Frank Stockwell

Who was Frank Stockwell?

Frank Stockwell was an Irish sportsman who played Gaelic football with his local club Tuam Stars and was a member of the Galway, Louth and London inter-county teams at various periods from 1949 until 1960. Stockwell is regarded as Galway’s greatest-ever full forward.

Stockwell began his inter-county career in 1949, at the age of 19. He continued to play for Galway until 1950, when he moved to Louth to play club football with. This led to Stockwell playing for the Louth seniors in 1950 and 1951. He returned to Galway for the 1952 Championship and revived a devastating attacking partnership with his Tuam Stars team-mate and friend, Sean Purcell. Lining out at full forward, his ability to finish the chances created by Purcell brought considerable success to Galway in their overall consistency during the 1950s. In 1956, He won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, beating Cork in the final by 2-13 to 3-07. The final was most notable for Stockwell scoring a then-record 2-05. He was unlucky not to add to that tally, having a goal disallowed.