He played hurling with his local club Gort and with the Galway senior inter-county team from 1942 until 1954.
The fact that the county faced no competition in Connacht meant that Galway went straight into the All-Ireland series every single year.
Two years later in 1953 Galway defeated a star-studded Kilkenny team in the penultimate stage of the championship.
This victory allowed Gallagher's side to advance to the All-Ireland final where Cork provided the opposition.
After the match at the Gresham Hotel in Dublin a fight broke out when another Galway player struck Cork's Christy Ring.