Hubert Rigney
Encyclopedia
Hubert Rigney is a retired Irish
sportsperson. He played hurling
with his local club St. Rynagh's
and with the Offaly
senior inter-county team from 1990 until 2002.
with the St. Rynagh's
club in Banagher
. He started playing hurling
at the age of 11 and won his first medal at the age of 13 when his side defeated Portumna
in Galway
. As a member of the senior team Rigney captured three county titles in 1990, 1992 and 1993. This final win was later converted into a Leinster
club title.
minor hurling team in the late 1980s. He won a Leinster
title in this grade in 1989 before later capturing an All-Ireland
title following a victory over Clare
. Rigney later joined the Offaly under-21 team where he captured a Leinster
title in 1991. He added a second Leinster under-21 medal to his collection in 1993, however, he never collected an All-Ireland medal in this grade.
Rigney became a member of the Offaly senior panel in 1990. In the spring of 1991 he captured a National Hurling League
title, Offaly's first, and the future was looking brighter for the midlands team. Three years later in 1994 Rigney was a key member of the Offaly team as he first Leinster
title. Offaly later progressed to the All-Ireland final where they played Limerick
. With four minutes to go Offaly were trailing by five points, however, a scoring spree in the remaining time resulted in the side winning the game by 6 points. Offaly manager Éamonn Cregan
had orchestrated a great win over has native county and Rigney collected his first All-Ireland
medal.
In 1995 Rigney captured a second Leinster medal. The game itself against Kilkenny
was regarded as the best game of the year and is regarded as one of the greatest games of all-time by some for the sheer level of skill displayed by both teams. Rigney's side later went on to lose the All-Ireland final to Clare
, who won their first All-Ireland title since 1914.
1998 proved to be a controversial year for Offaly. Rigney's side reached the Leinster final but lost to Kilkenny. This defeat prompted their manager, Babs Keating, to describe the Offaly hurlers as "sheep in a heap", and he promptly resigned. It looked as if Offaly’s championship hopes were in disarray, however, they overcame Antrim
in the All-Ireland quarter-final and qualified to meet Clare in the semi-final. The first game ended in a draw and had to be replayed; however, the replay was ended minutes early because of a timekeeping error by the referee. Following a protest on the pitch of Croke Park
by the Offaly supporters it was decided that Clare and Offaly would meet for a third time. Hanamy's side won the third game and qualified to play Kilkenny in the final. Offaly reversed the Leinster final defeat by winning the All-Ireland final by 6 points in a game which saw Brian Whelehan play at full-forward. Rigney won his second All-Ireland medal and lifted the cup.
In 1999 Offaly once again reached the latter stages of the All-Ireland championship, however, they were beaten by Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final. 2000 proved to be another controversial year. Team manager Pat Fleury
surprisingly omitted Rigney from the squad that was due to play Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. Offaly lost that game and Rigney later declared that he no longer wanted to play for his club St. Rynagh's or for Offaly. It was a withdrawal from hurling in protest. He was later coaxed back to the county team in 2001 and continued to play until his retirement in 2002.
.
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. He played 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...
with his local club St. Rynagh's
St. Rynagh's GAA
St. Rynagh's is a Gaelic Athletic Association club that encompasses the towns of Cloghan and Banagher in County Offaly, in Ireland. Formed in 1961, the club gained almost immediate success - winning the senior championship in 1965. St. Rynagh's went on to appear in three All-Ireland club finals...
and with the Offaly
Offaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
senior inter-county team from 1990 until 2002.
Club
Rigney played his club hurlingHurling
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...
with the St. Rynagh's
St. Rynagh's GAA
St. Rynagh's is a Gaelic Athletic Association club that encompasses the towns of Cloghan and Banagher in County Offaly, in Ireland. Formed in 1961, the club gained almost immediate success - winning the senior championship in 1965. St. Rynagh's went on to appear in three All-Ireland club finals...
club in Banagher
Banagher
Banagher is a town in Ireland, located in the midlands on the western edge of County Offaly in the province of Leinster, on the banks of the River Shannon. The name Banagher comes from its Irish name which translates to English as "the place of the pointed rocks on the Shannon"...
. He started playing 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...
at the age of 11 and won his first medal at the age of 13 when his side defeated Portumna
Portumna GAA
Portumna GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Portumna in County Galway. The club is almost exclusively focused on hurling.-History:...
in Galway
Galway
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...
. As a member of the senior team Rigney captured three county titles in 1990, 1992 and 1993. This final win was later converted into a Leinster
Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual Hurling tournament played between the winners of the senior club hurling championships of the counties in Leinster. The current holders of the Leinster title are Ballyhale Shamrocks from Kilkenny. The first Leinster senior club hurling...
club title.
Inter-county
Rigney first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the OffalyOffaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
minor hurling team in the late 1980s. He won a Leinster
Leinster Minor Hurling Championship
The ESB Leinster Minor Hurling Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Hurling played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council...
title in this grade in 1989 before later capturing an All-Ireland
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
title following a victory over Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
. Rigney later joined the Offaly under-21 team where he captured a Leinster
Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship
For the Senior equivalent see: Leinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Leinster U-21 Hurling Championship or for sponsorship reasons the Erin Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship is an U-21 hurling tournament. The first tournament took place in 1964 when Wexford were crowned champions. Wexford...
title in 1991. He added a second Leinster under-21 medal to his collection in 1993, however, he never collected an All-Ireland medal in this grade.
Rigney became a member of the Offaly senior panel in 1990. In the spring of 1991 he captured a 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...
title, Offaly's first, and the future was looking brighter for the midlands team. Three years later in 1994 Rigney was a key member of the Offaly team as he first Leinster
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....
title. Offaly later progressed to the All-Ireland final where they played Limerick
Limerick GAA
The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...
. With four minutes to go Offaly were trailing by five points, however, a scoring spree in the remaining time resulted in the side winning the game by 6 points. Offaly manager Éamonn Cregan
Éamonn Cregan
Éamonn Cregan is an Irish former Gaelic footballer, hurler and manager. He is best remembered for his success with Limerick, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager of various club and inter-county teams in the 1980s and 1990s.-Club:...
had orchestrated a great win over has native county and Rigney collected his first All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
medal.
In 1995 Rigney captured a second Leinster medal. The game itself against Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
was regarded as the best game of the year and is regarded as one of the greatest games of all-time by some for the sheer level of skill displayed by both teams. Rigney's side later went on to lose the All-Ireland final to Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
, who won their first All-Ireland title since 1914.
1998 proved to be a controversial year for Offaly. Rigney's side reached the Leinster final but lost to Kilkenny. This defeat prompted their manager, Babs Keating, to describe the Offaly hurlers as "sheep in a heap", and he promptly resigned. It looked as if Offaly’s championship hopes were in disarray, however, they overcame Antrim
Antrim GAA
The Antrim County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Antrim GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Antrim. The county board is also responsible for the Antrim inter-county teams...
in the All-Ireland quarter-final and qualified to meet Clare in the semi-final. The first game ended in a draw and had to be replayed; however, the replay was ended minutes early because of a timekeeping error by the referee. Following a protest on the pitch of Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
by the Offaly supporters it was decided that Clare and Offaly would meet for a third time. Hanamy's side won the third game and qualified to play Kilkenny in the final. Offaly reversed the Leinster final defeat by winning the All-Ireland final by 6 points in a game which saw Brian Whelehan play at full-forward. Rigney won his second All-Ireland medal and lifted the cup.
In 1999 Offaly once again reached the latter stages of the All-Ireland championship, however, they were beaten by Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final. 2000 proved to be another controversial year. Team manager Pat Fleury
Pat Fleury
Pat Fleury is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Drumcullen and with the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1986. Fleury captained Offaly to the All-Ireland title in 1985...
surprisingly omitted Rigney from the squad that was due to play Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. Offaly lost that game and Rigney later declared that he no longer wanted to play for his club St. Rynagh's or for Offaly. It was a withdrawal from hurling in protest. He was later coaxed back to the county team in 2001 and continued to play until his retirement in 2002.
Personal life
Hubert is chairman of the Offaly branch of the 'Collins 22 Society', which pays tribute to Irish revolutionary leader Michael CollinsMichael Collins
- Politics :* Michael Collins , Irish Labour party politician, Lord Mayor Of Dublin 1977–1978* Michael Collins , Irish revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician...
.