Niall Sheehy was a Gaelic Football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

er from Tralee Co Kerry

County Kerry

Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...

. He played Gaelic football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 and hurling with his local club John Mitchels, and was a member of the Kerry

Kerry GAA

The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...

 senior inter-county team from the 1958 until 1965, where he was nicknamed "Eusebio

Eusébio

Eusébio da Silva Ferreira, GCIH, GCM , commonly known simply as Eusébio, is a retired Mozambican-born Portuguese football forward. He is considered one of the best footballers of all-time by the IFFHS, experts and fans...

" for his kicking ability. He also played hurling with Kerry

Kerry GAA

The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...

. His father was the great John Joe Sheehy

John Joe Sheehy

John Joe Sheehy was an Irish political/military activist and sportsperson. He participated in the Irish War of Independence and Irish Civil War in the Irish Republican Army, where he was a senior figure in County Kerry...

. His brothers - Seán Óg and Paudie

Paudie Sheehy

Paudie Sheehy was an Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club John Mitchels and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from the 1953 until 1962. A son of the famous footballer John Joe and brother of the equally famous Seán Óg and Niall, Sheehy captained...

 - both won All-Ireland titles with Kerry in the 1960s. Sheehy captained Kerry to the All-Ireland

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship

The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...

 final in 1964, but lost out to Galway

Galway GAA

The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...

. He also won an All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship

All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship

The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker counties...

 medal in 1961, Kerry's

Kerry GAA

The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...

 first All Ireland Hurling title since 1891, as well as 4 National Hurling League Div 2 titles.

At club level Sheehy was part of the famed John Mitchels team of the late 1950s and 1960s, winning six Kerry Senior Football Championships (five in a row from 1959 to 1963 and again in 1966).