Andrew James Comerford (born 10 October 1972) is an Irish retired hurling manager and former player who played for Kilkenny Senior Championship club O'Loughlin Gaels. He played for the

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

and

Kilkenny senior hurling team The Kilkenny county hurling team represents Kilkenny in hurling and is governed by Kilkenny GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior ...

s for nearly a decade, during which time he usually lined out at midfield or centre-forward. Comerford began his hurling career at junior club level with O'Loughlin Gaels. After a brief spell with the Brothers Pearse club in

, he returned to O'Loughlin Gaels and enjoyed his first success as a member of the 1996 Kilkenny Intermediate Championship-winning team and promotion to the top flight of Kilkenny hurling. Comerford later captained the club to the Leinster Club Championship in

2003 File:2003 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The crew of STS-107 perished when the Space Shuttle Columbia Space Shuttle Columbia disaster, disintegrated during reentry into Atmosphere of Earth, Earth's atmosphere; SARS became an 2002– ...

as well as two Kilkenny Senior Championships in

2001 The September 11 attacks against the United States by Al-Qaeda, which killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror, were a defining event of 2001. The United States led a multi-national coalition in an invasion of Afghanistan ...

and

. He made numerous championship appearances in three different grades of hurling for the club, while his early prowess also saw him selected for the

Waterford Regional Technical College The Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT; ga, Institiúid Teicneolaíochta Phort Láirge) was an institute of technology, located in Waterford, Ireland. The institute had six constituent schools and offered programmes in business, engineerin ...

, with whom he won a

Fitzgibbon Cup The Fitzgibbon Cup ( ga, Corn Mhic Giobúin) is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland. The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered ...

title.. At inter-county level, Comerford was part of the successful Kilkenny minor team that won the All-Ireland Championship in 1990 before later winning a

Leinster Championship Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of I ...

with the under-21 team in

1993 File:1993 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The Oslo I Accord is signed in an attempt to resolve the Israeli–Palestinian conflict; The Russian White House is shelled during the 1993 Russian constitutional crisis; Czechoslovakia is peace ...

. A two-year tenure with the London senior team yielded an All-Ireland B Championship in

1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The Great Hanshin earthquake strike ...

. Comerford joined the Kilkenny senior team in 1996. From his debut, he was a regular at midfield, centre-forward or wing-forward and made a combined total of 53 League and Championship appearances in a career that ended with his last game in

. During that time Comerford was part of three All-Ireland Championship-winning teams – in

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, as captain of the team in 2002 and as a substitute in

. He also secured six successive

medals and two

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual inter-county hurling competition featuring teams from Ireland and England. Founded in 1925 by the Gaelic Athletic Association, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation within the league system. ...

medals. Comerford won his first All-Star in

1999 File:1999 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The funeral procession of King Hussein of Jordan in Amman; the 1999 İzmit earthquake kills over 17,000 people in Turkey; the Columbine High School massacre, one of the first major school s ...

, before claiming a second successive award in

. At inter-provincial level, he was selected to play with

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

on a number of occasions, with his sole

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...

medal being won in 2002. In retirement from playing, Comerford became involved in team management and coaching. At inter-county level he took charge of the Kildare senior hurling team, while he enjoyed championship success with O'Loughlin Gaels at club level.

Playing career

St. Kieran's College

During his secondary schooling at

St. Kieran's College St Kieran's College (Coláiste Chiaráin) is a Roman Catholic secondary school, located on College Road, Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Ireland. History St Kieran's College was founded in Kilkenny, in the diocese of Ossory in 1782, after the passi ...

in Kilkenny, Comerford played in all grades of hurling before joining the college's senior hurling team in his final two years. On 15 April 1989, he lined out at right wing-forward when St. Kieran's College drew 1-07 apiece with Birr CBS in the Leinster final. Comerford retained his position for the replay a week later and claimed his first winners' medal following the 2–11 to 1–09 victory. On 7 May 1989, he won an All-Ireland medal after scoring a vital goal from right wing-forward in the 3–05 to 1–09 defeat of St. Flannan's College in the final. On 1 April 1990, Comerford won a second successive Leinster Championship medal after a 2–09 to 1–07 defeat of local rivals Kilkenny CBS in the final. On 16 May 1990, he lined out at right wing-forward in a second successive All-Ireland final. Comerford scored three points from play and claimed a second successive winners' medal after the 2–10 to 0–07 defeat of St. Flannan's College.

Waterford Regional Technical College

As a student at the

, Comerford was a regular on the college senior hurling team. On 8 March 1992, he was listed amongst the substitutes when Waterford RTC faced the

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it beca ...

in the Fitzgibbon Cup final. Comerford scored two points after coming on as a substitute and claimed a winners' medal after the 1–19 to 1–08 victory.

Brothers Pearse

During his time in

, Comerford joined the Brothers Pearse club. On 24 September 1995, he lined out at centre-back when Brothers Pearse faced St. Gabriel's in the

final Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: * Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of con ...

, but ended the game on the losing side following a 3–07 to 0–12 defeat.

O'Loughlin Gaels

Comerford joined the O'Loughlin Gaels club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels. After returning from

, he joined the club's intermediate team at the start of the 1996 Kilkenny Championship. On 20 October 1996, Comerford lined out at midfield when O'Loughlin Gaels faced Graignamanagh in the championship final. He ended the game with a winners' medal following the 2–13 to 2–08 victory. On 15 October 2000, Comerford lined out at centre-back when O'Loughlin Gaels qualified to play Graigue-Ballycallan in the Kilkenny Senior Championship final. He ended the game on the losing side following the 0–16 to 0–09 defeat. Comerford was appointed captain of the O'Loughin Gaels senior team prior to the start of the 2001 Kilkenny Championship. On 14 October 2001, he captained the team to a second successive

appearance against Graigue-Ballycallan. Comerford ended the game with a winners' medal following a 1–17 to 1–06 victory. On 26 October 2003, Comerford captained O'Loughlin Gaels to a

appearance against Young Irelands. He lined out at centre-back in the 3–09 to 2–12 draw. On 2 November 2003, Comerford won a second winners' medal after captaining the team to a 2–12 to 2–10 victory in the replay. On 30 November 2003, he won a

medal after captaining O'Loughlin Gaels to a 0–15 to 0–09 defeat of Birr in the final. On 5 November 2006, Comerford once again captained O'Loughlin Gaels when they qualified to play Ballyhale Shamrocks in the

. He ended the game on the losing side after a 1–22 to 2–11 defeat.

London

Comerford joined the London senior hurling team in advance of the 1994 All-Ireland B Championship. He made his first appearance for the team on 3 July 1994 when he lined out at midfield in the All-Ireland final against

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who bui ...

. Comerford ended the game on the losing side following a 1–10 to 1–09 defeat. On 2 July 1995, Comerford lined out at midfield in a second successive All-Ireland final. He ended the game with a winners' medal following the 2–07 to 0–08 defeat of

Wicklow Wicklow ( ; ga, Cill Mhantáin , meaning 'church of the toothless one'; non, Víkingaló) is the county town of County Wicklow in Ireland. It is located south of Dublin on the east coast of the island. According to the 2016 census, it has ...

in what was his last game for London.

Kilkenny

Minor and under-21

Comerford first lined out for Kilkenny as a member of the minor team during the 1990 Leinster Championship. On 8 July 1990, he was listed amongst the substitutes when Kilkenny faced Laois in the Leinster final, however, he was introduced as a 36th-minute substitute for team captain James McDermott at midfield. Comerford scored three points and claimed a winners' medal following the 3–15 to 0–15 victory. On 2 September 1990, he lined out at centre-forward when Kilkenny qualified to play Cork in the All-Ireland final but was held scoreless in the 3-14 apiece draw. Comerford retained his place on the starting fifteen for the replay on 30 September 1990, however, he was switched to right wing-forward. He scored two points from play and claimed an All-Ireland medal after the 3–16 to 0–11 victory. Comerford was added to the Kilkenny under-21 team in advance of the 1993 Leinster Championship. On 31 July 1993, he won a

medal after scoring two points from right wing-forward in the 4–13 to 2–07 defeat of

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N1 ...

in the final. Comerford retained his position at right wing-forward for the All-Ireland final on 12 September 1993. He was held scoreless in the 2–14 to 3–11 draw. Comerford was switched to midfield for the replay on 3 October 1993, however, he ended the game on the losing side after a 2–09 to 3–03 defeat.

Senior

Comerford was added to the Kilkenny senior hurling panel during the 1996 Oireachtas Cup. On 1 December 1996, he claimed his first silverware at senior level when he won an

Oireachtas Cup The Oireachtas Cup was an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1939 and 1999 for the top inter-county teams in Ireland. The series of games were usually played in the autumn months after the completion ...

medal after lining out at left wing-forward in the 0–11 to 1–04 defeat of

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

. On 9 March 1997, Comerford made his first appearance in the

National League The National League of Professional Baseball Clubs, known simply as the National League (NL), is the older of two leagues constituting Major League Baseball (MLB) in the United States and Canada, and the world's oldest extant professional team ...

when he lined out at centre-forward in a 3–08 to 2–10 defeat by

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

. He made his

debut on 22 June 1997 when he scored two points from play in the 2–20 to 2–13 defeat of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 ...

. On 13 July 1997, Comerford scored a point from midfield when Kilkenny suffered a 2–14 to 1–11 defeat by Wexford in the Leinster final. On 5 July 1998, Comerford was selected amongst the substitutes when Kilkenny qualified to play Offaly in the Leinster final. He was introduced as a substitute for John Dooley and collected a winners' medal after scoring a point from play in the 3–10 to 1–11 victory. On 13 September 1998, Comerford was back on the starting fifteen and lined out at centre-forward when Kilkenny once again faced Offaly in the All-Ireland final. He scored a point from play before being substituted in the 2–16 to 1–13 defeat. On 11 July 1999, Comerford won his second Leinster Championship medal after scoring a point from midfield in the 5–14 to 1–16 defeat of Offaly in the

. On 12 September 1999, he was again selected at midfield when Kilkenny qualified for a first All-Ireland final-meeting with Cork in seven years. He scored two points from play but ended the game on the losing side after a 0–13 to 0–12 defeat. Comerford ended the season by winning his first All-Star. Brian Cody

Comerford lined out in a third consecutive Leinster final on 9 July 2000. He scored a point from midfield and claimed a third consecutive winners' medal after the 2–21 to 1–13 defeat of Offaly. Comerford made his third consecutive All-Ireland final appearance on 10 September 2000, with Offaly once again providing the opposition. He scored a point from play and collected his first All-Ireland medal after the 5–15 to 1–14 victory. He ended the season by winning a second successive All-Star award. On 8 July 2001, Carey made his fourth successive appearance in a Leinster final. Lining out at midfield he collected a fourth winners' medal after the 2–19 to 0–12 defeat of Wexford. Comerford was appointed

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

of the Kilkenny senior team at the start of the 2002 season. On 5 May 2002, he captained Kilkenny to a National League final appearance against Cork. Comerford scored two points from left wing-forward and collected a winners' medal following the 2–15 to 2–14 victory. On 7 July 2002, Comerford captained Kilkenny to a fifth successive Leinster Championship title after a 0–19 to 0–17 defeat of fourteen-man Wexford. On 8 September 2002, Comerford captained Kilkenny to an All-Ireland final appearance against Clare. He ended the game with a second winners' medal and the honour of lifting the

Liam MacCarthy Cup The Liam MacCarthy Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship, the main competition in the prehistoric sport of hurling. Based on the design of a ...

following the 2–20 to 0–19 victory. On 5 May 2003, Comerford won a second successive National League medal as a non-playing substitute after Kilkenny's 5–14 to 5–13 defeat of Tipperary in the National League final. On 6 July 2003, he won his sixth successive Leinster Championship medal - albeit as an unused substitute - following the 2–23 to 2–12 defeat of Wexford in the final. On 7 September 2003, Comerford was listed amongst the substitutes when Kilkenny faced Cork in the All-Ireland final. He was introduced as a 60th-minute substitute for

James Ryall James Ryall (born 14 November 1980) is an Irish hurler who plays for his local club Graigue–Ballycallan and at senior level for the Kilkenny county team from 2002 to 2010. Biography James Ryall was born in Kilmanagh, County Kilkenny in 1 ...

and collected a third All-Ireland winners' medal after the 1–14 to 1–11 victory. Comerford retired from inter-county hurling following this victory.

Leinster

Comerford also lined out with

in the inter-provincial hurling competition. He was captain of his province in 2002 as Leinster defeated an all-

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a city in the West of Ireland, in the province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay, and is the sixth most populous city ...

Connacht team, giving him a

medal.

Managerial career

Kildare

On 1 November 2007, Comerford was ratified as manager of the Kildare senior hurling team. His first competitive match in charge was a 2–12 to 0–11 defeat of

in the 2008 National League. In the subsequent

Christy Ring Cup The Christy Ring Cup () is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Originally introduced as a second-tier competition, it is currently the third tier overall in the inter-county hurling championship system. Eac ...

campaign, Comerford's side topped their group before exiting at the quarter-final stage following a 2–22 to 3–13 defeat by

Westmeath "Noble above nobility" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Westmeath.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = , subdivis ...

. Comerford's second

campaign in charge saw Kildare finish in second place in the group stage and qualifying for the final. On 2 May 2009, Kildare secured the Division 3A title and promotion after a 2–18 to 1–18 defeat of

Meath Meath may refer to: General * County Meath, Republic of Ireland **Kingdom of Meath, medieval precursor of the county ** List of kings of Meath ** Meath GAA, including the intercounty football and hurling teams ** Diocese of Meath, in the Roman Cath ...

. For the second year in succession, Comerford's side were defeated at the quarter-final stage of the

. Comerford's third season in charge saw Kildare line out in Division 2 of the National League. His side recorded only one victory in the seven-game group stage before being relegated at the end of the campaign. On 5 June 2010, Comerford guided Kildare to the semi-finals of the

for the first time in three years. His side suffered a 3–19 to 0–18 defeat by Westmeath. On 11 June 2010, Comerford stepped down as manager.

O'Loughlin Gaels

Shortly after stepping down as Kildare manager, Comerford was appointed coach of the O'Loughlin Gaels senior team for the 2010 Kilkenny Championship. On 24 October 2010, he helped guide the team to the championship title following a 0–17 to 1–11 defeat of Carrickshock in the

. On 30 January 2011, O'Loughlin Gaels secured the

title following a 0–14 to 1–08 defeat of Oulart-the Ballagh. On 17 March 2011, Comerford's side qualified for an All-Ireland final meeting with Clarinbridge, however, they suffered a 2–18 to 0–12 defeat.

Career statistics

Honours

Player

;St. Kieran's College * All-Ireland Colleges Senior Hurling Championship (2): 1989, 1990 * Leinster Colleges Senior Hurling Championship (2): 1989, 1990 ;Waterford Regional Technical College *

(1): 1992 ;O'Loughlin Gaels * Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship (1):

Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship The Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the St Canice's Credit Union Senior Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Kilkenny SHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny County Board of ...

(2):

(c),

All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship The All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship was an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association between 1974 and 2004 for the so-called 'weaker' hurling teams in Ireland. The teams now play in the Joe McDonagh Cup (Tie ...

(1):

;Kilkenny *

All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship, known simply as the All-Ireland Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hurling competition i ...

(3):

, 2002 (c),

Leinster Senior Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-county hu ...

(6):

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

, 2002,

(2): 2002 (c),

Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-20 Championship known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the hi ...

(1):

* All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship (1): 1990 * Leinster Minor Hurling Championship (1): 1990 ;Leinster *

(1): 2002

Management

;O'Loughlin Gaels * Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship (1): 2010 *

(1): 2010 ;Kildare * National League Division 3A (1): 2009

Individual

;Awards * GAA All-Star Award (2):

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comerford, Andy 1972 births Living people All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners Alumni of Waterford Institute of Technology English Gaelic footballers English hurlers Hurling managers Gaelic games players from London Kilkenny inter-county hurlers Leinster inter-provincial hurlers London inter-county hurlers O'Loughlin Gaels hurlers Waterford IT hurlers