Willie Fitzmaurice

Irish hurler

Willie Fitzmaurice
Personal information
Sport	Hurling
Born	Limerick, Ireland
Occupation	Priest
Club(s)
Years	Club
	Killeedy GAA
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County
1970s and 1980s	Limerick

Willie Fitzmaurice (born 4 December 1946) was a hurler from Killeedy, south of Limerick, who played with the Limerick teams in the 1970s and 1980s^[1]

In 1998, he became a county team selector along with former teammates Éamonn Cregan and David Punch^[2] and advocated the retention of the back-door system.^[3]

He was the parish priest in Kilmallock in 2008;^[4] as such he celebrated the mass of his deceased niece, Elizabeth Gubbins, who died in the controversial Vernelli hit-and-run case in Rome.^[5]^[6]

He is the brother of Limerick hurler Paudie Fitzmaurice.^{[citation needed]}

Hurling style

The Fitzmaurice brothers were noted for their unusual hurling technique: when striking the sliotar, the Fitzmaurice brothers did not bend their elbows, making it difficult for their opponents to hook them.^[7]^[8]

References

^ Munster Senior Hurling Teams – Munster GAA Web Site
^ Irish Sport News, 25 April 1998
^ Irish Sport News, 15 October 1998
^ Connor, John O (1 May 2008). "The bells of progress". The Munster Express.
^ Irish Examiner - 2008/03/26: Hit-and-run pictures ‘intensified pain and loss’
^ The Limerick Blogger - latest Limerick news and Limerick events » Blog Archive » New twist in Vernarelli Hit-and-run case
^ YouTube - 1980 All-Ireland Hurling Final Galway Limerick 1st half
^ YouTube - 1980 All-Ireland Hurling Final Galway Limerick 2nd half