Cillian Buckley (born 14 July 1992) is an Irish hurler. At club level he plays with Dicksboro, while he is a former member of the

Kilkenny senior hurling team The Kilkenny county hurling team represents County Kilkenny, Kilkenny in hurling and is governed by Kilkenny GAA, the County board (Gaelic games), county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inte ...

Playing career

St Kieran's College

During his schooling at

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

in Kilkenny, Buckley established himself as a key member of the senior hurling team. In 2010 he won his first

Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...

medal following a 3–13 to 1–11 defeat of Dublin Colleges. On 3 April 2010, St Kieran's faced Ardscoil Rís in the All-Ireland decider. Buckley's side trailed by five points as the game entered the final quarter; however, St Kieran's staged a magnificent comeback, hitting 1–5 without reply, including a Michael Brennan goal in the 51st minute, to claim a 2–11 to 2–8 victory. It was Buckley's first

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...

medal. Buckley added a second successive Leinster medal to his collection in 2011, as St Kieran's recorded a 3–7 to 0–7 victory over Castlecomer Community School. On 2 April 2011, St Kieran's renewed their rivalry with Ardscoil Rís in the All-Ireland final. A Thomas O'Hanrahan goal deep into stoppage time secured a 2–10 to 1–11 victory for St Kieran's and a second All-Ireland medal for Buckley.

Dicksboro

After experiencing championship success in the minor and under-21 grades, Buckley subsequently joined Dicksboro's top team. In 2011 Dicksboro faced

Mullinavat Mullinavat () is a town in south County Kilkenny, Ireland. Its main industries are tourism and agriculture. The town's name in Irish translates as 'mill of the stick' which, according to local tradition, may refer to a mill which could only b ...

in the intermediate championship decider. "The Boro" had the better of the first half and led at the interval by six points. Mullinavat, despite dominating most of the second half, could not turn their possession into enough scores and Dicksboro held out to take a 2–12 to 2–11 victory, with Buckley collecting a

championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

medal.

Kilkenny

Minor and under-21

Buckley first played for Kilkenny in 2009 when he joined the minor side. He won his first

medal that year following Kilkenny's 1–19 to 0–11 trouncing of

Wexford Wexford ( ; archaic Yola dialect, Yola: ''Weiseforthe'') is the county town of County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the ...

in the provincial decider.

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland MHC decider on 6 September 2009. A devastating second quarter display was pivotal in powering the Westerners to a 2–15 to 2–11 victory. In 2010, Buckley was appointed

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

of the Kilkenny minor team. He won a second Leinster MHC medal that year following a 1–20 to 0–10 trouncing of

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

. The subsequent All-Ireland MHC decider on 5 September 2010 pitted Kilkenny against

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 ...

. "The Cats" were made to work hard before securing a narrow 2–10 to 0–14 victory, giving Buckley an

All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship) is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Associ ...

medal and the honour of lifting the cup as captain. Two years later Buckley was a key member of the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won his sole

medal that year following a 4–24 to 1–13 trouncing of

Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

. Kilkenny later faced

in the

decider on 15 September 2012. A powerful second-half display, in which they outscored Kilkenny by 1–10 to 0–4, saw Clare take their second ever All-Ireland title in the grade.

Senior

Buckley made his senior debut for Kilkenny on 12 February 2012 in the final of the pre-season Walsh Cup. He came on as a substitute as Kilkenny defeated

to take the title by 2–20 to 1–14. Buckley was a regular during the subsequent league campaign, which eventually saw Kilkenny facing old rival

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

in the decider. A huge 3–21 to 0–16 victory gave him a first

National Hurling League The National Hurling League is an annual Inter county, 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 l ...

medal. Kilkenny were later shocked by Galway in the

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 hur ...

(SHC) decider, losing by 2–21 to 2–11; however, both sides subsequently met in the All-Ireland SHC decider on 9 September 2012. Kilkenny had led going into the final stretch; however,

Joe Canning Joseph Canning (born 11 October 1988) is an Irish hurler who plays for club side Portumna and previously at inter-county level with the Galway senior hurling team. Regarded as one of the greatest hurlers in the history of the sport, Canning en ...

struck a stoppage time equaliser to level the game at 2–13 to 0–19 and send the final to a replay for the first time since

1959 Events January * January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance. * January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...

. The replay took place three weeks later on 30 September 2012. Galway stunned the reigning champions with two first-half goals; however, Kilkenny's championship debutant Walter Walsh gave a man of the match performance, claiming a 1–3 haul. The 3–22 to 3–11 Kilkenny victory gave Buckley a first

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

(SHC) medal. Kilkenny's dominance showed no sign of abating in 2013, with Buckley winning a second successive league medal following a 2–17 to 0–20 defeat of Tipperary in the decider. In 2014 Buckley collected his third successive league medal, as Kilkenny secured a narrow one-point 2–25 to 1–27 extra-time victory over Tipperary. Buckley subsequently secured his first Leinster SHC medal, as a dominant Kilkenny display gave "The Cats" a 0–14 to 1–9 defeat of

. On 7 September 2014, Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland SHC decider. In what some consider to be the greatest game of all time, the sides were level when Tipperary were awarded a controversial free.

John O'Dwyer John O'Dwyer (born 17 September 1991) is an Irish hurling, hurler who plays for Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship, Tipperary Senior club Championship club Killenaule GAA, Killenaule and previously played at inter-county level with the Tipper ...

had the chance to win the game; however, his late free drifted wide resulting in a draw. The replay on 27 September 2014 was also a close affair. Goals from brothers

Richie Richie or Richy is a masculine given name or short form (hypocorism) of Richard. It is also a surname. First name * Richie Ashburn (1927–1997), American Major League Baseball player, member of the Hall of Fame * Richie Benaud (1930–2015), Aust ...

and John Power inspired Kilkenny to a 2–17 to 2–14 victory. It was Buckley's second All-Ireland SHC medal, while he was later presented with an

All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

. Buckley won a second successive Leinster SHC medal in 2015 following a 1–25 to 2–15 defeat of Galway in the provincial decider. Kilkenny subsequently defeated Galway in the All-Ireland SHC final, earning Buckley his third Celtic Cross. In August 2024, Buckley announced his retirement from inter-county hurling.

Career statistics

Honours

;St Kieran's College * All-Ireland Colleges Senior Hurling Championship (2):

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...

Leinster Colleges Senior Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Post-Primary Schools Senior A Hurling Championship, is an annual inter-schools hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association. It is the highest inter-schools hurling competition in the ...

(2): 2010, 2011 ;Dicksboro *

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 ...

(1):

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

Leinster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship ''For the senior hurling equivalent see: Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship'' The Leinster Intermediate Club Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Leinster GAA Hurling Intermediate Club Championship) is an annual h ...

(1):

Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship The Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Michael Lyng Motors Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Kilkenny IHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kilkenny GAA, Kilkenny ...

(1): 2010 * Kilkenny Under-21 Hurling Championship (1): 2009 * Kilkenny Minor Hurling Championship (2): 2009, 2010 ;Kilkenny *

(3):

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

(8):

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...

2024 The year saw the list of ongoing armed conflicts, continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Myanmar civil war (2021–present), Myanmar civil war, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudane ...

(5):

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

( c),

* Walsh Cup (3):

Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Under-20 Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the oneills.com Leinster GAA Under-20 Hurling Championship), is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic ...

(1):

( c) *

Leinster Minor Hurling Championship The Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Leinster GAA Hurling Minor Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic ...

(2)

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

( c) ;Awards * GAA-GPA All-Star (2): 2014, 2015

References

External links

Cillian Buckley profile
at the Kilkenny GAA website {{DEFAULTSORT:Buckley, Cillian 1992 births Living people All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners All Stars Awards winners (hurling) Biomedical engineers Dicksboro hurlers Engineers from County Kilkenny Hurling backs Kilkenny inter-county hurlers 21st-century Irish engineers 21st-century Irish sportsmen