Hurling, the ancient game of Ireland, has always been played with passion and ferocity, enflaming local rivalries that are already in the DNA. On the playing field old battles are refought and old wounds deeply felt. This is where the brave stand up to be counted, where loyalties are forged and where legends like Jim McDonnell are made.

Jim Mac

In 1936, the man that became the legend, Jim McDonnell, was born in the shadow of the Devil’s Bit Mountain in Gurtagarry, Co. Tipperary. It was a time of hardship and emigration, and those who didn’t leave formed tight knit resilient communities.

Jim Mac embodied this spirit, earning his living as a skilled craftsman in his building trade, tilling the land on his farm and later, tending the heart of the village as a publican.

His status as legend was cemented on the sports field. In Tipperary, a hurling stronghold, Jim Mac played the game to the highest level.