Colin Fennelly
Encyclopedia
Colin Fennelly is an Irish
hurler
who currently plays as a corner-forward for the Kilkenny
senior team.
Fennelly made his first appearance for the team during the 2011 championship
and quickly became a regular member of the starting fifteen. In his debut season he won an All-Ireland
winner's medals and a Leinster
winner's medals.
At club level, Fennelly has won an All-Ireland
winners' medal and is a double Leinster
medalist with Ballyhale Shamrocks. In addition to this he has also won two county club championship winners' medals.
He is a brother of All-Ireland-winning captain Michael Fennelly
and a nephew of double All-Ireland-winning captain Liam Fennelly
.
In 2007 Fennelly was still a minor when he joined the Shamrocks' senior team. He won his first county club championship winners' medal that year following a 1-20 to 1-10 defeat if St. Martin's
.
Fennelly was on course for a second consecutive county title in 2008, however, an injury ruled him out of Ballyhale's county final victory over James Stephens. He subsequently returned to the starting fifteen and collected a Leinster
winners' medal following a 2-13 to 1-11 defeat of Birr
. Ballyhale Shamrocks were subsequently blitzed on a score line of 5–11 to 1–16 by Portumna
in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Ballyhale Shamrocks completed a famous four-in-a-row in 2009, with Fennelly winning his second county winners' medal following a 1-14 to 1-11 defeat of James Stephens. He later added a second Leinster club winners' medal to his collection following a 1-16 to 1-8 defeat of Tullamore
, before lining out in his first All-Ireland final. Portumna were the opponents on that occasion and were the hot favourites for the title, however, a 1-19 t 0-17 score line gave Ballyhale the title and gave Fennelly a coveted All-Ireland
winners' medal.
minor hurling team in 2006. That year he won a Leinster
winners' medal following a crushing 4-22 to 1-5 defeat of Carlow
. Kilkenny were later defeated in the All-Ireland semi-final.
2007 was Fennelly's final year as a member of the Kilkenny minor team, however, it proved to be a year to forget. A 2-14 to 1-10 defeat by Dublin
saw Kilkenny surrender their provincial crown. Fennelly's side were later beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final for the second consecutive year.
By 2008 Fennelly had joined the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won a Leinster
winners' medal in that grade in his debut season as Kilkenny trounced Offaly
by 2-21 to 2-9. Fennelly later won an All-Ireland
winners' medal following a 2-13 to 0-15 defeat of Tipperary
.
Kilkenny retained their Leinster title in 2009 following a 2-20 to 1-19 defeat of Dublin. A second All-Ireland final appearance for Fennelly soon followed, with Clare
providing the opposition. A close game developed, however, Fennelly ended up on the losing side by just a single point.
games and was chosen on the starting fifteen for the final against Dublin. That was a disappointing affair for Kilkenny, who were defeated by 0-22 to 1-7. Fennelly later made his championship debut against Wexford
in a Leinster semi-final and subsequently collected his first Leinster
winners' medal following a 4-17 to 1-15 defeat of Dublin. Fennelly later lined out in his first All-Ireland final when Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the championship decider for the third year in-a-row. Kilkenny started quickly and never surrendered the lead in the 2-17 to 1-16 victory. It was Fennelly's first All-Ireland
winners' medal.
Kilkenny (under-21)
Kilkenny (minor)
, Mick, Ger
, Kevin
, Brendan, Seán
and Dermot – all formed the backbone of the Ballyhale Shamrocks team from the 1970s until the 1990s.
Fennelly was educated at the local national school in Ballyhale and later attended Scoil Aireagail
where he first lined out at inter-county level in the Leinster schools' championship. He later attended the Cork Institute of Technology
where he studied construction management.
Irish people
The Irish people are an ethnic group who originate in Ireland, an island in northwestern Europe. Ireland has been populated for around 9,000 years , with the Irish people's earliest ancestors recorded having legends of being descended from groups such as the Nemedians, Fomorians, Fir Bolg, Tuatha...
hurler
Hurling
Hurling is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic origin, administered by the Gaelic Athletic Association, and played with sticks called hurleys and a ball called a sliotar. Hurling is the national game of Ireland. The game has prehistoric origins, has been played for at least 3,000 years, and...
who currently plays as a corner-forward for the Kilkenny
Kilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
senior team.
Fennelly made his first appearance for the team during the 2011 championship
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2011
The 2011 GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship was the 123rd staging of the All-Ireland championship since its establishment in 1887. The draw for the 2011 fixtures took place on 7 October 2010. The championship began on 14 May and ended on 4 September 2011...
and quickly became a regular member of the starting fifteen. In his debut season he won an All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
winner's medals and a Leinster
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....
winner's medals.
At club level, Fennelly has won an All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between hundreds of senior hurling clubs in Ireland. The Tommy Moore Cup is awarded to the winners. The current champions are Clarinbridge...
winners' medal and is a double Leinster
Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual Hurling tournament played between the winners of the senior club hurling championships of the counties in Leinster. The current holders of the Leinster title are Ballyhale Shamrocks from Kilkenny. The first Leinster senior club hurling...
medalist with Ballyhale Shamrocks. In addition to this he has also won two county club championship winners' medals.
He is a brother of All-Ireland-winning captain Michael Fennelly
Michael Fennelly (hurler)
Michael Fennelly is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and has been a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team since 2006...
and a nephew of double All-Ireland-winning captain Liam Fennelly
Liam Fennelly
Liam Fennelly is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1981 until 1992.-Biography:...
.
Club
Fennelly plays his club hurling with the Ballyhale Shamrocks club.In 2007 Fennelly was still a minor when he joined the Shamrocks' senior team. He won his first county club championship winners' medal that year following a 1-20 to 1-10 defeat if St. Martin's
St. Martin's GAA
St. Martin's are a Gaelic Athletic Association Club based in the Ballyfoyle/Coon/Muckalee area of County Kilkenny, Ireland.-History:The club was formed in 1982 following an amalgamation of the clubs in the parishes Muckalee/Ballyfoyle Rangers and Coon...
.
Fennelly was on course for a second consecutive county title in 2008, however, an injury ruled him out of Ballyhale's county final victory over James Stephens. He subsequently returned to the starting fifteen and collected a Leinster
Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship
The Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual Hurling tournament played between the winners of the senior club hurling championships of the counties in Leinster. The current holders of the Leinster title are Ballyhale Shamrocks from Kilkenny. The first Leinster senior club hurling...
winners' medal following a 2-13 to 1-11 defeat of Birr
Birr GAA
Birr GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Birr in County Offaly, Ireland. The club is almost exclusively concerned with hurling and are one of the most successful club hurling teams in the country.-Honours:...
. Ballyhale Shamrocks were subsequently blitzed on a score line of 5–11 to 1–16 by Portumna
Portumna GAA
Portumna GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Portumna in County Galway. The club is almost exclusively focused on hurling.-History:...
in the All-Ireland semi-final.
Ballyhale Shamrocks completed a famous four-in-a-row in 2009, with Fennelly winning his second county winners' medal following a 1-14 to 1-11 defeat of James Stephens. He later added a second Leinster club winners' medal to his collection following a 1-16 to 1-8 defeat of Tullamore
Tullamore GAA
Tullamore GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland. The club is concerned with both hurling and Gaelic football. The club competes in Offaly GAA competitions. The club has won three senior football championships and one senior hurling...
, before lining out in his first All-Ireland final. Portumna were the opponents on that occasion and were the hot favourites for the title, however, a 1-19 t 0-17 score line gave Ballyhale the title and gave Fennelly a coveted All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between hundreds of senior hurling clubs in Ireland. The Tommy Moore Cup is awarded to the winners. The current champions are Clarinbridge...
winners' medal.
Minor and under-21
Fennelly first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the KilkennyKilkenny GAA
The Kilkenny County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland and is responsible for Gaelic Games in County Kilkenny. The county board has its head office and main grounds at Nowlan Park and is also responsible for Kilkenny inter-county teams...
minor hurling team in 2006. That year he won a Leinster
Leinster Minor Hurling Championship
The ESB Leinster Minor Hurling Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Hurling played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council...
winners' medal following a crushing 4-22 to 1-5 defeat of Carlow
Carlow GAA
The Carlow County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Carlow GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Carlow and the Carlow inter-county teams.-Gaelic football:...
. Kilkenny were later defeated in the All-Ireland semi-final.
2007 was Fennelly's final year as a member of the Kilkenny minor team, however, it proved to be a year to forget. A 2-14 to 1-10 defeat by Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
saw Kilkenny surrender their provincial crown. Fennelly's side were later beaten in the All-Ireland semi-final for the second consecutive year.
By 2008 Fennelly had joined the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won a Leinster
Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship
For the Senior equivalent see: Leinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Leinster U-21 Hurling Championship or for sponsorship reasons the Erin Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship is an U-21 hurling tournament. The first tournament took place in 1964 when Wexford were crowned champions. Wexford...
winners' medal in that grade in his debut season as Kilkenny trounced Offaly
Offaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
by 2-21 to 2-9. Fennelly later won an All-Ireland
All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship
The All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for players aged between 18 and 21 in the game of hurling played in Ireland...
winners' medal following a 2-13 to 0-15 defeat of Tipperary
Tipperary GAA
The Tipperary County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or C is one of over 30 regional executive boards throughout the world. These executive boards are known as County Boards even though some no longer correspond to the area under the jurisdiction of the counties from which their names...
.
Kilkenny retained their Leinster title in 2009 following a 2-20 to 1-19 defeat of Dublin. A second All-Ireland final appearance for Fennelly soon followed, with Clare
Clare GAA
The Clare County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Clare GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Clare. The county board is also responsible for the Clare inter-county teams....
providing the opposition. A close game developed, however, Fennelly ended up on the losing side by just a single point.
Senior
In 2011 Fennelly made his debut for the Kilkenny senior hurling team. He impressed in a number of National Hurling LeagueNational Hurling League
The National Hurling League is an annual hurling competition between the county teams of Ireland. Contested by 35 teams , it operates on a system of promotion and relegation between four different divisions, with Division One...
games and was chosen on the starting fifteen for the final against Dublin. That was a disappointing affair for Kilkenny, who were defeated by 0-22 to 1-7. Fennelly later made his championship debut against Wexford
Wexford GAA
The Wexford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Wexford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Wexford. The county board is also responsible for the Wexford inter-county teams.-History:Hurling has been played in...
in a Leinster semi-final and subsequently collected his first Leinster
Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
The Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....
winners' medal following a 4-17 to 1-15 defeat of Dublin. Fennelly later lined out in his first All-Ireland final when Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the championship decider for the third year in-a-row. Kilkenny started quickly and never surrendered the lead in the 2-17 to 1-16 victory. It was Fennelly's first All-Ireland
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
winners' medal.
Club
Ballyhale Shamrocks- All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling tournament played between hundreds of senior hurling clubs in Ireland. The Tommy Moore Cup is awarded to the winners. The current champions are Clarinbridge...
(1): 2010All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship 2009-10The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Club Championship 2009–10 was the 40th staging of Ireland's premier inter-county club hurling competition since its establishment in 1970–71. A total of fifteen teams competed in the championship, with Ballyhale Shamrocks unseating the two-time defending... - Leinster Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipLeinster Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipThe Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship is an annual Hurling tournament played between the winners of the senior club hurling championships of the counties in Leinster. The current holders of the Leinster title are Ballyhale Shamrocks from Kilkenny. The first Leinster senior club hurling...
(2): 2008, 2009 - Kilkenny Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipKilkenny Senior Club Hurling ChampionshipThe Kilkenny Senior Hurling Club Championship is an annual club competition between the top Kilkenny Gaelic Athletic Association Clubs. The winners of the Kilkenny Championship qualify to represent their county in the Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship and in turn, go on to the All-Ireland...
(2): 2007, 2009
Inter-county
Kilkenny (senior)- All-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in Ireland....
(1): 2011All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 2011The 2011 GAA Hurling All-Ireland Senior Championship was the 123rd staging of the All-Ireland championship since its establishment in 1887. The draw for the 2011 fixtures took place on 7 October 2010. The championship began on 14 May and ended on 4 September 2011... - Leinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipLeinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Leinster GAA Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1888 for the top hurling teams in the province of Leinster in Ireland....
(1): 2011
Kilkenny (under-21)
- All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipAll-Ireland Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipThe All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship is the premier "knockout" competition for players aged between 18 and 21 in the game of hurling played in Ireland...
(1): 2008All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship 2008The Bord Gáis Energy GAA Hurling All-Ireland Under-21 Championship 2008 was the 45th staging of Ireland's hurling knock-out competition for players aged between 18 and 21. Kilkenny won the championship, beating Tipperary 2-13 to 0-15 in the final at Croke Park, Dublin.-External links:*... - Leinster Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipLeinster Under-21 Hurling ChampionshipFor the Senior equivalent see: Leinster Senior Hurling ChampionshipThe Leinster U-21 Hurling Championship or for sponsorship reasons the Erin Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship is an U-21 hurling tournament. The first tournament took place in 1964 when Wexford were crowned champions. Wexford...
(2): 2008, 2009
Kilkenny (minor)
- Leinster Minor Hurling ChampionshipLeinster Minor Hurling ChampionshipThe ESB Leinster Minor Hurling Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Hurling played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council...
(1): 2006
Personal life
Fennelly was born into a family that had a strong association with hurling. His father and six uncles - LiamLiam Fennelly
Liam Fennelly is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1981 until 1992.-Biography:...
, Mick, Ger
Ger Fennelly
Ger Fennelly is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1974 until 1989. Fennelly captained Kilkenny to the All-Ireland title in 1979.-Biography:Ger Fennelly was born in Piltown, County...
, Kevin
Kevin Fennelly
Kevin Fennelly is a retired Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and with the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from the late 1970s until the late 1980s. Fennelly later served as Kilkenny Senior hurling manager for the 1998 season, and...
, Brendan, Seán
Seán Fennelly
Seán Fennelly is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Ballyhale Shamrocks and was a member of the Kilkenny senior inter-county team from 1986 until 1989.-Biography:...
and Dermot – all formed the backbone of the Ballyhale Shamrocks team from the 1970s until the 1990s.
Fennelly was educated at the local national school in Ballyhale and later attended Scoil Aireagail
Scoil Aireagail
Scoil Aireagail is a mixed-gender Secondary School, situated in Ballyhale, Kilkenny....
where he first lined out at inter-county level in the Leinster schools' championship. He later attended the Cork Institute of Technology
Cork Institute of Technology
Cork Institute of Technology , formerly the Regional Technical College, Cork, is an Institute of Technology in Ireland, located in Cork, Ireland opened in 1973. The institute has 17,000 students in art, business, engineering, music and science disciplines...
where he studied construction management.