, 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 an 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...

 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 Sarsfields

Sarsfields GAA (Cork)

Sarsfields GAA is a hurling club is located in the areas of Riverstown and Glanmire in East Cork. They have won four County Championships, 1951, 1957 2008, and 2010.-County Champions:...

 and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 2003. Murphy has been appointed captain of the team for 2010.

Club

Murphy 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 club called Sarsfield's

Sarsfields GAA (Cork)

Sarsfields GAA is a hurling club is located in the areas of Riverstown and Glanmire in East Cork. They have won four County Championships, 1951, 1957 2008, and 2010.-County Champions:...

 and has enjoyed much success. He first came to prominence as the club enjoyed an under-age boom in the early years of the new century. After enjoying little success at minor level, Murphy was a key member of the 'Sars' under-21 team that reached the final of the 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...

 in 2003. Valley Rovers

Valley Rovers

Valley Rovers GAA Club is a vibrant and successful Gaelic Athletic Association club in the parish of Innishannon in Co. Cork, Ireland. Formed in 1919 when the two teams in the parish, Innishannon and Knockavilla, came together. The club fields teams in hurling, Gaelic football, Camogie and Ladies'...

 provided the opposition on that occasion, however, they proved no match for Murphy's side. A 3-11 to 0-12 score line gave victory to Sarsfield's and gave Murphy a county under-21 winners' medal.

By this stage Murphy was also a member of the Sarsfield's senior hurling team. In 2008 the club reached the county final of the senior championship, with Murphy serving as captain. A narrow 2-14 to 2-13 victory over Bride Rovers gave Murphy a coveted county senior championship

Cork Senior Hurling Championship

The Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....

 winners' medal and gave 'Sars' a first county final win since 1957.

Minor & under-21

Murphy first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Cork minor hurling team when he was just sixteen years-old in 1999. He enjoyed little success in his debut season, however, in 2000 Cork reached the provincial minor decider. 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...

 providied the opposition on that occasion, however, they were no match for 'the Rebels'. A 2-19 to 1-10 trouncing gave Cork the victory and gave Murphy a coveted 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...

 winners' medal. The subsequent All-Ireland final saw Cork take on 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,...

. A high-scoring encounter saw 'the Tribesmen' take the title by 2-19 to 4-10.

In 2001 Murphy was in his third and final season as a member of the Cork minor hurling team. They surrendered their Munster title to 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...

 following a conclusive 1-13 to 1-6 defeat. Cork, however, still had a chance to claim the All-Ireland title via the 'back door'. Murphy gave one of his best-ever displays in the All-Ireland semi-final against 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...

 when he scored 3-6. After coming through the All-Ireland series Cork reached the All-Ireland championship decider. For the second year in succession Galway were the opponents. Murphy produced a fantastic exhibition of hurling in that game, scoring 1-5, as Cork went on to win by 2-10 to 1-8. It was his first All-Ireland

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship

The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...

 minor winners' medal.

Murphy subsequently joined the Cork under-21 team, however, he enjoyed little success in this grade. He lost back-to-back Munster deciders to Tipperary in 2003 and 2004, with Murphy serving as captain in the former year.

Senior

Murphy's performances at under-age levels brought him to the attentions of the Cork selectors at senior level. He made his senior championship debut in 2003, a year which saw Cork's players emerge drom a bitter stand-off with the county board, however, he played no part in the county's Munster final victory and subsequent All-Ireland final defeat.

2004 saw Cork reach the Munster final once again and, for the second consecutive year, Waterford provided the opposition. In what many consider to be the greatest provincial decider of them all, both sides fought tooth-and-nail for the full seventy minutes. Unfortunately for Murphy, Cork lost the game by just a single point on a score line of Waterford 3-16, Cork 1-21. Although Cork surrendered their provincial crown they were still in with a chance of landing the All-Ireland title. After maneuvering through the qualifiers Cork reached a second consecutive All-Ireland final and, once again, Kilkenny provided the opposition. This game took on a life of its own for a number of reasons. Chief among these was the fact that Kilkenny were attempting to capture a third All-Ireland title in-a-row and go one ahead of Cork in the All-Ireland roll of honour. The game was expected to be another classic; however, a damp day put an end to this. The first-half was a low-scoring affair and provided little excitement for fans. The second-half saw Cork completely take over. For the last twenty-three minutes Cork scored nine unanswered points and went on to win the game by 0-17 to 0-9 with Murphy knocking over two vital scores en route to victory. It was Murphy'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....

 winners' medal.

In 2005 Cork were on form again and the team won back the provincial crown that year with a 1-12 to 1-16 victory over Tipperary. It was Murphy's first 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 as Cork went on the march for glory once again. In the All-Ireland semi-final against 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....

 their championship campaign was nearly derailed when they fell behind by seven points at the start of the second-half. A huge performance by Cork turned this deficit around and Cork went on to win the game by 0-16 to 0-15. While it was expected that Cork and Kilkenny would do battle again in a third consecutive All-Ireland final Galway were the surprise winners of the second semi-final. It was the first meeting of Cork and Galway in an All-Ireland final since 1990 and even more daunting was the fact that men from the west had never beaten Cork in a championship decider. Once again neither side broke away into a considerable lead, however, at the final whistle Cork were ahead by 1-21 to 1-16. For the second year in-a-row Cork were the All-Ireland champions and Murphy collected his second winners’ medal.

2006 saw Cork turn their attentions to a first three-in-a-row of All-Ireland titles since 1978. The team’s championship campaign got off to a good start with a 0-20 to 0-14 defeat of Clare in the opening round of the Munster championship. The subsequent provincial decider saw Cork take on Tipp for the second consecutive year. Star forward Joe Deane

Joe Deane

Joe Deane is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Killeagh and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1996 until 2009...

 was to the fore, scoring an impressive eight points and contributing greatly to Cork’s 2-11 to 1-11 victory over their old rivals. It was Murphy's second consecutive Munster winners' medal. Subsequent victories over Limerick and Waterford saw Cork qualify for their fourth consecutive All-Ireland final and for the third time Kilkenny were the opponents. Like previous encounters neither side took a considerable lead, however, Kilkenny had a vital goal from Aidan Fogarty

Aidan Fogarty

Aidan Fogarty is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Emeralds and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team.-Club:...

. Cork were in arrears coming into the final few minutes, however, 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...

 goaled for Cork. It was too little too late as ‘the Cats’ denied ‘the Rebels’ the three-in-a-row on a score line of 1-16 to 1-13.

In 2007 Cork were out foe redemption, however, their championship ambitions were hampered from the beginning. The so-called Semplegate affair resulted in Seán Óg Ó hAilpín

Seán Óg Ó hAilpín

Seán Óg Ó hAilpín is an iconic Irish-Fijian sportsperson. A former dual player, he currently plays hurling with his local club Na Piarsaigh and is a member of the Cork senior inter-county team. Ó hAilpín captained Cork to the All-Ireland title in 2005...

, Donal Óg Cusack

Dónal Óg Cusack

Donal Óg Cusack is a well-known Irish hurler and Ireland's first openly gay elite sportsman. He plays hurling at club level with Cloyne and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 1999....

 and Diarmuid O'Sullivan

Diarmuid O'Sullivan

Diarmuid O'Sullivan is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Cloyne and was a dual player with the Cork senior inter-county teams at various times from 1997 until 2008. O'Sullivan is regarded as one of Cork's greatest-ever players.-Biography:Diarmuid O'Sullivan was born in...

 being suspended for a crucial Munster semi-final clash with Waterford. In spite of being without three of their best players Cork put up a good fight but only lost by a goal. After maneuvering through the qualifiers Cork reached the All-Ireland quarter-final. Once again Waterford provided the opposition as the game controversially ended in a draw – 3-16 apiece. The replay was less exciting; however, it was still a good game as Waterford triumphed by 2-17 to 0-20.

The activities of the Cork footballers and their reaction to the appointment of Teddy Holland

Teddy Holland

Teddy Holland is an Irish retired Gaelic football manager and former player. He played football with his local clubs Ballinascarthy and St. Finbarr's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county team from 1969 until 1970...

 as their new manager impacted greatly on the preparations of the Cork hurling team. The entire panel went on a sympathy strike and missed the opening games of the National League. In the end the Cork hurlers returned to duty, however, their first championship game resulted in a defeat by Tipperary and 'the Rebels' had to take their chances in the win-or-bust qualifiers. A goal by Joe Deane in their next outing helped Cork to limp over the finish line against Dublin

Dublin GAA

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

. The team’s overall performance was less than impressive in the 1-17 to 0-15 win. Cork’s next game saw Galway, a team regarded as one of the best in the country, provide the opposition. The first-half was a poor affair with Cork’s goalkeeper, Donal Óg Cusack, being sent off. In the second-half Cork took charge and secured a 0-23 to 2-15 victory and a place in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Clare were the opposition on that occasion and, once again, Cork gave a poor first-half display. The second-half was a different story with Cork taking charge once again and securing a 2-19 to 2-17 victory. This win allowed Cork to advance to the All-Ireland semi-final where Kilkenny provided the opposition. It was the first time that these two teams met in the championship outside of an All-Ireland final. That game was an intriguing encounter; however, ‘the Cats’ won the day by 1-23 to 0-17.

Following the defeat by Kilkenny in 2008 manager Gerald McCarthy's two-year contract came to an end. He was later re-appointed for a further two-year term by the Cork County Board, in spite of the majority of the players not wanting him to stay on. The players on the 2008 panel, with Murphy playing a low-key role in the strike, refused to play or train under McCarthy. (see 2008-2009 Cork players strike). McCarthy accordingly began the 2009 National League campaign with a new squad, none of whom had been able to make the previous year's panel. After months of pressure McCarthy eventually stepped down as manager.

Following the resolution to these difficulties Cork were defeated by Tipperary on a score line of 1-19 to 0-19 in the opening round of the Munster campaign. After a convincing win over Offaly the next assignment for Murphy's Cork team was a win-or-bust All-Ireland qualifier meeting with Galway. Cork faltered in the final ten minutes as 'the Tribesmen' knocked 'the Rebels' out of the championship by 1-19 to 0-15.

In 2010 Murphy succeeded John Gardiner

John Gardiner (hurler)

John Gardiner is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Na Piarsaigh and has been a member of the Cork senior inter-county team since 2002.-Biography:...

 as captain of the Cork senior hurling team.
In 2011 Murphy was dropped from the starting 15 for the 1st round championship against Tipperary

Inter-provincial

Murphy has also lined out with 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:...

 in the Railway Cup inter-provincial competition. He played with the province for the first time in 2004, however, Munster were defeated in the final by Connacht

Connacht 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:...

 with a 1-15 to 0-9 score line. 2005 saw Murphy line out in a second Railway Cup final. 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...

 provided the opposition on that occasion, however, victory went to Munster by 1-21 to 2-14, giving Murphy a coveted Railway Cup winners' medal.

Sarsfield's

• Cork Senior Hurling Championship
  Cork Senior Hurling Championship
  The Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....
  
  :
  • Winner (2): 2008, 2010
  • Runner Up (1): 2009
• Cork Under-21 Hurling 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...
  
  :
  • Winner (1): 2003

Cork

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
  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....
  
  :
  • Winner (2): 2004
    All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2004
    The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship of 2004 was the 118th staging of Ireland's premier hurling knock-out competition. Cork won the championship, beating Kilkenny 0-17 to 0-9 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.-Participating counties:-Calendar:...
    
    , 2005
    All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2005
    The Guinness Hurling Championship 2005 began on Sunday, May 15, 2005. The 2005 championship saw some change with the introduction of a new format whereby after the provincial championships and the two new qualifying groups were completed, eight teams were left to face off in four quarter finals....
    
    
  • Runner-up (2): 2003
    All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2003
    The All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2003 was the 117th since its establishment in 1887. The first matches of the season were played in May 2003, and the championship ended on 14 September 2003...
    
     (sub), 2006
    All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2006
    The Guinness Hurling Championship 2006 was won by Kilkenny, who defeated holders Cork in the All-Ireland final.-Format:The format of the 2006 championship remained the same as in 2005:...
    
    
• Munster Senior Hurling Championship
  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....
  
  :
  • Winner (3): 2003 (sub), 2005, 2006
  • Runner-up (1): 2004
• Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship
  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...
  
  :
  • Winner (0):
  • Runner-up (2): 2003 (C), 2004
• All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
  All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
  The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
  
  :
  • Winner (1): 2001
  • Runner-up (1): 2000 (sub)
• All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
  All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
  The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
  
  :
  • Winner (1): 2001
  • Runner-up (1): 2000
• Munster Minor Hurling Championship
  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...
  
  :
  • Winner (1): 2000
  • Runner-up (1): 2001

Teams