14-05-2025
Late Davy Rowe captained Wexford to famous win
For those of a certain vintage, his unexpected passing will evoke happy memories of bygone days when he was a colossus in defence for St. Anne's and Wexford.
One of his most memorable outings in the purple and gold arrived in the summer of 1969, when he captained the team from left corner-back as they recorded a sensational 3-5 to 1-8 victory over titleholders Longford in the Leinster championship quarter-final held in Croke Park.
Wexford were unfancied after requiring two games to beat Carlow in the first round, but they went on to produce another fine performance before bowing out to eventual All-Ireland finalists Offaly in the semi-final by 3-9 to 1-10.
Leadership came naturally to Davy, having already captained the St. Anne's football teams that captured the Junior and Senior county titles of 1966 and 1968 respectively.
He was a product of the all-conquering Kilmore/Rathangan Juvenile and Minor sides from the late fifties and early sixties that cleaned up on the titles front in both codes.
Davy's last year as an Under-21 in 1965 saw him line out for Wexford in football at left corner-back, and he also represented the county at Junior level for the first of three successive years.
His debut with the Seniors arrived in a National League loss to Carlow in Dr. Cullen Park on October 31, 1965, and he went on to make 35 appearances in total at a time when matches weren't nearly as plentiful as they are nowadays on the inter-county scene.
Davy's championship debut arrived against Wicklow in 1967, and his last big day was in Croke Park on May 26, 1974 when the march of the famous 'Heffo's Army' began as Dublin defeated Wexford in the Leinster first round by 3-9 to 0-6.
His final Senior appearance for Wexford arrived on November 17 of that year in a National League defeat to Clare in Lahinch, with unusual circumstances surrounding this game.
It was the only one of the 15 scheduled matches in the competition to take place, as the remainder were postponed due to the death of President Erskine Childers.
It was decided to go ahead with Wexford versus Clare because the Slaneysiders were in the Banner County already after staying overnight in Ennis.
However, referee Mick O'Neill of Kerry assumed that the match was off and didn't travel, so a local man, P.J. Kennedy, had to take charge of the whistle to ensure it went ahead.
In the period from 1965 to 1974, the only year when Davy didn't feature in a Wexford Senior jersey was 1973, and he was a part of championship teams in 1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1972 and 1974.
Farming ensured he was always in great physical shape, and he was easy to pick out on the field in the early seventies in particular when the long, thick sideburns he sported were all the rage.
After inspiring those Junior and Senior football victories in 1966 and 1968, Davy also played in the 1975 county final defeat to Gusserane before winning a Junior hurling medal in 1977.
He performed in an era when every club had some great characters, and one story that Jim Berry recalled in his superb history of St. Anne's had Davy as the central figure.
It happened in the replayed county Junior football semi-final of 1964 against Gusserane, a three-game saga that didn't finish until early the following year with victory for the Rathangan crew.
Stephen Roche, one of the St. Anne's selectors, let a roar at Davy as he was soloing by him close to the sideline, urging him to kick the ball off.
Davy slowed down and gestured to hand the ball out to the mentor while uttering the immortal words: 'here Stephen, kick the ****ing ball yourself!'
Davy, who died suddenly at home, was pre-deceased by his wife Jo-anne and is survived by his children Richenda, Lisa, David, Frank and Derek. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.
