William Ryan (11 November 1894 – 16 July 1969) was an Irish hurler who played for club sides

Cappamore Cappamore () is a small town in northeast County Limerick in the midwest of Ireland. It is also a parish in the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cashel and Emly. Location and facilities Cappamore is situated on the R505 regional road, on the ...

Murroe Murroe (), officially spelled Moroe, is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. Environs Murroe is located in the north-eastern part of County Limerick, approximately 15 km from Limerick City and close to the County Tipperary border. ...

and Claughaun and at inter-county level with

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 ...

Career

Ryan was just 15-years-old when he made his first appearance for

in the 1909 championship. Cappamore was not his only club, as he also won a Limerick JHC title with

in 1917. Ryan also played

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 ...

at club level and

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

ed Cappamore to a defeat by Foynes in the 1925 Limerick JFC final. He won a Limerick SHC title with the Claughaun in 1926. Ryan's 21-year club career came to an end with a defeat for Cappamore by

Croom Croom () is a village in County Limerick, Ireland. It is located just off the N20 (which has bypassed the town since 2001) on the River Maigue. It is 8 km southeast of Adare on the N20. History Cromadh (now Croom) was a village in th ...

in the delayed 1929 Limerick SHC final. Ryan first appeared on the inter-county scene with

in 1914 and continued to line until his retirement in 1928. He enjoyed his first success when he was part of the Limerick team that beat

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 1918 All-Ireland final. Ryan claimed a second All-Ireland medal following Limerick's 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 ...

in the 1921 All-Ireland final. His other honours include three Munster SHC medal and four

Thomond Feis The Thomond Feis was an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1913 and 1956 for four of the inter-county teams in the province of Munster in Ireland. It was named for the ancient k ...

medals. Ryan's performances at inter-county level resulted in his inclusion on the

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 ...

team at the

Tailteann Games Tailteann Games or Aonach Tailteann may refer to: * Tailteann Games (ancient) sporting and religious festival in Gaelic Ireland * Tailteann Games (Irish Free State) held 1924–32 * Tailteann Games, Athletics Ireland Athletics Ireland, officiall ...

in 1924. He also enjoyed a lengthy career as a referee.

Personal life and death

Ryan, who worked as a farmer in

, married Nora Power on 21 January 1931 and the couple had four children. His two sons,

Séamus () is an Irish language, Irish and Scottish male given name, of Jacob (name), Hebrew origin via James (given name), Latin. It is the Irish equivalent of the name James (name), James. The name James is the English New Testament variant for the H ...

and

Liam Liam is a short form of the Irish name Uilliam or the old Germanic name William. Etymology The original name was a merging of two Old German elements: ''willa'' ("will" or "resolution"); and ''helma'' ("helmet"). The juxtaposition of these elem ...

, were part of the Limerick team that won the Munster SHC title in 1955. Ryan died on 16 July 1969, at the age of 74.

Honours

;Murroe *

Limerick Junior Hurling Championship The Limerick Junior Hurling Championship is an annual Gaelic Athletic Association competition organised by Limerick GAA among the top hurling clubs in County Limerick. The winner qualifies to represent the county in the Munster Junior Club Hur ...

: 1917 ;Claughaun *

Limerick Senior Hurling Championship The Limerick Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Bon Secours Hospital County Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Limerick SHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Limerick County Board o ...

1926 Events January * January 3 – Theodoros Pangalos declares himself dictator in Greece. * January 8 **Abdul-Aziz ibn Saud is crowned King of Hejaz. ** Crown Prince Nguyễn Phúc Vĩnh Thuy ascends the throne, the last monarch of V ...

;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 ...

1918 This year is noted for the end of the First World War, on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as well as for the Spanish flu pandemic that killed 50–100 million people worldwide. Events Below, the events ...

1921 Events January * January 2 ** The Association football club Cruzeiro Esporte Clube, from Belo Horizonte, is founded as the multi-sports club Palestra Italia by Italian expatriates in First Brazilian Republic, Brazil. ** The Spanish lin ...

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 ...

1923 Events January–February * January 9 – Lithuania begins the Klaipėda Revolt to annex the Klaipėda Region (Memel Territory). * January 11 – Despite strong British protests, troops from France and Belgium occupy the Ruhr area, t ...

: 1920, 1922, 1925, 1928

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Willie 1894 births 1969 deaths All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Cappamore hurlers Hurling forwards Hurling referees Limerick inter-county hurlers