Gilvarry was a student at
Blackrock College in
Dublin, and captained the school's
rugby union team to a
Leinster Senior Cup title. Gilvarry subsequently attended
University College Dublin and won a
Sigerson Cup title in 1946. At club level, he played with the
Killala club. Gilvarry first appeared for
Mayo in 1945. He won the first of four consecutive
Connacht SFC titles in 1948, however, Mayo were later beaten by
Cavan in the
1948 All-Ireland final. He claimed his first silverware the following year after victory in the
National League. Gilvarry was one of the key forwards when Mayo claimed back-to-back
All-Ireland SFC titles after defeats of
Louth in 1950 and
Meath in 1951. His inter-county performances also earned inclusion on the
Connacht team, with Gilvarry winning a
Railway Cup medal in 1951. ==Death==