Sean Cavanagh
Encyclopedia
Seán Cavanagh is a four-time All Star
-winning Tyrone
Gaelic football
er. He has won All-Ireland championships
for Tyrone at Minor level and three times at Senior level, and has captained Ireland at the International Rules Series
.
His playing style is very attack-minded, considering he is usually deployed as a midfielder, and he usually ends up scoring more than most of the forwards on the team. This is complemented on the team by Brian Dooher
's tireless workrate from the half-forward line - something he is the first to admit.
2008 was his most illustrious year as an individual. He won his fourth All Star award, his third All Ireland Championship, was named captain of the Ireland International Rules team, and then won the Player of the Year.
His brother Colm Cavanagh
is also a current member of the Tyrone panel.
in 2004 with a First Class Honours Degree in Accountancy
. He has since gone on to follow a career in accountancy.
in 2001,. He also won two Ulster Minor Championship
s with the county. He went on to win two Ulster Under 21 Championships
in 2002 and 2003.
He was also enormously successful as school level, winning the Ulster Colleges Championship, the MacRory Cup
in 2000, with Saint Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh
, earning himself an Ulster Colleges All Star along the way, having scored the decisive goal in the final.
scoring a goal which earned Tyrone a replay. He was also a member of the squad that won Tyrone's first ever National League
title.
Tyrone defended the National League in 2003. That year he was pivotal in Tyrone's quest to their first ever All-Ireland Championship. He was voted Man-of-the-Match in their first round replay against Derry
. He returned from injury to appear in the drawn Ulster Final against Down
, and scored a point in the replay while commanding midfield. In the All-Ireland Quarter final (the next round), Tyrone beat neighbours Fermanagh
1-21 (24 points) to 0-05. Cavanagh again led by example from midfield, and scored Tyrone's goal. Tyrone went on to win the All-Ireland and the year ended with Cavanagh winning his first All Star
, at the age of twenty, as well as the Young Player of the Year Award.
Tyrone's 2004 campaign was foreshadowed by the untimely death of their newly appointed captain, Cormac McAnallen
. Tyrone were ultimately knocked out of the Championship by eventual finalists, Mayo
. Cavanagh won Tyrone's only All Star that year.
In 2005, Cavanagh scored twelve points from midfield over the course of the championship. There was speculation as to whether he would emigrate to Australia
to join a professional AFL
team, (Brisbane Lions
), as Tadhg Kennelly
had successfully done a few years prior.
However, he declined offers of a contract with Brisbane Lions, saying that he wanted to stay in Ireland and further both his football career and his career as an accountant. He claims that when he travelled to play Australia in 2005, he saw that Australia was a "great" place, but not somewhere he would be happy to settle.
In the All-Ireland Semi-Final, Tyrone played Armagh
for the third time in the Championship. With only a few minutes left, and Tyrone two points down, Cavanagh stepped up and embarked on a surging solo run, and dropping the ball over the bar for a point, inspiring Tyrone to go on to win the match.
Cavanagh was again awarded an All-Star, his third in a row - the only Ulsterman to do that apart from Peter Canavan
in the mid 90's, and the first midfielder to do it since Jack O'Shea
in the early 80's.
Tyrone's 2006
campaign was plagued by injury from the start, and they were disappointingly knocked out of the championship by Laois
.
The early exit allowed players to take up 'ringer' positions in American GAA leagues and Cavanagh was one of the players that took up the offer.
In the 2007 Championship
, Cavanagh struck up an effective midfield partnership with Kevin Hughes
, and has undertaken some free kick duties in the absence of Tyrone's regular free-takes due to injury. He won his second Ulster Championship in July, when he scored four points in the Ulster Final
.
In the All-Ireland quarter final, Cavanagh scored a spectacular solo-effort goal against Meath
, but was unable to inspire Tyrone to victory and they crashed out of the Championship. Colm O'Rourke
, RTÉ Sport's
pundit, remarked about how Cavanagh was able to run faster while controlling the ball, than some players running after him.
In the 2008 Championship
, Cavanagh picked up his third All Ireland winners medal after Tyrone triumped against Kerry on 21 September 2008. After the game he was named RTÉ Man of the Match for his five point contribution.
Series, and was chosen to play for them for the unsuccessful 2005 and 2006 campaigns.
In 2008, Cavanagh was named as the captain of the Ireland team, leading them on to win the series, with 27 of Ireland's total of 102 points.
issued a statement criticizing the actions and ideals of the Gaelic Players Association
(GPA), and urged the GAA in an open letter to not give the GPA officially recognised status. This put the Tyrone players into a difficult situation, as many were active members of the organisation. One of the main opponents of the county board's position was Seán Cavanagh, and has since gone on record defending the actions of the GPA, and criticizing those of the board, stating, "they were not speaking for me or the Tyrone footballers, or the majority of GAA people in this county." Cavanagh is one of the more visible proponents of the GPA, often starring in advertising campaigns for GPA affiliates, such as Club Energize
.
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
-winning Tyrone
Tyrone GAA
The Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams....
Gaelic football
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
er. He has won All-Ireland championships
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
for Tyrone at Minor level and three times at Senior level, and has captained Ireland at the International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
.
His playing style is very attack-minded, considering he is usually deployed as a midfielder, and he usually ends up scoring more than most of the forwards on the team. This is complemented on the team by Brian Dooher
Brian Dooher
Brian Dooher is an Irish Gaelic footballer who was a member for Tyrone between 1995 and 2011.He has won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, five Ulster Senior Football Championship and two National League titles with the county...
's tireless workrate from the half-forward line - something he is the first to admit.
2008 was his most illustrious year as an individual. He won his fourth All Star award, his third All Ireland Championship, was named captain of the Ireland International Rules team, and then won the Player of the Year.
His brother Colm Cavanagh
Colm Cavanagh
Colm Cavanagh is a Tyrone Gaelic footballer from Moy. He is the younger brother of treble All Star-winner Tyrone player, Sean. He also plays for the University of Ulster team, and in 2007, reached the Sigerson Cup Final....
is also a current member of the Tyrone panel.
Personal life
Cavanagh graduated from the University of UlsterUniversity of Ulster
The University of Ulster is a multi-campus, co-educational university located in Northern Ireland. It is the largest single university in Ireland, discounting the federal National University of Ireland...
in 2004 with a First Class Honours Degree in Accountancy
Accountancy
Accountancy is the process of communicating financial information about a business entity to users such as shareholders and managers. The communication is generally in the form of financial statements that show in money terms the economic resources under the control of management; the art lies in...
. He has since gone on to follow a career in accountancy.
Under-Age
Cavanagh was an integral part of the Tyrone Minor Team that won the All-Ireland Minor ChampionshipAll-Ireland Minor Football Championship
The All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for under-18 competitors of the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland...
in 2001,. He also won two Ulster Minor Championship
Ulster Minor Football Championship
The Ulster Minor Football Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Ulster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ulster Council. The trophy for the winning side is The Liam Murray Cup. The competition began in 1930, with...
s with the county. He went on to win two Ulster Under 21 Championships
Ulster Under-21 Football Championship
For the Senior equivalent see: Ulster Senior Football ChampionshipThe Ulster Under-21 Football Championship known for sponsorship reasons as the Cadbury Ulster Under-21 Football Championship is a Gaelic football tournament for players under the age of 21, contested by the nine counties of Ulster in...
in 2002 and 2003.
He was also enormously successful as school level, winning the Ulster Colleges Championship, the MacRory Cup
MacRory Cup
The MacRory Cup is an inter-college Gaelic football tournament in Ulster. It is staged every year with the stipulation that players must be under eighteen-and-a-half at the start of the tournament...
in 2000, with Saint Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh
Saint Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh
St Patrick's Grammar School, Armagh, is a Roman Catholic boys' voluntary grammar school in the city of Armagh, Northern Ireland. The present-day school was officially opened on Thursday 27 October 1988 by the late Cardinal Tomás Ó Fiaich, the then Chairman of the Board of Governors, and was the...
, earning himself an Ulster Colleges All Star along the way, having scored the decisive goal in the final.
Senior career
Cavanagh made his Tyrone Senior debut in 2002, against neighbouring rivals, and eventual All Ireland Champions, ArmaghArmagh GAA
The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
scoring a goal which earned Tyrone a replay. He was also a member of the squad that won Tyrone's first ever National League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
title.
Tyrone defended the National League in 2003. That year he was pivotal in Tyrone's quest to their first ever All-Ireland Championship. He was voted Man-of-the-Match in their first round replay against Derry
Derry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
. He returned from injury to appear in the drawn Ulster Final against Down
Down GAA
The Down County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Down GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Down...
, and scored a point in the replay while commanding midfield. In the All-Ireland Quarter final (the next round), Tyrone beat neighbours Fermanagh
Fermanagh GAA
The Fermanagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Fermanagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. The county board is also responsible for the Fermanagh inter-county teams-History:...
1-21 (24 points) to 0-05. Cavanagh again led by example from midfield, and scored Tyrone's goal. Tyrone went on to win the All-Ireland and the year ended with Cavanagh winning his first All Star
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
, at the age of twenty, as well as the Young Player of the Year Award.
Tyrone's 2004 campaign was foreshadowed by the untimely death of their newly appointed captain, Cormac McAnallen
Cormac McAnallen
Cormac McAnallen was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for Tyrone. He won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship with the county in 2003, also winning the Ulster Senior Football Championship twice and two National League titles. At underage level he won an All-Ireland Minor and two...
. Tyrone were ultimately knocked out of the Championship by eventual finalists, 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:...
. Cavanagh won Tyrone's only All Star that year.
In 2005, Cavanagh scored twelve points from midfield over the course of the championship. There was speculation as to whether he would emigrate 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...
to join a professional AFL
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
team, (Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
), as Tadhg Kennelly
Tadhg Kennelly
Tadhg Kennelly is an Irish sportsperson known for his top level careers in both Gaelic football and Australian rules football....
had successfully done a few years prior.
However, he declined offers of a contract with Brisbane Lions, saying that he wanted to stay in Ireland and further both his football career and his career as an accountant. He claims that when he travelled to play Australia in 2005, he saw that Australia was a "great" place, but not somewhere he would be happy to settle.
In the All-Ireland Semi-Final, Tyrone played Armagh
Armagh GAA
The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
for the third time in the Championship. With only a few minutes left, and Tyrone two points down, Cavanagh stepped up and embarked on a surging solo run, and dropping the ball over the bar for a point, inspiring Tyrone to go on to win the match.
Cavanagh was again awarded an All-Star, his third in a row - the only Ulsterman to do that apart from Peter Canavan
Peter Canavan
Peter Canavan is manager of Fermanagh and an Irish former Gaelic football player for Tyrone, and is one of the most decorated players in the game's history, winning two All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals, six GAA All Stars Awards , four provincial titles, and two National Leagues and...
in the mid 90's, and the first midfielder to do it since Jack O'Shea
Jack O'Shea
Jack O’Shea is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played football at various times with his local clubs St. Mary’s in Kerry and Leixlip in Kildare. He was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1976 until 1992...
in the early 80's.
Tyrone's 2006
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2006
The 2006 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship began on Sunday, May 7, 2006. The 2006 championship used the same "Qualifier" system that was used in 2005....
campaign was plagued by injury from the start, and they were disappointingly knocked out of the championship by Laois
Laois GAA
The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...
.
The early exit allowed players to take up 'ringer' positions in American GAA leagues and Cavanagh was one of the players that took up the offer.
In the 2007 Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2007
The 2007 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was a Gaelic football competition in Ireland, and was the most significant and prestigious competition in the sport held that year. It began on 13 May 2007, with the final game took place for Sunday, 16 September. Kerry were the...
, Cavanagh struck up an effective midfield partnership with Kevin Hughes
Kevin Hughes (GAA)
Kevin Hughes is an All-Ireland-winning Tyrone Gaelic footballer. He was a major figure in Tyrone's midfield on their way to their first ever All-Ireland triumph in 2003, earning the Man of the Match for the All-Ireland final against Armagh....
, and has undertaken some free kick duties in the absence of Tyrone's regular free-takes due to injury. He won his second Ulster Championship in July, when he scored four points in the Ulster Final
Ulster Senior Football Championship
For information on this years competition, see Ulster Senior Football Championship 2011-2010 Draw:-2009 Draw:-2008 Draw:-Top winners:* All-Ireland winning years in bold.-Roll of honour:Notes:* 1907 No final result in records...
.
In the All-Ireland quarter final, Cavanagh scored a spectacular solo-effort goal against Meath
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
, but was unable to inspire Tyrone to victory and they crashed out of the Championship. Colm O'Rourke
Colm O'Rourke
Colm O'Rourke is a retired inter-county Irish Gaelic footballer for County Meath in Ireland, a columnist with the Sunday Independent and a panellist on The Sunday Game on RTÉ Television....
, RTÉ Sport's
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
pundit, remarked about how Cavanagh was able to run faster while controlling the ball, than some players running after him.
In the 2008 Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2008
The 2008 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was that year's Gaelic football championship, having kicked off on May 11 and ended with the All-Ireland Final in Croke Park on September 21...
, Cavanagh picked up his third All Ireland winners medal after Tyrone triumped against Kerry on 21 September 2008. After the game he was named RTÉ Man of the Match for his five point contribution.
International Series
Cavanagh has represented Ireland several times in the International rules footballInternational rules football
International rules football is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international representative matches between Australian rules football players and Gaelic football players....
Series, and was chosen to play for them for the unsuccessful 2005 and 2006 campaigns.
In 2008, Cavanagh was named as the captain of the Ireland team, leading them on to win the series, with 27 of Ireland's total of 102 points.
Gaelic Players Association controversy
In February 2007, the Tyrone County BoardTyrone GAA
The Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams....
issued a statement criticizing the actions and ideals of 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...
(GPA), and urged the GAA in an open letter to not give the GPA officially recognised status. This put the Tyrone players into a difficult situation, as many were active members of the organisation. One of the main opponents of the county board's position was Seán Cavanagh, and has since gone on record defending the actions of the GPA, and criticizing those of the board, stating, "they were not speaking for me or the Tyrone footballers, or the majority of GAA people in this county." Cavanagh is one of the more visible proponents of the GPA, often starring in advertising campaigns for GPA affiliates, such as Club Energize
Club Orange
Club is a popular Irish carbonated soft drink produced in Ireland by Britvic Ireland and previously by Cantrell & Cochrane and bottled at their plant in Dublin....
.