Tony Keady

Tony Keady
Personal information
Irish name Aontaine Mac Céadaigh
Sport Hurling
Position Centre-back
Born (1963-12-05)5 December 1963
Attymon, County Galway, Ireland
Died 9 August 2017(2017-08-09) (aged 53)
Galway, Ireland
Height 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Occupation Caretaker
Club(s)
Years Club
Killimordaly
Club titles
Galway titles 1
Connacht titles 1
All-Ireland Titles 0
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
1985–1993
Galway 15 (0–15)
Inter-county titles
All-Irelands 2
NHL 2
All Stars 2

Tony Keady (5 December 1963 – 9 August 2017) was an Irish hurler. His league and championship career at senior level with the Galway county team lasted nine seasons from 1985 until 1993.

Born in Attymon, County Galway, Keady first played competitive hurling during his schooling at Athenry Vocational School. In 1980 he was selected for the Galway vocational schools team and went on to win-back-to-back All-Ireland medals over the next two years.

By this stage Keady was a regular player at underage levels with the Killimordaly club. After winning several minor and under-21 championship medals, he won a county junior championship medal in 1983 before winning a county senior championship medal in 1986. He later won a Connacht medal.

Keady made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he was selected for the Galway minor team. He enjoyed two championship seasons with the minors, however, Keady was an All-Ireland runner-up in 1981. He subsequently spent three seasons with the Galway under-21 team, winning an All-Ireland medal in 1983.

Keady made his senior debut during the 1984-85 league and won back-to-back All-Ireland medals in 1987 and 1988. He also won two National Hurling League medals and was named Hurler of the Year in 1988. Keady played his last game for Galway in April 1993 before being dropped from the team during the subsequent championship.

After being chosen on the Connacht inter-provincial team for the first time in 1985, Keady was a regular choice on the starting fifteen for the following few years. During that time he won two Railway Cup medals. He is considered the best centre-backs of all time.