Séamus Hickey (born 2 October 1987) is an Irish sportsperson. He played

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

with his local club Murroe-Boher from 2005 to 2019 and is now a member of the Croagh-Kilfinny club. Hickey was a member of the

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 ...

senior inter-county team from 2006 until 2018.

Playing career

College

Hickey first came to prominence as a hurler with St. Flannan's College in

Ennis Ennis () is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in County Clare, with a population of 25,27 ...

, County Clare. Having played in every grade as a 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, he was a left wing-back and centre-back on the college's senior hurling teams that won back-to-back Harty Cup titles in 2004 and 2005. On 2 May 2005, Hickey won an All-Ireland medal after a 2-15 to 2-12 defeat of

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 ...

from

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 final at

Semple Stadium The Semple Stadium is the home of hurling and Gaelic football for Tipperary GAA and for the province of Munster. Located in Thurles, County Tipperary, it is the second largest GAA stadium in Ireland (after Croke Park), with a capacity of 45,690. ...

University

During his studies at the University of Limerick, Hickey immediately became involved with the university's hurling team stating: "My induction day as a fresher, they were going looking at lecture halls and timetables. I went straight for the GAA office and asked when the

Fitzgibbon Fitzgibbon, FitzGibbon, Fitz-Gibbon and Fitzgibbons are Irish surnames of Anglo-Norman origin. FitzGibbon and its variants have long been widespread and important surnames within Ireland. The surnames were first found in 12th century Ireland, shor ...

trials were on! I saw it as an extension of school hurling and representing where you go. For me, I thought it was natural while developing as a hurler." After losing the 2009 Fitzgibbon Cup final at left wing-back to

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...

in 2009, Hickey was moved to the full-back line with Michael "Brick" Walsh and Paddy Stapleton for UL's 1-17 to 2-11 defeat of the Limerick Institute of Technology in the final on 26 February 2011.

Club

Hickey joined the Murroe-Boher club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels. He played for the club's Junior B team for the first time at the age of fifteen, before becoming centre-back the following year. Hickey made his first senior appearance at the age of seventeen, marking

Brian Geary Brian Geary (born 1980) is an Irish hurler who played as a centre-forward for the Limerick senior team. Geary made his first appearance for the team during the 1999 championship and was a regular member of the starting fifteen until his ret ...

in a championship game against Monaleen. Hickey also played Gaelic football with the Monaleen senior team. On 16 October 2011, he won a Limerick Football Championship medal after coming on as a substitute in Monaleen's 1-12 to 1-07 defeat of

Newcastle West Newcastle West () or simply Newcastle (''An Caisleán Nua'', formerly anglicized Castlenoe) is a town in west County Limerick, Ireland. It is the largest town in the county, excluding Limerick city, It is also the county town, and sits on the ...

in the final. On 18 October 2017, Hickey won a

Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship The Limerick Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Lyons of Limerick County Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Limerick PIHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by th ...

medal following a 1-21 to 1-15 defeat of

Garryspillane Garryspillane ( meaning "the garden of Ó Spealáin"), sometimes spelled "Garryspellane", is a village in southern County Limerick, Ireland, located near Knocklong on the R513 road. It is around 15 km west of Tipperary Town Tipperary Tow ...

in a replay of the final. On 15 January 2020, it was announced that Hickey had transferred from his native Murroe-Boher to Croagh-Kilfinny. In June 2021, Hickey added a County Junior medal to his silverware. He lined out at centre back for his new club Croagh-Kilfinny, as they defeated Patrickswell in the Covid-delayed 2020 Junior A County Hurling Final.

Inter-county

Minor and under-21

Hickey first played for Limerick at minor level during the team's unsuccessful 2004 championship. He was eligible for the grade again the following year and, after being defeated by

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

Munster final 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 ...

, Limerick qualified for the All-Ireland final on 11 September 2005. Hickey scored two points from midfield in the 3-12 to 0-17 defeat by

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

. On 7 June 2006, Hickey made his first appearance for the Limerick under-21 hurling team in an 0-11 to 0-10 defeat by

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 ...

in the Munster Championship. It was the first of three unsuccessful seasons with the team.

Senior

On 26 March 2006, Hickey made his senior debut for Limerick when he came on as a substitute for Mark O'Riordan in a

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 ...

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 medie ...

O'Moore Park , image = , location = Portlaoise, County Laois, R32 CRF3, Ireland , coordinates = , opened = , renovated = 2002 , owner = Laois GAA , cost = , capaci ...

. He later came on as a 62nd-minute substitute in Limerick's league final defeat by

. Hickey made his first championship appearance on 14 May 2006 in a 0-22 to 2-12 defeat by

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 ...

in the Munster Championship. Hickey played in his first Munster final on 8 July 2007 in a 3-17 to 1-14 defeat by Waterford. After a subsequent All-Ireland semi-final defeat of Waterford, Hickey lined out in his first All-Ireland final on 2 September 2007. Hickey had a torrid afternoon marking

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 ...

Eddie Brennan who scored 1-05 from play in Kilkenny's 2-19 to 1-15 victory. Hickey later remarked: "I wouldn’t go OTT on it but I was a boy that day, I really was, playing with real men." He ended the season by being nominated for an All-Star Award and by being named

Vodafone Young Hurler of the Year The Gaelic Athletic Association/Gaelic Players Association Young Hurler of the Year (known for sponsorship reasons as the PwC GAA/GPA Young Hurler of the Year, or simply the Young Hurler of the Year) is an annual award given to the player aged 21 ...

. After two disappointing seasons, Limerick manager Justin McCarthy dropped several high-profile players from the panel in October 2009. Over the course of the winter, many more players, including Hickey, withdrew from the panel and refused to play while McCarthy and his management team remained in place. The Limerick County Board refused to remove McCarthy and contested the league and championship with a new group of players. Hickey, who spent much of the championship season in

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

, admitted: "It was a difficult decision. My ambition since I was knee high was to wear the green and white. But I stood up for something I believed in. I had stood shoulder to shoulder with many of the great men to wear Limerick jerseys over the last 10 years and I felt the treatment we were getting and the deal we were dealt wasn’t fair." Hickey made his return to the Limerick team on 13 February 2011 in a National League defeat of

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

. On 30 April 2011, he won a National League Division 2 medal after a 4-12 to 2-13 defeat of Clare in the final. On 14 July 2013, Hickey scored a point from left wing-forward in Limerick's 0-24 to 0-15 defeat of

in the Munster final. In the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final against Clare, he was forced off injured after just 14 minutes with a knee injury. Damage to his cruciate ligament was later diagnosed. Hickey returned to the Limerick team in May 2014. On 10 August 2014, Hickey was named man of the match in Limerick's 2-13 to 0-17 defeat by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final. He ended the season by being named in the left corner-back position on the All-Star team. On 19 August 2018, Hickey was a non-playing substitute when Limerick won their first All-Ireland title in 45 years after a 3-16 to 2-18 defeat of

in the final. On 4 December 2018, Hickey announced his retirement from inter-county hurling.

Inter-provincial

Hickey made his first appearance for 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 ...

team in a 2-17 to 1-16 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 ...

on 15 October 2006. On 27 October 2007, Hickey 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 following Munster's 2-22 to 2-19 defeat of Connacht in the final 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 ...

Career statistics

Inter-county

Inter-provincial

Honours

;St. Flannan's College * Dr. Croke Cup (1):

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

* Dr. Harty Cup (2): 2004, 2005 ;University of Limerick * Fitzgibbon Cup (1): 2011 ;Croagh-Kilfinny * Limerick Junior Hurling Championship (1): 2020 ;Murroe-Boher *

(1):

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

;Monaleen *

Limerick Senior Football Championship The Limerick Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by the top Limerick GAA clubs. The champions qualify to represent Limerick in the Munster Senior Club Football Championship, the winners of which progr ...

(1): 2011 ;Limerick *

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):

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

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 ...

(1):

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

* National Hurling League Division 2 (1):

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

Munster Senior Hurling League The Munster Senior Hurling League (known in some years as the Munster Hurling Cup) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2016 for the top inter-county teams in the province of ...

(1):

* Waterford Crystal Cup (2): 2006, 2015 ;Munster *

(1):

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

;Individual * All Stars Young Hurler of the Year (1): 2007 * GAA GPA All Stars Awards (1): 2014

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hickey, Seamus 1987 births Living people Murroe-Boher hurlers Monaleen Gaelic footballers Limerick inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers