James Smyth (1 January 1931 – 9 February 2013) was an Irish hurler who played as a full-forward for the Clare senior team.
Smyth made his first appearance for the team during the 1948–49 National Hurling League and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his retirement after the 1967 championship. During that time he won one Oireachtas medal and one Thomond Feis medal, and was a Munster final runner-up on two occasions.
At club level, Smyth was a five-time county club championship medallist with Ruan.
After retirement from play Smyth, in 1984 he was named on a special Hurling Team of the Century made up of players never to have won an All-Ireland medal. In 2000 he was named on the Munster Hurling Team of the Millennium.
Smyth first experienced success on the hurling field during his tenure at St. Flannan's College, a famed hurling nursery in Ennis. At Flan nan's he was a hurling protégé, going straight into the Dean Ryan Cup team as a thirteen-year-old and winning his first medal when Ennis won the junior championship.
In his second year he made his debut on the Harty Cup team. He won his first Harty Cup medal that year as St. Flannan's defeated the North Monastery of Cork to take the title. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Smyth's side face St Joseph's of Marino. A 7–10 to 2–3 trouncing gave Smyth his first All-Ireland medal.
St Flannan's retained their Harty Cup crown in 1946 following another defeat of the North Mon. O'Connell School from Dublin were the opponents in the All-Ireland final and a close game developed. A 5–7 to 5–2 scoreline gave Smyth his second All-Ireland medal.
Smyth collected a third consecutive Harty Cup medal following a defeat of St. Colman's College in 1947. Once again St Flannan's reached the All-Ireland decider where St Joseph's of Roscrea provided the opposition. A 6–8 to 3–1 victory gave Smyth a third consecutive All-Ireland medal.
At St Flannan's Smyth also won three inter-provincial colleges medals with the Munster selection.
Smyth played his club hurling with Ruan and enjoyed much success.
In 1948 Smyth represented Ruan in the minor, junior, intermediate and senior grades. It was a successful year as Ruan defeated Clarecastle in the county decider, giving Smyth his first championship medal. He also collected an intermediate championship medal that same year.
Having secured their very first championship title, Ruan captured a second three years later in 1951.
After a period in the doldrums, Smyth's side reached the championship decider once again in 1959. A defeat of Éire Óg gave Smyth his third championship medal. A defeat of Scariff in the final of 1960 gave Ruan a famous two-in-a-row. It was Smyth's fourth championship medal.
Three-in-a-row proved beyond Ruan, however, the team reached the final once again in 1962. Sixmilebridge fell on that occasion, giving Smyth a fifth and final championship medal.
Smyth first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Clare minor hurling team. He made his debut as a fourteen-year-old in 1945 and subsequently set up what must be an all-time record for Clare by playing at this grade for five years in a row. In his debut year, Clare reached the Munster decider. An 8–10 to 0–2 trouncing by Tipperary was Clare's lot on that occasion.
As a seventeen-year-old Smyth made his senior debut in a National Hurling League game against Galway in 1948. He played no part in the subsequent 1949 championship due to his involvement as captain of the Clare junior hurling team. He won a Munster medal in that grade following a 3–3 to 0–6 defeat of Cork. Clare later defeated Kilkenny before facing London in the All-Ireland decider. A close game developed and, at the full-time whistle, Clare were narrowly defeated by 3–7 to 3–6.
Smyth made his senior championship debut in a Munster semi-final defeat by Tipperary in 1950. Within just a few seasons he became known as one of the most prolific scorers in the championship. His 6–4 against Limerick in the Munster quarter-final in 1953 is a record which still stands.
In 1954 Clare qualified for the final of the post-season Oireachtas Tournament. All-Ireland runners-up Wexford provided the opposition on that occasion, however, the game ended in a 2–8 apiece draw. The replay was also a close affair with Clare eventually triumphing by 3–6 to 0–12. It was Smyth's first silverware with the Clare senior hurling team.