John J. Coughlan was an Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 sportsperson. He played hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 with his local club Tulla

Tulla GAA

Tulla GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Tulla, County Clare, Ireland. It is affiliated with Clare county board.-Achievements:* Clare Senior Hurling Championship Winners 1889, 1896, 1897, 1898, 1913, 1933, 2007...

 and with the Clare

Clare GAA

The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....

 and the London

London GAA

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

 inter-county teams in the early 1900s.

Jack Coughlan was born in Tulla

Tulla

Tulla is a town in County Clare, Ireland. The town is the commercial centre for Tulla parish and the surrounding area. Tulla church was founded about 620 by Mochuille and the town received its town charter in the 13th century...

, County Clare

County Clare

-History:There was a Neolithic civilisation in the Clare area — the name of the peoples is unknown, but the Prehistoric peoples left evidence behind in the form of ancient dolmen; single-chamber megalithic tombs, usually consisting of three or more upright stones...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, an area in the county that was famous for hurling even before the foundation of the Gaelic Athletic Association

Gaelic Athletic Association

The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...

. Coughlan made his name as a hurler with Tulla, and was prominent in the club’s county title in 1896. He subsequently won a Croke Cup title with Clare later that year. Shortly after these victories Coughlan later left Tulla and emigrated to London

London

London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...

. It was here that he played hurling with the great London

London GAA

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

 team of the time. He played in the 1900 All-Ireland final but lost out to Tipperary

Tipperary GAA

The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...

 on that occasion. In 1901 Coughlan was the captain of the London team that defeated Cork in the championship decider, giving Coughlan a coveted All-Ireland

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

 title.