Anyone with an interest in Wexford GAA has heard of the Rackard brothers.
Part of the great Wexford team of the 50s, they ignited a passion for hurling in the county which is still there today. Bobby Rackard, my father, was regarded as the best right corner back of all time. He was selected for Team of the Century in 1984, received an All Time All Star Award in 1992 and was chosen for Team of the Millennium in 1999. He played for Wexford from 1947 to 1957, alongside my uncles, Nicky, Billy and Jim. They were part of the Wexford team that won All Ireland Finals in 1955 and 1956, Leinster Senior Hurling titles in 1951, 1954, 1955 and 1956 and National Hurling League in 1955. A farming accident in 1957 brought my father's inter-county hurling career to an early end.
Micheál O Muircheartaigh wrote that this Wexford team was the first hurling team that made an impression on him. He described Bobby as “fearless and fair.”
“Nobody personified the magical aura that enveloped this great team more than defender Bobby Rackard. A humble hurler who didn’t relish basking in glory. When he and Nick O’Donnell hoisted the defeated warrior- Christy Ring- on to their shoulders; that was the real Bobby Rackard, who also happened to be a superb hurler.” Micheál O Muircheataigh August 25 2002
Bobby played with his club Rathnure after that accident and devotedly followed Wexford hurling, attending the All Ireland Final that Wexford won in September 1996, before his death in October 1996.