Noel O'Leary (born 5 May 1982) is an Irish
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 who played as a left wing-back 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 team.
Born in
Kilnamartyra
Kilnamartyra ( , meaning ''church of the martyr'' or ''church of the relic'') is a village and civil parish in County Cork, Ireland. It is located around half-way between Killarney and Macroom. The parish is a kilometre from the L3402 local road ...
,
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 ...
, O Leary arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Cork minor team, before later joining the under-21 and junior sides. He made his debut in the
2000 National Football League. O'Leary went on to play a key part for over a decade, 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, three
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 four
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
medals(1 division 2). He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions.
O'Leary represented 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, when he captained the team in an unsuccessful campaign. At club level he plays with
Cill na Martra.
Throughout his career, O'Leary made 42 championship appearances for Cork. He announced his retirement from inter-county football on 17 October 2013.
Playing career
Club
O'Leary plays his local club football with his local club in
Cill na Martra and has enjoyed some success.
In 1999 he won a Cork Minor C Football Championship with the club.
In 2002 O'Leary enjoyed his first major success with Cill na Martra when he captured a divisional junior football championship winners' medal following a 2–10 to 1–9 victory over
Grenagh
Grenagh () is a village close to Mallow in County Cork, Ireland. It is situated approximately 1 km from the main Cork-Limerick N20 road. The village is served by St. Lachteen's Catholic Church. The local Gaelic Athletic Association, Grenag ...
.
2003 saw Cill na Martra reach the divisional final for the second year in succession.
Ballingeary
Ballingeary (, ) is a village in the Shehy Mountains in County Cork, Ireland.
The village is located within the Muskerry ''Gaeltacht'' (Irish-speaking area). According to the 2016 census, over 42% of the population speak Irish on a daily basis ...
provided the opposition, however, their near neighbours could not match Cill na Martra's skill. A 0–12 to 1–7 score line gave O'Leary a second divisional winners' medal. Cill na Martra later represented their division in the
county junior championship. They reached the final that year and lined out against
Carbery Rangers
Carbery Rangers is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the village of Rosscarbery, County Cork, Ireland. The club is solely concerned with the game of Gaelic football.
History
Located in Rosscarbery in West Cork, Carbery Rangers was ...
. A 0–10 to 0–5 score line resulted in defeat for O'Leary's side.
Minor and under-21
O'Leary first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork under-16 team. He won a Munster title in this grade before going on to enjoy much more success with the Cork footballers at more advanced grades.
By 1999 O'Leary had joined the Cork minor football team, playing corner back for the entire campaign. Because of this he collected 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 ...
minor winners' medal. Cork trounced
Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...
by 2–16 to 1–9 on that occasion, however, 'the Rebels' were subsequently defeated in the All-Ireland semi-final.
In 2000 O'Leary secured a place in the half-back line on the Cork minor football team and Cork qualified for a second consecutive Munster decider. That year he won his first provincial winners' medal on the field of play following a 1–13 ro 0–14 defeat of arch-rivals Kerry. Cork later qualified for the All-Ireland final, with
Mayo Mayo often refers to:
* Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo"
* Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Mayo may also refer to:
Places
Antarctica
* Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land
Australia
* Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
providing the opposition. A close game followed, however, at the full-time whistle Cork were the champions by 2–12 to 0–13. The win gave O'Leary 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 ...
minor winners' medal in his last appearance for Cork in that grade.
By 2001 O'Leary was an automatic choice for the Cork under-21 team. That year 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 ...
title in that grade following a 1–12 to 0–8 defeat of
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 ...
. Cork were subsequently defeated in the All-Ireland semi-final. O'Leary enjoyed no further success with the county under-21 footballers.
Junior
In 2001, he won Munster and All Ireland Championship medals with 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 ...
Junior team.
Senior
He first joined 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 team during the 2000/01 National Football League.
In 2003 O'Leary made his senior championship debut for Cork. 'The Rebels' were trounced 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 ...
on that occasion. The year went from bad to worse as Cork crashed out of the championship in the All-Ireland qualifiers.
In 2004 O'Leary's side fared no better. After losing to Kerry in the Munster semi-final Cork had to manoeuvre through the qualifiers again. He subsequently played no part due to injury for the remainder of the championship in an unconvincing victory over
Clare which was followed by a humiliating 0–18 to 0–12 defeat by
Fermanagh
Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of al ...
.
By 2005 the Cork footballers had regrouped and reached the Munster final for the first time in three years. Once again Kerry, the reigning All-Ireland champions, provided the opposition. The game was a close affair, however, O'Leary's side were narrowly defeated by just 1–11 to 0–11. This did not mean the end of Cork's All-Ireland ambitions. After winning their next two games 'the Rebels' qualified for an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Kerry. In an embarrassing game of football for Cork, O'Leary's side were trounced by thirteen points on a score line of 1–19 to 0–9.
In 2006 O'Leary played no part in the team's 1–12 to 0–9 defeat of Kerry in the Munster final. The quirks of the championship saw Cork face Kerry again in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final for the third time in five seasons. O'Leary played in that game, however, in a similar pattern to previous encounters Cork failed to beat Kerry at
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 ...
. A 0–16 to 0–10 score line resulted in Cork being knocked out of the championship.
In 2007 Cork were out to atone for their defeats by Kerry the previous year. Both sides met in the provincial decider for the third year in succession. Cork gave a good account of themselves, however, Kerry could not be beaten and O'Leary's side went down on a 1–15 to 1–13 score line. Cork later did well in the subsequent All-Ireland series and finally qualified for the All-Ireland final after an eight-year absence. There was some doubt over O'Leary's participation in the game as he had been caught on television cameras striking
Graham Geraghty
Graham Geraghty (born 17 May 1973), is a former Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for the Meath county team. While still an inter-county player, he stood for the Fine Gael political party at the 2007 Irish general election; he was n ...
in the All-Ireland semi-final against
Meath. In the end he was cleared to play, however, in a cruel twist Kerry were the opponents. While the first half was played on an even keel, 'the Kingdom' ran riot in the second half and a rout ensued. Goalkeeper
Alan Quirke came in for much criticism after conceding some easy goals. At the full-time whistle Cork were trounced by 3–13 to 1–9.
In 2008 Cork gained a modicum of revenge on Kerry when the sides met again in that year's Munster final. O'Leary, however, played no part due to injury in the remarkable 1–16 to 1–11 victory. Both sides met again in the All-Ireland semi-final with OLeary at wing back, however, after a thrilling draw and a replay Kerry were the team that advanced to the championship decider.
In 2009 Cork were earmarked as potential All-Ireland contenders. After drawing with Kerry in the provincial semi-final the replay proved much more conclusive and ended in a victory for 'the Rebels'. The game was not without incident as O'Leary was sent to the line for blowing
Paul Galvin to the ground with a beautiful right hook. The Kerry player was also red-carded for starting the episode. Because of this O'Leary missed Cork's subsequent Munster final triumph over Limerick.
On 17 October 2013 O'Leary announced his retirement from Inter-County Football.
Honours
Honours:1 county intermediate championship 2 Mid-Cork JFC, 2 County MFC, 2 Munster MFC, 1 All-Ireland MFC, 4 Football League (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012), 1 All-Ireland SFC (2010), 3 Munster SFC (2012) 3 all star nominations
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oleary, Noel
1982 births
Living people
Cill na Martra Gaelic footballers
Muskerry Gaelic footballers
Cork inter-county Gaelic footballers
Munster inter-provincial Gaelic footballers
Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football)