The initial run of Scéalta na gCorn in 2022 witnessed Gráinne McElwain, the show’s host, hinting at the unfinished narratives of GAA trophies and their namesakes, thanks to the copious amount of leftover material from the roughly 2,000 estimated trophies. Fast forward to the present day, and the sequel to the original series has reached its mid-point, with an episode hailing from Wexford, debuting on Wednesday night.
During the very week Wexford vies for the All-Ireland hurling quarter-final, the programme opens with an imposing statue of the renowned hurling player, Nicky Rackard. The piece of art, nestled in Wexford town’s Selskar region, is a homage to Rackard by English sculptor Mark Richards, who has also created a likeness of Bill Gannon, Kildare’s most recent All-Ireland champion skipper. The statue, completed by Richards eleven years before, perfectly embodies the iconic Wexford hurler, poised with ball and stick at the ready as if about to score a point or a strepitous goal shot.
Liam Griffin, the 1996 Duke of All-Ireland Hurling success, was an integral part of the hurling development committee once headed by Seán Kelly, former GAA president and current MEP. The committee revamped the championship into tiers, a thriving change that let multiple counties relish the taste of victory in Croke Park. One of these tiers is named following Rackard, while the rest pay tribute to Ring, Mackey, Lory Meagher, and Joe McDonagh, forming a de facto Hall of Fame.
In saluting one of Wexford’s legends and invaluable player of the 1950s hurling victorious teams, Griffin takes pride in his contribution. “Without Nicky Rackard being Nicky Rackard, Wexford mightn’t even be in the ranks of All-Ireland winners,” he confides in McElwain. “They hoisted a flag on the summit. More importantly, he was a true sportsman – his reputation immaculate, never sent off nor cautioned.”
During the 1950s, a man named Rackard initiated primary school leagues within the county and generously offered a trophy for the hurling match. There are also several other local individuals being honored: Breda Curran, recognized as the founder of women’s football in the county; Walter Hanrahan, a significant early GAA administrator after whom the Leinster minor hurling trophy was named; Marie Lynch, an activist from the Rapparees-Starlights club; and Séamus Keevans who is celebrated through the senior county football trophy.
This is fundamentally an excellent idea, motivated by Humphrey Kelleher’s publication, Family Silver, that, when implemented on such an extensive scale, offers glimpses of lives spent within the GAA and fittingly immortalised for the association’s legacy.
The Scéalta na gCorn series will resume on Wednesday nights at half past eight. The remaining shows will cover Down, Tyrone, and Cavan. The initial trio of episodes, which tackled Tipperary, Kerry and Wexford, can be watched on the TG4 Player.