Kevin Martin (hurler)

Last updated

Kevin Martin
Personal information
Irish name Caoimhín Ó Máirtín
Sport Hurling
Position Left wing-back
Born 1973
Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland
Height 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Occupation Tullamore Steel employee
Club(s)
YearsClub
Tullamore
Club titles
 FootballHurling
Offaly titles 2 1
Inter-county(ies)*
YearsCountyApps (scores)
1993–2003
Offaly 35 (0–03)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 2
All-Irelands 2
NHL 0
All Stars 2
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 16:24, 30 January 2017.

Kevin Martin (born 1973) is an Irish hurling manager and former player. His league and championship career with the Offaly senior team lasted ten seasons from 1993 until 2003.

Contents

Born in Tullamore, County Offaly, Martin first played competitive hurling and Gaelic football at juvenile and underage levels with the Tullamore club. He later became a dual player at highest levels, winning two county football championship medals and one county hurling championship medal.

Martin made his debut with the Offaly senior team during the 1993-94 league. Over the course of the following ten years he won All-Ireland medals in 1994 and 1998. Martin also won two Leinster medals and two All Star awards. He played his last game for Offaly in March 2003.

In retirement from playing Martin became involved in team management and coaching at all levels. In 2009 he was player-manager as Tullamore claimed their first championship title in 45 years. Martin later managed Clough-Ballacolla of Laois to the championship title in 2015. At inter-county level he managed Westmeath to the Christy Ring Cup title in 2010, while also taking charge of the Westmeath under-21 team. Martin was appointed manager of the Offaly senior team on 7 November 2017. [1]

Playing career

Club

Martin plays his club hurling with the Tullamore club, however, it has only been in recent years that he has enjoyed any success.

In 2009 Tullamore bridged a forty-five-year gap to reach the final of the county senior championship. Kilcormac/Killoughey, a team hoping to win their very first championship, provided the opposition on that occasion. Tullamore were much the better team on the day and, even after having two penalties saved, easily won by 2–12 to 0–11. [2] It was a first county title for Martin. Tullamore later represented Offaly in the provincial series of games and even reached the Leinster final. Ballyhale Shamrocks were the opponents and were made to work for their 1–16 to 1–8 victory. [3]

In 2010 Martin's Tullamore side qualified for a second successive county final, this time against Coolderry. [4]

Inter-county

Martin made his senior inter-county debut against Kilkenny during the 1993–94 National Hurling League campaign. In the subsequent championship he became a regular at left wing-back. That year, after a few years out of the limelight, Offaly bounced back in 1994. That year Martin won his first Leinster winners' medal following a 1–18 to 0–14 victory over Wexford. [5] After defeating Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final, Martin later lined out against Limerick in the All-Ireland final. With five minutes left in the game Limerick were five points ahead and were coasting to victory. It was then that one of the most explosive All-Ireland final finishes of all-time took place. Offaly were awarded a close-in free which Johnny Dooley stepped up to take. Dooley was told by the management team to take a point; however, he lashed the ball into the Limerick net to reduce the deficit. Following the puck-out Offaly worked the ball upfield and Pat O'Connor struck for a second goal. The Offaly forwards scored another five unanswered points in the time remaining to secure a 3–16 to 2–13 victory. [6] This sensational victory gave Martin an All-Ireland winner's medal in his debut season. He was subsequently presented with his first All-Star award.

In 1995 Offaly retained the Leinster title following a 2–16 to 2–5 trouncing of Kilkenny. It was Martin's and final provincial winners' medal. Down fell to Offaly in the subsequent All-Ireland semi-final, allowing Offaly to advance to the championship decider and attempt to put back-to-back All-Ireland titles together for the first time ever. It was the first-ever meeting of Offaly and Clare in the history of the championship. The game developed into a close affair with Offaly taking a half-time lead. Four minutes from the end substitute Éamonn Taaffe first timed a long range free straight into the net to give Clare a one-point lead. After a quick equaliser Anthony Daly sent over a 65-metre free to give his team the lead again. Jamesie O'Connor pointed soon afterwards and at the full-time whistle Clare were the 1–13 to 2–8 winners.

After a couple of seasons in the doldrums Offaly emerged again in 1998, however, the year was not without controversy. That year Martin's side reached the Leinster final but lost by five points to Kilkenny. This defeat prompted their manager, Babs Keating, to describe the Offaly hurlers as "sheep in a heap", and he promptly resigned. It looked as if Offaly's championship hopes were in disarray, however, they overcame Antrim in the All-Ireland quarter-final and qualified to meet Clare in the semi-final. That game ended in a draw 1–13 apiece draw and had to be replayed. The replay, however, was ended early because of a time-keeping error by the referee Jimmy Cooney. Following a protest on the pitch of Croke Park by the Offaly supporters it was decided that Clare and Offaly would meet for a third time. Martin's side won the third game and qualified to play Kilkenny in the final in a repeat of the provincial decider. On that day Brian Whelahan delivered one of his greatest performances. Despite suffering from 'flu, he started in defence and was later moved to full-forward where he scored 1–6. Offaly reversed the Leinster final defeat by winning the All-Ireland final by six points. Martin captured a second All-Ireland medal that day and later picked up a second All-Star award.

Two years later in 2000 Martin's side suffered a heavy defeat to Kilkenny in the Leinster final. As a result of the 'back-door' system in the championship both sides later faced off against each other again in the All-Ireland final. D. J. Carey capitalised on an Offaly mistake after just six minutes to start a goal-fest for 'the Cats'. Carey scored 2–4 in all, sharing his second goal with Henry Shefflin who also scored a goal in the second-half. At the full-time whistle Kilkenny were the champions by 5–15 to 1–14. It was one of the most one-sided finals in decades and marked the end of the great Offaly team of the nineties.

Martin continued with the Offaly team for another two years. He retired from inter-county hurling just before the start of the 2003 championship campaign.

Management career

Early experience

Martin cut his teeth in management with his native club Tullamore. He was player-manager in 2009 as the club claimed their first county title since 1964. Martin guided Tullamore back to a second consecutive county championship decider in 2010.

Westmeath

In October 2009 Martin was confirmed as the new Westmeath senior and under-21 hurling team managers. [7] His debut season as manager got off to a shaky start in the National League. Westmeath only won two out of the seven group games and were relegation candidates. Eventually Martin's side preserved their division 2 status as it was Kildare who bottomed out. The subsequent Christy Ring Cup campaign saw Westmeath enjoy some ups and downs, however, Martin's side eventually qualified for the final. Kerry, a team that defeated Westmeath in an earlier round of the competition, provided the opposition. A close and exciting game developed with the result remaining in doubt until the full-time whistle. When the game was over Westmeath were the champions for the third time in six years on a score line of 2–16 to 1–18. [8]

In 2011 Martin's Westmeath competed in the Leinster championship.

After the success of 2010, 2011 turned out to be a bad year for both Martin and Westmeath as they finished bottom of Division 2 of the National League without a win and so were relegated to Division 3A for the 2012 season. Martin's tenure as manager was brought to an end before the start of the 2012 championship.

Offaly

In November 2017, Martin was named as the new manager of the Offaly senior hurling team. [9] [10]

In May 2019, Martin was replaced as manager by Joachim Kelly after back-to-back opening defeats in the 2019 Joe McDonagh Cup. [11]

Career statistics

As a player

TeamYear National League Leinster All-Ireland Total
DivisionAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScore
Offaly 1993-94 Division 2 70-0120-0020-01110-02
1994-9590-0120-0020-00130-01
1995-96 Division 1 10-0130-0000-0040-01
199750-0030-0000-0080-00
1998 Division 1A 50-0130-0150-00130-02
199950-0020-0020-0090-00
200020-0020-0030-0070-00
200120-0010-0000-0030-00
2002 Division 1B 20-0010-0020-0150-01
200310-0000-0000-0010-00
Total390-04190-01160-02740-07

Honours

Player

Tullamore
Offaly
Individual

Manager

Tullamore
Clough-Ballacolla
Westmeath

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westmeath GAA</span> County board of the Gaelic Athletic Association in Ireland

The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Westmeath. The county board is also responsible for the Westmeath county teams.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leinster Senior Hurling Championship</span> Inter-county hurling competition

The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition in the province of Leinster, and has been contested every year since the 1888 championship.

Edward Joseph Brennan is an Irish hurling manager and former player. His league and championship career with the Kilkenny senior team lasted twelve seasons from 2000 until 2011. Brennan was the manager of the Laois senior hurling team from 2019 to 2020.

Joe Dooley is an Irish former hurler and manager.

Andrew James Comerford is an Irish retired hurling manager and former player who played for Kilkenny Senior Championship club O'Loughlin Gaels. He played for the London and Kilkenny senior hurling teams for nearly a decade, during which time he usually lined out at midfield or centre-forward.

Alan McCrabbe is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Craobh Chiaráin and has been a member of the Dublin senior inter-county team since 2006.

Joseph M. Quaid is an Irish hurling manager and former player. He was the manager of the Westmeath senior team in 2019.

Johnny Pilkington is an Irish former hurler who played as a right wing-forward for the Offaly senior hurling team.

Michael Duignan is an Irish former hurler and Gaelic footballer and current Gaelic games administrator, serving as chairman of the Offaly County Board.

Brian Whelahan is an Irish former hurler who played as a left wing-back at senior level for the Offaly county team.

Johnny Dooley is an Irish former hurling manager and player. He played hurling with his local club Clareen GAA and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1991 until 2002. Dooley served as manager of the Westmeath senior inter-county team from 2007 until 2008.

Joachim Kelly is an Irish hurling manager and former player. He is manager of the Offaly senior hurling team. Kelly played for club side Lusmagh and was a member of the Offaly senior hurling team for 19 seasons, during which time he usually lined out at midfield.

The 2009 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 123rd staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county hurling tournament. The draw for the 2000 fixtures took place on 8 October 2008. The championship began on 30 May 2009 and ended on 6 September 2009.

This page details statistics of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

The 2011 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 123rd staging of the All-Ireland championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The draw for the 2011 fixtures took place on 7 October 2010. The championship began on 14 May and ended on 4 September 2011. Tipperary were the defending champions.

The 2016 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 129th staging of the All-Ireland championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. It is the top tier of senior inter-county championship hurling.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship</span>

The 2017 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship was the 130th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1887. The championship began on 23 April 2017 and ended on 3 September 2017. The draw for the championship was held on 13 October 2016 and was broadcast live on RTÉ2.

The Offaly county hurling team represents Offaly in hurling and is governed by Offaly GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the National Hurling League.

The Meath county hurling team represents Meath in hurling and is governed by Meath GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Christy Ring Cup and the National Hurling League.

The Westmeath county hurling team represents Westmeath in hurling and is governed by Westmeath GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Joe McDonagh Cup and the National Hurling League.

References

  1. "Two-time All-Ireland winner Kevin Martin is the new Offaly hurling boss". Irish Independent. 8 November 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
  2. "Blue is the colour as Tullamore take senior hurling title". Offaly Express. 18 October 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  3. "Hard-earned win for Ballyhale". Breaking News. 29 November 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  4. "Coolderry and Tullamore reach Senior Hurling Final". Offaly Express. 3 October 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  5. "Leinster Senior Hurling Finalists" (PDF). Leinster GAA. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 November 2007. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  6. "Offaly GAA profile". Hogan Stand. Archived from the original on 4 August 2014. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  7. "Martin to take over Westmeath hurlers". Hogan Stand. 30 October 2009. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  8. "Christy Ring Cup Senior Hurling Final – Westmeath 2–16 Kerry 1–18". Munster GAA. 5 July 2010. Retrieved 10 October 2010.
  9. "All-Ireland hero Martin gets Offaly hurling job". Irish Independent. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  10. "Two-time All-Ireland winner confirmed as Offaly's new hurling boss". The 42. 9 November 2017. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  11. "More woe for Offaly hurling as they replace management in bid to avoid relegation". The 42. 20 May 2019. Retrieved 21 May 2019.