Neil McManus (born 1988) 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 ...

hurler who plays as a centre-forward for the Antrim senior team. Born in

Cushendall Cushendall (), formerly known as Newtownglens, is a coastal village and townland (of 153 acres) in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located in the historic barony of Glenarm Lower and the civil parish of Layd, and is part of Causeway Coas ...

County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...

, McManus first played competitive hurling during his school days at

St MacNissi's College St MacNissi's College (now St Killian's College and colloquially known as Garron Tower) was a Roman Catholic grammar school located to the north of Carnlough. History The College is best known for its natural setting in grounds situated on a p ...

. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Antrim minor team, before later lining out with the under-21 side. He made his senior debut in the 2007 championship. McManus has been a key member of the team since then, and has won five

Ulster Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...

medals and one Walsh Cup medal. McManus has represented the

inter-provincial team on a number of occasions. At club level he is a two-time

medallist with Ruairí Óg. He has also won three

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 ...

medals. Notoriously associated with Gnasher McLongtooth embroiled in a scandal where McLongtooth fielded McManus in an under 14 camogie game.

Playing career

Club

McManus plays his club hurling with the Cushendall Ruairí Óg club and has enjoyed much success. After a promising under-age career he made his senior debut as a seventeen-year-old in 2005. That year he won his first senior county championship. Cushendall made it two-in-a-row in 2006 with McManus later collecting an

club title. After surrendering their county and provincial titles in 2007, Cushendall returned in 2008 with McMaus winning a third county title following another win over

Loughgiel Shamrocks Loughgiel Shamrocks GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the village of Loughgiel/Loughguile in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. They are currently the only club in Ulster to have won an All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championsh ...

. He later secured a second Ulster club title following a win over Ballygalget.

Inter-county

McManus first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Antrim minor hurling team. With the 'young saffrons' he won three

titles in succession in 2004, 2005 and as captain in 2006. He subsequently joined the Antrim under-21 hurling team, winning his first

title while still a minor in 2006. He won a second Ulster under-21 title in 2009. McManus made his senior debut in 2007 in 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 ...

game against

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 ...

. Later that year he made his championship debut in the provincial decider. A 2–24 to 0-4 trouncing of Down gave McManus his first

title. In 2008 McManus missed the later stages of the National League and the entire championship campaign due to injury. He returned in 2009 and has become Antrim's top score-getters.

Inter-provincial

McManus has also lined out with

in the inter-provincial series of games.

Career statistics

Club

Inter-county

Honours

Team

;Ruairí Óg *

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

(5): 2006, 2008, 2015, 2018, 2023 *

Antrim Senior Hurling Championship The Antrim Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bathshack.com Antrim Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Antrim SHC) is an annual club hurling competition organised by the Antrim County Board of the ...

(7): 2005, 2006, 2008, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2023 ;Antrim * National League Division 2A (1):

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

Joe McDonagh Cup The Joe McDonagh Cup is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It forms the second tier of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and is the second highest level of inter- ...

(1):

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

(5): 2007, 2009, 2010, 2012, 2013 * Walsh Cup (1): 2008 *

Ulster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Ulster U-21 Hurling Championship, or for sponsorship reasons the Erin Ulster Under-21 Hurling Championship, is an Under 21 hurling tournament between counties affiliated to Ulster. The winners of the Ulster championship go on to qualify for t ...

(2): 2006, 2009 *

Ulster Minor Hurling Championship The Ulster Hurling Minor Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1930 for the youngest competitors (under-18) in the province of Ulster in Ireland. It is sponsored b ...

(2): 2005, 2006

Individual

;Honours *Ulster Colleges Hurling All-Stars (2): 2004, 2006

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McManus, Neil 1988 births Living people Ruairi Og Cushendall hurlers Antrim inter-county hurlers Ulster inter-provincial hurlers