Seánie McGrath (born 10 June 1975) is an Irish retired hurler who played as a left corner-forward for 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 * ...

senior team. Born in Mayfield, Cork, McGrath first played competitive hurling during his schooling at Mayfield Community School. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Cork minor team, before later joining the under-21 side. He made his senior debut during the 1997 championship. McGrath went on to win 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 McGrath won three

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 enjoyed a lengthy career with Glen Rovers. Throughout his inter-county career McGrath made 17 championship appearances for Cork. His retirement came following the conclusion of the 2003 championship. In retirement from playing McGrath became involved in team management and coaching. He is currently a selector with the Cork senior team, having earlier served with the Cork minor team.

Playing career

University College Cork

On 2 March 1997, McGrath was at left wing-forward when

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

faced the Garda College in the final of the

Fitzgibbon Cup The Fitzgibbon Cup () is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland. The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideac ...

. He scored three points from play and collected a winners' medal in the 0-14 to 1-08 victory. McGrath lined out in a second Fitzgibbon Cup final on 1 March 1998. He top scored with 1-04 from left wing-forward in the 2-17 to 0-13 defeat of the

Waterford Institute of Technology The Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT; ) was an Institutes of technology in the Republic of Ireland, institute of technology, located in Waterford, Ireland. The institute had six constituent schools and offered programmes in business, engi ...

in the final. McGrath was also named

man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) 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 chose ...

Glen Rovers

McGrath began his club hurling career with Mayfield before later joining the Glen Rovers club. On 12 November 1995, McGrath was at left wing-forward when Glen Rovers faced Ballincollig in the final of the Cork Under-21 Championship. McGrath top scorer with 1-05 in the 2-14 to 1-14 victory. By this stage McGrath had already joined the Glen Rovers senior team. He made his first appearance for the team on 11 July 1993 in a 3-09 to 2-04 defeat by Na Piarsaigh. McGrath played his last senior championship game for the club in a 2-15 to 1-12 defeat by Newtownshandrum on 9 September 2007. He subsequently joined the Glen Rovers junior team and won a City Division Championship on 23 September 2008 after a 2-13 to 0-10 defeat of

Douglas Douglas may refer to: People * Douglas (given name) * Douglas (surname) Animals * Douglas (parrot), macaw that starred as the parrot ''Rosalinda'' in Pippi Longstocking * Douglas the camel, a camel in the Confederate Army in the American Civil ...

in the final. McGrath top scored with 1-05 as well as being joint captain of the team.

Cork

Minor and under-21

McGrath first played for

when he was selected for the minor team during the 1992 Munster Championship. He made his first appearance on 1 May and scored two points from left corner-forward in a 1-11 to 0-11 defeat by Tipperary. McGrath was eligible for the minor grade again in

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 ...

. He was at right corner-forward on 4 July when Cork suffered a 1-22 to 1-09 defeat by Tipperary in the Munster final. On 27 July 1994, McGrath made his first appearance for the Cork under-21 team in a 3-13 to 2-10 defeat by Clare in the Munster Championship. After an unsuccessful season in

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, McGrath was appointed

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

of the team for the 1996 Munster Championship. On 24 July he captained Cork to a 3-16 to 2-07 defeat of Clare in the Munster final.

Senior

McGrath was drafted onto the Cork senior team before the 1997 National League. He made his first appearance for the team on 9 March and scored two points in a 6-21 to 2-04 defeat of

Westmeath County Westmeath (; or simply ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It formed part of the historic Kingdom of ...

. McGrath made his championship debut on 8 June and scored five points from right corner-forward in a 1-19 to 0-18 defeat by Clare. On 17 May 1998, McGrath won a

medal at right wing-forward following a 2-14 to 0-13 defeat of Waterford in the final. McGrath lined out in his first Munster final on 4 July 1999. He scored two points from right corner-forward in a 1-15 to 0-14 defeat of reigning champions Clare. On 11 September, McGrath was again at right corner-forward for the All-Ireland final against

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 ...

. He scored three points and claimed a winners' medal following the 0-13 to 0-12 victory. McGrath was later honoured with an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

award. On 3 July 2000, McGrath lined out in his second Munster final. He scored three points from right corner-forward and collected a second consecutive winners' medal following a 0-23 to 3-12 defeat of Tipperary. McGrath lined out in six of Cork's games during the 2002 National League. He was an unused substitute on 5 May when Cork suffered a 2-15 to 2-14 defeat by Kilkenny in the final. On 29 November, McGrath and all 29 of his teammates withdrew their services from the county in the hope of better treatment from the county board. He played a low-key role during the strike before a settlement was agreed with the county board on 13 December. McGrath lined out in all seven of Cork's games during the 2003 National League but failed to secure a place on the starting fifteen for the championship. He won a third Munster Championship medal as a non-playing substitute on 29 June after a 3-16 to 3-12 defeat of Waterford in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final examination or finals, a test given at the end of a course of study or training *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which d ...

. On 14 September, McGrath was also named on the bench when Cork faced Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. He was introduced as a 67th-minute substitute and scored a point in the 1-14 to 1-11 defeat. It was his last game for Cork.

Munster

McGrath was first picked for the

inter-provincial team in 1997. It was a successful campaign for the southern province, as a 0–14 to 0–10 defeat of fierce rivals

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 ...

gave McGrath his first

medal. After back-to-back defeats over the next two years, success returned for Munster in 2000. A narrow 3–15 to 2–15 defeat of Leinster secured a second Railway Cup medal for McGrath. Munster retained the title in 2001, with McGrath collecting a third Railway Cup medal following a 1–21 to 1–15 defeat of Connacht in what was his last appearance for the province.

Coaching career

Cork minor

McGrath joined John Considine's minor management team as a selector for the 2010 Munster Championship. His two-year tenure with the team ended with early defeats by Waterford and Tipperary.

Cork

On 1 September 2011, McGrath was named as one of Jimmy Barry-Murphy's selectors with the Cork senior team. On 6 May 2012, McGrath guided Cork to a National League final meeting with Kilkenny. Cork suffered a 3-21 to 0-16 defeat. McGrath helped Cork reach the Munster final on 14 July 2013, however, Cork suffered a 0-24 to 0-15 defeat by

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 ...

. In spite of this defeat, Cork subsequently qualified to meet Clare in the All-Ireland final on 8 September. That game ended in a 3-16 to 0-25 draw, however, Cork suffered a 5-16 to 3-16 defeat in the replay on 28 September. On 3 July 2014, McGrath enjoyed his first success as a selector when Cork won the Munster Championship after a 2-24 to 0-24 defeat of Limerick in the

. McGrath stepped down as selector following Jimmy Barry-Murphy's resignation on 29 August 2015.

Cork minor

McGrath returned as a selector with the Cork minor hurling team for the 2019 Munster Championship.

Media career

In retirement from playing McGrath served as a hurling analyst and pundit on radio, television and in the print media. On radio he was a regular with

Newstalk Newstalk (formerly NewsTalk 106) is a national independent radio station in Ireland. It is operated by News 106 Limited, a subsidiary of Bauer Media Audio Ireland, and broadcasts under a sound broadcasting contract with the Broadcasting Aut ...

's ''Off the Ball'' programme and on

Cork's Red FM Cork's RedFM is an Irish radio station which broadcasts to Cork and the surrounding area, and is aimed at a youth audience. The station commenced broadcasting on 16 January 2002" and was awarded Ireland's first youth radio licence. Its target mar ...

. On television he was an analyst with

Setanta Sports Setanta Sports Media is a sports television company based in Dublin, Ireland and in Tbilisi, Georgia, broadcasting throughout select Eurasian countries, and the Philippines. The company was formed in 1990 to facilitate the broadcasting of Iris ...

during their coverage of the National League. McGrath also had a weekly column in the ''

Evening Echo ''The Echo'', formerly known as the ''Evening Echo'', is an Irish morning newspaper based in Cork. It is distributed throughout the province of Munster, although it is primarily read in its base city of Cork. The newspaper was founded as a bro ...

Career statistics

Club

Inter-county

Honours

Team

;University College Cork *

(2): 1997, 1998 ;Glen Rovers *

City Junior A Hurling Championship The City Junior A Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the BCE Consulting Engineers City Junior A Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Seandún Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association sinc ...

(1): 2008 *

Cork Under-21 Hurling Championship Cork Premier Under-21 A Hurling Championship, known for sponsorship reasons as the ''Evening Echo'' Cork County Premier Under-21 A Hurling Championship, is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic ...

(1): 1995 ;Cork *

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):

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

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 ...

(3):

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

(1):

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

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 ...

(1):

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

(3): 1997, 2000, 2001

Individual

;Awards *

(1): 1999

Selector

(1):

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 ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:McGrath, Seanie 1975 births Living people Mayfield hurlers Glen Rovers hurlers UCC hurlers Cork inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers Hurling selectors All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners