Pat Critchley is a well known sportsman from County Laois

County Laois

County Laois is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Midlands Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It was formerly known as Queen's County until the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. The county's name was formerly spelt as Laoighis and Leix. Laois County Council...

, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

. He has played at National League level 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...

, football

Gaelic football

Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...

 and basketball

Basketball

Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...

. He is a member of Portlaoise GAA

Portlaoise GAA

% !!!5 TIMES COUNTY CHAMPIONS!!!Portlaoise GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association hurling and gaelic football club in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland....

 club, with whom he won 14 Laois senior county championships - seven each in hurling and football. He went on to win three Leinster and one All-Ireland club football championships with Portlaoise. Critchley also won one Limerick senior county football championship.

Pat was awarded Laois's one and only 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...

 All-Star

GAA All Stars Awards

The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...

award in 1985.

Pat was a physical education teacher at Presentation College, Portlaoise up until recently. Since 1985, he has coached school basketball teams to eleven All-Ireland finals, winning five, and led the school to an All-Ireland football title.

Pat currently occupies a full time coaching and development role with the Laois County Board and is the instigator of the successful Setanta Hurling program and the follow on Cuchulainn program.

His autobiography is called "Hungry Hill".