Recently the Museum of Gaelic Games, Lár na Páirce, in Thurles was made a unique presentation, an All-Ireland football medal from 1920. What makes it unique is that it was won by a Tipperary man on the day when the Premier County won its fourth and last football All-Ireland.
The medal was won by Arthur Carroll of Templemore, who played in goals for the county from 1917 to 1926, and it was presented to the museum by his daughter, Mrs Josephine Brennan.
Although it was the 1920 All-Ireland, the game wasn’t played until June 11, 1922. The contemporary political troubles caused the championship to be delayed. Tipperary defeated Dublin by 1-6 to 1-2 on a day when the ball was thrown in by Dan Breen, the War of Independence veteran.
Arthur Carroll had a distinguished football career with Templemore. He won his first medal, a Mid senior football medal with the club in 1913, and he was on the last Templemore team to win a county senior football championship in 1936. He won seven Mid senior football titles in 1913, 1922 1924, 1925, 1926, 1934 and 1936. He also won a Mid junior title in 1932.
Winning his place on the county team, he played in five Munster football finals, winning three provincial titles in 1918, 1920 and 1922. He was on the Tipperary team defeated by Wexford in the 1918 All-Ireland and won the supreme accolade in 1920.
Picked to represent the county at Croke Park on Bloody Sunday, he was unable to play due to the recent death of his mother. He is in the picture of the team that gathered in Croke Park a year later for the replayed game against Dublin, which Tipperary won.
Arthur Carroll was one of two representatives from the Templemore club that, in 1922, marked out the site of the present G.A.A. pitch in the town. His name is remembered at Templemore’s G.A.A. Pavilion – the Carroll and Grant
pavilion. (Bill Grant was the second Templemore player on the 1920 All-Ireland side.)
Arthur Carroll, who was married to Mary Maher and had six children, three boys and three girls, died in 1959 and was buried in Templemore.
Lár na Páirce are extremely honoured to be made a present of this unique medal and are very grateful to Mrs. Josie Brennan for the presentation.
Lár na Páirce
Museum of the GAA and Gaelic Games
