Andrew O'Shaughnessy (born 30 November 1984 in
Kilmallock
Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Cork. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King's Castle (or King John's Castle). The remains of medieval walls which encircled the settlement are sti ...
,
County Limerick
"Remember Limerick"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Munster
, subdivision ...
) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays
hurling
Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...
with his local club
Kilmallock
Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Cork. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King's Castle (or King John's Castle). The remains of medieval walls which encircled the settlement are sti ...
and was a member of the
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
senior inter-county team from 2002 to 2011.
Biography
Andrew O'Shaughnessy was born in
Kilmallock
Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Cork. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King's Castle (or King John's Castle). The remains of medieval walls which encircled the settlement are sti ...
,
County Limerick
"Remember Limerick"
, image_map = Island_of_Ireland_location_map_Limerick.svg
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Ireland
, subdivision_type1 = Province
, subdivision_name1 = Munster
, subdivision ...
in 1984. He was educated at his local primary school and later attended the famous
St. Colman's College, Fermoy
St Colman's College (Irish: Coláiste Cholmáin) is an all-boys voluntary secondary school, and former boarding school, in Fermoy, County Cork. The College was founded in 1856 and opened in 1858 as the diocesan college of the Roman Catholic Dioc ...
in
Fermoy
Fermoy () is a town on the River Blackwater in east County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2016 census, the town and environs had a population of approximately 6,500 people. It is located in the barony of Condons and Clangibbon, and is in the Dái ...
,
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
, a virtual nursery for young hurling talent.
Here his hurling skills were first developed and he became a star on the college's various hurling teams. O'Shaughnessy enjoyed a very successful hurling career, beginning by capturing three Dean Ryan Cup titles in-a-row in 2000, 2001 and 2002. By this stage he was also a star on the St. Colman's senior hurling team. O'Shaughnessy won his first
Dr. Harty Cup winners' medal in 2001. He later collected his first
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
colleges' title when St. Colman's defeated Dublin Colleges in the final of that competition.
[''The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games'' p. 226] O'Shaughnessy captured a second Harty Cup title in 2002 before later lining out in a second All-Ireland colleges' final.
[''The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games'' p. 227] His scoring exploits in that game were spectacular.
Gort
Gort ( or ) is a town of around 3,000 inhabitants in County Galway in the west of Ireland. Located near the border with County Clare, the town lies between the Burren and the Slieve Aughty and is served by the R458 and R460 regional roads, wh ...
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
provided the opposition, however, O'Shaughnessy scored 2–8 of a total score of 2–10. It was his second All-Ireland winners' medal. 2003 saw O'Shaughnessy win a third consecutive Harty Cup winners' medal.
The subsequent All-Ireland final saw St. Colman's take on St. Kieran's, however, victory went to the Kilkenny team on that occasion.
After completing a successful
Leaving Certificate
A secondary school leaving qualification is a document signifying that the holder has fulfilled any secondary education requirements of their locality, often including the passage of a final qualification examination.
For each leaving certifica ...
at St. Colman's O'Shaughnessy became a cadet in the
Irish Army
The Irish Army, known simply as the Army ( ga, an tArm), is the land component of the Defence Forces of Ireland.The Defence Forces are made up of the Permanent Defence Forces – the standing branches – and the Reserve Defence Forces. The Ar ...
. He was commissioned as an army lieutenant and currently holds the rank of Commandant.
Playing career
Club
O'Shaughnessy plays his club hurling with his local
Kilmallock
Kilmallock () is a town in south County Limerick, Ireland, near the border with County Cork. There is a Dominican Priory in the town and King's Castle (or King John's Castle). The remains of medieval walls which encircled the settlement are sti ...
club and has enjoyed much success. As a member of the club's minor hurling team he captured three consecutive
county titles in 2000, 2001 and 2002. The latter final saw O'Shaughnessy give a fantastic scoring exhibition once again. In that game they beat
Na Piarsaigh
Na Piarsaigh are a hurling and Gaelic football club based in the north side of Cork City, Ireland.
History
Formation
In 1943 a group of idealistic young men drawn mostly from the hurling nursery of North Mon laid the foundations of Cumann I ...
by 4–11 to 2–11. Three of their 11 points were scored in a gripping last 10 minutes, the previous 4–9 had come from the hurley of Andrew O'Shaughnessy in a glorious 50-minute spell of individual brilliance.
O'Shaughnessy later joined the club's under-21 team, however, he enjoyed little success in this grade. Around the same time he joined the Kilmallock senior team. He lined out in the senior
county final in 2005, however,
Garryspillane were victorious on that occasion by 2–15 to 2–12.
Minor and under-21
O'Shaughnessy first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
minor hurling team in the early 2000s. He had little success in this grade and later joined the county's under-21 team where he first tasted inter-county glory. 2002 saw Limerick reach the provincial decider for the third year in-a-row, however, it was O'Shaughnessy's first year as full member of the team. After an exciting contest with
Tipperary
Tipperary is the name of:
Places
*County Tipperary, a county in Ireland
**North Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Nenagh
**South Tipperary, a former administrative county based in Clonmel
*Tipperary (town), County Tipperary's na ...
, which included extra-time, Limerick won the game by 1–20 to 2–14. It was his O'Shaughnessy's first
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
under-21 winners' medal. For the third year in-a-row Limerick lined out in the All-Ireland final with
Galway
Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...
providing the opposition. O'Shaughnessy's side powered to a 3–17 to 0–8 victory. It was his first, and only,
All-Ireland
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
under-21 winners' medal.
Senior
In 2003 O'Shaughnessy made his senior championship debut in a Munster semi-final against
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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. Both sides drew level on that occasion, however, Limerick lost the replay and continued their streak of bad luck that had lasted since 2001 when they were dumped out of the championship in the All-Ireland qualifiers. The next few years proved difficult for both O'Shaughnessy and for Limerick. In spite of coming close to creating some hurling upsets, defeat seemed to be Limerick's lot.
In 2006 Limerick remained unbeaten throughout the entire
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...
campaign and qualified for the final against
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
. It was an unhappy day for Limerick as 'the Cats' won the game by 3–11 0–14. In spite of some success in the league, Limerick's championship form was still below par.
All this changed in 2007 when Limerick had one of their best seasons. That year Limerick faced near neighbours Tipperary in the semi-final of the Munster championship. That game ended in a draw with both sides scoring 1–19. The replay saw Limerick in arrears by ten points at half-time, however, Limerick rallied to level the game at the end of normal time. A period of extra time had to be played and O'Shaughnessy turned out to be the hero as he scored the equalising point which meant that the sides had to play for a third time. Once again, Limerick looked vulnerable at times during the game, however, they grinded out a victory with a score line of 0–22 to 2–13. It was Limerick's first win in the Munster championship since 2001. O'Shaughnessy later lined out against
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
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, pushpin_relief = 1
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in the Munster final, however, they were defeated on a score line of 3–17 to 1–14. These two sides later met again in the All-Ireland semi-final, however, manager
Richie Bennis
Richard "Richie" Bennis (born 1945) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a centre-forward for the Limerick senior team.
Born in Patrickswell, County Limerick, Bennis first played competitive hurling during his schooling at CBS Sexton Street ...
had done his homework and masterminded a magnificent 5–11 to 2–15 victory over the Munster champions. This victory allowed O'shaughnessy's side to play Kilkenny in the championship decider. Unfortunately, Limerick got off to a bad start with goalkeeper
Brian Murray letting in two goals by
Eddie Brennan
Edward Joseph Brennan (born 2 October 1978) is an Irish hurling manager and former player. His league and championship career with the Kilkenny senior team lasted twelve seasons from 2000 until 2011. Brennan was the manager of the Laois senior ...
and
Henry Shefflin
Henry Shefflin (born 11 January 1979) is an Irish hurling manager and former player who is the current manager of the Galway senior hurling team. In his playing career he was nicknamed "King Henry" because of his directive style, dominance, com ...
in the first ten minutes. Limerick fought back, however 'the Cats' went on to win the game by seven points. In spite of this loss O'Shaughnessy was later presented with his first
All-Star award, marking him out as one of the best players of the championship.
After the highs of the previous year, 2008 proved to be a difficult year for the Limerick hurlers. The team were beaten by 4–12 to 1–16 in opening game of the championship by
Clare Clare may refer to:
Places Antarctica
* Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land
Australia
* Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley
* Clare Valley, South Australia
Canada
* Clare (electoral district), an electoral district
* Cl ...
. The newly structured qualifier system pitted O'Shaughnessy's side against
Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...
in a must-win game. Limerick, however, were out of sorts as they suffered a surprising 3–19 to 0–18 defeat. Limerick's involvement in the championship came to an end following this defeat.
In late 2009 O'Shaughnessy was diagnosed with sclerosis but remained to feature during the league.
In April 2011 just three days before the National Hurling League Division 2 final, O'Shaughnessy announced his retirement from Inter-County hurling.
Provincial
O'Shaughnessy has also lined out with
Munster
Munster ( gle, an Mhumhain or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the south of Ireland. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" ( ga, rí ruirech). Following the ...
in the
Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
inter-provincial competition. He first lined out with his province in 2002, however, Munster were defeated by arch-rivals
Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
in the final. His inclusion on the team that year marks him out as the youngest Munster man to ever play for his province. It was 2006 before O'Shaughnessy played with Munster again. On that occasion
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
were the victors in the semi-final of the competition. After an absence the following year O'Shaughnessy was back on the team in 2008. Once again Munster reached the final, however, Leinster were the winners on that occasion.
Honours
*
Dr. Harty Cup (3): 2001, 2002, 2003 (c)
*
Dr. Croke Cup
The Dr Croke Cup is the trophy presented to the winner of the All Ireland Secondary Schools Senior "A" hurling championship. Before that it was an inter-county GAA competition in hurling. The first Croke Cups (which included hurling and Gaelic f ...
(2):
2001
The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a Participants in ...
,
2002
File:2002 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 2002 Winter Olympics are held in Salt Lake City; Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother and her daughter Princess Margaret, Countess of Snowdon die; East Timor gains East Timor independence, indepe ...
*
Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Munster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-co ...
(2): 2001, 2002
*
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (G ...
(2): 2001, 2002
*
Limerick Senior Hurling Championsphip (3): 2010, 2012, 2014
*
Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Munster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1964 f ...
(1): 2014
*
Limerick Minor Hurling Championship (3) 2000, 2001, 2002 (c)
*
Limerick Under-21 Hurling Championship (1) 2002
Championship Appearances
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oshaughnessy, Andrew
1984 births
Living people
Kilmallock hurlers
Limerick inter-county hurlers
Munster inter-provincial hurlers
Irish Army soldiers
People educated at St Colman's College, Fermoy