Niall McInerney
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Niall Mac an Airchinnigh | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Right corner-back | ||
| Born |
8 May 1949 Sixmilebridge, County Clare, Ireland | ||
| Died |
22 November 2004 (aged 55) Galway, Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Nickname | Niall Mac | ||
| Occupation | Secondary school teacher | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
|
Sixmilebridge Liam Mellows | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Galway titles | 2 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
1972-1973 1974-1983 |
Clare Galway |
2 (0-00) 24 (0-00) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 1 | ||
| All Stars | 2 | ||
Niall McInerney (8 May 1949 – 22 November 2004[1][2]) was an Irish hurler who played as a right corner-back for the Clare and Galway senior teams.[3]
Born in Sixmilebridge, County Clare, McInerney first excelled at hurling in his youth. He made his first impression on the inter-county scene when he joined the Clare minor team, before later linking up with the under-21 team. He made his senior debut during the 1972 championship. McInerney later played a key role with Galway for almost a decade, and won one All-Ireland medal and one National Hurling League medal. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on three occasions.
As a member of the Connacht inter-provincial team at various times, McInerney won three Railway Cup medal. At club level he was a one-time intermediate championship medallist with Sixmilebridge. McInerney also lined out with Liam Mellows.
Throughout his career Hayes made a combined total of 26 championship appearances for Clare and Galway. His retirement came following the conclusion of the 1983 championship.
Hayes is widely regarded as one of Galway's greatest-ever hurlers. He has often been voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including at full-back on the Fitzgibbon Cup Hurling Team of the Century.[4]
In retirement from playing, McInerney became involved in team management and coaching. At schools level he was involved in coaching the Galway vocational schools' hurlers to a remarkable sixteenAll-Ireland titles, including a record eight-in-a-row. He also helped Moneenageisha Vocational School to two All-Ireland titles. McInerney later served as a selector with the Galway senior team.[5]
Honours
Player
- Sixmilebridge
- Clare Intermediate Hurling Championship (1): 1971
- Clare Junior B Football Championship (1): 1965
- Clare Under-16 B Hurling Championship (1): 1963
- Galway
- Connacht
- Railway Cup (3): 1980, 1982, 1983
Coach
- Galway
- All-Ireland Vocational Schools Inter-county Championship (16): 1980, 1981, 1982, 1983, 1984, 1985, 1986, 1987, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003
- Moneenageisha Vocational School
- All-Ireland Vocational Schools Senior A Hurling Championship (2): 1988, 1990
Individual
- Awards
- All-Star (2): 1975, 1980
References
- ^ O'Sullivan, Jim (23 November 2004). "Tributes paid to hurling legend". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ Breheny, Martin (23 November 2004). "Hurling mourns Niall McInerney". Irish Independent. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ "The men who changed the face of Galway hurling". Irish Independent. 7 September 2005. Retrieved 27 January 2014.
- ^ "Three Galway players on the Fitzgibbon Cup team of the century". Galway Advertiser. 2 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2014.
- ^ "Galway appoint McInerney as selector". RTÉ Sport. 5 March 2002. Retrieved 1 February 2014.