Séamus Shinnors
Encyclopedia
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.
, County Tipperary
in 1945. He was educated at the local national school and later attended Limerick
CBS
. Here his hurling skills first came to prominence. Shinnors won a Harty Cup medal with the school in 1964.
with his local club in Newport
, however, he never won a senior county title
. After moving to County Galway
he later played hurling with Ballinasloe
.
under-21 hurling team in the 1960s. He was a substitute goalkeeper on the team in the inaugural year of the competition in 1964, however, by 1965 Shinnors was the first choice net minder. He won a Munster
title in that grade that year before later lining out in the All-Ireland final. Wexford
provided the opposition on that occasion and triumphed by 3-7 to 1-4. Tipp lost their under-21 provincial title in 1966.
Shortly afterwards Shinnors joined the Tipperary senior hurling team. He was the sub goalkeeper to John O’Donoghue in 1967 and 1968 as Tipp reached the All-Ireland final in both years. They lost both games to Kilkenny
and Wexford respectively; however, in 1970 O’Donoghue retired from inter-county hurling. It looked likely that Shinnors would now become the number one goalkeeper on the team, however, before the start of the 1971 championship he was unceremoniously cut from the panel of players.
In 1974 Shinnors was back with the Tipp senior team and he was finally installed as the first choice goalkeeper. He remained between the posts until 1976, however, during those three seasons Tipperary failed to win a single championship game. After the final defeat in 1976 Shinnors retired from the Tipp panel.
To many it seemed as if Shinnors’s playing days were over. Two years later in 1978, however, he was drafted onto the Galway
senior panel by his old under-21 teammate Michael ‘Babs’ Keating
. He trained in secret until May 1979. Shinnors’s first outing with Galway was an All-Ireland quarter-final meeting with Laois
. While Galway were expected to win the game easily they struggled in patches but still won by 1-23 to 3-10. The subsequent All-Ireland semi-final saw Cork providing the opposition. Cork had been the reigning champions for the previous three years and were two games away from capturing a record-equaling four in-a-row. In an exciting game Shinnors made some excellent saves and contributed to Galway’s 2-14 to 1-13 victory over one of the greatest teams of all-time. The subsequent championship decider saw Galway take on Kilkenny. In one of the worst All-Ireland finals of recent decades Shinnors had an absolute nightmare of a game. A ’70 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 as Kilkenny went on to win by 2-12 to 1-8.
This defeat shook Shinnors’s confidence; however, he remained on the panel for the National Hurling League
in late 1979 and early 1980. He assumed that he would be lining out in the championship, however, a few weeks before Galway’s first outing Shinnors receive a letter explaining that he had been dropped from the panel. It was the end of his inter-county career. Even more heartbreaking for Shinnors was the fact that Galway went on to win the All-Ireland that year, their first title in fifty-seven years.
in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He won his sole Railway Cup medal in 1980 as Connacht defeat Munster
. It was Connacht’s second Railway Cup title and their first in thirty-three years.
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 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 Newport
Newport GAA
Newport GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football and hurling club located in the town of Newport in County Tipperary, Ireland. The club is part of the North Division of Tipperary GAA.-Lacken Park:Named after the Ryan name Lacken...
and with the 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...
and 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 teams in the 1970s.
Early life
Séamus Shinnors was born in NewportNewport
Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
, County Tipperary
County Tipperary
County Tipperary is a county of Ireland. It is located in the province of Munster and is named after the town of Tipperary. The area of the county does not have a single local authority; local government is split between two authorities. In North Tipperary, part of the Mid-West Region, local...
in 1945. He was educated at the local national school and later attended Limerick
Limerick
Limerick is the third largest city in the Republic of Ireland, and the principal city of County Limerick and Ireland's Mid-West Region. It is the fifth most populous city in all of Ireland. When taking the extra-municipal suburbs into account, Limerick is the third largest conurbation in the...
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Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...
. Here his hurling skills first came to prominence. Shinnors won a Harty Cup medal with the school in 1964.
Club
Shinnors played his club hurlingHurling
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 in Newport
Newport GAA
Newport GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football and hurling club located in the town of Newport in County Tipperary, Ireland. The club is part of the North Division of Tipperary GAA.-Lacken Park:Named after the Ryan name Lacken...
, however, he never won a senior county title
Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship
The Tipperary Senior Hurling Club Championship is an annual club competition between the top Tipperary hurling clubs...
. After moving to County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
he later played hurling with Ballinasloe
Ballinasloe GAA
Ballinasloe GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association gaelic football and hurling club located in Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland.It was formed on 1 December 2005 as the result of a merger of St Grellan's GFC and Ballinasloe Hurling Club.-External links:*...
.
Inter-county
Shinnors first came to prominence on the inter-county scene with the TipperaryTipperary 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...
under-21 hurling team in the 1960s. He was a substitute goalkeeper on the team in the inaugural year of the competition in 1964, however, by 1965 Shinnors was the first choice net minder. He won a 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...
title in that grade that year before later lining out in the All-Ireland final. 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...
provided the opposition on that occasion and triumphed by 3-7 to 1-4. Tipp lost their under-21 provincial title in 1966.
Shortly afterwards Shinnors joined the Tipperary senior hurling team. He was the sub goalkeeper to John O’Donoghue in 1967 and 1968 as Tipp reached the All-Ireland final in both years. They lost both games to 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...
and Wexford respectively; however, in 1970 O’Donoghue retired from inter-county hurling. It looked likely that Shinnors would now become the number one goalkeeper on the team, however, before the start of the 1971 championship he was unceremoniously cut from the panel of players.
In 1974 Shinnors was back with the Tipp senior team and he was finally installed as the first choice goalkeeper. He remained between the posts until 1976, however, during those three seasons Tipperary failed to win a single championship game. After the final defeat in 1976 Shinnors retired from the Tipp panel.
To many it seemed as if Shinnors’s playing days were over. Two years later in 1978, however, he was drafted onto 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 panel by his old under-21 teammate Michael ‘Babs’ Keating
Michael Keating (hurler)
Michael 'Babs' Keating is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Ballybacon-Grange and with the Tipperary senior inter-county team in the 1960s and 1970s...
. He trained in secret until May 1979. Shinnors’s first outing with Galway was an All-Ireland quarter-final meeting with Laois
Laois GAA
The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Laois GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Laois and the Laois inter-county teams.-History:...
. While Galway were expected to win the game easily they struggled in patches but still won by 1-23 to 3-10. The subsequent All-Ireland semi-final saw Cork providing the opposition. Cork had been the reigning champions for the previous three years and were two games away from capturing a record-equaling four in-a-row. In an exciting game Shinnors made some excellent saves and contributed to Galway’s 2-14 to 1-13 victory over one of the greatest teams of all-time. The subsequent championship decider saw Galway take on Kilkenny. In one of the worst All-Ireland finals of recent decades Shinnors had an absolute nightmare of a game. A ’70 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 as Kilkenny went on to win by 2-12 to 1-8.
This defeat shook Shinnors’s confidence; however, he remained on the panel for the 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...
in late 1979 and early 1980. He assumed that he would be lining out in the championship, however, a few weeks before Galway’s first outing Shinnors receive a letter explaining that he had been dropped from the panel. It was the end of his inter-county career. Even more heartbreaking for Shinnors was the fact that Galway went on to win the All-Ireland that year, their first title in fifty-seven years.
Provincial
Shinnors 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 competition. He won his sole Railway Cup medal in 1980 as Connacht defeat 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:...
. It was Connacht’s second Railway Cup title and their first in thirty-three years.