Offaly county hurling team

Offaly
Sport:Hurling
Irish:Uíbh Fhailí
Nickname(s):The Faithful County
County board:Offaly GAA
Home venue(s):O'Connor Park, Tullamore
Recent competitive record
Last championship title:2023
First colours
Second colours

The Offaly county hurling team represents Offaly in hurling and is governed by Offaly GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the National Hurling League.

Offaly's home ground is O'Connor Park, Tullamore. The team's manager is Johnny Kelly.

The team last won the Leinster Senior Championship in 1995, the All-Ireland Senior Championship in 1998 and the National League in 1991.

History

After a scheme developed by the Gaelic Athletic Association in the 1970s to encourage the playing of hurling in non-traditional counties, Offaly was one of the first teams to benefit. As a result, the county won six Leinster Senior Hurling Championship titles in the 1980s, as well as its first All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship in 1981.

The county has since gone on to win three other All-Irelands. Perhaps Offaly's most famous win came in the All-Ireland Final of 1994 in what has come to be remembered as the "five minute final." Limerick looked set to win their first All-Ireland title since 1973 until Offaly staged one of the greatest comebacks of all time, scoring two goals and five points in the last five minutes. They defeated Limerick by 3–16 to 2–13.

In the 1998 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship semi-final, Offaly defeated All-Ireland champions Clare in a second replay. Offaly had lost the first replay after referee Jimmy Cooney blew for full-time too early, leading Offaly fans to blockade the pitch in protest.

Offaly conceded a walkover to Kildare in the 2020 Christy Ring Cup after an outbreak of COVID-19 forced "almost every member" of the panel into isolation due to Health Service Executive (HSE) advice that they were "close contacts". Later in the same competition, in the semi-final, Down knocked Offaly out in a first ever inter-county hurling penalty shootout.

Current panel

Team as per Offaly vs Kerry in the NHL Division 2A, 16 May 2021

No. Player Position Club
1 Conor Clancy Goalkeeper St Rynagh's
2 Jordan Quinn Right corner back Kilcormac–Killoughey
3 Ciarán Burke Full back Durrow
4 Damien Egan Left corner back Belmont
5 Brian Watkins Right half back Birr
6 Ben Conneely (c) Centre back St Rynagh's
7 Killian Sampson Left half back Shinrone
8 Leon Fox Midfield Belmont
9 Ross Ravenhill Midfield Durrow
10 Shane Kinsella Right half forward Kinnitty
11 Oisín Kelly Centre forward Belmont
12 Brian Duignan Left half forward Durrow
13 Liam Langton Right corner forward Clodiagh Gaels
14 Adrian Hynes Full forward Seir Kieran
15 Eoghan Cahill Left corner forward Birr
No. Player Position Club
16 Stephen Corcoran Substitute Coolderry
17 Aidan Treacy Substitute St Rynagh's
18 David King Substitute Coolderry
19 Paddy Rigney Substitute Kinnitty
20 Padraic Guinan Substitute Drumcullen
21 Eimhin Kelly Substitute Lusmagh
22 David Nally Substitute Belmont
23 John Murphy Substitute Ballinamere
24 Shane Dooley Substitute Tullamore
25 Jason Sampson Substitute Shinrone
26 Luke O'Connor Substitute St Rynagh's

INJ Player has had an injury which has affected recent involvement with the county team.
RET Player has since retired from the county team.
WD Player has since withdrawn from the county team due to a non-injury issue.

Current management team

Managerial history

Offaly have a history of appointing "foreign" managers. In 2016, the former Waterford hurler Kevin Ryan became Offaly's ninth "foreign" manager in a quarter of a century.

Andy Gallagher 1976–1983

Dermot Healy 1983–1986

Georgie Leahy 1986–1988

P. J. Whelahan 1988–1989

Paudge Mulhare 1989–1990

Pádraig Horan 1990–1992

Éamonn Cregan 1992–1996

John McIntyre 1996–1997

Babs Keating 1997–1998

Michael Bond 1998–1999

Pat Fleury 1999–2000

Michael Bond (2) 2000–2001

Tom Fogarty 2001–2002

Mike McNamara 2002–2004

John McIntyre (2) 2004–2007

Joe Dooley 2007–2011

Ollie Baker 2011–2013

Brian Whelahan 2013–2015

Éamonn Kelly 2015–2016

Kevin Ryan 2016–2017

Kevin Martin 2017–2019

Joachim Kelly 2019**

Michael Fennelly 2019–2022

Johnny Kelly Portumna 2022–

**=In a caretaker role

Players

Notable players

For individual player details, see Category:Offaly inter-county hurlers.

Records

Most appearances

Further information: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship records and statistics § All-time appearances

Top scorers

Further information: All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship records and statistics § All-time top scorers

All Stars

Colours and crest

Kit evolution

Team sponsorship

The food company Carroll's of Tullamore sponsored Offaly since the GAA first permitted shirt sponsorship deals in 1991 until 2021. It was the sport's longest running shirt sponsor. In 2022, Glenisk became the County's Camogie, Football and Hurling sponsors, with them becoming the Ladies Football sponsors in 2023 once their current sponsorship with CMG closes.

Professional golfer Shane Lowry and Offaly announced a five-year partnership in April 2021.

Period Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor
1991–2021 O'Neills Carroll's of Tullamore
2022– Glenisk

Honours

National

Provincial


  • U16 arrabawn all Ireland hurling division A shield: 1
    • 2016
  • U17 Celtic challenge division 1 shield: 1
    • 2016