, County Cork

County Cork

County Cork is a county in Ireland. It is located in the South-West Region and is also part of the province of Munster. It is named after the city of Cork . Cork County Council is the local authority for the county...

) is a retired Irish

Irish people

The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...

 hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 manager

Manager (Gaelic games)

In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...

 and former player. He played hurling with his local club Sarsfield's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1976 until 1984. Murphy served as manager of the Cork senior hurling team from 2001 until 2002.

Club

Murphy played his club hurling

Hurling

Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...

 with the Sarsfield's club in Glanmire and enjoyed some success. He won a county under-21 championship

Cork Under-21 Hurling Championship

The Cork Under-21 Hurling Championship is a hurling competition for players under the age of 21. Clubs affiliated to Cork board compete to win this championship. Seven of the divisions in Cork organize their own championship . The divisional winners compete against each other to decide the county...

 winners' medal in 1975 after Sarsfield's defeated Bandon

Bandon GAA

Bandon GAA is a Gaelic football and Hurling club based in Bandon in County Cork, Republic of Ireland.The club is affiliated with Carbery division of Cork....

 by 6-3 to 1-7. At this time Murphy was also a member of the club's senior team and spent the best part of twenty years playing in the forwards. In 1988 he played in his only county final, however, Glen Rovers

Glen Rovers GAA

Glen Rovers is a Cork-based Gaelic Athletic Association club based in the Ballyvolane and Blackpool areas of Cork city, Ireland. The club was founded in 1916 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling.-Colours:...

 were victorious on that occasion.

Minor & under-21

Murphy first came to prominence as a dual player

Dual player

Dual player or dual star is a term used in Gaelic games to describe a player who plays both Men's Gaelic football and Hurling or Ladies' Gaelic football and Camogie. The player doesn't necessarily have to play at the same standard in both sports...

 on the inter-county scene with Cork in the early 1970s. He first tasted success in 1972 when he captured a Munster

Munster Minor Hurling Championship

The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors in the province of Munster in Ireland...

 minor hurling title following a 4-11 to 0-3 trouncing of Limerick

Limerick GAA

The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...

. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Cork take on Kilkenny. A high-scoring game ensued, however, at the final whistle Cork were defeated by 8-7 to 3-9.

1972 also saw Murphy enjoy much success with the Cork minor footballers. He picked up a Munster

Munster Minor Football Championship

The Munster Minor Football Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Munster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Munster Council. The current Munster Minor football champions are Tipperary. Clare won the inaugural...

 title in this code as well as Cork defeated arch-rivals Kerry

Kerry GAA

The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...

 by 2-14 to 1-14. An All-Ireland final appearance later beckoned with Tyrone

Tyrone GAA

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

 providing the opposition. The game was a close affair, however, Cork were the winners by 3-11 to 2-11. This victory gave Murphy a coveted All-Ireland

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship

The All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for under-18 competitors of the game of Gaelic football played in Ireland...

 minor football winners’ medal and was some consolation for losing the hurling decider two weeks earlier.

By 1975 Murphy joined Cork's under-21 hurling team. He subsequently captured his first Munster

Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship

The Munster GAA Hurling Under-21 Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1964 for players aged between 18 and 21 in the province of Munster in Ireland...

 under-21 winners’ title following a 3-12 to 2-6 win over Limerick

Limerick GAA

The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...

. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against fierce rivals Kilkenny. 'The Cats' were the overwhelming winners on that occasion by 5-13 to 2-9.

Senior

Murphy subsequently joined the Cork senior team and made his debut in the Munster semi-final victory over Tipperary

Tipperary GAA

The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...

 in 1976. It was the beginning of a glorious era for Cork, however, Murphy found it difficult to break onto the starting fifteen. He had a difficult time on the periphery.

After some years in the wilderness Cork bounced back in 1982 and qualified for the All-Ireland final. Following an impressive provincial championship campaign 'the Rebels' were the red-hot favourites, however, arch-rivals Kilkenny surprised. Murphy came on as a substitute in that game, however, Christy Heffernan

Christy Heffernan

Christy Heffernan is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Glenmore and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team in the 1980s and 1990s. Heffernan is regarded as one of Kilkenny's greatest-ever players.-Club:...

 scored two goals in a forty-second spell just before the interval to take the wind out of Cork's sails. Ger Fennelly

Ger Fennelly

Ger Fennelly is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1974 until 1989. Fennelly captained Kilkenny to the All-Ireland title in 1979.-Biography:Ger Fennelly was born in Piltown, County...

 got a third goal within eight minutes of the re-start, giving Kilkenny a 3-18 to 1-15 victory.

In 1983 Murphy secured a more permanent place on the team as Cork’s run of provincial success continued. He won a coveted Munster

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The Munster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Munster in Ireland....

 winners' medal that year as Cork trounced Waterford

Waterford GAA

The Waterford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Waterford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for all levels of Gaelic games in County Waterford. The County Board is also responsible for the Waterford inter-county teams. The county...

 for the second consecutive year. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against Kilkenny for the second consecutive year also. ‘The Cats’ used a strong wind to dominate the opening half and built up a strong lead. Cork came storming back with goals by Tomás Mulcahy

Tomás Mulcahy

Tomás Mulcahy is an Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Glen Rovers and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1983 until 1994. Mulcahy currently works as a pundit with The Sunday Game...

 and Seánie O'Leary

Seánie O'Leary

Seanie O'Leary is a former Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Youghal and with the Cork senior inter-county team from 1971 until 1984.-Early & private life:...

, however, at the full-time whistle Kilkenny had won by 2-14 to 2-12.

Murphy remained on the Cork senior hurling panel for another while and won an All-Ireland

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

 medal as a non-playing substitute in 1984 following Cork's championship decider defeat of Offaly

Offaly GAA

The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...

.

Managerial career

Murphy first tried his hand at coaching with the Sarsfield's juveniles just as his playing career was coming to an end. He guided the club's young hurlers to back-to-back under-14 'A' hurling championship titles and a Féile na nGael title in the early 1990s.

In the late 1990s Murphy first tasted managerial success on the inter-county scene when he guided the Cork under-21 team to back-to-back All-Ireland

All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship

The All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for players aged between 18 and 21 in the game of hurling played in Ireland...

 medals in 1997 and 1998. He also served as a selector under Jimmy Barry-Murphy

Jimmy Barry-Murphy

James "Jimmy" Barry-Murphy is a former Irish hurler, Gaelic footballer and association footballer and is the current manager of the Cork senior hurling team...

 when he guided Cork to a senior All-Ireland

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....

 victory in 1999. Murphy became manager

Manager (Gaelic games)

In Gaelic games, a manager or coach is an individual involved in the direction and instruction of the on-field operations of a team. Managing, or coaching, entails the application of sport tactics and strategies during the game itself, and usually entails substitution of players and other such...

 of the Cork senior hurlers in 2002. He had an unsuccessful tenure as coach which culminated in his resignation after just one season in charge as the players went on strike due to the authoritarian nature of the Cork County Board.

Teams