Patrick Collins (born 12 September 1996) is an Irish hurler who plays as a goalkeeper for club side

Ballinhassig Ballinhassig () is a village in County Cork, Ireland, situated south of Cork City just off the N71 Bandon road and near the source of the River Owenabue (''Abhainn Bui'', meaning "Yellow River"). Traditionally an agricultural area, Ballinha ...

, university side

Cork Institute of Technology Cork Institute of Technology (CIT; ) was an Institutes of technology in the Republic of Ireland, institute of technology, located in Cork (city), Cork, Ireland. Upon its dissolution, the institute had 17,000 students studying in art, business, ...

and at inter-county level with the Cork senior hurling team.

Early life

Collins was born and raised in

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

. His father, Pat Collins, began the family's association with goalkeeping by lining in that position for the

club. Collins's brothers, Michael, Matthew and Ger, have all lined out for

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 various grades of hurling, while his sister, Caitríona, won an All-Ireland ICC title with the Cork intermediate

camogie Camogie ( ; ) is an Irish stick-and-ball team sport played by women. Camogie is played by 100,000 women in Ireland and worldwide, largely among Irish communities. A variant of the game "hurling" (which is played by men only), it is organised ...

team in 2018. Collins first played hurling to a high standard as a student at Coláiste an Spioraid Naoimh in

Bishopstown Bishopstown () is a suburb of Cork, located in the south west of the city. It is made-up of the townlands of Ballineaspigbeg and Ballineaspigmore (sometimes spelled Ballinaspigmore), and is located in the civil parish of St. Finbar's in the hi ...

. He later studied at

(CIT) and won an All-Ireland Division 1 Freshers' HC title in 2016 after a defeat of

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) () is a Third-level education in the Republic of Ireland, university based on the Northside, Dublin, Northside of Dublin, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Highe ...

in the final. Collins later progressed to CIT's Fitzgibbon Cup team.

Club career

Collins began his club hurling career at juvenile and underage levels with

. He won a Southeast U21AHC title in 2015 after scoring 1-07 from full-forward in the 2-16 to 2-12 defeat of

Carrigaline Carrigaline (; ) is a town and civil parish in County Cork, Republic of Ireland, Ireland, situated on the River Owenabue. Located about south of Cork (city), Cork city, and with a population of 18,239 people, it is one of the largest commuter ...

in the final. By that stage Collins had already joined Ballinhassig's senior team, having made his debut in 2013.

Inter-county career

Collins was just 15-years-old when he first played for

as a member of the minor team in 2012. His three years in the grade ended without success. Collins was 16-years-old and in his second season as a minor when he made his debut with the under-21 team. He was in goal when Cork lost the 2014 Munster U21 final to Clare by 1-28 to 1-13. Collin's five-year association with the under-21 team ended with a two-point defeat by

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 2017 Munster U21 final. Collins was just out of the minor grade when he was drafted onto the senior team by manager Jimmy Barry-Murphy in advance of the 2015 season. He was third-choice goalkeeper behind Anthony Nash and Darren McCarthy and made his debut in a

preliminary round A tournament is a competition involving at least three competitors, all participating in a sport or game. More specifically, the term may be used in either of two overlapping senses: # One or more competitions held at a single venue and concentr ...

defeat of the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () 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 became a university in Septemb ...

in the pre-season

Waterford Crystal Cup The Waterford Crystal Cup was an annual hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association from 2006 to 2015 for the top inter-county teams and third-level institutes and universities in the province of Munste ...

in January 2015. Collin's 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 ...

appearance came in a one-point defeat by

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 March 2016. Collins eventually became second-choice goalkeeper and understudy to Nash. He won consecutive Munster SHC medals as a non-playing substitute in 2017 and 2018, following consecutive defeats of Clare in the finals. Nash's inter-county retirement at the end of the 2020 season resulted in Collins becoming first-choice goalkeeper. In August 2021, he lined out in goal when Cork suffered a 3–32 to 1–22 defeat by Limerick in the 2021 All-Ireland final. Collins was again in goal when Cork lost the 2022 National League final to

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 ...

Career statistics

Club

Division

Inter-county

Honours

;Cork Institute of Technology *All-Ireland Division 1 Freshers' Hurling Championship: 2016 ;Ballinhassig *South-East Under-21 A Hurling Championship: 2015 ;Cork *

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

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 ...

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 ...

2025 So far, the year has seen the continuation of major armed conflicts, including the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Sudanese civil war (2023–present), Sudanese civil war, and the Gaza war. Internal crises in Bangladesh post-resignation v ...

References

External links

Patrick Collins profile
at the Cork GAA website {{DEFAULTSORT:Collins, Patrick 1996 births Living people CIT hurlers Ballinhassig hurlers Cork inter-county hurlers Hurling goalkeepers 21st-century Irish sportsmen