Michael Jacob
Encyclopedia
Michael Jacob is an Irish
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...

 sportsperson. He plays in the centre-forward position on the 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...

 senior hurling
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...

 team.

Early life

Michael Jacob was born in Oulart, County Wexford
County Wexford
County Wexford is a county in Ireland. It is part of the South-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Wexford. In pre-Norman times it was part of the Kingdom of Uí Cheinnselaig, whose capital was at Ferns. Wexford County Council is the local...

 in 1980. He was born into a family that had a strong association with Gaelic games
Gaelic games
Gaelic games are sports played in Ireland under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The two main games are Gaelic football and hurling...

, as his father, Mick Jacob
Mick Jacob
Mick Jacob is a retired Irish sportsman. He played hurling with his local club Oulart the Ballagh and with the Wexford senior inter-county team from 1969 until 1984.-Club:...

, won both Leinster and All-Ireland medals in hurling
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...

 with 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...

. Jacob was educated locally and later attended Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy
Enniscorthy is the second largest town in County Wexford, Ireland. The population of the town and environs is 9538. The Placenames Database of Ireland sheds no light on the origins of the town's name. It may refer either to the "Island of Corthaidh" or the "Island of Rocks". With a history going...

 CBS
Congregation of Christian Brothers
The Congregation of Christian Brothers is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. The Christian Brothers, as they are commonly known, chiefly work for the evangelisation and education of youth, but are involved in many ministries, especially with...

. It was here that his skill at the game of hurling was developed and he won an All-Ireland "B" Colleges' medal with the school. Jacob later studied at the Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford Institute of Technology
Waterford Institute of Technology is a state funded third-level educational institution situated in the city of Waterford, Ireland. The Institute has six Schools and 16 Departments....

, where he won two Fitzgibbon Cup
Fitzgibbon Cup
The Fitzgibbon Cup the championship for top division of university hurling in Ireland. It is administrated by the Higher Education committee which is part of the Gaelic Athletic Association...

 medals.

Club

Jacob, along with his brother Rory
Rory Jacob
Rory Jacob is an Irish sportsperson. He plays hurling with his local club Oulart the Ballagh and has been a member of the Wexford senior inter-county team since 2002. Both his father Mick and his brother Michael also played for Wexford. He was captain of the Wexford team for 2008.-References:...

, plays his club hurling with the famous Oulart the Ballagh
Oulart the Ballagh
Oulart the Ballagh are a Gaelic Athletic Association club in County Wexford. Oulart have won the Wexford Senior Hurling Championship on six occasions, most recently in 2007. Their main rivals are Buffer's Alley...

 club in Wexford. He enjoyed some success at underage level before winning back-to-back senior county titles in 2004 and 2005. The club was beaten in their attempt to capture three-in-a-row in 2006.

Inter-county

Jacob joined the 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...

 minor hurling panel in the late 1990s and he quickly moved up the ranks. He subsequently won a Leinster under-21 title in 2001 before making his senior debut that same year. Since then he has enjoyed some success at senior level and is perhaps best known for scoring a famous goal in Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...

 in 2004 as part of the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship
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....

. After blocking an attempted clearance from Peter Barry of 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...

, Jacob caught the ball and buried it into the net to give Wexford the win in the Leinster hurling semi-final. He subsequently collected his first Leinster medal.

Jacob has also represented Leinster
Leinster GAA
The Leinster Council is a Provincial council of the Gaelic Athletic Association sports of hurling, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders and handball in the province of Leinster. The Leinster Council has been partnered with the European County Board to help develop Gaelic Games in Europe...

 in the Interprovincial Championship
Interprovincial Championship
The Interprovincial Championship or Railway Cup is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competetitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Munster, Leinster, Connacht and Ulster teams are composed of the best players from the various counties in the province...

.

External links

  • http://www.rte.ie/sport/2006/0702/kilkenny.html Match report from RTÉ
    Raidió Teilifís Éireann
    Raidió Teilifís Éireann is a semi-state company and the public service broadcaster of Ireland. It both produces programmes and broadcasts them on television, radio and the Internet. The radio service began on January 1, 1926, while regular television broadcasts began on December 31, 1961, making...

     mentioning Jacob
  • http://www.ucd.ie/observer/v11i07/s-clarkonsport.html Match report from UCD
    University College Dublin
    University College Dublin ) - formally known as University College Dublin - National University of Ireland, Dublin is the Republic of Ireland's largest, and Ireland's second largest, university, with over 1,300 faculty and 17,000 students...

     mentioning Jacob's winning goal in 2004
  • http://www.unison.ie/irish_independent/stories.php3?ca=96&si=1427364 Profile and interview in the Irish Independent
    Irish Independent
    The Irish Independent is Ireland's largest-selling daily newspaper that is published in both compact and broadsheet formats. It is the flagship publication of Independent News & Media.-History:...

     (requires registration)
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