Tommy Joe Gilmore

Who is Tommy Joe Gilmore?

Tommy Joe Gilmore is a footballer from County Galway. The Cortoon man who excelled in the No.6 jersey of Galway throughout the 1970s.

Born and bred in the village of Cortoon just outside Tuam, Gilmore spent almost twenty years from 1968 onwards in the Senior ranks of local Cortoon Shamrocks and helped the small rural club to county semi final appearances in 1975 and 1978. Centre Half-back is the position he will always be remembered for, but he played in a variety of locations from full back to full forward. Actually pulling on the No. 14 jersey to help his county to victory over Roscommon in the 1981 National League decider. A county Minor in 1967 and on Under 21 for two further years, it was quite a magnificent achievement for the Cortoon man to break into the county’s star studded Senior team at that time.

Any player who has suffered it will tell how bitterly disappointing it is to leave Croke Park empty-handed on All-Ireland final day. Gilmore was subjected to the painful ordeal on three occasions and, not surprisingly, would love the opportunity of venturing into the vaults of time and re-writing the record books.