John Callinan (born 1955) is an Irish former sportsman. He played

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

with the Clare senior teamhttp://www.sligoweekender.ie/news/story/?trs=cwqlojqlkf from 1973 until 1987.

Early life

Callinan was born in

Clarecastle Clarecastle (''An Clár'' or ) is a village just south of Ennis in County Clare, Ireland. Name The town is named after the Clare Castle, which stands on an island in the narrowest navigable part of the River Fergus. The Irish ''Clár'', meani ...

County Clare County Clare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster in the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern part of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council ...

, in 1955 into a family of one brother and four sisters. He was educated locally and would later become one of Clare's greatest-ever hurling players. He attended

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

(UCD), where he also played on the university's hurling team. He graduated as a Lawyer and currently practices in

Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...

, County Clare.

Playing career

Club

Callinan played his club

with his local

club. He won senior

county championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

titles in 1986 and 1987.

Inter-county

Callinan played hurling with the

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 ...

minor team in the early 1970s before making his senior debut in 1973. The following year he played in his first Munster SHC final; however, his side lost to

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

. Three years later in 1977 Callinan had his first major success when he won a

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. However, this was followed by a Munster SHC final defeat by

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 1978 he won a second consecutive National League title; however, Clare lost again to Cork in the Munster SHC final. Two further Munster SHC final appearances ended in defeat for Callinan in 1981 and 1986. He retired from inter-county hurling following defeat in the championship in 1987. In spite of never winning a championship medal Callinan did win three

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () 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 and Ulster GAA teams are co ...

medals with

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

in 1976, 1978 and 1981. He also won two

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 ...

awards in 1979 and 1981.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Callinan, John 1955 births Living people Clarecastle hurlers Clare inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers 20th-century Irish sportsmen