45cm x 35cm Thurles Co Tipperary
Superb framed portrait taken in 1910 of three separate Thurles men when captained Tipperary in the early 20th century- Tom Semple of Fianna Road ,Dinny Maher of Killinin & Jim Stapleton of Cathedral Road.
Thomas Semple (8 April 1879 – 11 April 1943) was an
Irish hurler who played as a half-forward for the
Tipperary senior team.
Semple joined the panel during the
1897 championship and eventually became a regular member of the starting seventeen until his retirement after the
1909 championship. During that time he won three
All-Ireland medals and four
Munster medals. An All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion, Semple captained the team to the All-Ireland title in 1906 and in 1908.
At club level Semple was a six-time
county club championship medalist with
Thurles.
Playing career
Club
Semple played his club hurling with the local club in
Thurles, the precursor to the famous Sarsfield's club. He rose through the club and served as captain of the team for almost a decade.
In 1904 Semple won his first
championship medal following a walkover from
Lahorna De Wets.
Thurles failed to retain their title, however, the team returned to the championship decider once again in 1906. A 4-11 to 3-6 defeat of Lahorna De Wets gave Semple his second championship medal as captain. It was the first of four successive championships for Thurles as subsequent defeats of Lahorna De Wets,
Glengoole and
Racecourse/Grangemockler brought Semple's medal tally to five.
Five-in-a-row proved beyond Thurles, however, Semple's team reached the final for the sixth time in eight seasons in 1911. A 4-5 to 1-0 trouncing of
Toomevara gave Semple his sixth and final championship medal as captain.
Inter-county
Semple's skill quickly brought him to the attention of the Tipperary senior hurling selectors. After briefly joining the team in 1897, he had to wait until 1900 to become a regular member of the starting seventeen. That year a 6-11 to 1-9 trouncing of
Kerry gave him his first
Munster medal.
Tipp later narrowly defeated
Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final before trouncing
Galway in the "home" All-Ireland final. This was not the end of the championship campaign because, for the first year ever, the "home" finalists had to take on
London in the All-Ireland decider. The game was a close affair with both sides level at five points with eight minutes to go. London then took the lead; however, they later conceded a free. Tipp's
Mikey Maher stepped up, took the free and a forward charge carried the sliotar over the line. Tipp scored another goal following a weak puck out and claimed a 2-5 to 0-6 victory.
It was Semple's first
All-Ireland medal.
Cork dominated the provincial championship for the next five years; however, Tipp bounced back in 1906. That year Semple was captain for the first time as Tipp foiled Cork's bid for an unprecedented sixth Munster title in-a-row. The score line of 3-4 to 0-9 gave Semple a second Munster medal. Tipp trounced Galway by 7-14 to 0-2 on their next outing, setting up an All-Ireland final meeting with
Dublin. Semple's side got off to a bad start with Dublin's
Bill Leonardscoring a goal after just five seconds of play. Tipp fought back with
Paddy Riordan giving an exceptional display of hurling and capturing most of his team's scores. Ironically, eleven members of the Dublin team hailed from Tipperary. The final score of 3-16 to 3-8 gave victory to Tipperary and gave Semple a second All-Ireland medal.
Tipp lost their provincial crown in 1907, however, they reached the Munster final again in 1908. Semple was captain of the side again that year as his team received a walkover from Kerry in the provincial decider. Another defeat of Galway in the penultimate game set up another All-Ireland final meeting with Dublin. That game ended in a 2-5 to 1-8 draw and a replay was staged several months later in
Athy. Semple's team were much sharper on that occasion. A first-half goal by
Hugh Shelly put Tipp well on their way. Two more goals by
Tony Carew after the interval gave Tipp a 3-15 to 1-5 victory.
It was Semple's third All-Ireland medal.
1909 saw Tipp defeat arch rivals Cork in the Munster final once again. A 2-10 to 1-6 victory gave Semple his fourth Munster medal. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Tipp take on Kilkenny. The omens looked good for a Tipperary win. It was the county's ninth appearance in the championship decider and they had won the previous eight. All did not go to plan as this Kilkenny side cemented their reputation as the team of the decade. A 4-6 to 0-12 defeat gave victory to "the Cats" and a first final defeat to Tipperary. Semple retired from inter-county hurling following this defeat.
Personal life
Semple was born in Drombane,
County Tipperary in 1879. He received a limited education at his local
national school and, like many of his contemporaries, finding work was a difficult prospect. At the age of 16 Semple left his native area and moved to
Thurles. Here he worked as a guardsman with the
Great Southern & Western Railway.
In retirement from playing Semple maintained a keen interest in
Gaelic games. In 1910 he and others organised a committee which purchased the showgrounds in Thurles in an effort to develop a hurling playing field there. This later became known as Thurles Sportsfield and is regarded as one of the best surfaces for hurling in Ireland. In 1971 it was renamed
Semple Stadium in his honour. The stadium is also lovingly referred to as Tom Semple's field.
Semple also held the post of chairman of the Tipperary County Board and represented the Tipperary on the Munster Council and Central Council. He also served as treasurer of the latter organization. During the
War of Independence Semple played an important role for
Republicans. He organized dispatches via his position with the Great Southern & Western Railway in Thurles.
Tom Semple died on 11 April 1943.