Conor Hayes
Encyclopedia
Conor Hayes is an Irish
retired sportsperson and manager
. He played hurling
with his local club Kiltormer and was a member of the Galway
senior inter-county team from 1979 until 1989. Hayes captained Galway to back-to-back All-Ireland
titles.
, John Goode, Tom Lynch, Ciarán Lynch and Tony Furey. In 1976 Hayes first tasted major success when he captured a senior county championship winners' medal following a 1-9 to 1-6 defeat of Killimordaly. Kiltormer later represented Galway in the provincial club championship. The Connacht final saw Hayes's side being defeated by Tremane of Roscommon.
Hayes collected a second consecutive county title with Kiltormer in 1977 before the club set out on the provincial trail once again. In spite of recahing the Connacht final for a second year a walk-over was awarded to Rour Roads
of Roscommon as Kiltormer were suspended from the competition.
It was 1982 before Hayes added a third county winners' medal to his collection after a defeat of Castlegar
. After defeat in two earlier provincial finals Kiltormer trounced Four Roads by 3-14 to 0-6, giving Hayes a coveted Connacht
club winners' medal. Kiltormer's championship campaign came to a halt in the All-Ireland semi-final as St. Rynagh's
of Offaly defeated Hayes's club.
The rest of the 1980s was a bleak time for Kiltormer, however, the team bounced back in 1990 with Hayes adding a fourth county winners' medal to his collection. A second Connacht club title quickly followed for Hayes as Kiltormer trounced Oran by 5-11 to 0-6. Unfortunately, Kiltormer were subsequently defeated by London side St. Gabriel's in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Hayes captured a fifth and final county winners' medal in 1991 following a 3-9 to 0-15 defeat of Athenry
. Kiltormer's provincial campaign culminated in a 2-9 to 1-6 defeat of Four Roads and the capturing of a third Connacht club winners' medal for Hayes. Hayes's side later faced Cashel King Cormac's
in the All-Ireland semi-final. A three-game saga which produced two replays has gone into GAA folklore, however, in the end victory went to Hayes's side who booked a place in the All-Ireland final. Offaly club Birr
were the opponents on that occasion. Kiltormer were well on top in that game and secured a 0-15 to 1-8 victory. It was Hayes's first All-Ireland
club winners' medal.
under-21 hurling team in the late 1970s. In 1978 Galway reached the final of that championship with Tpperary
providing the opposition. An exciting game produced a draw while the subsequent replay was also an exciting and high-scoring affair. At the second time of asking Galway emerged victorious by 3-15 to 2-8 and Hayes collected a coveted All-Ireland
under-21 winners' medal.
In 1979 Hayes was appointed captain of the Galway under-21 team. That year his side qualified for the All-Ireland final once again and, for the second consecutive year, Tipperary were the opponents. On this occasion Tipperary made no mistake and defeated Hayes's team by 2-12 to 1-9.
By this stage Hayes had already made his senior debut for the Galway senior team. In the 1979 championship his side shocked four-in-a-row hopefuls Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final and qualified for an All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny
. In one of the worst All-Ireland finals of recent decades Galway goalkeeper Séamus Shinnors
had an absolute nightmare of a game. A 70-yards free by Liam 'Chunky' O’Brien
after just four minutes dipped, hit off Shinnors and ended up in the Galway net. Galway fought back and went two points up twelve minutes into the second half, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Four minutes before the end of the game another long-range free for Kilkenny ended up in the net behind Shinnors. It was a score which summed up the day for Hayes's side as Kilkenny went on to win by 2-12 to 1-8.
In 1980 Galway defeated Kildare
and Offaly
to reach a second All-Ireland final. Munster champions Limerick
provided the opposition on this occasion and an exciting championship decider followed. Bernie Forde
and P.J. Molloy
goals for Galway meant that the men from the west led by 2-7 to 1-5 at half-time. Éamonn Cregan
single-handedly launched the Limerick counter-attack in the second-half. Over the course of the game he scored 2-7, including an overhead goal and a point in which he showed the ball to Hayes and nonchalantly drove the ball over the bar. It was not enough to stem the tide and Galway went on to win the game. It was the county’s first All-Ireland
title since 1923 and the celebrations surpassed anything ever seen in Croke Park
.
1981 saw Galway reach a third consecutive All-Ireland final and Offaly
were the opponents. Everything seemed to be going well for Hayes's side as Galway hoped to capture an unprecedented second consecutive All-Ireland title. Offaly 'keeper Damien Martin
was doing great work in batting out a certain Galway goal early in the second-half. With twenty-three minutes left in the game Galway led by six points, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Johnny Flaherty
hand-passed Offaly's second goal with just three minutes remaining. At the long whistle Hayes's side were defeated by 2-12 to 0-15.
Defeat in the All-Ireland semi-finals followed for the next few years for Hayes, however, Galway returned to the big stage in 1985. That year the team reached the All-Ireland final again, resulting in a rematch with Offaly. Pat Cleary scored a goal for the Leinster champions nine minutes before the interval to give them a huge boost. Cleary pounced again twenty-two seconds after the restart for a second goal. A third goal by Joe Dooley
was disallowed while P.J. Molloy
scored Galway's only goal of the day. At the end of the game Offaly were the winners by 2-11 to 1-12.
In 1986 Galway reached the All-Ireland final once again, this time with Cork providing the opposition. The men from the west were the red-hot favourites against an ageing Cork team, however, on the day a different story unfolded. Four Cork goals, one from John Fenton
, two from Tomás Mulcahy
and one from Kevin Hennessy
, stymied the Galway attack and helped ‘the Rebels’ to a 4-13 to 2-15 victory. In spite of the defeat Hayes was later presented with a first All-Star
award.
In 1987 Hayes was appointed captain of the Galway team. The year began well when he led the team to their first National Hurling League
title in over a decade following a 3-12 to 3-10 defeat of Clare
. Later that summer Galway qualified for a third All-Ireland final in-a-row. The prospect of becoming the first team to lose three consecutive championship deciders weighed heavily on the Galway team as Kilkenny
provided the opposition. The game was not a classic by any standard and Noel Lane
got a key goal for Galway nine minutes before the end. A 1-12 to 0-9 victory gave Hayes a second All-Ireland winners' medal while he also had the honour of accepting the Liam McCarthy Cup
. A second All-Star award quickly followed.
In 1988 Hayes was captain of the team for a second year. That year Galway reached a fourth successive All-Ireland final. After more than a decade-and-a-half in the wilderness Tipperary were back providing the opposition in the championship decider. Galway defeated Tipp in the semi-final the previous year, however, with an extra year’s experience it was expected that Tipperary might shade the victory. Galway, however, used this to motivate themselves. Noel Lane again scored the crucial goal for Galway while Nicky English
sent a late penalty over the bar for a point. A 1-15 to 0-14 score line resulted in victory for Galway and a third All-Ireland winners' medal for Hayes. Another solid performance at full-back resulted in a third All-Star award for the Galway captain.
In 1989 Hayes was captain of the team as Galway went in search of a third All-Ireland title in-a-row. For the third time in as many years Tipperary faced Galway in the All-Ireland series, however, on this occasion the men from the West were controversially without their star player Tony Keady
. The game turned out to be a tense and unsavory affair as Tipp finally triumphed over Galway. A 1-17 to 2-11 victory for the Munster men meant that Galway's three-in-a-row dream was over. This defeat also brought the curtain down on Hayes's inter-county career.
in the inter-provincial hurling championship and enjoyed some success. In 1980 he line dout in his second consecutive inter-provincial final. Munster
provided the opposition on that occasion and, after a poor game, Connacht emerged as the winners by 1-5 to 0-7. It was Hayes's first Railway Cup winners' medal. Three years later in 1983 Connacht were back in the final with Leinster
lining out against Hayes's province. This game was another low-scoring affair with victory going to Connacht by 0-10 to 1-5. It was Hayes's second Railway Cup title. After defeat in subsequent seasons Connacht were back in the final again in 1986. Munster were the opponents again, however, the west's ability to score goals gave Connacht a 3-11 to 0-11 victory and gave Hayes a third Railway Cup title. Hayes was captain of Connacht in 1987. A 2-14 to 1-14 defeat of Leinster gave him a fourth a final Railway Cup winners' medal.
of the Galway senior hurling team, succeeding his old team mate Noel Lane and defeating Brendan Lynskey
and Gerry Fahy for the job. His first season in charge in 2003 was fruitless as Galway were out of contention very early for the National League exited the championship without reaching Croke Park.
In 2004 Hayes earned a reprieve as Galway recahed the final of the National League. Waterford
provided the opposition on that occasion, however, it was Hayes's side that claimed a 2-15 to 1-13 victory. It was his first silverware as manager. This success was not converted into success later on in the summer. For the second consecutive year Galway exited the championship at a very early stage.
In 2005 Hayes was under pressure to deliver. An unconvincing league camapign resulted in many expecting little of Galway in the subsequent championship campaign. The All-Ireland quarter-final piited Galway against old rivals Tipperary. While Hayes's side were the underdogs they pulled off a surprise by recording a 2-20 to 2-18 victory. Galway's next game was an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Kilkenny. Once again Hayes's side were regarded as underdogs. Kilkenny got off to a great start, however, the young Galway team fought back and exposed a poor defence. The final score of 5-18 to 4-18 in favour of Galway saw Kilkenny leave the championship following one of the games of the decade. This game also brought the curtain down on the careers of Peter Barry
and D.J. Carey. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against Galway. It was their first meeting at this stage of the championship since 1990, however, Galway have never betaen Cork in an All-Ireland final. Cork's Ben O'Connor
scored a goal in the sixteenth minute that gave his team a comfortable lead. Damien Hayes
fought back with a Galway goal in the fiftieth minute, reducing Cork's lead to a point. Galway fell flat and didn't score in the last ten minutes as Cork won by 1-21 to 1-16.
Hayes's contract as manager expired following the defeat by Cork, however, he was coaxed back by the county board for one more season in 2006. After little success in the National League Hayes's side qualified to meet Kilkenny in the All-Ireland quarter-final. That game saw 'the Cats' take a huge lead before Galway fought back in the second-half. At the end of the game Kilkenny still won by 2-22 to 3-14. Following this defeat Hayes resigned as manager and was replaced by Ger Loughnane
.
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...
retired sportsperson 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...
. He played 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 his local club Kiltormer and was a member of the Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
senior inter-county team from 1979 until 1989. Hayes captained Galway to back-to-back 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....
titles.
Club
Hayes played his club hurling with his local club in Kiltormer. Here he was joined by other notable hurlers, imcluding Michael, Tony and Ollie KilkennyOllie Kilkenny
Ollie Kilkenny is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Kiltormer and with the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1980s and 1990s. Kilkenny won back-to-back All-Ireland winners' medals with Galway in 1987 and 1988.-See also:* Giolla Ceallaigh mac Comhaltan, fl...
, John Goode, Tom Lynch, Ciarán Lynch and Tony Furey. In 1976 Hayes first tasted major success when he captured a senior county championship winners' medal following a 1-9 to 1-6 defeat of Killimordaly. Kiltormer later represented Galway in the provincial club championship. The Connacht final saw Hayes's side being defeated by Tremane of Roscommon.
Hayes collected a second consecutive county title with Kiltormer in 1977 before the club set out on the provincial trail once again. In spite of recahing the Connacht final for a second year a walk-over was awarded to Rour Roads
Four Roads GAA
Four Roads Hurling Club are a hurling club from Co. Roscommon. They are the most successful team in the history of the Roscommon Senior Hurling Championship with 29 titles. They also won the Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championship in 1977 and 1988 and played in nine other finals...
of Roscommon as Kiltormer were suspended from the competition.
It was 1982 before Hayes added a third county winners' medal to his collection after a defeat of Castlegar
Castlegar GAA
Castlegar GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the parish of Castlegar in County Galway, Ireland. The club is almost exclusively concerned with the game of hurling.-Overview:...
. After defeat in two earlier provincial finals Kiltormer trounced Four Roads by 3-14 to 0-6, giving Hayes a coveted Connacht
Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championship was an annual hurling tournament played between the senior hurling clubs in Connacht contested from 1970 until it became defunct after the conclusion of the 2007/08 season due to the predominance of the Galway champions coupled with a lack of meaningful...
club winners' medal. Kiltormer's championship campaign came to a halt in the All-Ireland semi-final as St. Rynagh's
St. Rynagh's GAA
St. Rynagh's is a Gaelic Athletic Association club that encompasses the towns of Cloghan and Banagher in County Offaly, in Ireland. Formed in 1961, the club gained almost immediate success - winning the senior championship in 1965. St. Rynagh's went on to appear in three All-Ireland club finals...
of Offaly defeated Hayes's club.
The rest of the 1980s was a bleak time for Kiltormer, however, the team bounced back in 1990 with Hayes adding a fourth county winners' medal to his collection. A second Connacht club title quickly followed for Hayes as Kiltormer trounced Oran by 5-11 to 0-6. Unfortunately, Kiltormer were subsequently defeated by London side St. Gabriel's in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
Hayes captured a fifth and final county winners' medal in 1991 following a 3-9 to 0-15 defeat of Athenry
Athenry GAA
St. Mary's, Athenry is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Athenry in County Galway. The club is almost exclusively concerned with hurling.-History:...
. Kiltormer's provincial campaign culminated in a 2-9 to 1-6 defeat of Four Roads and the capturing of a third Connacht club winners' medal for Hayes. Hayes's side later faced Cashel King Cormac's
Cashel King Cormacs GAA
Cashel King Cormacs GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Cashel, County Tipperary in Ireland. They play their games in Leahy Park, on the Clonmel Road in Cashel....
in the All-Ireland semi-final. A three-game saga which produced two replays has gone into GAA folklore, however, in the end victory went to Hayes's side who booked a place in the All-Ireland final. Offaly club Birr
Birr GAA
Birr GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. The club is almost exclusively concerned with hurling and are one of the most successful club hurling teams in the country.-Honours:...
were the opponents on that occasion. Kiltormer were well on top in that game and secured a 0-15 to 1-8 victory. It was Hayes's first All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between hundreds of senior hurling clubs in Ireland. The Tommy Moore Cup is awarded to the winners. The current champions are Clarinbridge...
club winners' medal.
Inter-county
Hayes first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the GalwayGalway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
under-21 hurling team in the late 1970s. In 1978 Galway reached the final of that championship with Tpperary
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...
providing the opposition. An exciting game produced a draw while the subsequent replay was also an exciting and high-scoring affair. At the second time of asking Galway emerged victorious by 3-15 to 2-8 and Hayes collected a coveted 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...
under-21 winners' medal.
In 1979 Hayes was appointed captain of the Galway under-21 team. That year his side qualified for the All-Ireland final once again and, for the second consecutive year, Tipperary were the opponents. On this occasion Tipperary made no mistake and defeated Hayes's team by 2-12 to 1-9.
By this stage Hayes had already made his senior debut for the Galway senior team. In the 1979 championship his side shocked four-in-a-row hopefuls Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final and qualified for an All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
. In one of the worst All-Ireland finals of recent decades Galway goalkeeper Séamus Shinnors
Séamus Shinnors
Séamus Shinnors is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Newport and with the Tipperary and Galway senior inter-county teams in the 1970s.-Early life:...
had an absolute nightmare of a game. A 70-yards free by Liam 'Chunky' O’Brien
Liam O'Brien (hurler)
-Teams:...
after just four minutes dipped, hit off Shinnors and ended up in the Galway net. Galway fought back and went two points up twelve minutes into the second half, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Four minutes before the end of the game another long-range free for Kilkenny ended up in the net behind Shinnors. It was a score which summed up the day for Hayes's side as Kilkenny went on to win by 2-12 to 1-8.
In 1980 Galway defeated Kildare
Kildare GAA
For more information see Kildare Senior Club Football Championship or Kildare Senior Club Hurling Championship.The Kildare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Kildare GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kildare...
and 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...
to reach a second All-Ireland final. Munster champions 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...
provided the opposition on this occasion and an exciting championship decider followed. Bernie Forde
Bernie Forde
Bernie Forde is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Ardrahan and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1970s and 1980s.-References:...
and P.J. Molloy
P.J. Molloy
P. J. Molloy is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Athenry and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1970s and 1980s...
goals for Galway meant that the men from the west led by 2-7 to 1-5 at half-time. Éamonn Cregan
Éamonn Cregan
Éamonn Cregan is an Irish former Gaelic footballer, hurler and manager. He is best remembered for his success with Limerick, as a player in the 1970s and then as manager of various club and inter-county teams in the 1980s and 1990s.-Club:...
single-handedly launched the Limerick counter-attack in the second-half. Over the course of the game he scored 2-7, including an overhead goal and a point in which he showed the ball to Hayes and nonchalantly drove the ball over the bar. It was not enough to stem the tide and Galway went on to win the game. It was the county’s first 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....
title since 1923 and the celebrations surpassed anything ever seen in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
.
1981 saw Galway reach a third consecutive All-Ireland final and 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...
were the opponents. Everything seemed to be going well for Hayes's side as Galway hoped to capture an unprecedented second consecutive All-Ireland title. Offaly 'keeper Damien Martin
Damien Martin
Damien Martin is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club St. Rynagh's and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team from the 1960s until the 1980s. Martin has the distinction of being presented with the very first All-Star award...
was doing great work in batting out a certain Galway goal early in the second-half. With twenty-three minutes left in the game Galway led by six points, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Johnny Flaherty
Johnny Flaherty
Johnny Flaherty is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Kinnitty and with the Offaly senior inter-county team in the 1970s and 1980s.-Club:...
hand-passed Offaly's second goal with just three minutes remaining. At the long whistle Hayes's side were defeated by 2-12 to 0-15.
Defeat in the All-Ireland semi-finals followed for the next few years for Hayes, however, Galway returned to the big stage in 1985. That year the team reached the All-Ireland final again, resulting in a rematch with Offaly. Pat Cleary scored a goal for the Leinster champions nine minutes before the interval to give them a huge boost. Cleary pounced again twenty-two seconds after the restart for a second goal. A third goal by Joe Dooley
Joe Dooley
Joe Dooley is an Irish former hurlers and manager.Regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation, Dooley enjoyed a successful playing career at club level with Seir Kieran and remains the only Offaly player to have won three All-Ireland titles...
was disallowed while P.J. Molloy
P.J. Molloy
P. J. Molloy is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Athenry and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1970s and 1980s...
scored Galway's only goal of the day. At the end of the game Offaly were the winners by 2-11 to 1-12.
In 1986 Galway reached the All-Ireland final once again, this time with Cork providing the opposition. The men from the west were the red-hot favourites against an ageing Cork team, however, on the day a different story unfolded. Four Cork goals, one from John Fenton
John Fenton
John Fenton is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Midleton and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1975 until 1987. Fenton is regarded as one of Cork's greatest-ever players.-Club:Fenton played his club hurling with his local Midleton club and...
, two from 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 one from Kevin Hennessy
Kevin Hennessy
Kevin Hennessy is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Midleton and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1982 until 1993.-Club:...
, stymied the Galway attack and helped ‘the Rebels’ to a 4-13 to 2-15 victory. In spite of the defeat Hayes was later presented with a first All-Star
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
award.
In 1987 Hayes was appointed captain of the Galway team. The year began well when he led the team to their first National Hurling League
National Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
title in over a decade following a 3-12 to 3-10 defeat of Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
. Later that summer Galway qualified for a third All-Ireland final in-a-row. The prospect of becoming the first team to lose three consecutive championship deciders weighed heavily on the Galway team as Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny 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 Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
provided the opposition. The game was not a classic by any standard and Noel Lane
Noel Lane
Noel Lane is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Ballinderreen and with the Galway senior inter-county team from 1977 until 1990. Lane served as manager of the Galway senior inter-county team from 2000 until 2002...
got a key goal for Galway nine minutes before the end. A 1-12 to 0-9 victory gave Hayes a second All-Ireland winners' medal while he also had the honour of accepting the Liam McCarthy Cup
Liam McCarthy Cup
The MacCarthy Perpetual Challenge Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the hurling team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.-The trophy:...
. A second All-Star award quickly followed.
In 1988 Hayes was captain of the team for a second year. That year Galway reached a fourth successive All-Ireland final. After more than a decade-and-a-half in the wilderness Tipperary were back providing the opposition in the championship decider. Galway defeated Tipp in the semi-final the previous year, however, with an extra year’s experience it was expected that Tipperary might shade the victory. Galway, however, used this to motivate themselves. Noel Lane again scored the crucial goal for Galway while Nicky English
Nicky English
Nicholas J. English , better known as Nicky English, is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Lattin-Cullen and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team from 1982 until 1996...
sent a late penalty over the bar for a point. A 1-15 to 0-14 score line resulted in victory for Galway and a third All-Ireland winners' medal for Hayes. Another solid performance at full-back resulted in a third All-Star award for the Galway captain.
In 1989 Hayes was captain of the team as Galway went in search of a third All-Ireland title in-a-row. For the third time in as many years Tipperary faced Galway in the All-Ireland series, however, on this occasion the men from the West were controversially without their star player Tony Keady
Tony Keady
Tony Keady is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Killimordaly and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1980s and 1990s.-Club:...
. The game turned out to be a tense and unsavory affair as Tipp finally triumphed over Galway. A 1-17 to 2-11 victory for the Munster men meant that Galway's three-in-a-row dream was over. This defeat also brought the curtain down on Hayes's inter-county career.
Inter-provincial
Hayes also lined out with ConnachtConnacht GAA
The Connacht Council are a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Connacht.-Constituent counties:*Galway*Leitrim*Mayo*Roscommon*Sligo-Special counties:...
in the inter-provincial hurling championship and enjoyed some success. In 1980 he line dout in his second consecutive inter-provincial final. Munster
Munster GAA
The Munster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Munster.-Constituent counties:*Cork*Clare*Kerry*Limerick*Tipperary*Waterford-Honours:...
provided the opposition on that occasion and, after a poor game, Connacht emerged as the winners by 1-5 to 0-7. It was Hayes's first Railway Cup winners' medal. Three years later in 1983 Connacht were back in the final with Leinster
Leinster GAA
The Leinster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County Board to help develop Gaelic Games in Europe...
lining out against Hayes's province. This game was another low-scoring affair with victory going to Connacht by 0-10 to 1-5. It was Hayes's second Railway Cup title. After defeat in subsequent seasons Connacht were back in the final again in 1986. Munster were the opponents again, however, the west's ability to score goals gave Connacht a 3-11 to 0-11 victory and gave Hayes a third Railway Cup title. Hayes was captain of Connacht in 1987. A 2-14 to 1-14 defeat of Leinster gave him a fourth a final Railway Cup winners' medal.
Galway
In retirement from playing Hayes continued his involvement with hurling. In late 2002 he was appointed managerManager (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 Galway senior hurling team, succeeding his old team mate Noel Lane and defeating Brendan Lynskey
Brendan Lynskey
Brendan Lynskey is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Meelick-Eyrecourt and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1980s and 1990s.-References:...
and Gerry Fahy for the job. His first season in charge in 2003 was fruitless as Galway were out of contention very early for the National League exited the championship without reaching Croke Park.
In 2004 Hayes earned a reprieve as Galway recahed the final of the National League. 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...
provided the opposition on that occasion, however, it was Hayes's side that claimed a 2-15 to 1-13 victory. It was his first silverware as manager. This success was not converted into success later on in the summer. For the second consecutive year Galway exited the championship at a very early stage.
In 2005 Hayes was under pressure to deliver. An unconvincing league camapign resulted in many expecting little of Galway in the subsequent championship campaign. The All-Ireland quarter-final piited Galway against old rivals Tipperary. While Hayes's side were the underdogs they pulled off a surprise by recording a 2-20 to 2-18 victory. Galway's next game was an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Kilkenny. Once again Hayes's side were regarded as underdogs. Kilkenny got off to a great start, however, the young Galway team fought back and exposed a poor defence. The final score of 5-18 to 4-18 in favour of Galway saw Kilkenny leave the championship following one of the games of the decade. This game also brought the curtain down on the careers of Peter Barry
Peter Barry (hurler)
Peter Barry is an Irish sportsman. He plays hurling with his local club James Stephens and is a former member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team.-Club:...
and D.J. Carey. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against Galway. It was their first meeting at this stage of the championship since 1990, however, Galway have never betaen Cork in an All-Ireland final. Cork's Ben O'Connor
Ben O'Connor
Ben O'Connor is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Newtownshandrum and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 1999. O'Connor is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation.-Biography:Ben O’Connor was born in the village of...
scored a goal in the sixteenth minute that gave his team a comfortable lead. Damien Hayes
Damien Hayes
Damien Hayes is an Irish sportsman. He plays in the corner-forward position on the Galway senior hurling team....
fought back with a Galway goal in the fiftieth minute, reducing Cork's lead to a point. Galway fell flat and didn't score in the last ten minutes as Cork won by 1-21 to 1-16.
Hayes's contract as manager expired following the defeat by Cork, however, he was coaxed back by the county board for one more season in 2006. After little success in the National League Hayes's side qualified to meet Kilkenny in the All-Ireland quarter-final. That game saw 'the Cats' take a huge lead before Galway fought back in the second-half. At the end of the game Kilkenny still won by 2-22 to 3-14. Following this defeat Hayes resigned as manager and was replaced by Ger Loughnane
Ger Loughnane
Ger Loughnane is a Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Feakle and with the Clare senior inter-county team in the 1970s and 1980s...
.
Kiltormer
- All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between hundreds of senior hurling clubs in Ireland. The Tommy Moore Cup is awarded to the winners. The current champions are Clarinbridge...
:- Winner (1): 1992
- Connacht Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipConnacht Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipThe Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championship was an annual hurling tournament played between the senior hurling clubs in Connacht contested from 1970 until it became defunct after the conclusion of the 2007/08 season due to the predominance of the Galway champions coupled with a lack of meaningful...
:- Winner (3): 1982, 1990, 1991
- Runner-up (2): 1976, 1977
- Galway Senior Hurling Championship:
- Winner (5): 1976, 1977, 1982, 1990, 1991
- Runner-up (1): 1981
Galway
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe 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....
:- Winner (3): 1980All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1980-Miscellaneous:* For the first time since 1969 the Leinster final sees a pairing other than Kilkenny and Wexford.* The Leinster final sees Offaly defeat Kilkenny to take their very first provincial title....
, 1987All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1987The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 1987 was the 101st edition of Ireland’s premier hurling knockout competition. The championship ran from May to September of that year, culminating with the All-Ireland final, held at Croke Park, Dublin on 6 September. The match was contested by...
(C), 1988All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1988-References:* Corry, Eoghan, The GAA Book of Lists .* Donegan, Des, The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games .-External links:*...
(C) - Runner-up (4): 1979, 1981, 1985, 1986
- Winner (3): 1980
- National Hurling LeagueNational Hurling LeagueThe National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
:- Winner (2): 1986-1987, 1988–1989
- Runner-up (1): 1985-1986,
Connacht
- Railway Cup:
- Winner (4): 1980, 1983, 1986, 1987 (C)
- Runner-up (2): 1985, 1988