Damien Reale (born 17 May 1981) is an
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
hurler who played as a left corner-back for 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 team.
Reale made his first appearance for the team during the
2001 National League and immediately became a regular member of the starting fifteen. A three-time
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 ...
medalist in the under-21 grade, he enjoyed little success as a member of the county senior team. Reale ended up an All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion.
At club level Reale is a county intermediate championship medalist with
Hospital-Herbertstown.
Playing career
Club
Reale plays is club hurling with Hospital-Herbertstown and has enjoyed much success in a lengthy career.
In 2000 he was just out of the minor grade when he won a county intermediate hurling championship medal.
A decade later Reale won a second county intermediate championship medal, as Hospital-Herbertstown triumphed once again.
Under-21
Reale first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Limerick under-21 hurling team in 2000. After a 1-13 apiece draw with
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
in the provincial decider, Limerick went on to win the replay following a stunning 4-18 to 1-6 victory. It was Reale'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 ...
medal. Limerick subsequently defeated
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 ...
by 1-13 to 0-13 in the All-Ireland decider, giving Reale an
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 ...
medal.
In 2001 Reale added a second Munster under-21 medal to his collection as Limerick retained their provincial title following a 3-14 to 2-16 defeat of
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 ...
. Limerick later went on to defeat
Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
by just a single point to retain their All-Ireland title. It was Reale's second All-Ireland medal.
Limerick's great run of success continued in 2002. That year Limerick retained the provincial title for the third successive year with Reale winning a third Munster medal following a 1-20 to 2-14 defeat of Tipperary. A subsequent 3-17 to 0-8 trouncing of Galway gave Reae a third successive All-Ireland medal.
Senior
By this stage Reale was a key member of the Limerick senior hurling team. He made his debut in a
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 ...
game against
Antrim in 2001 and was later included at corner-back for the championship campaign. Reale lined out in his first Munster final at senior level that year. Tipperary were the opponents on that occasion, however, Limerick faced a narrow 2-16 to 1-17 defeat.
Limerick hurling went on to decline following this defeat and faced a number of years of early championship exits.
In 2006 Reale claimed his first silverware at senior level with Limerick. A 1-19 to 3-10 defeat of the
Waterford Institute of Technology
The Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Phort Láirge) was an institute of technology, located in Waterford, Ireland. The institute had six constituent schools and offered programmes in business, engineerin ...
secured the
Waterford Crystal Cup
The Waterford Crystal Cup was an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2006 to 2015 for the top inter-county teams and third-level institutes and universities in the province of Munste ...
for Reale's side.
Reale was appointed captain of the Limerick senior hurling team in 2007. That year he lined out in a second Munster final, this time with Waterford providing the opposition. A 3-17 to 1-14 defeat was Limerick's lot on that occasion. Limerick later gained their revenge on Waterford in the All-Ireland semi-final, thus gaining qualification to a first All-Ireland decider in eleven years for the Treaty men.
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 ...
provided the opposition and got off to a flying start with
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 seni ...
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, c ...
combining to score two goals within the first ten minutes. Limerick were eventually defeated on a 2–19 to 1–15 score line.
Limerick failed to build on their reasonably successful 2007 season and went into decline once again.
In November 2009 Reale announced his retirement from inter-county hurling in protest over changes made in the Limerick hurling panel by team manager
Justin McCarthy. Following McCarthy's resignation as manager in 2010, Reale returned to the hurling panel.
In 2011 Reale won a
National League (Division 2) medal that year following a 4-12 to 2-13 defeat of near neighbours
Clare.
Following the completion of the championship in 2011, Reale announced his retirement from inter-county hurling.
Inter-provincial
Reale 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 captured a winners medal in this competition in 2001 as Munster defeated
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 ...
.
Honours
Team
;Hospital-Herbertstown
*
Limerick Intermediate Hurling Championship
The Limerick Intermediate Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association for the third tier hurling teams in the county of Limerick in Ireland.
The series of game ...
(2): 2000, 2010
;Limerick
*
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-c ...
(3): 2000, 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 ...
(3): 2000, 2001, 2002
*
National Hurling League (Division 2) (1):
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
*
Waterford Crystal Cup
The Waterford Crystal Cup was an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2006 to 2015 for the top inter-county teams and third-level institutes and universities in the province of Munste ...
(1): 2006
;Munster
*
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 ...
(1): 2001
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Reale, Damien
Living people
1981 births
Hospital-Herbertstown hurlers
Limerick inter-county hurlers
Munster inter-provincial hurlers