A captain of a Gaelic games team, sometimes known as a skipper, [1] is a player who, during the course of a match as well as before and after it, has several additional roles and responsibilities over and above those of his teammates.
Tradition means that some teams rotate the captaincy annually, though others may adopt a permanent captain. As well as being an onfield leader, a captain takes the coin toss and raises the trophy when this is the game's prize.
The captain leads the team out onto the pitch. [2]
Before the start of a match, a coin toss between captains of the opposing teams is used to determine which end of the ground each team will kick to. [3]
Ahead of the All-Ireland final, the captain is the first member of the team to shake the hand of dignitaries who may be attending the game, for example the president of the GAA or the president of Ireland. He then proceeds along the red carpet and introduces the other players on his team to the president(s), who then shake that player's hand.
It is tradition following an All-Ireland final that the captain raises the Sam Maguire Cup (in football) or Liam MacCarthy Cup (in hurling) first before handing the trophy to his teammates. The captain is required to make a speech, including thanking the opposition team.
Traditionally, the captaincy of a county team has been rotated annually among different players, meaning that most captains may lead their team to one All-Ireland and/or Provincial Championship (occasionally two), even when their county teams have been dominant.
Kerry maintain the tradition of having the Kerry Senior Football Championship winning club nominate their captain each season. [4] [5]
Kilkenny do likewise regarding the Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship. [6]
This has increasingly become a disadvantage as the manager of the county team does not get to make the decision. [7]
The idea of a permanent captain of a county team was introduced by Jim McGuinness when he named Michael Murphy "to succeed Kevin Cassidy as captain of Donegal for the 2011 season" (as the BBC stated at the time) after taking over as Donegal manager in 2010. [8] Murphy, in an unprecedented development, held the captaincy throughout McGuinness's time in charge (until 2014) and then became the first to hold it throughout a second manager's time in charge (Rory Gallagher: 2014–2017). When Declan Bonner took over as manager in 2017 he retained Murphy as captain. Murphy reached a decade as captain in 2021. [7]
Jim Gavin upon taking over as Dublin manager, adopted a similar practice by naming Stephen Cluxton as his captain. [7] This allowed Cluxton to become the first man to captain a team to three All-Ireland Senior Football Championships (2013, 2015, 2016). Cluxton won eight All-Ireland SFC titles, seven of which were achieved as captain (2013, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020), as well as the 2011 All-Ireland SFC when Bryan Cullen was captain.
Declan Hannon became the first person to lift hurling's Liam MacCarthy Cup on four occasions as captain in 2022 (following 2018, 2020 and 2021). [9] He did so alongside the injured Cian Lynch, who later revealed that he was not anticipating Hannon asking him to lift the trophy with him. [10]
The 2021 GAA Congress outlawed the possibility of joint captains, which had crept into the games over the previous decade, raising a trophy. [11]
Kerry football captains Kieran O'Leary and Fionn Fitzgerald raised the Sam Maguire Cup together in 2014. [12]
A young supporter with cancer helped Dr Crokes captain Johnny Buckley raise the Andy Merrigan Cup after the 2017 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship final. [13] [14]
Coalisland captain Stephen McNally performed a similar gesture with a supporter after the 2018 Tyrone Senior Football Championship final. [15]
Wexford hurling captains Matthew O'Hanlon and Lee Chin raised the Bob O'Keefe Cup together in 2019. [16]
Ballymun Kickhams players James McCarthy and John and Paddy Small all raised the trophy together after winning the 2020 Dublin Senior Football Championship. [17]
The Limerick footballers persisted with joint captains in 2021, ignoring the earlier vote at Congress. [18]
Cork won the 2021 Munster Minor Football Championship, with joint captains Rory O'Shaughnessy and Hugh O'Connor both raising the trophy afterwards. [19]
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), or Kerry GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry, and for the Kerry county teams.
The Ulster Council is a provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, and handball in the province of Ulster. The headquarters of the Ulster GAA is based in the city of Armagh.
The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition in the province of Munster, and has been contested every year since the 1888 championship.
Stephen Cluxton is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays as a goalkeeper at senior level for the Dublin county team.
Michael Murphy is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays as a full forward for Glenswilly and, formerly, for the Donegal county team, which he captained from December 2010 until his retirement from inter-county football in November 2022. His predecessors as Donegal players, such as Manus Boyle, Brendan Devenney and Anthony Molloy, regard Murphy as the county's greatest ever footballer. Outside his county he is often regarded as one of the sport's all-time best players. With more than 500 points, Murphy is Donegal's all-time record scorer and he is also the county's top goalscorer, with a points-per-game average that is higher even than Martin McHugh.
Dr Cian O'Neill is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who has since been a Gaelic games coach, selector and manager with various county teams. He has been attached to the Galway county football team, under Pádraic Joyce, since 2021.
The 2011 All-Ireland Football Final was the 124th event of its kind. It was the culmination of Gaelic football's premier competition, the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, and was played between Kerry and Dublin on 18 September 2011 at Croke Park, Dublin.
Declan Hannon is an Irish hurler who plays for Limerick Senior Championship club Adare and at inter-county level as captain of the Limerick senior hurling team, whom he captained to the All Ireland hurling title in 2018, 2020, 2021 and 2022 becoming the first Limerick captain since Mick Mackey to captain Limerick to victory twice, and the first hurling captain to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup a record four times. He usually lines out as a centre-back.
The 2018 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 131st staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. It is the first tier of senior inter-county championship hurling.
The 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 132nd final of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and the culmination of the 2019 tournament, the top level of competition in Gaelic football. Reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin took on Munster champions Kerry, with Dublin bidding to become the first Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) male team to win five consecutive editions of the competition. The last time a football team had this chance was in 1982; however, Kerry failed, their own winning streak being brought to an end by a last-minute goal. By coincidence, Kerry provided the opposition for Dublin on this occasion.
The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 133rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament, since its establishment in 1887. The 2020 fixtures were announced in October 2019. Games were initially scheduled to begin on 9 May 2020. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games, the competition was delayed before beginning on 24 October 2020 and ending on 13 December 2020.
The Waterford county football team represents Waterford in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Waterford GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Munster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
The Tipperary county football team represents Tipperary in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Tipperary GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Munster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
The 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, the 133rd event of its kind and the culmination of the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 13 December 2020.
The 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 134th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament, since its establishment in 1887. The championship began on 26 June and ended on 22 August 2021.
As with other sports, the COVID-19 pandemic caused disruption to Gaelic games, primarily in Ireland but also elsewhere in the world. Competitions were cancelled, postponed or restructured, while some teams were withdrawn or were unable to participate in those competitions that went ahead.
The 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, the 134th event of its kind and the culmination of the 2021 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 22 August 2021.
The 2022 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 135th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament, since its establishment in 1887. The provincial fixtures were released on 27 November 2021. The championship began on 16 April 2022 and ended on 17 July 2022.
The 2022 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, the 135th final of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the culmination of the 2022 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 17 July 2022. This was the earliest in the year that the final had ever taken place. Some past finals had taken place at dates earlier in the year, but these were finals rescheduled from the years in which they were originally supposed to occur.
The 2023 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final, the 136th final of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship and the culmination of the 2023 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, was played at Croke Park in Dublin on 23 July 2023.
It's my job to take the toss or to run out first.
Paul Murphy is Kerry captain in [Gavin] White's absence. Dublin win the toss and will play toward Hill 16 for the first half, into the Davin for the second.
Declan Hannon has become the first captain to receive the Liam MacCarthy Cup four times. He lifts it with the injured Cian Lynch.
