Adrian Freeman
Encyclopedia
Adrian Freeman was an Irish
sportsperson from Tooreen, Ballyhaunis
, County Mayo
. He played Gaelic football
and hurling
.
Freeman played hurling for Mayo
and was a member of the county's 2009 hurling team, which participated in both the National Hurling League
(NHL) and the Christy Ring Cup
. He played for Connacht
in the Interprovincial Championship
. He played club football for Aghamore.
His international career consisted of one hurling/shinty
Under 21 international appearance in Inverness
, Scotland
. Freeman also played in England
(four times) and toured North America
during his career, whilst he was a member of the losing Connacht side from the Interprovincial Championship Final played in Abu Dhabi
, Dubai
, Middle East
in March 2009.
Freeman's death at the age of 24 in a traffic collision in Australia
on 31 May 2010 led to an outpouring of public grief in Ireland's GAA circles.
(2004–2009).
said Freeman's "free-scoring exploits helped win several matches". He was nicknamed "Twink" on account of his "twinkle-toes". Freeman achieved two Connaught Under 21 B hurling championship medals with Mayo, and many underage club titles with Tooreen. In 2007 he played in a hurling/shinty
Under 21 international encounter in Inverness
, Scotland
. He performed twice each in the English cities of London
and Birmingham
.
He toured North America
with the Connaught Colleges hurling touring party when he was 16. He accompanied several future inter-county hurlers for Galway
. In 2002, Freeman made his senior debut for the Tooreen team while still under 16. The following year, at the age of 17, he won a championship medal with the Mayo senior hurling team. This ultimately proved to be the only championship medal he would ever win. Freeman's debut for Mayo's senior hurling team came at Croke Park
in a defeat to Kildare
in the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship Final.
Gerry Spellman, Frank Browne
and Martin Brennan
all played Freeman regularly whilst in charge of Mayo teams. According to the Connaught Telegraph
, he was the most consistent performer for Mayo in both 2008 and 2009, when they reached the semi-finals stage of the Christy Ring Cup and Freeman received a Christy Ring All-Star. The same publication said he would be "best remembered for Aghamore's third goal in their 3-5 to 1-9 win over Kilmaine [in 2008] - as his famous twinkle toes chipped the ball over the advancing Kilmaine custodian to seal victory for Aghamore". His career peaked in March 2009 when he played against Leinster in the final in Abu Dhabi
, Dubai
of the Interprovincial Championship as part of the losing Connaught hurling team during a week-long tour of the Middle East
.
Like many others at Tooreen Hurling Club the global financial crisis caused Freeman to emigrate in search of a better life. He went to Australia
in October 2009, where he gained employment as a sub-contractor on the Barwon Heads bridge.
, Melbourne
at 2:40 pm local time (5:40 am Irish time) on 29 May 2010. He was driving a Toyota Camry
with Robbie Twomey from Ballahadigue, Listowel, County Kerry
, when a Volvo
struck the pair of them. Freeman was thought to be driving at his death. Twomey was also killed in the same crash, whilst two others were also in the same car. The men were coming from work when they met their deaths. Freeman's family travelled to Melbourne, arriving by 3 June. Police in Australia investigated the circumstances.
There was a minute's silence at the Galway
versus Wexford
tie in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
quarter-finals at Nowlan Park
on 29 May 2010. Other matches were called off.
The Gaelic Players Association
issued a tribute, with its CEO Dessie Farrell
saying the following: "Adrian was a leading player in Mayo hurling and was honoured for his contribution in last year's Christy Ring Cup as well as being chosen for the Connacht interprovincial hurling panel. The death of a young player and his friend is deeply shocking and on behalf of the GPA I would like to pass on our sincere sympathies to the families and friends of Adrian and Robbie (Twomey) and to all Adrian's playing colleagues".
A book of condolence was opened on http://www.mayogaa.com, with hundreds leaving tributes in the first few days. 11.30 a.m. Mass
was said for Freeman in Tooreen Church on 31 May, and many team mates attended.
A book of Condolence is also open on the Tooreen Hurling Club website http://www.tooreenhurlers.com which features messages of sympathy and support.
Freeman was expected to come back to Ireland in August 2010 but he died in Australia before he could return.
. Cathal is also an intercounty hurler and footballer.
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
sportsperson from Tooreen, Ballyhaunis
Ballyhaunis
Ballyhaunis is a town in County Mayo, Ireland. It is situated at the crossroads of the N60 and N83 National secondary roads and on the railway line connecting Dublin to Westport and Ballina....
, County Mayo
County Mayo
County Mayo is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Mayo, which is now generally known as Mayo Abbey. Mayo County Council is the local authority for the county. The population of the county is 130,552...
. He played Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
and 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...
.
Freeman played hurling for Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
and was a member of the county's 2009 hurling team, which participated in both the National Hurling League
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
(NHL) and the Christy Ring Cup
Christy Ring Cup
The Christy Ring Cup is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2005 for middle-ranking hurling teams in Ireland....
. He played for Connacht
Connacht GAA
The Connacht Council are a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Connacht.-Constituent counties:*Galway*Leitrim*Mayo*Roscommon*Sligo-Special counties:...
in the Interprovincial Championship
Interprovincial Championship
The Interprovincial Championship or Railway Cup is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competetitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster teams are composed of the best players from the various counties in the province...
. He played club football for Aghamore.
His international career consisted of one hurling/shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
Under 21 international appearance in Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Freeman also played in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
(four times) and toured North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
during his career, whilst he was a member of the losing Connacht side from the Interprovincial Championship Final played in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
, Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
in March 2009.
Freeman's death at the age of 24 in a traffic collision in Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
on 31 May 2010 led to an outpouring of public grief in Ireland's GAA circles.
Early life
Freeman was born in March 1986. He was educated in Tooreen NS from 1991 onwards. There he developed his interest in sport. Freeman played hurling for Tooreen Hurling Club from the age of seven and played football for Aghamore. He also played association football, attracting interest from Leeds United in 2000. Freeman progressed to Ballyhaunis Community School in 1999 and graduated as a civil engineer from Limerick Institute of TechnologyLimerick Institute of Technology
Limerick Institute of Technology is an institution of higher education in Limerick, Ireland and is one of 13 institutes that are members of the Institutes of Technology Ireland . The Institute has four campuses in Limerick City, one in both Thurles and Clonmel in County Tipperary and a regional...
(2004–2009).
Career
The Western PeopleWestern People
The Western People is a weekly local newspaper published in Ballina, County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland, it was first published in 1883. The paper is now owned by Cork-based Thomas Crosbie Holdings...
said Freeman's "free-scoring exploits helped win several matches". He was nicknamed "Twink" on account of his "twinkle-toes". Freeman achieved two Connaught Under 21 B hurling championship medals with Mayo, and many underage club titles with Tooreen. In 2007 he played in a hurling/shinty
Shinty
Shinty is a team game played with sticks and a ball. Shinty is now played mainly in the Scottish Highlands, and amongst Highland migrants to the big cities of Scotland, but it was formerly more widespread, being once competitively played on a widespread basis in England and other areas in the...
Under 21 international encounter in Inverness
Inverness
Inverness is a city in the Scottish Highlands. It is the administrative centre for the Highland council area, and is regarded as the capital of the Highlands of Scotland...
, Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. He performed twice each in the English cities of 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...
and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
.
He toured North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
with the Connaught Colleges hurling touring party when he was 16. He accompanied several future inter-county hurlers for Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
. In 2002, Freeman made his senior debut for the Tooreen team while still under 16. The following year, at the age of 17, he won a championship medal with the Mayo senior hurling team. This ultimately proved to be the only championship medal he would ever win. Freeman's debut for Mayo's senior hurling team came at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
in a defeat to Kildare
Kildare GAA
For more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Kildare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Kildare GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kildare...
in the All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship Final.
Gerry Spellman, Frank Browne
Frank Browne
Francis Patrick Mary Browne MC with Bar, Belgian Croix de Guerre SJ was a distinguished member of the Jesuit order in Ireland and a prolific photographer...
and Martin Brennan
Martin Brennan
Martin Brennan may refer to:*Martin Brennan , Irish medical practitioner and Fianna Fáil politician, TD from 1938–1948*Martin Brennan , computer engineer who worked for Sinclair Research and Atari...
all played Freeman regularly whilst in charge of Mayo teams. According to the Connaught Telegraph
Connaught Telegraph
The Connaught Telegraph is a weekly local newspaper published in Castlebar, County Mayo in the Republic of Ireland. The paper is in broadsheet format , and published every Wednesday. It has the second highest circulation of the paid for Mayo newspapers...
, he was the most consistent performer for Mayo in both 2008 and 2009, when they reached the semi-finals stage of the Christy Ring Cup and Freeman received a Christy Ring All-Star. The same publication said he would be "best remembered for Aghamore's third goal in their 3-5 to 1-9 win over Kilmaine [in 2008] - as his famous twinkle toes chipped the ball over the advancing Kilmaine custodian to seal victory for Aghamore". His career peaked in March 2009 when he played against Leinster in the final in Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi
Abu Dhabi , literally Father of Gazelle, is the capital and the second largest city of the United Arab Emirates in terms of population and the largest of the seven member emirates of the United Arab Emirates. Abu Dhabi lies on a T-shaped island jutting into the Persian Gulf from the central western...
, Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
of the Interprovincial Championship as part of the losing Connaught hurling team during a week-long tour of the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
Like many others at Tooreen Hurling Club the global financial crisis caused Freeman to emigrate in search of a better life. He went to Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in October 2009, where he gained employment as a sub-contractor on the Barwon Heads bridge.
Death
Freeman was killed at the age of 24 in a traffic collision whilst in Connewarre, VictoriaConnewarre, Victoria
Connewarre, Victoria, Australia, is located in southern Australia in an area that is sparsely populated. At the 2006 census, Connewarre and the surrounding area had a population of 78....
, Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
at 2:40 pm local time (5:40 am Irish time) on 29 May 2010. He was driving a Toyota Camry
Toyota Camry
The Toyota Camry is a series of mid-size automobiles manufactured by Toyota since 1982, and sold in the majority of automotive markets throughout the world...
with Robbie Twomey from Ballahadigue, Listowel, County Kerry
County Kerry
Kerry means the "people of Ciar" which was the name of the pre-Gaelic tribe who lived in part of the present county. The legendary founder of the tribe was Ciar, son of Fergus mac Róich. In Old Irish "Ciar" meant black or dark brown, and the word continues in use in modern Irish as an adjective...
, when a Volvo
Volvo
AB Volvo is a Swedish builder of commercial vehicles, including trucks, buses and construction equipment. Volvo also supplies marine and industrial drive systems, aerospace components and financial services...
struck the pair of them. Freeman was thought to be driving at his death. Twomey was also killed in the same crash, whilst two others were also in the same car. The men were coming from work when they met their deaths. Freeman's family travelled to Melbourne, arriving by 3 June. Police in Australia investigated the circumstances.
Response
Spokesperson for Tooreen Hurling Club, Jackie Coyne, said Freeman's death had brought "heart wrenching emptiness" throughout the entire region.There was a minute's silence at the Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
versus Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
tie in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....
quarter-finals at Nowlan Park
Nowlan Park
Nowlan Park is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium in Kilkenny, Ireland, home to the Kilkenny hurling team. It has two covered stands and two terraces, behind each goalpost. The current capacity of the stadium is approximately 24,000 with a seating capacity of 17,000. Plans have...
on 29 May 2010. Other matches were called off.
The Gaelic Players Association
Gaelic Players Association
The Gaelic Players Association The GPA was formed in 1999 when former IMG employee Donal O'Neill and a number of high profile inter-county players including Tyrone's Fergal Logan and Peter Canavan, Derry's Fergal McCusker and Dublin's Dessie Farrell were instrumental in the birth of the organisation...
issued a tribute, with its CEO Dessie Farrell
Dessie Farrell
Dessie Farrell is a former Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Dublin. He plays his club football for Na Fianna although his playing days may be numbered due to suffering a suspected torn cruciate ligament...
saying the following: "Adrian was a leading player in Mayo hurling and was honoured for his contribution in last year's Christy Ring Cup as well as being chosen for the Connacht interprovincial hurling panel. The death of a young player and his friend is deeply shocking and on behalf of the GPA I would like to pass on our sincere sympathies to the families and friends of Adrian and Robbie (Twomey) and to all Adrian's playing colleagues".
A book of condolence was opened on http://www.mayogaa.com, with hundreds leaving tributes in the first few days. 11.30 a.m. Mass
Mass (liturgy)
"Mass" is one of the names by which the sacrament of the Eucharist is called in the Roman Catholic Church: others are "Eucharist", the "Lord's Supper", the "Breaking of Bread", the "Eucharistic assembly ", the "memorial of the Lord's Passion and Resurrection", the "Holy Sacrifice", the "Holy and...
was said for Freeman in Tooreen Church on 31 May, and many team mates attended.
A book of Condolence is also open on the Tooreen Hurling Club website http://www.tooreenhurlers.com which features messages of sympathy and support.
Freeman was expected to come back to Ireland in August 2010 but he died in Australia before he could return.
Family
Freeman's parents were Seamus (father) and Ita (mother) Freeman. He had a sister, Louise, and a brother, Cathal. Louise is a doctor in GalwayGalway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
. Cathal is also an intercounty hurler and footballer.