Jim Fives

James Fives (born April 1929) is an Irish retired hurler and Gaelic footballer. His league and championship career with the Waterford and Galway senior teams lasted ten years from 1949 until 1959.^[1] Fives is regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of the game.

Born in Tourin, County Waterford, Fives was the youngest of five boys. He was educated locally and later attended Lismore CBS where he played competitive hurling for the school. Fives simultaneously came to prominence at underage levels with the Tourin club, before winning a county football championship medal with An Chéad Chath in 1951. He had earlier played at club level with The Curragh before finishing his club career with Castlerea.

Fives made his debut on the inter-county scene when he was selected for the Waterford minor team, and had one championship season in this grade. Fives later lined out with the junior team before making his senior debut for Waterford in 1949. Over the course of the next few seasons he was a regular member of the starting fifteen, however, the team failed to make an impact in the championship. Fives later played for Galway for five seasons, ending his time there in 1959 as a two-time All-Ireland runner-up. Two year later he was back on the inter-county scene as a member of the Roscommon junior team. Fives won three successive Connacht medals before retiring from inter-county hurling.

Fives was selected for the Rest of Ireland team on a number of occasions between 1952 and 1959. He also lined out with Connacht, however, he ended his career without a Railway Cup medal.

During his playing days Fives came to be recognised as one of the greatest players of his era. In 1984 he was named as captain on a special Hurling Team of the Century made up of players who never won an All-Ireland medal.

Honours

An Chéad Cath

• Galway Senior Football Championship (1): 1951

Galway

• Oireachtas Cup (1): 1958

Roscommon

• Connacht Junior Hurling Championship (3): 1961, 1962, 1963

References