Ken McGrath (born 20 February 1978) is an Irish
hurler and hurling selector who played as a centre-back for the
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
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senior team. He joined the team in
1996
File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A Centennial Olympic Park bombing, bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical Anti-abortion violence, anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 8 ...
and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his retirement in
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 ...
.
Son of former hurler
Pat and older brother of former player Eoin, McGrath was a stalwart on the Waterford team for more than a decade. He has won four
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 ...
winners' medals, one
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 ...
winners' medal and three
All-Star awards. He ended up as an All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion.
At club level McGrath is a
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 ...
medalist with
Mount Sion. In addition to this he has also won six
county club championship medals.
McGrath has also served as a selector with the Waterford senior hurling management team.
Playing career
Club
McGrath plays his club hurling with the
Mount Sion club in Waterford city and has had several successes.
In 1998 McGrath won his first
county club championship medal following a 3–19 to 0–10 trouncing of
Ballyduff Upper.
After surrendering their title to
Ballygunner
Ballygunner ( ga, Baile Gunnair), is a civil parish in County Waterford, Ireland. It lies on the southern outskirts of Waterford city.
The placename is derived, in part, from the Old Norse masculine personal name ''Gunnarr''.
Ballygunner conta ...
in 1999, Mount Sion were back the following year to exact revenge. A 1–20 to 0–9 defeat of Ballygunner gave McGrath a second county championship medal.
Mount Sion surrendered their club title in 2001, however, McGrath's side were back in the final again in 2002. A 1–19 to 2–14 defeat of Ballygunner secured the championship once again. It was the first of three county final victories in-a-row over Ballygunner.
In 2002 McGrath won a
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 ...
club medal as Mount Sion defeated
Sixmilebridge
Sixmilebridge (), is a large village in County Clare, Ireland. Located midway between Ennis and Limerick city, the village is a short distance away from the main N18 road.
Sixmilebridge partly serves as a dormitory village for workers in the ...
to take the title. The club was defeated in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final.
Four club titles in-a-row proved beyond Mount Sion, however, the club bounced back in 2006 with McGrath winning a sixth county championship medal following a seven-point defeat of Ballygunner.
Inter-county
McGrath first came to prominence on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen as a member of the Waterford minor hurling team. He later played with the under-21 county side.
By 1996 McGrath had joined the Waterford senior team and made his debut in that year's championship.
In 1998 McGrath played in his first Munster final in the senior grade. Waterford held All-Ireland champions
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 ...
to a draw in the Munster final, however, the Decies lost the replay. McGrath's side later faced
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 ...
in the All-Ireland semi-final in what would be the county's first appearance in
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 ...
since
1963
Events January
* January 1 – Bogle–Chandler case: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation scientist Dr. Gilbert Bogle and Mrs. Margaret Chandler are found dead (presumed poisoned), in bushland near the Lane Cov ...
. Kilkenny won by a single point.
Four years later in 2002 McGrath claimed his 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 ...
winners' medal as Waterford defeated Tipperary by 2–23 to 3–12 to claim the provincial crown for the first time in thirty-nine years.
After surrendering the Munster title to Cork in 2003, McGrath's side were back in the provincial showpiece for a third successive year in 2004. In the Munster final, Waterford defeated Cork for the first time in forty-five years to take the title by 3–16 to 1–21.
In 2007 McGrath added 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 when Waterford defeated
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 ...
by 0–20 to 0–18 in the final. He later claimed a third Munster winners' medal as Waterford defeated
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 ...
by 3–17 to 1–14 in the provincial decider. While Waterford were viewed as possibly going on and winning the All-Ireland title for the first time in almost half a century, Limerick ambushed McGrath's side in the All-Ireland semi-final.
2008 began poorly for Waterford as the team lost their opening game to
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 ...
as well as their manager
Justin McCarthy. In spite of this poor start McGrath's side reached the All-Ireland final for the first time in forty-five years. Kilkenny provided the opposition and went on to defeat Waterford by 3–30 to 1–13 to claim a third All-Ireland title in-a-row.
McGrath lined out in another Munster final in 2010 with Cork providing the opposition. A 2–15 apiece draw was the result on that occasion, however, Waterford went on to win the replay after an extra-time goal by
Dan Shanahan
Daniel Shanahan (born 4 January 1977) is an Irish former hurler. He has been a selector with the Waterford county team since 2013.
Born in Lismore, County Waterford, Shanahan was introduced to hurling by his father, a former hurler with Wat ...
. It was a fourth Munster winners' medal for McGrath, a record that he shares with five other Waterford players.
McGrath returned to inter-county hurling for the National League in 2011, however, midway through that competition he retired from the Waterford panel due to injury.
Inter-provincial
McGrath was also a regular on the
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 ...
team at various times between 1997 and 2009. He won two
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 ...
medals, in 1997 and 2001.
Coaching career
McGrath has some coaching experience with various Mount Sion underage teams. In 2012 he was announced as a replacement for Nicky Cashin as a Waterford selector under
Michael Ryan. He resigned as selector in 2013 when Ryan stepped down.
Media career
McGrath has been an analyst on ''
League Sunday
''League Sunday'' is an RTÉ2 Gaelic games television show hosted by Michael Lyster, featuring highlights from the National Football League and the National Hurling League. It began on 13 February 2011, at 8:00pm as a replacement highlights show ...
''.
Honours
Team
;Mount Sion
*
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): 2002
*
Waterford Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Waterford Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the JJ Kavanagh & Sons Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 18 ...
(6): 1998, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2006
;Waterford
*
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 ...
(4):
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 ...
,
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
,
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
,
2010
File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...
*
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 ...
(1):
2007
File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...
;Munster
*
Inter-provincial Championship
The Inter-Provincial Championship is a three-day cricket tournament in Ireland, played between regional teams drawn from three of Ireland's five provincial unions. It parallels first-class cricket tournaments in other countries such as the Count ...
(2): 1997, 2001
Individual
*
All-Stars (3): 2002, 2004, 2007
*In May 2020, the ''
Irish Independent
The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis.
The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines.
Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
'' named McGrath at number ten in its "Top 20 hurlers in Ireland over the past 50 years". He was the only inclusion without an All-Ireland medal.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Ken
1978 births
Living people
Gaelic games writers and broadcasters
Hurling backs
Hurling selectors
Mount Sion hurlers
Munster inter-provincial hurlers
Waterford inter-county hurlers