Liam Griffin’s speech to the Wexford hurling team before the 1996 Leinster final has become a GAA legend.
Griffin stopped the team bus at the Wexford-Wicklow border near Cahore Point to deliver a memorable address to his players.
The speech was prompted by an RTE news segment showing future Taoiseach Brian Cowen singing “The Offaly Rover” in a pub, which led Griffin to reflect on Wexford’s musical tradition and the county’s 1798 Rebellion history.
This was before the Leinster final against Offaly in 1996:
Who are you? Who are you? I’ll tell you who you are. When I’m finished speaking, we are going to walk out of Wexford. Our goal is that the next time we set foot in this, our county, we will be Leinster Champions. On Friday night there was a report, on television, from Offaly, and in mentioning the word tradition they sang their anthem. It made me think about tradition and its importance. And about this fantastic county of ours. A county of which we should be so proud. From the beach outside there to Courtown, Gorey, Ardamine, Blackwater, Curracloe, Wexford, Rosslare, Kilmore, Cullenstown, Fethard and the Hook. And back again to Ross, Mount Leinster, Rathnure, and Enniscorthy. And of course Boolavogue. That’s who we are, and that’s where we come from.
Our people have real songs to sing. When they question the blood in our veins don’t you ever forget that our county has a proud past and when other counties failed, ours was the only one of 32 counties wherein the people, your forefathers, rose and shook off the chains of bondage. Listen to ‘Boolavogue’ and ‘The Boys of Wexford’ and then think of Offaly. Why should we fear Offaly or Kilkenny, or any other Irish county? Nothing in our past suggests that we should. Look at your names. Great Wexford names. Think of all the memories that this county of ours holds for you. For many of the bones of our nearest and dearest lie buried in the clay beneath your feet. Like yours will, much sooner than you ever thought. This is our chance to make history. For which you will never be forgotten. You come from a fighting tradition, and don’t ever forget it.
Now we are going to walk up this road in silence. Out of our county. With the promise to each other that we will fight to the last.
And remember! It is only for 70 minutes. Not like your forefathers who had to fight for days on end. We will promise to give absolutely everything in order that the next time we set foot on Wexford soil we will carry back the Leinster Cup.
Today, we are playing for a way of life. Breathe in now, long and hard and as you walk, think of yourself since childhood, of all the matches you played. All of your friends, both alive and gone, and make this promise to yourself. Today is the day we will be proud again.
And remember: “We are the boys of Wexford who fought with heart and hand.”
That’s real tradition. Let’s go!
Griffin wrote the speech at 5am after walking St. Helen’s beach and discussed the idea with sports psychologist Niamh Fitzpatrick, one of the first to work with a GAA team. Fitzpatrick encouraged the bus-stop tactic and suggested having the players deep-breathe while walking. Griffin kept the plan secret from his selectors, Rory Kinsella and Seamus Barron, fearing they would talk him out of it.
After the five-minute speech, the players walked up the road in complete silence for about five minutes. Griffin described the silence as eerie. Kinsella later joked that if they lost, Griffin would be “the laughing stock of County Wexford.”
Wexford won the Leinster final 2-23 to 2-15 against Offaly, ending a 19-year provincial title drought. After the match, Griffin gathered the squad in a circle on the pitch and asked whether they had “had enough” or wanted to pursue the All-Ireland. The players unanimously chose to continue training.
Wexford beat Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final and Limerick 1-13 to 0-14 in the final, securing the county’s first All-Ireland title since 1968.
Griffin’s wife Mary was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis around 1996, which added emotional weight to the campaign. He had planned to step down after the championship to care for her.
Griffin was named Philips Sports Manager of the Year in 1996 and was listed in the Sunday Tribune’s 125 Most Influential People in GAA History in 2009. In 2024, South East Technological University awarded him an honorary doctorate.