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Galway]]
[[Category:Bantry Blues Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:Cork inter-county Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:Gaelic football selectors]]
[[Category:Galway inter-county Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:Garda (Cork) Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:Garda Síochána officers]]
[[Category:University of Galway Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:St Finbarr's Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:People from Clifden]]
[[Category:Police officers from County Galway]]