Oldest All-Ireland winning hurler Jimmy Lynam dies aged 100 in his native Cork

Tributes have been paid to the country’s oldest All-Ireland medal winner, Jimmy Lynam of Cork, who has died at the age of 100.Lynam, who won his first hurling All-Ireland in 1952 when he came on as a sub in Cork’s All-Ireland 2-14 to 0-7 win over Dublin and won a second a year later as a member of the Cork panel, died at Ballynoe nursing home near Cork City on Sunday, just five weeks shy of his 101st birthday.Glen Rovers chairman Liam Martin paid tribute to Lynam, who hurled with Glen Rovers and played football with its sister club St Nicks in a career that, in addition to his All-Ireland hurling success with the Rebels, also saw him win a Munster football medal with Cork in 1949.“Aside from his success with Cork in both hurling and football, Jimmy was a tremendous club man with Glen Rovers and our sister club St Nicks – he won seven senior county hurling championships with the Glen between 1944 and 1954 and one football championship with St Nicks in 1954.READ MORE“He had a lot of achievements on the field in both codes – you get a lot of great players that come and go but Jimmy stayed. He had a great grá for football and he stayed treasurer with St Nicks for 40 years – that was some record of service.“He was also heavily involved when the Glen Hall was built in Blackpool in the 1950s with a significant input from Jack Lynch – of course he hurled with both Lynch and Christy Ring – so when it came to putting something back into the club, Jimmy was never found wanting.”Martin described as Lynam as a slight, slender hurler who survived the robust exchanges of the 1940s and 1950s on his skill and speed and his ability to read the game when he lined out for Cork at corner forward against some of the toughest backs of the time. “He was very droll – he was driving into his 90s and he used to come up to the club every Sunday morning, but he would always have a funny quip with lads with plenty of banter and slagging – he was your typical unassuming northsider.”[ ‘England declared war as I travelled to Croke Park’: Cork hurling legend Jimmy Lynam turns 100Opens in new window ]Although he won his first All-Ireland playing in 1952, Lynam’s first experience of Croke Park was in 1939 when he travelled to Dublin to see Cork lose to Kilkenny by a point in the famous Thunder and Lightning final, but his memories extend far beyond the match.“It was September 3rd, 1939 and England declared war on Germany that day,” he recalled last year. “I was only 14 years old and people were worried going up in the train when they heard the news that war had been declared, and of course it lasted six years and millions were killed – it was terrible.”All-Ireland winning Cork hurler Jimmy Lynam celebrating his 100th birthday with his family in Whites Cross, Cork. Photograph: Daragh Mc Sweeney/Provision Four years later, with war still raging across Europe and beyond, and coal scarce and trains unreliable, Lynam and his friend Gus O’Brien decided to cycle to Dublin to see their friend Mick Kenefick captain Cork to All-Ireland glory in 1943 over Antrim.“We left Cork about midday on Friday, and we had a bit of grub in Fermoy and then on to Cashel where we stayed overnight and headed on to Dublin on Saturday morning for the match on Sunday. We stayed on in Dublin and started back on the bikes to Cork on Tuesday morning.”Interviewed by The Irish Times on the occasion of his 100th birthday last year, Lynam was asked about the main changes he had seen in his lifetime. As befits someone who loved his sport, he immediately focused on how hurling has changed from his time.“I can’t warm to today’s game,” he said with a smile, rolling his eyes to heaven. “The goalkeeper pucks the ball to the corner back and it takes three or four fellows to get it down to the pitch – it was straight into the forwards in my day – I’d never manage today at all.”Predeceased by his wife, Mary, Lynam is survived by his children, Mary and Kieran, brothers Gus and Noel as well as his grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He will be buried in St Catherine’s Cemetery, Kilcully following requiem mass at the North Cathedral at noon on Wednesday.