Former Galway footballer Billy Joyce dies aged 75

Former Galway footballer Billy Joyce has died at the age of 75.

A native of Killererin, Joyce enjoyed a lengthy inter-county career with Galway, spanning from 1969 until his retirement at the end of the 1984 championship.

During his career, Galway racked up eight Connacht titles, dominating the province in the early 1970s and early 1980s and reaching four All-Ireland finals.

Usually deployed at midfield, Joyce was an ever-present in the Galway side that reached three All-Ireland deciders in 1971, 1973 and 1974, however the westerners fell short on each occasion, losing to Offaly, Cork and then Dublin.

Joyce, by then in his mid-30s, was still part of the Galway squad that next reached the All-Ireland final in 1983, being introduced as a late sub in that year's infamous decider.

Before that, the Killererin star did claim national honours in Croke Park, as part of the Galway side that won the National League in 1980-81, the county's last ever Division 1 league title.

He subsequently managed the Galway senior footballers for three seasons in the late 1980s, guiding them to a Connacht title victory in 1987.

He is an uncle of current Galway manager Pádraic Joyce and his brother Tommy, both of whom won All-Ireland titles in 1998 and 2001.

His son Nicky was a fixture in the Galway attack between 2003 and 2012, winning three Connacht titles.

Tribute to Billy Joyce, from RTÉ GAA Correspondent Marty Morrissey

One of my football heroes died yesterday. Despite no Galway blood, I often pretended out the back with a ball that I was Billy Joyce, having just seen him play a game in Croke Park, commentated upon by the wonderful Micheal O'Hehir.

Billy was a brilliant footballer in the middle of the field and had this great partnership with Brian Talty at 8 and 9. He won eight Connacht Championships and played in four All-Ireland finals, three in the 1970s ...1971, 73 (picturedbelow) and 74 when they lost to Offaly, Cork and Dublin, and in that tempestuous final nine years later in 1983, on a wet miserable day in Croke Park against Dublin once again.

He was part of the Galway team that last won the National League in 1981 and was no doubt hoping that this year his nephew Pádraic Joyce would guide the Tribesmen to a league title in a few weeks' time. In 1987 he was himself the Galway manager as the Tribesmen won the Connacht title.

He never drank or smoked apart from a very occasional Baileys and was the regular driver for all his close buddies and neighbours. He played a huge role over the years for his club Killererin, both as a footballer and manager. He gave his nephew Pádraic his club debut when he was only 15 years of age.

Apparently Billy used to often wonder as a joke with Pádraic would I pay him a tribute when he died but little did he know how much I admired him from a distance.

So Billy let me tell you what a brilliant footballer you were and how you had fans all over Ireland, but especially in west Clare, in your playing days.

Billy Joyce is a legend of Galway football, of Gaelic football.

I pass on my deepest sympathies and much love to his wife Maura, daughter Mandy, sons Barry, Nicholas and Robert, his nephew Pádraic and his family and all his extended families and neighbours.

Rest in Peace Billy.

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