Pa Dillon

Who is Pa Dillon?

Patrick "Pa" Dillon was an Irish hurler who played as a full-back for the Kilkenny senior team.

Born in Freshford, County Kilkenny, Dillon first excelled at hurling in various juvenile grades. 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 a 1960 tournament game but had to wait until the 1964 championship before he became a regular. Dillon went on to play a key part for Kilkenny during a successful era for the team, and won three All-Ireland medals, six Leinster medals and one National Hurling League medal.

Dillon represented the Leinster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions throughout his career, winning Railway Cup medals in 1965 and 1972. At club level he won two championship medals with St. Lachtain's.

Cited by many of his hurling peers as one of the best full-backs of his generation, Dillon won two Cú Chulainn. He was later named in the full-back position on the Kilkenny Hurling Team of the Century.