Michael Ryan (born 4 February 1970) is an Irish hurling manager and former

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

. He was the manager of the Tipperary senior team from November 2015 until August 2018. Born in Upperchurch,

County Tipperary County Tipperary () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. The county is named after the town of Tipperary (tow ...

, Ryan first arrived on the inter-county scene as a

dual player Dual player or dual star is a term used in Hiberno-English to describe someone who competes in multiple sports — for example, in Victorian Ireland, cricket and hurling. The term today in Gaelic games typically describes a male player who plays ...

at the age of seventeen, before later joining the under-21 teams in both codes. After joining the senior

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

team during the 1989 championship, he made his senior hurling debut during the 1991 championship. Ryan went on to play a key role for the team, winning one

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...

medal, two

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

medals and one

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the l ...

medal. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on one occasion. As a member of the

inter-provincial team on a number of occasions, Ryan won two

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () 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 and Ulster GAA teams are co ...

medals. At club level he was a one-time

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

medallist in the intermediate grade with Upperchurch–Drombane. Throughout his career Ryan made 24 championship appearances for Tipperary. He retired from inter-county hurling following the conclusion of the 2000 championship. In retirement from playing Ryan became involved in team management and coaching. He served as a selector under

Liam Sheedy Liam Sheedy (born 24 October 1969) is an Irish hurling manager and former player who was the manager of the Tipperary senior hurling team on two occasions. Born in Portroe, County Tipperary, Sheedy enjoyed All-Ireland success as a schoolboy h ...

on the Tipperary senior team between 2008 and 2010, before later being appointed assistant manager under Eamon O'Shea. In October 2014, it was confirmed that Ryan will succeed O'Shea as the Tipperary manager after the conclusion of the 2015 season. In September 2016, in Ryan's first year in charge, Tipperary defeated Kilkenny in the 2016 All-Ireland Senior Hurling final by 2-29 to 2-20.

Playing career

Club

Ryan enjoyed a lengthy club career as a dual player with Upperchurch–Drombane. In 1998 he enjoyed the biggest success off his club career when he won a

medal in the intermediate grade.

Inter-county

Minor

Ryan first played for Tipperary as a dual minor in 1987. After losing out to

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 * ...

in the provincial football championship, he later collected a

medal with the hurlers following a 2–11 to 1–9 defeat of the same opposition. Tipperary later qualified for the All-Ireland final against

Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...

with Ryan lining out at right wing-back. The game was a close affair, with Tipperary eventually losing out by 2–8 to 0–12.

Under-21

Two years later in 1989, Ryan had joined the Tipperary under-21 teams in both codes. He won his first

medal with the hurlers following a remarkable 5–16 to 1–6 thrashing of

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 ...

. Tipperary later faced old rivals Offaly in the subsequent All-Ireland decider. A huge crowd at

O'Moore Park O'Moore Park () is a GAA stadium in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland. It is the home of the Laois Gaelic football and hurling teams. Under a new sponsorship deal it is known as "Laois Hire O'Moore Park". Although it may have been in use as a G ...

of over 30,000 saw one of the great finals, as Tipperary narrowly triumphed by 4–12 to 3–11. It was a first

medal for Ryan. Ryan added a second Munster under-21 medal to his collection in 1990 as Tipperary defeated Limerick by 2–21 to 1–11.

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 ...

provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland final, however, Tipperary were defeated by 2–11 to 1–11.

Senior

Ryan made his senior championship debut for Tipperary on 9 June 1991 when he came on as a substitute in a 2–18 to 0–10 Munster semi-final defeat of Limerick. He started the subsequent Munster decider against Cork on the bench, but was once again introduced as a substitute. Although that game ended in a draw, Ryan impressed the selectors and was rewarded with a starting berth for the replay. A 4–19 to 4–15 victory gave Ryan his first

medal. The subsequent All-Ireland decider saw a first clash between Tipperary and Kilkenny in twenty years. The opening thirty-five minutes saw both sides trade score-for-score, however, a controversial 20-metre free, miss-hit by Michael Cleary, landed in the net and gave Tipperary a lead which they never surrendered. The final score of 1–16 to 0–15 resulted in a Tipp victory and a first

medal for Ryan. After surrendering their titles in 1992, Tipperary bounced back the following year. A 3–27 to 2–12 trouncing 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 ...

gave Ryan a second Munster medal. In 1994 Ryan added a

medal to his collection following a 2–14 to 0–12 defeat of

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 ...

. Tipperary went into decline following this and suffered a number of championship defeats, however, the introduction of the new "back-door system" saw Ryan's side reach the All-Ireland final again in 1997. Clare provided the opposition in the first all-Munster All-Ireland decider. The game itself was one of the best of the decade. Clare were well on top for much of the game, however, Liam Cahill and

Eugene O'Neill Eugene Gladstone O'Neill (October 16, 1888 – November 27, 1953) was an American playwright. His poetically titled plays were among the first to introduce into the U.S. the drama techniques of Realism (theatre), realism, earlier associated with ...

scored twice for Tipperary in the last ten minutes. John Leahy missed a goal chance in the last minute while another Tipp point was controversially ruled wide. At the full-time whistle Clare had won by a single point by 0–20 to 2–13. Ryan retired from inter-county hurling following Tipperary's exit from the 2000 championship.

Inter-provincial

Ryan also had the honour of lining out for

in the inter-provincial series of games. After defeat in 1993 and 1994, Ryan secured his first

medal in 1995 following a narrow 0–13 to 1–9 defeat of

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 ...

. Two years later in 1997 Ryan won a second Railway Cup medal as

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

were defeated by 0–14 to 0–10.

Managerial career

Tipperary

In 2007

was appointed manager of the Tipperary senior team with Ryan serving as a selector. Over the next three seasons Tipperary secured one All-Ireland title, two Munster titles and a National League title. The management team stepped down in 2010. After two years out of management, Ryan was appointed assistant manager under Eamon O'Shea in 2012. In October 2014, it was confirmed that Ryan will succeed Eamon O'Shea as the Tipperary manager after the conclusion of the

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

season. In November 2015, it was confirmed that Ryan will be assisted by former Tipperary player's

John Madden John Earl Madden (April 10, 1936 – December 28, 2021) was an American professional football coach and sports commentator in the National Football League (NFL). He served as the head coach of the Oakland Raiders from 1969 to 1978, leading them ...

as a selector and

Declan Fanning Declan Fanning (born 24 June 1979) is an Irish Gaelic footballer and hurling, hurler who played as right wing-back for the Tipperary GAA, Tipperary senior team. Born in Killenaule, County Tipperary, Fanning first arrived on the inter-county s ...

as a coach. On 22 May 2016, in Ryan's first Championship match as manager, Tipperary defeated

by 0-22 to 0-13 at

Semple Stadium FBD 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 ...

in the 2015 Munster Senior Hurling Championship quarter-final. On 10 July 2016, Tipperary won the 2016 Munster Hurling Final against

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 ...

on a 5-19 to 0-13 scoreline. On 14 August 2016, Tipperary qualified for the 2016 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final after a 2-19 to 2-18 victory over

in the semi-final at Croke Park. On 4 September 2016, Tipperary won their 27th All-Ireland title after a 2-29 to 2-20 win against

in the final. On 22 April 2017, Tipperary lost the

2017 National Hurling League The 2017 National Hurling League was the 86th season of the National Hurling League for county teams. Clare were the defending champions, winning the title for the first time since 1977–78 after a 1–23 to 2–19 win against Waterford in a ...

final to

on a 3-21 to 0-14 scoreline. Ryan described the defeat as the worst performance of his time in charge. On 26 September 2017, it was confirmed that Ryan would continue as Tipperary manager on a new three-year term. On 2 August 2018, Ryan along with his management team stepped down after a disappointing

year A year is a unit of time based on how long it takes the Earth to orbit the Sun. In scientific use, the tropical year (approximately 365 Synodic day, solar days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45 seconds) and the sidereal year (about 20 minutes longer) ...

which saw Tipperary eliminated early from the

Na Piarsaigh

In January 2019, Ryan was named as the new manager of Limerick club

Na Piarsaigh Na Piarsaigh Hurling and Football Club is a Gaelic Athletic Association club in Fair Hill, Cork, Ireland. The club is affiliated to the Seandún Board and fields teams in both hurling and Gaelic football. History Located in the Fair Hill area ...

Career statistics

Manager

Honours

Player

;Upperchurch–Drombane *

Tipperary Intermediate Hurling Championship The Tipperary Intermediate Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1979 for the third-tier hurling teams in the county of Tipperary in Ireland. Th ...

(1): 1998 ;Tipperary *

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest-tier competition for ...

(1):

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

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 ...

(2):

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

(1): 1993–94 *

All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the oneills.com GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). ...

(1):

1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...

Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Munster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-c ...

(2):

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

Munster Minor Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship) is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of ...

(1):

1987 Events January * January 1 – Bolivia reintroduces the Boliviano currency. * January 2 – Chadian–Libyan conflict – Battle of Fada: The Military of Chad, Chadian army destroys a Libyan armoured brigade. * January 3 – Afghan leader ...

;Munster *

(2): 1995, 1997

Selector

;Tipperary *

(1):

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

(3):

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

(1):

Manager

;Tipperary *

(1):

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

(1):

;Individual *Munster GAA Manager of the Year (1): 2016 *Tipperary Person of the Year (1): 2016

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ryan, Michael 1970 births Living people All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Dual players Hurling managers Hurling selectors Munster inter-provincial hurlers Tipperary inter-county hurlers Tipperary inter-county Gaelic footballers Upperchurch-Drombane hurlers Upperchurch-Drombane Gaelic footballers