John Hoyne
Encyclopedia
John Hoyne is a former Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 sportsperson. He plays 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 Graigue-Ballycallan
Graigue-Ballycallan GAA
Graigue-Ballycallan is a Gaelic Athletic Association club situated in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The club has enjoyed success at county and provincial level, and several players from the club have gone on to play a part in the Kilkenny intercounty team. The catchment area for the club is the...

 and he used play with the 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...

 senior inter-county team from 2000 until 2005.

Club

Hoyne plays 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 his local Graigue-Ballycallan
Graigue-Ballycallan GAA
Graigue-Ballycallan is a Gaelic Athletic Association club situated in County Kilkenny, Ireland. The club has enjoyed success at county and provincial level, and several players from the club have gone on to play a part in the Kilkenny intercounty team. The catchment area for the club is the...

 club and has enjoyed much success. He won both county minor and under-21 honours with the club before playing in four successive senior county finals from 1998 until 2001. Hoyne ended up on the winning side in 1998 and 2000.

Inter-county

Hoyne first came to prominence on the inter-county scene at underage levels. He won Leinster medals in both minor and under-21 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...

 before later joining the county senior team.

Hoyne won his first senior Leinster
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster 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 Leinster in Ireland....

 title with his native-county in 2000. He later lined out in his first All-Ireland final at Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

 where 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...

, the defeated Leinster finalists, provided the opposition. The stakes were high for Kilkenny as the prospect of becoming the first team to lose three All-Ireland finals in-a-row was a daunting one. In the end victoy went to Kilkenny by a huge score and Hoyne collected his 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....

 medal. He won a second Leinster title in 2001, however, his side were later beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final. 2002 saw Hoyne add a 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...

 medal to his collection before winning a third provincial title. Kilkenny subsequently defeated 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....

 in the championship decider, giving Hoyne a second All-Ireland medal. The success continued in 2003 as he won a second consecutive National League medal. Hoyne later won a fourth Leinster title before lining out in another All-Ireland final. Cork were the opponents on that occasion, however, ‘the Cats’ overcame the Leesiders in a thrilling game, giving Hoyne a third All-Ireland medal. In 2004 Kilkenny were aiming for a third All-Ireland title in-a-row, however, all did not go to plan as the team lost their provincial crown to Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...

. Kilkenny did reach the All-Ireland final via the ‘back-door’ system, however, Cork defeated them in a tense match. Hoyne won a fifth Leinster medal in 2005, however, Kilkenny were later caught on the hop in the All-Ireland semi-final as 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,...

 defeated 'the Cats' in one of the all-time classic games. Hoyne retired from inter-county duty shortly afterwards.

Teams

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