Jack Finlay

Jack Finlay, who lived from 10 June 1889 to 30 September 1942, was an Irish athlete who played hurling for Laois in the 1910s and in later life became a politician. Born in Ballycuddy, County Laois, he loved hurling from a young age and joined his local club Ballygeehan, winning a Laois Junior Hurling Championship in 1913 before the club moved to senior level the next year and won five county championships in a row with Finlay as captain. He was chosen as captain of the Laois team in 1915 alongside his brother Tom Finlay, and that year Laois defeated Offaly, Kilkenny and Dublin to win the Leinster Championship, then beat red-hot favourites Cork in the All-Ireland final after trailing by three goals. Finlay remains the only player from Laois to captain an All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winning team. He later was elected to Dáil Éireann as a National Centre Party Teachta Dála for the Leix-Offaly constituency at the 1933 general election.