Pat Ryan (hurler)
Encyclopedia
Pat Ryan is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of 15,498....
, County Cork
County Cork
County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...
) is an Irish
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
sportsperson. He plays 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 Sarsfield's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1998 until 2002.
Club
Ryan plays his club hurling with his local club called Sarsfield's. He enjoyed little success at underage levels, however, in the 1990s he became a key member of the club's senior team. In 1997 Sarsfield's reached their first county final for almost a decade, with divisional side ImolkillyImokilly GAA
Imokilly GAA is a Gaelic football and Hurling division in the east of Cork, Ireland. The division includes towns such as Midleton, Cobh, and Youghal. It is one of eight divisions of Cork County Board. It organizes competitions for the clubs within the division, from Under 12 up to the adult level...
provided the opposition. A high-scoring game developed, however, Ryan ended up on the losing side as the east Cork men won by 1-18 to 2-12. Eleven years later in 1997 Sarsfield's reached the county final of the senior championship once again. A narrow 2-14 to 2-13 victory over Bride Rovers gave Ryan a coveted cork senior championship
Cork Senior Hurling Championship
The Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....
winners' medal and gave 'Sars' a first county final win since 1957.
Inter-county
Ryan's slill at club championship level brought him to the attentions of the Cork inter-county selectors and he was soon picked for the county under-21 panel. In 1996 he won his first MunsterMunster Minor Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors in the province of Munster in Ireland...
minor winners' medal, albeit as a non-playing substitute, as Cork trounced 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....
on a score line of 3-16 to 2-7. Cork, however, fell in the All-Ireland semi-final against 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 1997 Ryan added a second Munster under-21 medal to his collection, this time on the field of play, when Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
were defeated by a single point. It took a late goal by Timmy McCarthy
Timmy McCarthy
Timmy McCarthy is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Castlelyons and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1999 until 2009.-Biography:...
to secure a 1-11 to 0-13 victory. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Cork take on 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,...
. Cork were victorious on that occasion on a score line of 3-11 to 0-13 giving Ryan a coveted All-Ireland
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for players aged between 18 and 21 in the game of hurling played in Ireland...
under-21 winners' medal in his last year on the team.
Ryan's move onto the Cork senior team was a natural progression. In 1998 he tasted success at senior level for the first time as Cork defeated Waterford to take 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...
title. It was a welcome return to the big time for Cork; however, success in the championship was slow in coming.
Ryan lined out in both of Cork's championship games in 1998, however, in 1999 he returned to the substitutes' bench. That year Cork reached their first Munster final since 1992. Clare, the team that had won three of the last four provincial titles, together with two All-Ireland titles, provided the opposition and were very much the favourites going into the game. An exciting contest unfolded with Ryan coming on as a substitute. A score line of 1-15 to 0-14 gave Cork the victory and gave Ryan his first senior Munster
Munster Senior Hurling Championship
The Munster 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 Munster in Ireland....
title. Cork later defeated 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...
in one of the games of the year to set up an All-Ireland final meeting with arch-rivals 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...
. Ryan, however, remained on the subs' bench for that game. A wet and windy day meant that the classic game that everyone expected failed to materialise. Both sides shot seventeen wides over the course of the seventy minutes as a young and inexperienced Cork came back from five points down to win by 0-13 to 0-12. It was Cork’s first senior 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....
title since 1990 and the victory gave Ryan an All-Ireland winners' medal as a non-playing substitute.
In 2000 Cork were the favourites to retain their All-Ireland title. The team got off to a good start by retaining their Munster title, however, Tipperary put up a good fight. Ryan collected a second provincial winners' medal as Cork won by 0-23 to 3-12. Cork’s next game was an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Offaly. While Cork were expected to win the game without breaking a sweat Offaly caught Cryan's side on the hop and recorded a 0-19 to 0-15 win.
While the Cork hurling team should have gone from strength to strength as a result of a solid foundation at minor and under-21 levels the opposite happened. Embarrassing defeats in 2001 and 2002 saw the Cork hurling team reach rock bottom and call a players' strike just before Christmas in 2002. When the strike was resolved a new team emerged in 2003, however, Ryan was not included bringing his inter-county involvement to an end.
Sarsfield's
- Cork Senior Hurling ChampionshipCork Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....
:- Winner (1): 2008
- Runner-up (1): 1997
Cork
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe 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....
:- Winner (1): 1999All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1999The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1999 was the 113th staging of Ireland's premier hurling competition...
(sub)
- Winner (1): 1999
- Munster Senior Hurling ChampionshipMunster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Munster 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 Munster in Ireland....
:- Winner (2): 1999, 2000
- National Hurling LeagueNational Hurling LeagueThe 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...
:- Winner (1): 1997-98
- All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for players aged between 18 and 21 in the game of hurling played in Ireland...
:- Winner (1): 1997
- Munster Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipMunster Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipThe Munster GAA Hurling Under-21 Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1964 for players aged between 18 and 21 in the province of Munster in Ireland...
:- Winner (2): 1996 (sub), 1997