Shirley McCay (born 7 June 1988) is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the

2018 Women's Hockey World Cup The 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup was the 14th edition of the Women's Hockey World Cup, a field hockey tournament. It was held from 21 July to 5 August 2018 at the Lee Valley Hockey and Tennis Centre in London, England. Defending champions t ...

final. McCay has played in the Women's Irish Hockey League for Old Alex,

Ulster Elks Ulster Elks was an Irish men's basketball team based in Jordanstown, Northern Ireland. The team competed in the Irish Super League and National League Division 1 and played its home games at the Ulster University Sports Centre. They also played i ...

and Pegasus. She was a member of the Ulster Elks team that won two successive Irish Senior Cup titles in 2014–15 and 2015–16. Since 2015 she has been Ireland's most capped women's field hockey international. According to some sources she is also "Ireland's most capped sportswoman in any code" and the holder of "the most international caps by any Irish athlete (male or female) across any sport".

Early years, family and education

McCay's hometown is Drumquin,

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an administrative division for local government but retai ...

. She is the daughter of Robert and Hazel McCay. She has a sister, Lindsay. She was educated at

Omagh Academy Omagh Academy is a grammar school in Omagh, County Tyrone, located at 21-23 Dublin Road. The school currently has 670 pupils. The school is one of the top performing grammar schools in Northern Ireland and is ranked one of the top 30 Grammar Scho ...

and

Dublin Institute of Technology Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT, ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Bhaile Átha Cliath) was a major third-level institution in Dublin, Ireland. On 1 January 2019 DIT was dissolved and its functions were transferred to the Technological U ...

Domestic teams

Omagh Academy

While attending

, McCay was encouraged to play

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ...

by her PE teacher, Mary Swann. She was captain of the academy under-14 team which won the Ulster Junior Schoolgirls' Cup. In 2005 she was a member of the Omagh Academy team that won the

Ulster Senior Schoolgirls' Cup The Ulster Senior Schoolgirls' Cup is an annual competition competed for by schools affiliated to the Ulster Hockey Association, a branch of the Irish Hockey Association. The competition has been in existence since 1907 and is currently sponsored ...

and the Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships. In addition to playing for Omagh Academy, McCay also played senior club field hockey with Omagh and Randalstown.

Ulster Elks

McCay first played for the

during the 2008–09 season. She re-joined the Elks for the 2014–15 season, teaming up with among others,

Megan Frazer Megan Frazer (born 2 October 1990) is an Ireland women's national field hockey team, Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup. She has also captained the Ir ...

and

Stephanie Jameson Stephanie Jameson (born January 23, 1982) is a former Canadian women's field hockey international. Between 2012 and 2017 she held the record as Canada's most capped women's field hockey international. She represented Canada at the 2002, 2006 a ...

. She subsequently helped the Elks win the Irish Senior Cup in both 2014–15 and 2015–16. After the Elks were relegated from the Women's Irish Hockey League at the end of the 2016–17 season, McCay switched to Pegasus.

KHC Dragons

During the 2009–10 season McCay played for KHC Dragons.

Old Alex

Between 2010 and 2014 McCay played for Old Alex in the Women's Irish Hockey League. While playing for Old Alex, McCay also studied journalism at

Pegasus

Since 2017–18 McCay has played for Pegasus in the Women's Irish Hockey League.

Ireland international

McCay represented

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

at Under-16 and Under-18 levels before making her senior debut. She made her senior debut in January 2007 against

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. In April 2011 she captained Ireland as she made her 100th senior appearance against

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

. In March 2015 McCay was a member of the Ireland team that won a 2014–15 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 tournament hosted in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

, defeating Canada in the final after a

penalty shoot-out The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pe ...

. On 11 June 2015 McCay made her 200th senior Ireland appearance at the 2014–15 Women's FIH Hockey World League Semifinals in a game against

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

. In July 2015 she was also a member of the Ireland team that won the 2015 Women's EuroHockey Championship II. In the final against the

Czech Republic The Czech Republic, or simply Czechia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Historically known as Bohemia, it is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the southeast. The ...

, McCay made her 209th senior Ireland appearance. As a result, she became Ireland's most capped women's field hockey international, moving one ahead of

Nikki Symmons Nikki Symmons (born 2 August 1982) is a former Ireland women's field hockey international. Symmons is also a former Ireland women's cricket international. Between 2001 and 2013 Symmons made 208 appearances and scored 31 goals for Ireland. She ...

. In January 2017 she was also a member of the Ireland team that won a 2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 tournament in

Kuala Lumpur , anthem = ''Maju dan Sejahtera'' , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Malaysia#Southeast Asia#Asia , pushpin_map_caption = , coordinates = , sub ...

, defeating

Malaysia Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...

3–0 in the final. In August 2017 she made her 250th appearance at the 2017 Women's EuroHockey Nations Championship. McCay represented Ireland at the

and was a prominent member of the team that won the silver medal. She featured in all of Ireland's games throughout the tournament, including the pool games against the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

, and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, the quarter-final against India, the semi-final against

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

and the final against the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. During the tournament McCay scored against United States and was named player of the match in the pool game against India. Before the World Cup, McCay announced she would probably retire after the tournament. However following Ireland's success, she said she would reconsider. She announced her retirement from international play on 9 September 2021. McCay was appointed

Member of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

(MBE) in the 2022 Birthday Honours for services to hockey and to the community in Northern Ireland.

Field hockey coach

Since 2013 McCay has worked as a coach for the

Ulster Hockey Union The Ulster Hockey Union is the governing body for field hockey in Ulster. It is affiliated to Hockey Ireland. It organises a number of leagues and cup competitions for clubs and schools in the province. These include the Ulster Senior League, t ...

Honours

;

Women's Hockey World Cup The Women's FIH Hockey World Cup is the field hockey World Cup competition for women, whose format for qualification and the final tournament is similar to the men's. It has been held since 1974. The tournament has been organized by the Internat ...

**''Runners Up'':

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 Unit ...

Women's FIH Hockey World League The Women's FIH Hockey World League was an international women's field hockey competition organised by the International Hockey Federation. The league also served as a qualifier for the 2014 and 2018 Women's Hockey World Cups and the 2016 Oly ...

**''Winners'': 2015 Dublin, 2017 Kuala Lumpur *Women's EuroHockey Championship II **''Winners'': 2015 * Women's Hockey Champions Challenge I **''Runners Up'':

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

* Women's FIH Hockey Series **''Runners Up'': 2019 Banbridge *Women's Four Nations Cup **''Runners Up'':

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 s ...

*Women's Field Hockey Olympic Qualifier **''Runners Up'':

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...

;

* Irish Senior Cup **''Winners'': 2014–15, 2015–16 ;

*Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships **''Winners'': 2005 *

**''Winners'': 2004–05 *Ulster Junior Schoolgirls' Cup **''Winners'': ?

References

External links

*
Shirley McCay
at

Hockey Ireland Hockey Ireland, previously known as the Irish Hockey Association, is the governing body for field hockey in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. It is responsible for organising both the Ireland men's national field hockey team and t ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:McCay, Shirley 1988 births Living people Ireland international women's field hockey players Female field hockey players from Northern Ireland Irish female field hockey players British female field hockey players Women's Irish Hockey League players KHC Dragons players Expatriate field hockey players Female field hockey midfielders Female field hockey defenders Irish field hockey coaches People educated at Omagh Academy Alumni of Dublin Institute of Technology Sportspeople from County Tyrone Irish expatriate sportspeople in Belgium Field hockey players at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic field hockey players of Ireland Members of the Order of the British Empire