James O'Shea was a former footballer from County Kerry. He was a star of many Kerry underage teams in the 90's. He also played with the

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

team winning a Munster Championship as a sub in 2002.

Club

At club level, he has played with his home club St. Michael's/Foilmore and has had much success winning County and Munster Intermediate Championships in 2008 and then added an All Ireland in 2009. He also helped the club win its first South Kerry Championship in 2007, and won a second in 2008. He also played with Cork side

Bishopstown Bishopstown () is a suburb of Cork, located in the south west of the city. It is made-up of the townlands of Ballineaspigbeg and Ballineaspigmore (sometimes spelled Ballinaspigmore), and is located in the civil parish of St. Finbar's in the hi ...

he never won a County Championship with them but did play in a final in 2004.

Schools

O'Shea won an

All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship The All-Ireland Vocational Schools Championship was a Gaelic Athletic Association football and hurling competition. There are two levels of competition. Individual schools compete for county, provincial and All-Ireland competitions. County teams s ...

with the Kerry Vocational Schools team in 1993.

Minor

O' Shea played with the Kerry minor team in 1993. He had little success as his side lost out to

. He was underage again in 1994 and had more success. Wins over

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

, where O' Shea scored a goal, and Cork, where he scored 1-02, seen Kerry qualify for a Munster final with

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 ...

. In the final another goal from O' Shea helped his side to a 2–11 to 3–05 win and a Munster title for O' Shea. Kerry faced

Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...

champions

Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...

in the All-Ireland semi-final, where O'Shea was again amount the scorers with a point in a 2–10 to 0–09 win. In the All-Ireland final O' Sheas side faced

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

. He hit two points in a 0–16 to 1–07 win and an All-Ireland medal.

Under 21

O' Shea joined the counties Under 21 team in 1995 straight out of the minor grade. He played in wins over

, scoring a point, and

. scoring two points, to book a Munster final spot. In the final Kerry faced

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

, a game where O' Shea scored a point in a 1–21 to 2–05 win. He played no part in the subsequent All-Ireland series. He again part of the team in 1996. Wins over Waterford, scoring three points, and

, in a game that was the only of his Under 21 career that he failed to score in, seen Kerry book another Munster final. This time around O' Shea and co faced Clare, he played a big role in a 3–14 to 0–08 win as his 2-01 seen him win his second Munster title. He scored a point in a 3–09 to 0–12 win in the All-Ireland semi-final against

. In the All-Ireland final Kerry faced Ulster champions

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...

. A point from O' Shea seen the Kingdom take a second title in a row on a 1–17 to 2-10 scoreline and an All-Ireland medal for O' Shea. O' Shea was again underage in 1997 and was by now one of the teams leading forwards. Wins over Limerick and Clare, games where O' Shea scored two points in both, seen a third final in a row for O' Shea and Kerry. In the final Kerry faced Cork. O' Shea scored a point in a 2–11 to 3-08 scoreline. In the replay O' Shea scored two points as he picked up a third Munster title after a 0–12 to 1-07 scoreline. In the All-Ireland semi-final Kerry faced Leinster champions

Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

. Despite two points from O'Shea the Kingdom lost out by a point on a 0–14 to 0-13 scoreline in his last game in the Under 21 grade.

Junior

O' Shea had a short career with the Kerry Junior team. His only appearance was a Munster semi-final loss to Clare in 1999.

Senior

Kerry On the back of his underage displays O' Shea was brought into the Kerry senior team and played five games during the 1995–96 National Football League He again played five games during the 1996–97 National Football League. After a few seasons away he returned to the panel during the 1998–99 National Football League. He appeared in a novel pairing with

Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...

. Despite being jut 23 it was his last senior game with Kerry. Cork Having been living, working and playing his club football in

for a number of years he joined the

senior team. He won a

Munster Senior Football Championship The Munster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship and shortened to Munster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Associatio ...

medal as a member of the panel who overcame Tipperary in the final. He would make a number of appearances in the 2003 National League.

References

External links

Terrace Talk :: Kerry Football :: League Appearances :: James O'Shea
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oshea, James Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Bishopstown Gaelic footballers Kerry inter-county Gaelic footballers South Kerry Gaelic footballers St Michael's Foilmore Gaelic footballers