Jimmy Humphreys

For the American baseball player, manager, and owner, see Jimmie Humphries.

Jimmy Humphreys

Art work depicting Jimmy Humphreys, based on archive photographs from 1924
Personal information
Born	10 February 1894 Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland
Died	23 December 1956 (aged 62) Murroe, County Limerick, Ireland
Occupation	Farmer
Sport
Sport	Hurling
Position	Midfield
Clubs Years Club Cappamore Claughaun Club titles Limerick titles 1 Inter-county Years County 1910s-1920s Limerick Inter-county titles Munster titles 3 All-Irelands 2

James Humphreys (10 February 1894 – 23 December 1956) was an Irish hurler who played as a midfielder for the Limerick senior team.

Early life

Jimmy Humphreys was born 10 February 1894 at Glenstal, Murroe, Co. Limerick, Ireland, from Tim Humphreys and Bridget Lane of Quinpool. Humphreys came from a family with a strong hurling tradition; his father, Tim, had been instrumental in forming the first Murroe hurling team shortly after the formation of the GAA, which later won the first Limerick senior county hurling title. He was a grandson of James Humphrys of Glenstal, known as "the Squire".

Playing career

Humphreys was a regular member of the starting fifteen for over a decade from the 1910s until the 1920s. During that time he won two All-Ireland medals and three Munster medals. He captined the Irish hurling team that travelled to New York in 1921. He was also captain of the Ireland team during the 1924 Tailteann Games, which was the first international hurling competition featuring teams representing the United States, England, Scotland, and Wales. He was presented with a silver cup presented by John Devoy.

At club level Humphreys played with both Cappamore and Claughaun, winning a county championship medal with the latter. The Senior Colleges Cup and the GAA playing fields in Murroe are named after Humphreys.

1918 All-Ireland title

Humphreys was part of the Limerick team that won the 1918 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, defeating Wexford in a final played at Croke Park on 26 January 1919 after a lengthy delay caused by the political disruption of the period.

1919–1920: disrupted championships

The 1919 championship saw Limerick reach the Munster final, where they were beaten by Cork. The 1920 championship was played against the backdrop of the Irish War of Independence; a Munster semi-final against Tipperary went ahead in secret outside Cork city, which was then under martial law and where the British authorities had prohibited the fixture, before Limerick lost the final to Cork in a match repeatedly postponed and not completed until April 1922.

1921 All-Ireland title

Limerick won the 1921 Munster final against Cork, eventually played on 28 May 1922, and went on to win the 1921 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final against Dublin, a fixture delayed by the Irish Civil War and not played until 4 March 1923, with the ball thrown in by the opera singer Joseph O'Mara.

1923 Munster title and All-Ireland final

Humphreys captained Limerick to the 1923 Munster title, defeating Tipperary in a final played on 16 March 1924 following a drawn first game. Limerick then contested the 1923 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship final against Galway at Croke Park on 14 September 1924, losing the game.

1924 Munster final

Limerick were beaten by Tipperary in the 1924 Munster final, played on 5 October 1924.

Tailteann Games, 1924

Beyond his county career, Humphreys captained both Munster and Ireland in hurling at the inaugural Tailteann Games, held in Dublin in August 1924. As Ireland's captain he played in the inaugural International Hurling Competition, contested by Ireland, the United States, England, Scotland and Wales, in which Ireland defeated the United States in the final on 10 August 1924. The cup was presented to Humphreys by the veteran Fenian John Devoy, who had travelled from New York for the games. In the accompanying inter-provincial series, Munster, captained by Humphreys, lost the final to Leinster.

Irish War of Independence

For his role in the Irish War of Independence, he was awarded a military pension, and had a guard of honour at his funeral. He was a grandson of James Humphrys, and nephew by marriage of Nell Humphreys.

Personal life and family

Humphreys married Margaret "Gretta" O'Dwyer of Corelish, near New Pallasgreen, County Limerick, on 14 August 1923 at Nicker Roman Catholic church. He later inherited the family farm at Glenstal, County Limerick, and was also active in greyhound coursing, breeding dogs in Limerick and winning the Irish Cup at Croom in 1929.

Jimmy Humphreys is also a cousin to MEP Paddy Lane and Senator Richard Hourigan.