Jim Langton

Who was Jim Langton?

James "Jim" Langton was an Irish hurler who usually played as a left wing-forward for the Kilkenny senior team.

Born in Gowran, County Kilkenny, Phelan first excelled at hurling whilst at school in Kilkenny CBS. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Kilkenny minor team. He made his senior debut in the 1938 championship. Langton went on to play a key part for Kilkenny during a lean era for the county, and won two All-Ireland medals and seven Leinster medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on three occasions.

As a member of the Leinster inter-provincial team for fourteen years, Langton won two Railway Cup medals. At club level he won four championship medal with Éire Óg.

Langton's career tally of 15 goals and 146 points was a record score for a Kilkenny player which stood for twenty years when it was surpassed by Eddie Keher.

Throughout his career Langton made 43 championship appearances. His retirement came following Kilkenny's defeat by Wexford in the 1954 championship.

Langton is widely regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the game. He has been repeatedly voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including at left wing-forward on the Hurling Team of the Century in 1984 and the Hurling Team of the Millennium in 2000.