Mark Foley (born 6 July 1967) 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 ...
retired
Retirement is the withdrawal from one's position or occupation or from one's active working life. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours or workload.
Many people choose to retire when they are elderly or incapable of doing their j ...
hurler who played as a centre-forward for the
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 ...
senior hurling team.
Born in
Timoleague
Timoleague () is a village in the eastern division of Carbery East in County Cork, Ireland. It is located along Ireland's southern coast between Kinsale and Clonakilty, on the estuary of the Argideen River. Nearby is the village of Courtmacsher ...
,
County Cork
County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...
, Foley first played competitive hurling during his schooling at
St. Finbarr's College. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Cork minor team before later joining the under-21 and junior sides. He joined the senior panel during the
1987 championship. Foley immediately became a regular member of the starting fifteen and won one
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, two
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 ...
medals and one
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. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions.
As a member of 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 ...
inter-provincial team on one occasion, Foley never won a
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 ...
medal. At club level he is a one-time
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
medallist with
Carbery Carbery or Carbury may refer to:
;People:
* Brian Carbury (1918–1961), New Zealand fighter ace
* Douglas Carbery (1894–1959), British soldier and airman
* Ethna Carbery (1864–1902), Irish writer
* James Joseph Carbery (1823–1887), Irish Dom ...
, while he also played with
Arigdeen Rangers.
Throughout his career Foley made 10 championship appearances. His retirement came following the conclusion of the
1993 championship.
In retirement from playing Foley became involved in team management and coaching. At club level he has worked closely with
Bantry Blues
Bantry Blues is a Gaelic football club based in Bantry, County Cork, Republic of Ireland. The club is affiliated with Cork GAA and to the Carbery division. The club has always been primarily a Gaelic football club, but has fielded hurling teams ...
.
Playing career
College
During his schooling at the St. Finbarr's College, Foley established himself as a key member of the senior hurling team. In 1984 he won a
Harty Cup medal following a 4–9 to 2–7 defeat of
Limerick CBS. The game was not without incident as Foley had his jaw broken during that game. In spite of this he still lined out in the All-Ireland decider against
St. Kieran's College
St Kieran's College (Coláiste Chiaráin) is a Roman Catholic secondary school, located on College Road, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland.
History
St Kieran's College was founded in Kilkenny, in the diocese of Ossory in 1782, after the passi ...
in the All-Ireland decider on 6 May 1984. Foley played with a faceguard and won an
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 following a 1–15 to 0–8 victory. Following his secondary schooling in Farranferris, he attended UCC where he won 4 Fitzgibbon Cup medals, 1985, 1986,1987 and 1988. He captained the UCC freshers team to All Ireland glory in 1985. And was selected on the Combined Universities team in 85,86,87,88 and 89.
Club
After some success in the lower divisional grades with Argideen Rangers, Foley was a key member of the
Carbery Carbery or Carbury may refer to:
;People:
* Brian Carbury (1918–1961), New Zealand fighter ace
* Douglas Carbery (1894–1959), British soldier and airman
* Ethna Carbery (1864–1902), Irish writer
* James Joseph Carbery (1823–1887), Irish Dom ...
divisional team that reached a second successive championship decider in 1994.
Midleton
Midleton (; , meaning "monastery at the weir") is a town in south-eastern County Cork, Ireland. It lies approximately 16 km east of Cork City on the Owenacurra River and the N25 road, which connects Cork to the port of Rosslare. A satellit ...
, one of the most successful teams of the previous decade, provided the opposition, however, a 3–12 to 3–6 victory gave Foley a
Cork Senior Hurling Championship
The Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PSHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Cork County B ...
medal.
Two years later in 1996 Foley enjoyed major success with the Argideen Rangers club. After securing the divisional junior title Argideen subsequently faced
Fr. O'Neill's in the county decider. A 3–9 to 0–11 victory, with Foley scoring 1–2, secured the
championship
In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion.
Championship systems
Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship.
Title match system
In this system ...
.
Inter-county
Foley first played for Cork as a member of the minor team on 11 May 1983. He was introduced as a substitute in Cork's narrow 2–13 to 1-15 Munster semi-final defeat by
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 ...
.
After missing the 1984 championship due to a broken jaw, Foley was back the following year as a member of the starting fifteen. A 1–13 to 1–8 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 ...
secured a centenary year
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.
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 ...
provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland decider on 1 September 1985. A 3–10 to 0–12 victory gave him an
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). I ...
medal.
In 1987 Foley was a late addition to the Cork junior team that faced Wexford in the All-Ireland decider on 25 July 1987. A narrow 3–11 to 2–13 victory gave Cork the victory and secured an
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 for Foley.
The following Foley was at full-forward on the Cork under-21 team. He 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 ...
medal that year following a 4–12 to 1–7 defeat of Limerick. Cork subsequently 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 decider on 11 September 1988. Played in
St. Brendan's Park,
Birr to commemorate the centenary of the very first senior All-Ireland final being played there, Cork triumphed by 4–12 to 1–5, with Foley winning 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.
After being included and subsequently omitted from the Cork senior panel in 1987 and 1988, Foley made his senior championship debut on 4 June 1989 in an 0-18 apiece Munster semi-final draw 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 ...
.
By 1990 Foley was a regular member of the starting fifteen. He won 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 ...
medal on that year after a
man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
performance in the decider. Foley's 2-7 contributed to the 4–16 to 2–14 defeat of reigning champions Tipperary. The subsequent All-Ireland final on 2 September 1990 pitted Cork against Galway for the second time in four years. Galway were once again the red-hot favourites and justified this tag by going seven points ahead in the opening thirty-five minutes thanks to a masterful display by
Joe Cooney
Joseph Cooney (born 17 March 1965) is an Irish former hurler who played as a centre-forward at senior level for the Galway county team.
Born in Bullaun, County Galway, Cooney first played competitive hurling during his schooling at St Raphael ...
. Cork fought back with an equally expert display by captain
Tomás Mulcahy
Tomás Mulcahy (born 26 June 1963) is an Irish former hurler and Gaelic footballer who played as a right corner-forward at senior level for the Cork county team.
Born in Blackpool, Cork, Mulcahy first played competitive Gaelic games during hi ...
. The game was effectively decided on an incident which occurred midway through the second half when Cork goalkeeper
Ger Cunningham
Gerard Cunningham (born 30 August 1961) is an Irish hurling manager and former player who played for Cork Senior Championship club St Finbarr's. He played for the Cork senior hurling team for 20 years, during which time he lined out as a goalk ...
blocked a point-blank shot from
Martin Naughton with his nose. The umpires gave no 65-metre free, even though he clearly deflected it out wide. Cork went on to win a high-scoring and open game of hurling by 5–15 to 2–21. The victory gave Foley an
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.
Cork surrendered their titles in 1991, however, Foley claimed his second Munster medal in 1992 following a 1–22 to 3-11 of Limerick. On 6 September 1992 Cork faced Kilkenny in the All-Ireland decider. At half-time Cork were two points ahead, however, two second-half goals by
John Power and
Michael "Titch" Phelan supplemented a first-half
D. J. Carey
Denis Joseph Carey (born 11 November 1970) is an Irish people, Irish former Hurling, hurler who played as a left wing-forward at senior level for the Kilkenny county hurling team, Kilkenny county team.
Carey began his hurling career at club lev ...
penalty which gave Kilkenny a 3–10 to 1–12 victory.
Foley won 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 in 1993 following a 3–11 to 1–12 defeat of
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 ...
. He was dropped from the starting fifteen for the subsequent championship campaign, a move which effectively brought an end to his inter-county career, as he had started a very busy dental practice in Bantry in West Cork which was demanding huge amounts of his time.
Inter-provincial
Foley was picked for the Munster inter-provincial team in 1988. He was at left corner-forward in the 4–13 to 2-11 semi-final defeat by
Connacht
Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...
.
Coaching career
In recent years Foley has been heavily involved as a mentor at various levels with
Bantry Blues
Bantry Blues is a Gaelic football club based in Bantry, County Cork, Republic of Ireland. The club is affiliated with Cork GAA and to the Carbery division. The club has always been primarily a Gaelic football club, but has fielded hurling teams ...
.
Honours
Player
;St. Finbarr's College
*
Croke Cup (1): 1984
*
Harty Cup (1): 1984
UCC Freshers All Ireland ( captain ) 1985, Fitzgibbon Cup 1985, 1986, 1987 and 1988.
;Argideen Rangers
*
Cork Junior Hurling Championship
The Cork Junior A Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Junior A Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork JAHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaeli ...
(1): 1996
;Carbery
*
Cork Senior Hurling Championship
The Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PSHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Cork County B ...
(1): 1994
;Cork
*
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 ...
(1):
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
*
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 ...
(2):
1990
File:1990 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1990 FIFA World Cup is played in Italy; The Human Genome Project is launched; Voyager I takes the famous Pale Blue Dot image- speaking on the fragility of Humankind, humanity on Earth, Astroph ...
,
1992
File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...
*
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):
1992-93
*
All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship was a hurling competition organized by the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland. The competition was originally contested by the second teams of the strong counties, and the first teams of the weaker ...
(1): 1987
*
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 ...
(1):
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
*
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):
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
*
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). I ...
(1):
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
*
Munster Minor Hurling Championship
The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Associ ...
(1):
1985
The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations.
Events January
* January 1
** The Internet's Domain Name System is created.
** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Mark
1967 births
Living people
Arigdeen Rangers hurlers
Carbery hurlers
Cork inter-county hurlers
Munster inter-provincial hurlers
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners