Michael "Mick" Collins (1940 – 13 June 2009) was an Irish hurler who played as a full-back with the

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 ...

senior team. Born in Enniscorthy,

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

, Collins was introduced to hurling in his youth. He enjoyed championship successes with the Enniscorthy Shamrocks club, winning two championship medals at senior level. Collins made his senior debut with Wexford during the 1966 championship. He went on to play a key role for Wexford in defence and won one

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 ...

medal 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. Collins was an All-Ireland runner-up as captain on one occasion. Throughout his inter-county career Collins made 7 championship appearances. He retired from inter-county hurling following the conclusion of the 1970 championship. In retirement from playing Collins served as chairman of the Enniscorthy Rapparees hurling club.

Playing career

Club

In 1964 Collins was full-back on the Enniscorthy Shamrocks team that reached their very first championship decider. A defeat of

Faythe Harriers Faythe Harriers is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Wexford town, Ireland. History The history of the Faythe Harriers stretches back to the early 1940s, although the hurling club wasn't formed until 1949. In the late 1930s, the ...

gave him his first championship medal. After defeat in the 1966 decider, Shamrocks were back in 1969. A defeat of Ferns St. Aidan's gave Collins a second championship medal.

Inter-county

Collins first played senior hurling for Wexford in 1966. He claimed his first silverware with a

medal in 1967 following a 3–10 to 1–9 defeat of

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 1970 Collins was appointed captain of the team. A 4–16 to 3–14 defeat of old rivals Kilkenny in the very first 80-minute championship game gave him a

medal. Wexford subsequently faced Cork in the All-Ireland decider on 6 September 1970. A record 64-point scoreline and eleven goals were produced in a sometimes ill-tempered and disappointing contest.

Tony Doran Anthony "Tony" Doran (born April 1946) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a full-forward for the Wexford senior team. Born in Boolavogue, County Wexford, Doran first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he fir ...

top scored for Wexford with two goals, however, the day belonged to Eddie O'Brien who scored a hat-trick of goals for Cork from his hand. A remarkable 6–21 to 5–10 score line gave Cork the victory.

Honours

;Enniscorthy Shamrocks * Wexford Senior Hurling Championship (2): 1964, 1969 ;Wexford *

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

(1):

1970 Events January * January 1 – Unix time epoch reached at 00:00:00 UTC. * January 5 – The 7.1 Tonghai earthquake shakes Tonghai County, Yunnan province, China, with a maximum Mercalli intensity scale, Mercalli intensity of X (''Extrem ...

(1): 1966-67

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Michael 1940 births 2009 deaths Enniscorthy Shamrocks hurlers Wexford inter-county hurlers