Michael Duignan (; born 21 February 1968) is an Irish former hurler and

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er and current

Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...

administrator, serving as chairman of the Offaly County Board.

Playing career

St Rynagh's

Duignan joined the St Rynagh's club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels before eventually joining the St Rynagh's top adult team at

senior level Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

as a 16-year-old. On 19 October 1986, Duignan lined out at left corner-forward when St Rynagh's qualified to play

Coolderry Coolderry () is a small roadside village in southern County Offaly, Ireland. It is located 8 kilometres north of Roscrea and 11 kilometres south of Birr. The village lies close to the Slieve Bloom Mountains. Places of note include Gloster Hou ...

in the final. He scored a point from play and was narrowly denied his first winners' medal after St Rynagh's suffered a 3-08 to 1-10 defeat. Duignan lined out in a second successive senior final on 27 September 1987. Playing at right corner-forward, he was held scoreless throughout but ended the game with his first championship medal after the 0-11 to 0-09 defeat of Seir Kieran. Duignan was moved from the forwards to midfield for the 1988 Championship and lined out in that position in a third successive final on 23 October 1988. He ended the game on the losing side after a 3-13 to 4-06 defeat by Seir Kieran. After a two-year absence, Duignan made a fourth final appearance on 14 October 1990. Lining out at midfield he was held scoreless throughout but claimed a second winners' medal after the 2-06 to 1-07 defeat of Birr. Duignan was selected at right wing-forward when he lined out in a fifth championship final on 1 November 1992. He was once again held scoreless but collected a third winners' medal following a 0-10 to 0-09 defeat of

Lusmagh Lusmagh ( ga, Lusmhaigh) is a civil parish in County Offaly, Ireland, bounded by three rivers: the Shannon, Lusmagh and Little Brosna to the west, east and south respectively. The town of Banagher is northeast across the River Lusmagh. Lusmagh ...

. Duignan was once again in the half-forward line when St Rynagh's suffered a 2-13 to 0-13 by Buffer's Alley in the Leinster final. On 27 September 1993, Duignan played at full-forward when St Rynagh's qualified for a second successive final. He scored a point from play and won a fourth championship medal following the 1-16 to 1-14 victory over Birr. On 5 December 1993, Duignan lined out in a second successive Leinster final. He scored a vital goal after 18 minutes and collected a Leinster Championship medal after the 1-14 to 2-10 defeat of Dicksboro. On 29 October 1995, Duignan lined out at centre-forward when St Rynagh's faced Seir Kieran in the final replay, having earlier missed the drawn match due to being on his honeymoon. He was held scoreless from play in the 0-10 to 0-09 defeat. St Rynagh's faced Seir Kieran in a second successive final on 13 October 1996. Duignan started the game on the bench but was introduced as a substitute in the 0-13 to 1-08 defeat. On 8 November 1998, Duignan scored 1-01 from centre-forward when St Rynagh's drew 1-10 to 0-13 with Seir Kieran in the final. He was switched to left corner-forward for the replay on 22 November 1998 but was held scoreless in the 1-11 to 0-09 defeat. Duignan lined out in his 10th and last championship final on 3 October 1999. He started the game marking county colleague

Brian Whelehan Brian Whelahan (born 23 August 1971) is an Irish former hurler who played as a left wing-back at senior level for the Offaly county team. Born in Banagher, County Offaly, Whelahan first played competitive hurling whilst at school in St Bren ...

but was switched to wing-forward and ended the game on the losing side after a 3-15 to 1-11 defeat.

Offaly

Minor and under-21

Duignan first played for

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 ...

as a member of the minor team during the 1986 Leinster Championship. He made his first appearance for the team on 24 May 1986 in a 2-08 apiece draw with

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 ...

. On 13 July 1986, Duignan lined out at full-forward when Offaly faced

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 ...

in the Leinster final. He was switched to midfield in the second half and ended the game with a winners' medal after the 4-07 to 1-05 victory. On 7 September 1986, Duignan was again selected at full-forward when Offaly qualified to play

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 ...

in the

All-Ireland final The All-Ireland Final may refer to: * All-Ireland Hurling Final, the last match to be played in the All-Ireland Hurling Championship (Senior, Minor and Under-21 levels) * The last match to be played in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship ...

. He scored two points from play and claimed an All-Ireland medal following the 3-12 to 3-09 victory. Duignan immediately progressed onto the Offaly under-21 team. He made his debut in the grade on 26 April 1987 when he scored a point in the 2019 to 0-03 defeat of

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

in the Leinster semi-final. On 10 May 1987, Duignan was held scoreless at left wing-forward when Offaly suffered a 4-11 to 0-05 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster final On 17 July 1988, Duignan played in a second successive Leinster final when Offaly faced Kilkenny. Lining out at midfield, he ended the game on the losing side after a 3-13 to 2-05 defeat. Duignan lined out in a third successive Leinster final the following year. Playing at right corner-forward, he top scored for Offaly with 1-05 and collected a winners' medal after the 3-16 to 3-09 defeat of Kilkenny. Duignan was switched to left corner-forward for the

against

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 ...

on 10 September 1989. He was held scoreless throughout the 4-10 to 3-11 defeat.

Senior

Duignan was still eligible for under-21 grade when he was added to the Offaly senior team in advance of the 1987-88 National League. He made his debut for the team on 11 October 1987 when he lined out at left corner-forward in a 3-11 to 0-11 defeat of

Laois County Laois ( ; gle, Contae Laoise) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medi ...

. On 6 March 1988, Duignan was at midfield when Offaly secured the Division 2 title after a 1-13 to 3-04 defeat of Down. He was later included in the Offaly panel for the Leinster Championship and made his first appearance on 19 June 1988 when he scored two points from midfield in a 2-13 to 2-10 defeat of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. On 10 July 1988, Duignan won his first Leinster Championship medal after again lining out at midfield in a 3-12 to 1-14 defeat of Wexford in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

. On 9 July 1989, Duignan lined out at right wing-forward when Offaly qualified for a second successive Leinster final. He was held scoreless from play but was instrumental in setting up two goals for Mark Corrigan in the 3-15 to 4-09 defeat of Kilkenny. Duignan lined out in a third successive Leinster final on 8 July 1990. Playing at right corner-forward he scored two points from play and collected a third successive winners' medal after the 1-19 to 2-11 defeat of Dublin. On 12 May 1991, Duignan was selected at full-forward when Offaly qualified for their very first National League final. He scored three points from play and claimed a winners' medal as Offaly claimed their very first league title after a 2-06 to 0-10 defeat of Wexford. After a period without success, Duignan lined out in his fourth Leinster final on 17 July 1994. Playing at left corner-forward he scored a point from play and collected his fourth winners' medal after the 1-18 to 0-14 defeat of Wexford. Duignan, who had been prone to injury, suffered ligament damage during that game and was dropped from the starting fifteen for the

against

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 ...

on 3 September 1994. He was introduced as a substitute for

Daithí Regan Daithí Regan (born 1968 in Birr, County Offaly) is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Birr and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team between 1989 and 1999. Regan currently works as a hurling ...

, however, Offaly looked like losing the game when they trailed by 2-13 to 1-11 with just five minutes remaining. Two quick goals by

Johnny Dooley Johnny Dooley (born 7 October 1971 in Clareen, County Offaly) is an Irish former hurling manager and player. He played hurling with his local club Clareen GAA and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1991 until 2002. ...

and Pat O'Connor and five unanswered points secured a remarkable 3-16 to 2-13 victory and a 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 for Duignan. Duignan overcame his injuries and was restored to the starting fifteen for the 1995 Leinster Championship. He won his fifth Leinster Championship medal on 16 July 1995 after scoring three points from play in the 2-16 to 2-05 defeat of Kilkenny. On 3 September 1995, Duignan lined out at left corner-forward when Offaly faced a Clare team who were making their first

appearance since

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

. He scored a goal from play but ended the game on the losing side after a 1-13 to 2-08 defeat. On 14 July 1996, Duignan made his sixth Leinster final appearance of his career. He scored 1-01 from midfield but ended the game on the losing side after a 2-23 to 2-15 defeat by Wexford. On 5 July 1998, Duignan was selected at midfield when Offaly faced Kilkenny in the Leinster final. He was held scoreless from play in the 3-10 to 1-11 defeat. Team manager

Babs Keating Michael "Babs" Keating (born 17 April 1944) is an Irish former hurler and Gaelic footballer who played as a forward for the Tipperary senior teams. Born in Ardfinnan, County Tipperary, Keating first played competitive Gaelic games during his ...

subsequently resigned after describing the team as "sheep running around in a heap" and was replaced by

Michael Bond Thomas Michael Bond (13 January 1926 – 27 June 2017) was a British author. He is best known for a series of fictional stories for children, featuring the character of Paddington Bear. More than 35 million Paddington books have been sold ...

for the All-Ireland Championship. On 13 September 1998, Offaly qualified for the

where they faced Kilkenny for the second time that season. Duignan scored two points from right wing-forward and collected his second All-Ireland winners' medal after the 2-16 to 1-14 victory. He ended the season by receiving a

GAA All-Star The Gaelic Athletic Association-Gaelic Players' Association All Stars Awards (often known simply as the All Stars) are awarded annually to the best player in each of the 15 playing positions in Gaelic football and hurling. Additionally, one pla ...

. Duignan made his eighth Leinster final appearance of his career on 11 July 1999. He scored a point from left corner-forward but ended the game on the losing side after a 5-14 to 1-16 defeat by Kilkenny. On 9 July 2000, Duignan lined out at left corner-forward in his ninth Leinster final appearance. He scored a point from play but ended that game on the losing side after a 2-21 to 1-13 defeat. On 10 September 2000, Duignan was switched to left wing-forward when Offaly suffered a 5-15 to 1-14 defeat by Kilkenny in the

. Duignan made just two appearances during the 2001 National League, however, he decided to retire from inter-county hurling before the start of the Leinster Championship stating "It was a very, very hard decision after all the years."

Managerial career

Meath

Duignan was appointed

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

of the Meath senior hurling team on 28 November 2001. His opening season in charge saw Meath lose all of their

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 ...

games before suffering relegation to Division 2 at the end of the campaign. The subsequent Leinster Championship campaign saw Meath record victories over

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

and

before exiting the provincial championship at the quarter-final stage with a defeat by

. Meath's championship came to an end after a 1-20 to 1-11 defeat by Duignan's native Offaly in the All-Ireland Qualifiers. Duignan's second

campaign in charge saw Meath finish in second position in Division 2B before qualifying for the winners' group and a chance to qualify for the final. On 17 April 2003, Duignan and his three selectors withdrew their services after the Meath County Board failed to fulfil a request to postpone a round of club matches in advance of a crucial league game against Antrim. The management team returned to their positions before the start of the Leinster Championship, however, Meath suffered a 0-17 to 2-10 defeat by Carlow. On 17 September 2003, Duignan stepped down as Meath manager.

Offaly

In May 2004, Duignan accepted an invitation from team manager,

Mike McNamara Michael McNamara (born 1949) is an Irish former hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Scariff from the 1960s until the 1980s. McNamara is also a publican and night club owner in Scariff and served as manager ...

, to help out with the coaching of the Offaly senior team in advance of the Leinster Championship. The team secured back-to-back victories before suffering a 2-12 to 1-11 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster final. Duignan's side eventually exited the championship with All-Ireland Qualifier defeat by Clare.

Administrative career

In October 2019, it was confirmed that Duignan intended to run for the position of chairman of the Offaly County Board, after expressing strong criticism of the Executive over a number of years. On 10 December 2019, he was elected to the position of chairman, having defeated incumbent Tommy Byrne by 76 votes to 62.

Personal life

His son

Brian Brian (sometimes spelled Bryan in English) is a male given name of Irish and Breton origin, as well as a surname of Occitan origin. It is common in the English-speaking world. It is possible that the name is derived from an Old Celtic word me ...

went on to play for Offaly.

Career statistics

Honours

Player

;St Rynagh's *

Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship The Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association and conte ...

(1) 1993 * Offaly Senior Hurling Championship (4) 1987, 1990, 1992, 1993 * Offaly Intermediate Football Championship (1) 1997 ;Ballinamere *

Offaly Junior A Hurling Championship The Offaly Junior A Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by lower-tier Offaly GAA clubs. The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1907. The national media covers the competitio ...

(1): 2010 ;Offaly *

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 ...

(2):

1994 File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...

, 1998 *

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 ...

(5):

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Australian ...

, 1989,

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 ...

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...

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): 1990-91 * Walsh Cup (2): 1990, 1993 *

Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-20 Championship known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the hig ...

(1): 1989 *

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):

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal ente ...

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Ass ...

(1):

;Awards * GAA All-Star Award (1) 1998 * Offaly Junior Club Hurler of the Year (1): 2010

Management

;Ballinamere/Durrow *Offaly Minor A Huring Championship (2): 2016, 2017

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Duignan, Michael 1968 births Living people All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Chairmen of county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association Dual players Gaelic games writers and broadcasters Hurling managers Irish auctioneers Offaly County Board administrators Offaly inter-county hurlers Offaly Gaelic footballers Raheen hurlers St Rynagh's Gaelic footballers St Rynagh's hurlers People educated at Garbally College