Gerry Culliton
{{Short description|Irish rugby union player}}
{{EngvarB|date=March 2020}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2020}}
{{Infobox rugby biography
| name = Gerry Culliton
| image =
| image_size =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| full_name = Gerard Culliton
| birth_date =15 June 1936
| birth_place = Clonaslee, County Laois, Irish Free State
| death_date = {{death date and age|2012|9|7|1936|6|15|df=y}}
| death_place = Rearymore, County Laois, Ireland
| height =
| weight =
| school = Cistercian College
| university =
| clubs1 = Tullamore
| clubs2 = Wanderers
| clubs3 = Leinster
| repteam1 = Ireland
| repcaps1 = 19
|
| coachteams1 = Portlaoise
}}
Gerard Culliton (15 June 1936 – 7 September 2012)[http://www.espnscrum.com/ireland/rugby/player/6364.html Gerry Culliton player profile] Scrum.com. Retrieved 10 March 2020. was an Irish international rugby union player. A native of Clonaslee in County Laois, he won 19 caps for Ireland, playing in four different positions.
Career
Culliton was educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea. While at school he played hurling and represented Laois GAA at junior level. He was going to be called up to the Laois senior team, but was invited by a friend to play a rugby match for Tullamore RFC. He played the match under a pseudonym; however, he later received a phone call from the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), stating that he had been seen playing rugby and was thus banned from playing Gaelic games under Rule 27, which prohibited any GAA player from playing rugby, football, hockey or cricket at the time.{{cite web|url=https://www.laoistoday.ie/2019/02/09/19-caps-for-ireland-the-barbarians-and-junior-hurling-title-with-clonaslee-the-amazing-sporting-career-of-gerry-culliton/ |title=19 caps for Ireland, the Barbarians and a junior hurling title with Clonaslee – the amazing sporting career of Gerry Culliton |publisher=Laois Today |date=9 February 2019 |accessdate=10 March 2020}}
After playing for Tullamore for two years, Culliton moved to Wanderers in Dublin, where he played for seventeen years. He went on to play provincial rugby for Leinster and then received a call-up to the Ireland national rugby union team, making his debut against England in 1959 at Lansdowne Road.{{cite web|url=http://en.espn.co.uk/scrum/rugby/player/6364.html |title=Gerry Culliton |publisher=ESPN |date= n.d.|accessdate=10 March 2020}} He played for Ireland for six years. He also played for the Barbarians against South Africa national rugby union team and New Zealand.
In the 1970s, he started coaching Portlaoise RFC. In 1971, the GAA repealed Rule 27, allowing Culliton to rejoin the GAA. He started coaching hurling for Clonaslee–St Manman's and coached that club to its first Laois Senior Hurling Championship title since 1910, when Laois was still referred to as Queen's County.
Personal life
Culliton was a Christian and carried out the Lough Derg pilgrimage fifty times.{{cite web |url=https://www.independent.ie/opinion/editorial/another-farm-reared-rugby-hero-29108559.html |title=Another farm reared rugby hero |work=Irish Independent |accessdate=10 March 2020}} Away from rugby, he worked as a farmer. He had six children, with his son Garrett representing Ireland at the Paralympics four times.{{cite web|last=Healy |first=Martin |url=https://extra.ie/2018/11/23/sport/rugby/garrett-culliton-irfu-charitable-trust |title=Garrett Culliton: From The Rugby Pitch To The Paralympics |publisher=Extra.ie |date=23 November 2018 |accessdate=10 March 2020}} He died on 7 September 2012 at his home in Rearymore, County Laois.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/celebrated-rugby-player-whose-heart-was-in-hurling-1.556716 |title=Celebrated rugby player whose heart was in hurling |newspaper=The Irish Times |date=24 November 2012 |accessdate=10 March 2020}}{{Cite web |url=https://www.limerickleader.ie/news/rugby/94641/Laois-mourns-passing-of-rugby-legend.html |title=Laois mourns passing of rugby legend Culliton |work=Limerick Leader |date=2012-09-12 |accessdate=2025-02-05}}
Notes
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Category:Barbarian F.C. players
Category:Gaelic games players from County Laois
Category:Ireland international rugby union players
Category:Irish rugby union players
Category:People educated at Cistercian College, Roscrea
Category:People from Clonaslee
Category:Rugby union players from County Laois
Category:Wanderers F.C. (rugby union) players