ONE OF THE GREATS

Séamus Leydon’s ‘place in pantheon of great Gaelic footballers secured’

GALWAY GAA bid farewell to one of its most successful and best-ever footballers last week with the passing of Séamus Leydon at the age of 81.

A native of Dunmore, who in later years lived in Kildare, Leydon is widely regarded as one of the greatest attackers to play the game and in a glittering career between the early 1960s and mid-70s won the sport's biggest honours at club, college and inter-county level.

He will be forever remembered as a flying wing-forward on Galway's All-Ireland three in-a-row team of 1964, '65 and'66, and also earned selection on the first-ever All-Star team in '71. His club CV was just as honour-laden with Leydon a key player in Dunmore MacHales' dominance of the Galway Senior Football Championship during the 1960s when capturing five titles.

In a tribute posted on their Facebook page, the North Galway club stated: “Séamus’ outstanding achievements with Dunmore MacHales and Galway are well documented and his place in the pantheon of great Gaelic footballers is secured.”

Born in 1942, Séamus Leydon was first educated in the local national school in Dunmore and later Strawberry Hill before moving on to St. Jarlath's, Tuam where his talents in athletics won awards and his first football title came in the college's Hogan Cup success in 1960…

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