“I remember this interview as the Well beat Bective in division 2a in Donnybrook. “John McNamara Any Craic Magazine.”

Picture Munster V All Blacks 1978 John was unfortunate to miss out through injury.

John Daly was a late developer but he appeared many times for Munster.
Q. What are your memories of your early rugby career?
A. I attended Pres primary and secondary and got a good grounding in the game but was not selected for the Junior or Senior team as I was very small up to sixteen.! shot up in height aged Sixteen and was selected for Sundays Well seniors at seventeen, by eighteen I was a regular on the Well Seniors and played senior cup against Garryowen in 1974.
Q. When did you get your first senior break?
A. Sundays Well were not strong at the time but I broke into the Munster squad in 1976 unfortunately I broke my leg one month before the All Blacks game in 1978. One year later I played against Connacht replacing Colm Tucker in the backrow, Jim Crotty of UCC replaced Jimmy Bowen on the wing.
Q. What were the highlights of your playing career?
A. I remember the aftermath of the Connacht game as I had a great night out in Galway with London Irish player Les White. The next day I went to visit the McGann family in Monivea, family friends of my father. My personal highlight was beating Cork Con in the 1980 charity cup final. The celebrations after that game were outstanding with Liam Mackessy the proprieter of the Vineyard wheeling in Champagne to the Well dressing room followed by more champagne from Sundays Wells Bill Keating. We continued to Timos bar on the coal Quay and as the song goes it was back to the clubhouse we went, until the very late hours. In 1980 I played against a touring Romanian side been beaten 32-9 but was up set to discover my opposite number Cheika had been killed when we toured Romania the following year. I faced a big career decision and decided to move to Dublin and joined Bective Rangers playing Gala under lights just after my final Accountancy exams.
Q. Who was your most difficult opponent?
A. I highly rated Noel McCarthy of St Marys and Connacht, also Shay Deering of Garryowen and St Marys was a class act. I loved playing with Declan Shalloe in Bective, down south the Sundays Well flanker factory of internationals Pat O’Hara and Jim Buckley as well as serum half Paddy McNamee all inspired me.
Q. Have you been involved in the game since you stopped playing?
A. In Bective, I have coached every team up to Seconds and managed every team up to Firsts. I have been Sundays Well representative
on the division 2 clubs Ail since 1995.

Picture shows Barry in action for Munster V Perpignan in 1998

BLAST FROM THE PAST

“I went to Bath vs Irish in May 2022 ,I asked this old Bath supporter in the pub did he remember Rochey”.”He replied that guy was rapid.” John McNamara Any Craic Magazine..

Brian Roche was a pacey fullback who represented Munster on many occasions and Ireland at Under 21
level.
What are your early memories of rugby?
Gaelic games was my first love with St. Finbarr’s, but my father Mossy suggested Highfield at under sixteen
as he had played up there in the Seventies. I took to rugby from the start settling in at full back winning a
trophy every season with Paddy Roche as coach. I was selected for both Munster and Ireland youths. I left
Highfield for Sundays Well attracted by the prospect of being coached by Kiwi Murray Kidd who had had
great Ail success with Garryowen, I made my full Munster debut aged Twenty One and also represented
Ireland at under 21 that season.
When did you get your first Senior break?
I played Senior for Highfield against Trinity while still Under Eighteen and I debuted for the Well Seniors on
the Wing as Colm Hayes had broken his thumb. The following season I was selected for Munster against
Ulster in Musgrave Park with Anthony Foley also making his debut. This was the peak period of my career
and I was part of an elite academy of twelve Irish players earmarked by the Irfu. The 1994 Sundays Well
Munster cup winning team was an outstanding team and competition for places was intense. At under
Twenty level we lost a cup final to Cork Con after being 21-3 ahead at half time with second half refereeing
decisions going against us.
What were the highlights of your career?
I had just turned Twenty Three and was offered a trial with Bath along with Conor Burke from the Well. I
turned it down initially but later ended up signing and making my debut against Newcastle on Sky in the
first season of the English premiership, it was fairytale stuff. The competition in Bath for a wing berth was
intense with Simon Geoghan, Ieuan Evans, Jon Sleightholme available, despite this I played in the group
stages of the Heineken cup and was awarded a cup medal in 1998 as Bath beat Brive 19-18 in the final. I
returned to Ireland with Shannon losing to Cork Con in a crunch Ail match with former Well players John
Lacey, John O’ Neill and Connor Burke all with Shannon and Munster at that time 1999/2000. I played many
matches for Munster at this time but didn’t secure a contract.
Who did you enjoy playing with and who was your most difficult opponent?
I enjoyed my time with Sundays Well as Charlie Haly and Sean McCahill were first class players who I learned
a lot from. I found Dublin teams tricky as they retained the ball and ran it back at you. Pat Murray full back
for Shannon was a formidable opponent but I did not play against him much