Declan Hannon (born 25 November 1992) is an Irish hurler who plays for Limerick Senior Championship club Adare and at inter-county level as

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the Limerick senior hurling team, whom he captained to the All Ireland hurling title in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022 becoming the first Limerick captain since

Mick Mackey Michael John Mackey (12 July 1912 – 13 September 1982) was an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Limerick county team. Born in Castleconnell, County Limerick, Mackey first arrived on the inter-county scene a ...

to captain Limerick to victory twice, and the first hurling captain to lift the

Liam MacCarthy Cup The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the main competition in the prehistoric sport of hurling. Based on the design of a ...

a record four times. He usually lines out as a centre-back.

Early life

Hannon attended Scoil Naomh Iosaf, an all boys school situated in the village of Adare. Hurling was a pillar of the education system in the school, pushed by two Tipperary men, Brother Cathal Duane (Kilruane) and Principal Barry O'Riordan (Nenagh). Hannon was born in Adare,

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 ...

. His granduncle,

Pat Stakelum Pat Stakelum (6 May 1927 – 4 April 2008) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Holycross–Ballycahill and was a member of the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1947 until 1957. Stakelum captained Tipperary ...

, captained

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 ...

to the

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 ...

title in 1949.

Playing career

Ardscoil Rís

Hannon first came to prominence as a hurler with Ardscoil Rís in

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 ...

. Having played in every grade as a hurler, he was centre-back on the college's senior hurling team. On 11 March 2010, Hannon scored three points from play when Ardscoil Rís defeated Thurles CBS in the final of the Harty Cup. On 27 February 2011, Hannon was again at centre-back when Ardscoil Rís retained the Harty Cup title after a 3-19 to 0-03 defeat of

C.B.S. Charleville C.B.S. Charleville (Christian Brothers School) is a secondary school located in Charleville, County Cork, Republic of Ireland. Notable alumni *Éamon de Valera - Politician, statesman, the founder of the Fianna Fáil party. Later elected Tao ...

in the final.

Mary Immaculate College

During his studies at

Mary Immaculate College Mary Immaculate College (Coláiste Mhuire gan Smál), also known as MIC and Mary I, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898, the university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts is academically linked with the Univ ...

, Hannon was selected for the college's senior hurling team. On 27 February 2016, he won a

Fitzgibbon Cup The Fitzgibbon Cup ( ga, Corn Mhic Giobúin) is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland. The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered ...

medal as Mary I won their first ever title after a 1-30 to 3-22 defeat of the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...

after two periods of extra-time. Hannon, in spite of being substituted in the 79th minute and ending as the game's top scorer, said: "That was one of the most unbelievable games I have played in. We had it won and lost so many times throughout the game, but we’d have stayed until midnight to win."

Adare

Hannon joined the Adare club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels. He enjoyed championship success in the under-14 and under-16 grades before making his championship debut with the club's senior team as a sixteen-year-old. On 18 October 2009, Hannon scored three points from right wing-forward when Adare defeated

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 1-17 to 0-03 in the final of the Limerick Senior Championship.

Limerick

Minor and under-21

Hannon first played for Limerick at minor level. He made his first appearance on 25 June 2010 in a 1-17 to 2-12 defeat 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 ...

in the

Munster Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurlin ...

. Hannon subsequently joined the Limerick under-21 hurling team. On 3 August 2011, he scored 1-04 from play when Limerick defeated

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 ...

by 4-20 to 1-27 in the final of the

Senior

On 17 April 2010, Hannon made his senior debut at right wing-forward for Limerick in a

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team s ...

defeat of Antrim at

Loughguile Loughguile ( ; ), also spelt Loughgiel or Loughgeel, is a village and civil parish in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Situated 8 miles east of Ballymoney it is within the Causeway Coast and Glens Council area, and is at the edge of the Glens of A ...

. He later won a National League Division 2 medal after a 4-12 to 2-13 defeat of Clare in the final. On 14 July 2013, Hannon was at full-forward in Limerick's 0-24 to 0-15 defeat of

in the

Munster final 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 ...

. Hannon's performances during the 2011 and 2014 seasons earned him All-Star nominations. In December 2017, Hannon was appointed captain of the Limerick senior hurling team for the 2018 season. On 19 August 2018, he scored two points from play and captained Limerick to their first

title in 45 years after a 3-16 to 2-18 defeat of

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 ...

in the final. Later that day Hannon was named on ''

The Sunday Game ''The Sunday Game'' is RTÉ's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ2 every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ2's longest-running shows, having been on air since 197 ...

'' Team of the Year. He ended the season by winning an All-Star Award. On 31 March 2019, Hannon was selected at centre-back for Limerick's National League final meeting with

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

. He collected a winners' medal and the cup after contributing with a point in the 1-24 to 0-19 victory. On 30 June 2019, Hannon won his first Munster Championship medal in six years after captaining Limerick to a 2-26 to 2-14 defeat of

in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. Hannon won a second successive National League medal on 25 October 2020, after captaining Limerick to a 0-36 to 1-23 defeat of Clare in the delayed 2020 league final. On 15 November 2020, he won a third Munster Championship medal after captaining Limerick to a 0-25 to 0-21 win over

in the

. Hannon was the first Limerick player since

to captain the team to two provincial title successes. Hannon entered the history books in 2022 when he became the first hurling captain to lift the

on four occasions.

Munster

On 19 February 2012, Hannon was an unused substitute in

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 ...

's 3-14 to 1-16

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 ...

semi-final defeat by

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 ...

Career statistics

Honours

;Ardscoil Rís * Harty Cup (2): 2010, 2011 ;Mary Immaculate College *

(1): 2016 ;Adare *

Limerick Senior Hurling Championship The Limerick Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bon Secours Hospital County Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Limerick SHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Limerick County Board o ...

(1):

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

Limerick Senior Football Championship The Limerick Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by the top Limerick GAA clubs. The champions qualify to represent Limerick in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship, the winners of which progr ...

(3): 2017, 2018, 2020 * Limerick Intermediate Football Championship (1): 2016 ;Limerick *

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...

(4):

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

(c),

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

(c),

2021 File:2021 collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: the James Webb Space Telescope was launched in 2021; Protesters in Yangon, Myanmar following the 2021 Myanmar coup d'état, coup d'état; A civil demonstration against the October–November 2021 ...

(c),

2022 File:2022 collage V1.png, Clockwise, from top left: Road junction at Yamato-Saidaiji Station several hours after the assassination of Shinzo Abe; 2022 Sri Lankan protests, Anti-government protest in Sri Lanka in front of the Presidential Secretari ...

Munster Senior Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the h ...

(5):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

2019 File:2019 collage v1.png, From top left, clockwise: Hong Kong protests turn to widespread riots and civil disobedience; House of Representatives votes to adopt articles of impeachment against Donald Trump; CRISPR gene editing first used to experim ...

(c),

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 ...

(2):

(c),

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 ...

Munster Senior Hurling League The Munster Senior Hurling League (known in some years as the Munster Hurling Cup) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2016 for the top inter-county teams in the province of ...

(2):

(c),

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):

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

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 ...

(1):

;Awards * All-Star Award (3): 2018, 2021, 2022 *''

'' Team of the Year (3): 2018, 2021, 2022

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannon, Declan 1992 births Living people Adare hurlers Limerick inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers Hurling backs People educated at Ardscoil Rís, Limerick Alumni of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick All Stars Awards winners (hurling)