Paudie Sheehy (1932–1967) was an Irish amateur sportsperson and business executive. He played Gaelic football with John Mitchels and the Kerry county team from 1953 to 1962. He captained Kerry on two occasions. He was also a senior executive with the state-owned Irish Sugar and its affiliates, Erin Foods and Heinz-Erin Foods.

Early life

Sheehy was the son of footballer John Joe and a brother of Niall, Brian and Seán Óg, all of whom also played senior football with Kerry. ^[1]

Sporting career

Youth

Sheehy first lined out for Kerry at a minor level in 1949. He won a Munster Minor Football Championship medal after a final win over Cork. ^[2] Sheehy's side later qualified for the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship where they faced Armagh. A 1–07 to 1–05 win saw the title go to Armagh.

Sheehy played with Kerry minor again in 1950. He won a Munster Minor Football Championship medal after a final win over Limerick. ^[2] Sheehy's side later qualified for the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship where they faced Wexford. A 3–06 to 1–04 win saw Sheehy pick up a winners medal. ^[3]

He also played hurling with Kerry at a minor level. ^[4]

Senior

Sheehy went straight into the Kerry squad in 1951 and made his debut in the Munster Senior Football Championship final win over Cork. ^[5] He was named at Left Half Forward for the All-Ireland semi-final replay with Mayo, a game Kerry lost. ^[6]

He played in all of Kerry's 1951–52 National Football League games scoring 1–15 in six games as Kerry lost the Division 3 final to Cork. ^[7]

He later made his first Munster start at Left Half Forward, where he scored four points in a 0–14 to 1–07 win over Waterford. He kept his place for the final against Cork at the Cork Athletic Grounds. However, the holders lost on a 0–11 to 0-02 scoreline. Despite failing to score in the final, he was Kerry's second-highest scorer in the championship. ^[8]

During the 1952–53 National Football League, he played in all of Kerry's games as they lost in the semi-final to Cavan. He ended the campaign as Kerry's top scorer with 1-21. ^[9] At just 21 years old, Sheehy was made the side's captain. He hit 3–03 in a 6–10 to 0-02 semi-final win over Clare. He scored one point in the final against Cork, and his side did enough to take the title on a 2–07 to 2-03 scoreline.^{[ citation needed]} This gave Sheehy his second Munster medal. In the All-Ireland semi-final Kerry faced Leinster champions Louth. Sheehy scored two points in a 3–06 to 1–06 win.^{[ citation needed]} Kerry faced Armagh in the final. However, a dispute arose over whether Sheehy would start in the final. Things were made more complicated as Sheehy's father John Joe was one of the team's selectors. At the selection meeting before the All-Ireland final, John Joe excused himself when they reached Paudie's position; by the time he returned, his son had been dropped. Jas Murphy led Kerry to a seventeenth title on a 0–13 to 1-06 scoreline. Despite serving as the side's captain at the start of the campaign and their top scorer, Sheehy failed to appear in the game.^{[ citation needed]}

Despite scoring in only two of the five games, he played during the 1953–54 National Football League, he still finished as Kerry's third-highest scorer with 1-05.^{[ citation needed]}

He began the championship with two points in a 3–10 to 1-02 Munster semi-final with over Waterford. He lined out in his fourth championship final when Kerry again faced Cork. Three points from Sheehy saw his side take the title on a 4–09 to 2-03 scoreline and a third Munster medal for him.^{[ citation needed]} His contribution of 1–01 in the All-Ireland semi-final with Galway contributed to his side's 2–06 to 1–06 win.^{[ citation needed]} Sheehy got his chance to line out in a senior final as Kerry squared off with Leinster champions Meath. However, he failed to score and Kerry lost on a 1–13 to 1-07 scoreline. ^{[ citation needed]}

He played in all of Kerry's 1954–55 National Football League games but his side failed to make the knockout stages.

For the second season in a row, Kerry beat Waterford in the Munster Championship. They played Cork again in the final. He hit five points in a 0–14 to 2–06 win and received a fourth Munster title. Kerry faced Cavan in the All-Ireland semi-final. In a game where he failed to score, the sides ended level.^{[ citation needed]} In the replay, two points from Sheehy helped his side get the win at 4–07 to 0–05. Kerry qualified for a third consecutive All-Ireland. In Sheehy's second final Kerry faced the favorites, Dublin. Dublin had drawn attention by defeating the reigning champions Meath in the final of that year's Leinster Senior Football Championship in what was a twenty-point win. Sheehy managed only a single point, as Jim Brosnan scored two crucial second-half points. He had flown home from New York for the final, where he was studying medicine.^{[ citation needed]} After missing out on the 1953 win, Sheehy had his first All-Ireland medal.^{[ citation needed]}

The next few seasons brought no success for Sheehy and Kerry. A final loss after a replay came in 1956. In 1957, Kerry suffered a shock loss to Waterford in the Munster semi-final.^{[ citation needed]}

In 1958, Kerry returned to the Munster final after a win over Tipperary in the semis. In the final, they again faced Cork where a point from Sheehy helped them to a fifth title in a 2–07 to 0-03 win. In the All-Ireland semi-final, Sheehy faced Derry. Derry had won its first Ulster Senior Football Championship a few weeks before and were underdogs going into the game. Despite two points from Sheehy, Kerry lost out by a single point on a 2–06 to 2-05 scoreline. ^{[ citation needed]}

During the 1958–59 National Football League Sheehy played in and scored in all seven Kerry games, a total of 2–16, as they overcame Derry in the final to give Sheehy his first league winners medal.^{[ citation needed]}

After overcoming Tipperary for the second year in a row it set up another Munster final with Cork. Sheehy scored 1–01 in Killarney as a 2–15 to 2-08 took him to his sixth Munster title. In the All-Ireland semi-final, his three points helped his side take Dublin on 1–10 to 2-05.^{[ citation needed]} Kerry did enough to take the title with 3–07 to 1-04. It was a second title for Sheehy as he was joined by his younger brother Niall.

In 1960, for the second time, Sheehy was named as Kerry captain. For the third year in a row Tipperary were overcome in a game where he scored four points, to set up a Munster final with Waterford. He scored 1-04, a personal best in a Munster final,^{[ citation needed]} and helped his side to a 3–15 to 0–08 win.^{[ citation needed]} It was Sheehy's seventh Munster title and second as captain. In a repeat of the previous All-Ireland final, Kerry overcame Galway 1–08 to 0-08. In the final Kerry faced first timers Down. Down secured a 2–10 to 0–08 win and placed Sheehy as an All-Ireland runner-up for the second time.^{[ citation needed]}

In the 1960-61 National Football League, he scored 2–06 in six games up to the semi-final replay win over Roscommon. He played no part in that summer's championship.^{[ citation needed]}

In the twilight of his career he returned for the 1962 championship. In what was to be his last Munster final at the Cork Athletic Grounds he won his eighth Munster title. He hit two points as Kerry defeated Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final.^{[ citation needed]} In the All-Ireland against Roscommon, he again lined out with his younger brother Niall and another brother Seán Óg was the side's captain. In what was the first game to be broadcast live on television, Sheehy hit two points as he won a third and final All-Ireland medal 1–12 to 1–06.^{[ citation needed]}

The 1962 final was Sheehy's final game with Kerry. Between 1951 and 1962 he played 35 championship games scoring 6-56. He won eight Munster titles, one National Football League and three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship titles.^{[ citation needed]}

College

During his college days, he played with University College Cork. He won two Sigerson Cup titles during his time with the Cork side in 1951–52 and again in 1952–53 as captain. ^{[10] [11] [12]}

Club

Sheehy played with the John Mitchels club.^{[ citation needed]} He played in his first Kerry Senior Football Championship final in 1949 but was on the losing side to Killarney.^{[ citation needed]}

He was part of the lineup in a second final in 1951 in another Tralee/Killarney match. This time Sheehy faced Dick Fitzgeralds, but again lost.^{[ citation needed]}

They returned to the final again in 1952 when they faced the Kenmare divisional side. In the end, a 3–06 to 0–06 win brought the first title to Sheehy.

By the 1959 championship, he was joined by his younger brothers Niall, Seán Óg, and Brian. Mitchels returned to the final for the first time since 1952, where they faced the North Kerry divisional team, Feale Rangers. His brother Niall saved the Tralee side with a late goal and earned a 1–09 to 2–06 draw. The following April, Mitchels won out on a 3–09 to 1-10 scoreline. This gave Paudie Sheehy his second county title. ^[13]

Mitchels were back in the final in 1960, and they again faced a divisional team, this time West Kerry. The sides ended level and a replay was needed for the second year in a row. Tralee won the replay on a scoreline of 1–11 to 0-03. It was his third medal, and he was team captain.^{[ citation needed]}

Sheehy played in the third final in a row and second in 1961, including the delayed 1960 final, in the first all-Tralee clash since 1936 with Kerins O'Rahilly's. A 2–09 to 0-08 score produced Sheehy's third title in a row and fourth overall.^{[ citation needed]}

The Mitchels again reached the final in 1962, and for the third time in four seasons, their opponents were a divisional team again facing Feale Rangers. As in 1960, the sides couldn't be separated, despite Mitchels lead going into added time, as a late score by Rangers saw the sides finish level on a 2–08 to 1-11 scoreline. In the replay, Sheehy and his team made history as the title came to Tralee for the fourth year in a row and Sheehy won his fifth medal.^{[ citation needed]}

In 1963, the Mitchels qualified for a fifth final in a row. They faced Kerins O'Rahilly's. A fifth title came after a 4–04 to 2–03 win. It was Sheehy's sixth and final medal - a record that stood until 2017.^{[ citation needed]}

Business career

Paudie Sheehy was a top student at St Mary's CBS, Tralee and later at University College, Cork (UCC) where he took first-class honours and first place in his final B.Comm. examinations in 1954. After staying on at UCC as demonstrator for a year, he subsequently articled at a Limerick firm of auditors before qualifying as a chartered accountant in 1958. Thereafter he worked as accountant for the Mater Hospital Pools, a sports pools run to provide funds for the Mater Hospital in Dublin, Ford Motor Company of Cork and Liebherr, a German crane manufacturer that established a major plant in Killarney in 1957. ^[14]

The turning point in Sheehy's career came after joining Irish Sugar in the early 1960s. ^[14] The managing director of this state enterprise, Lt.-Gen. M.J. Costello, saw in his new hire something more than a mere accountant: Sheehy could extract the underlying business implications from the figures. ^[14] On Costello's insistence, Sheehy was sent on senior executive courses to Harvard and Berkeley business schools. Economising on travel costs he bought a car to visit and study many businesses of interest across North America. ^[14]

Such preparation stood Sheehy in good stead with both Irish Sugar and its new subsidiary, Erin Foods, an enterprise dreamed up by Costello to provide summer/fall employment for people in rural Ireland. Its operations and staffing schedule contrasted with that of the fall/winter sugar-beet factory operations in Tuam, Thurles, Mallow and Carlow. Factories were planned for Midleton and Skibbereen, County Cork and Glencolumbkille, County Donegal. ^[15] After a period in internal audit, Sheehy was appointed secretary to both the Irish Sugar and Erin Foods boards. ^[14] A secretary attended all board meetings even if not a director and contributed views regarding regulatory aspects of decisions. ^[16] A number of people, previously appointed as secretary in Irish state organisations, were later appointed to the managing director role. ^{[17] [18]} Erin Foods offered small farmers an assured market and price for vegetable produce. Although economic production of vegetables would challenge the marginal farmers of the North and West of Ireland, Erin Foods laboratories' innovation in air-drying and freeze-drying processes was attracting the interest of international food groups. ^[19] In the mid 1960s, Erin's new Managing Director, Tony O'Reilly, was concerned to stop heavy losses resulting from Erin's purchase of a UK distribution business. He sought a venture partner for marketing Erin produce overseas. To improve their cost base, O'Reilly and his senior management team, including financial controller, Vincent Ferguson, ^[20] and general manager, Séamus Mac Giolla Ríogh, also pressed the Fianna Fáil government to remove Erin's obligation to buy vegetables uneconomically from Irish farmers. The latter was a necessary though politically controversial decision. This and a decision to sell bulk unbranded vegetables to European market consumers led to an agreement to form a partnership with the H.J. Heinz Company in 1967. Erin gained access to Heinz's distribution channels while Heinz obtained the benefit of Erin's vegetables supply, food research laboratories and technologies. ^[21]

Death and legacy

As Irish Sugar and Erin secretary, Sheehy collated for submission reports and projections on the Heinz partnership proposal for the government and shareholders. The first financial report since Erin's restructuring showed a turnaround in its performance and was submitted to the new Heinz-Erin board of directors before that year's a.g.m. in June 1967. At the same meeting Sheehy was formally appointed secretary of the new enterprise. ^[22] Shortly afterwards he took a holiday in Kerry. On the following 5 August, Sheehy died unexpectedly during a stay at his parents' home in Tralee.

Sheehy's sudden death left local people in a state of shock. Earlier that year he played a charity Gaelic football game between the 1967 and 1955 Kerry teams. To one reporter ^[23] his fitness seemed never in doubt due to years of fitting exercise into a busy work schedule. A heavy local attendance, augmented by numerous acquaintances from the worlds of sport and commerce, made his funeral on 6-7 August 1967 one of the largest seen in Tralee since Independence. ^{[14] [24]}

Honours

College

University College Cork

Sigerson Cup (2)

• 1951–52, 1952–53 (c)

Club

John Mitchels

• Kerry Senior Football Championship (6): 1952, 1959, 1960(c), 1961, 1962, 1963

County

Kerry

• Munster Senior Football Championship (8): 1951, 1953 (c), 1954, 1955, 1958, 1960 (c), 1961, 1962
• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (3): 1955, 1959, 1962
• National Football League (1) 1959
• Munster Minor Football Championship (2) 1949, 1950
• All-Ireland Minor Football Championship (1) 1950

References