John Joseph Hoyne (born 2 April 1978) is a former

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 ...

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 Graigue–Ballycallan and he used play with the

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 ...

senior inter-county team from 2000 until 2005.

Playing career

Club

Hoyne plays his club

with his local Graigue–Ballycallan club and has enjoyed much success. He won both county minor and under-21 honours with the club before playing in four successive senior county finals from 1998 until 2001. Hoyne ended up on the winning side in 1998 and 2000.

Inter-county

Hoyne first came to prominence on the inter-county scene at underage levels. He won Leinster medals in both minor and under-21 with

before later joining the county senior team. Hoyne won his first senior

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 ...

title with his native-county in 2000. He later lined out in his first All-Ireland final at

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 ...

where

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 ...

, the defeated Leinster finalists, provided the opposition. The stakes were high for Kilkenny as the prospect of becoming the first team to lose three All-Ireland finals in-a-row was a daunting one. In the end victory went to Kilkenny by a huge score and Hoyne 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 ...

medal. He won a second Leinster title in 2001, however, his side were later beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final. 2002 saw Hoyne add 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 ...

medal to his collection before winning a third provincial title. Kilkenny subsequently defeated

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 championship decider, giving Hoyne a second All-Ireland medal. The success continued in 2003 as he won a second consecutive National League medal. Hoyne later won a fourth Leinster title before lining out in another All-Ireland final.

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 ...

were the opponents on that occasion, however, ‘the Cats’ overcame the Leesiders in a thrilling game, giving Hoyne a third All-Ireland medal. In 2004 Kilkenny were aiming for a third All-Ireland title in-a-row, however, all did not go to plan as the team lost their provincial crown to

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 ...

. Kilkenny did reach the All-Ireland final via the ‘back-door’ system, however, Cork defeated them in a tense match. Hoyne won a fifth Leinster medal in 2005, however, Kilkenny were later caught on the hop in the All-Ireland semi-final as

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 ...

defeated 'the Cats' in one of the all-time classic games. Hoyne retired from inter-county duty shortly afterwards.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoyne, John 1978 births Living people Graigue-Ballycallan hurlers Kilkenny inter-county hurlers Leinster inter-provincial hurlers