Mark Foley (Limerick Hurler)
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Mark Foley (born 17 April 1975 in
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 * ...
, Ireland) is an Irish sportsperson. He plays
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 his local club
Adare Adare (; ) is a village in County Limerick, Ireland, located southwest of the city of Limerick. Adare is designated as a heritage town by the Irish government. The village is in a townland and civil parish of the same name. History The River M ...
and was a member of the
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 ...
senior inter-county team from 1995 until 2009.


Early life

Mark Foley was born in
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 1975 and when he was nine months old his family moved to
Adare Adare (; ) is a village in County Limerick, Ireland, located southwest of the city of Limerick. Adare is designated as a heritage town by the Irish government. The village is in a townland and civil parish of the same name. History The River M ...
,
County Limerick County Limerick () is a western Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Reg ...
. He was born into a family that had a great interest in
Gaelic games Gaelic games () are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the most popular of the s ...
. His father would later serve as a selector with the
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 ...
senior hurling team. Foley was educated locally and later attended
Mary Immaculate College Mary Immaculate College (''Coláiste Mhuire gan Smál''), also known as MIC and Mary I, is a College of Education and Liberal Arts. Founded in 1898, the university level College of Education and the Liberal Arts is academically linked with the ...
in
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 ...
where he studied to be a primary school teacher. Here he played on both the college
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 ...
and college
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
teams.


Playing career


Club

Foley plays his club
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 his local
Adare Adare (; ) is a village in County Limerick, Ireland, located southwest of the city of Limerick. Adare is designated as a heritage town by the Irish government. The village is in a townland and civil parish of the same name. History The River M ...
team. He has had much success with the club, winning under-12, under-14, under-16 and minor county medals throughout the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 2001 and 2002. Foley won back-to-back 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 ...
medals with Adare. They were beaten in the 2003 final by Patrickswell. In 2007 he (and Adare) won a third county senior championship and a fourth in 2008. In early 2013 Foley played junior hurling with Castletown/Ballyagran the very same parish as where he run's the local pub, however there was mixed fortunes for the club as they won the ''South junior hurling'' championship but were then beaten in a county semi-final by local rivals Feenagh/Kilmeedy On 30 December 2013 Foley was announced Vice-Chairman of Castletown/Ballyagran GAA club .


Inter-county

Foley has played hurling at all levels with
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 ...
. In the early 1990s he played on both the minor and under-21 teams, however, he had little success. He later joined the senior side and was a member of the panel when Limerick won the Munster Championship in 1994. The team later lost the
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 ...
final to
Offaly County Offaly (; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in honour of Philip II of Spain ...
in what has become known as 'the five-minute final.' In 1995 Foley made his championship debut against Tipperary, however, Limerick later lost the Munster final to Clare. The following year he won his first Munster title as a full member of the team and Limerick later qualified to play
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 All-Ireland final. For the second time in three years Limerick left
Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and headquarters of the Gaelic At ...
empty handed. There was some consolation for Foley as his performance in the championship earned him 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 ...
award and he was also crowned the All Stars Young Hurler of the Year. In 1997 Foley 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 with Limerick, however, the following decade saw Limerick's senior hurling fortunes take a dramatic downturn. In spite of this Foley received a second All-Star award in 2001. Six years later in 2007 Limerick had an epic battle with Tipp in the provincial championship. After a second replay Foley's side emerged victorious and qualified to play
Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...
in the Munster final. Although Limerick lost on that occasion the team showed that they were not a pushover. Limerick later gained their revenge on Waterford by defeating them in the All-Ireland semi-final. This victory allowed Foley's side to play
Kilkenny Kilkenny ( , meaning 'church of Cainnech of Aghaboe, Cainnech'). is a city in County Kilkenny, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region, Ireland, South-East Region and in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinst ...
in the championship decider. Unfortunately, Limerick got off to a bad start with goalkeeper Brian Murray letting in two goals in the first ten minutes. 'The Cats', however, went on to win the game by six points. In the 2009 All-Ireland Championship quarter-final against
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 ...
, Foley became Limerick's most "capped" player of all time. It was his 46th Championship appearance for Limerick, overtaking Timmy Ryan's record which had stood since 1946. He led his team as far as the All-Ireland semi-finals before being knocked out by Tipperary.


Provincial

Foley has also lined out 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 the
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 ...
inter-provincial competition. He captured a winners medal in this competition in 1997 as Munster defeated
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 ...
.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Mark 1975 births Living people Adare hurlers Irish schoolteachers Alumni of Mary Immaculate College, Limerick Limerick inter-county hurlers Munster inter-provincial hurlers Sportspeople from Cork (city) GAA/GPA Young Hurlers of the Year