The An Post GAA Hurling Team of the Millennium was chosen in 2000 to comprise, as a fifteen-member

side Side or Sides may refer to: Geometry * Edge (geometry) of a polygon (two-dimensional shape) * Face (geometry) of a polyhedron (three-dimensional shape) Places * Side (Ainis), a town of Ainis, ancient Thessaly, Greece * Side (Caria), a town of an ...

divided as one

goalkeeper In many team sports which involve scoring goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or intercepting o ...

, three full-backs, three half-backs, two midfielders, three half-forwards and three full-forwards, the best hurling team of all-time. The team, announced by GAA President

Seán McCague Seán McCague ( – 24 November 2022) was an Irish Gaelic games administrator, footballer, referee and manager who served as the 33rd president of the Gaelic Athletic Association (2000–2003). He became the first Monaghan man to hold that office ...

on 24 July 2000 at a special function in Croke Park, was selected by a special committee, comprising five past GAA presidents -

Joe McDonagh Joseph McDonagh (November 1953 – 20 May 2016) was an Irish hurler and, later, Gaelic games administrator, who served as the president of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1997 until 2000. He played hurling with his club Ballinderree ...

, Con Murphy,

Paddy Buggy Paddy Buggy (15 March 1929 – 15 May 2013) was an Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Slieverue and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1949 until 1960. Buggy later served as the 27th president of th ...

, Pat Fanning and

Séamus Ó Riain Séamus Ó Riain (2 April 1916 – 27 January 2007) was an Irish hurler, Gaelic footballer and Gaelic games administrator. He served as the 22nd president of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1967 until 1970. Born in Moneygall on the O ...

- as well as GAA director-general

Liam Mulvihill Liam Mulvihill (born 25 May 1946) is an Irish retired Gaelic games administrator. He served as Director-General of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 1979 until 2008. Born in Keenagh, County Longford, Mulvihill was the eldest of ten childre ...

and four Gaelic games journalists: Paddy Downey,

Mick Dunne Michael 'Mick' Dunne (27 May 1929 – 11 August 2002) was an Irish sports journalist who pioneered television coverage of Gaelic games. Birth and childhood He was born 27 May 1929 in Clonaslee, County Laois, one of two sons of Francis Dunne, ...

, Seán Óg Ó Ceallacháin and Jim O'Sullivan. The initiative was sponsored by '' An Post'', who issued special commemorative stamps of the millennium team members. __NOTOC__

Controversy

While universal agreement on such a team would prove impossible, the selection committee came in for some criticism regarding omissions and changes from the earlier

GAA Hurling Team of the Century The Hurling Team of the Century was chosen as part of the Gaelic Athletic Association's centenary year celebrations in 1984 to comprise, as a fifteen-member Gaelic football and Hurling positions, side divided as one Gaelic football and Hurling posi ...

. Kilkenny's D. J. Carey was seen as a shock omission from the team. As the holder of a then record seven All-Stars, Carey, whose inter-county career began in 1989, was seen as one of the greatest goal-scorers of his era and was hotly tipped to get one of the half-forward spots for which he was nominated. The 1990s were regarded as a golden age of hurling with many new teams emerging, however, this was not reflected in the team. Clare's

Brian Lohan Brian Lohan (born 14 November 1971) is an Irish hurling manager and former player who is the manager of the Clare senior hurling team. As a player, he is widely considered to be one of the greatest full-backs of all time. Born and raised in ...

had been tipped for full-back but Wexford's Nick O'Donnell held on. There were no places for any of the Clare team that emerged to win two championships in the nineties. Brian Whelehan was the only player from the previous 20 years to make the team. An absence of players from

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city on ...

also sparked off major controversy in that county where the selection committee were accused of belittling the county by not recognising any of its heroes. There was anger too in

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 ...

over the dropping of full-forward

Nicky Rackard Nicholas Rackard (28 April 1922 – 10 April 1976) was an Irish hurler whose league and championship career with the Wexford senior team spanned seventeen years from 1940 to 1957. He established many championship scoring records, including bein ...

from the Team of the Century. Former midfielder Dave Bernie, who won an All-Ireland medal in 1968, when Rackard was a selector, said Wexford fans were stunned by the news he had not been included.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hurling Team Of The Millennium Hurling awards 2000 in hurling