, County Limerick

County Limerick

It is thought that humans had established themselves in the Lough Gur area of the county as early as 3000 BC, while megalithic remains found at Duntryleague date back further to 3500 BC...

, Ireland

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,...

) is an Irish

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...

 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...

 selector and former player. He is currently a selector with the Limerick

Limerick GAA

The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...

 senior hurling team.

An effective forward, Heffernan enjoyed a reasonably successful playing career at club level with Blackrock, UCC

UCC GAA

UCC is a football and hurling club associated with University College Cork. UCC teams play in the Cork Senior Football Championship and Cork Senior Hurling Championship as well as the two main third-level competitions namely the Sigerson Cup in football and the Fitzgibbon Cup in hurling...

 and Mallow

Mallow GAA

Mallow GAA is a Gaelic football and hurling club based in the town of Mallow, Cork, Ireland. The club plays in Cork GAA competitions, and is part of the Avondhu divisional board.-Roll of honour:* Cork Senior Hurling Championship Runners-Up 1928...

 and at inter-county level with Limerick. He was a key member of the latter team during the 1990s and collected one Munster

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The Munster 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 Munster in Ireland....

 title.

In retirement from playing Heffernan has become involved in team management. He gained early experience at club level with Kilmallock

Kilmallock GAA

Kilmallock GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Kilmallock in County Limerick, Ireland. The club is almost exclusively concerned with the game of hurling.-Hurling:*Munster Senior Club Hurling Championships:** 1992, 1994...

, Murroe-Boher, Bride Rovers and with his own Blackrock club. He took charge of the Kerry

Kerry GAA

The Kerry 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 Kerry...

 senior hurling team between 2007 and 2008, while later serving as a selector with the Limerick intermediate team. Heffernan was appointed as a selector on the Limerick senior hurling team in September 2010.

Club

Heffernan began his playing career with his local club Blackrock

Blackrock GAA

Blackrock National Hurling Club is a G.A.A. club located on the southside of Cork City, Ireland. The club was founded in 1883 and is primarily concerned with the game of hurling.-History:...

 and enjoyed some initial success. He won a county junior title in the early 1990s, however, after a brief period in the senior ranks Blackrock returned to junior status once again. A move to Mallow in the early 2000s saw Heffernan join the local club

Mallow GAA

Mallow GAA is a Gaelic football and hurling club based in the town of Mallow, Cork, Ireland. The club plays in Cork GAA competitions, and is part of the Avondhu divisional board.-Roll of honour:* Cork Senior Hurling Championship Runners-Up 1928...

 there, where he won a junior league title in 2007.

In 2009 Heffernan transferred back to his home club Blackrock where he joined the team as goalkeeper. It was a successful return as Blackrock secured the county junior title that year. Heffernan's club later represented the county in the provincial series of games and even reached the final. Cork champions Fermoy

Fermoy GAA

Fermoy GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association based in the town of Fermoy, Cork, Ireland. The club fields teams in competitions organized by the Cork GAA county board and the Avondhu GAA divisional board...

 provided the opposition on that occasion, however, it was Blackrock who secured a narrow 1-12 to 0-14 victory and Heffernan collected a coveted Munster

Munster Junior Club Hurling Championship

The Munster Junior Club Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition played between the six best junior hurling clubs in the province of Munster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and are played during the winter months...

 winners' medal. An All-Ireland final with St. Colmcille's of Tyrone providing the opposition. Blackrock had little difficulty in disposing of the Ulstermen on a score line of 1-18 to 0-9. Heffernan kept a clean sheet again while also collecting a coveted All-Ireland

All-Ireland Junior Club Hurling Championship

The All-Ireland Junior Club Hurling Championship is a hurling competition between the winners of the junior hurling competitions in the various counties of Ireland...

 club winners' medal.

Inter-county

Heffernan first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Limerick

Limerick GAA

The Limerick County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Limerick GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Limerick...

 senior hurling team in the early 1990s. He made his championship debut in 1991, however, he remained a fringe player for his first few seasons on the team.

By 1995 Heffernan was a key member of the full-forward line and played in his first Munster final. Provincial whipping boys 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....

 were the opponents and a rout took place. A 0-25 to 2-10 score line gave Limerick the win and gave Heffernan his first Munster

Munster Senior Hurling Championship

The Munster 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 Munster in Ireland....

 winners' medal. Limerick subsequently qualified to meet 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...

 in the All-Ireland final. It looked as if Heffernan's side were going to make history and claim the title as Limerick had a five-point lead with as many minutes left. Offaly suddenly sprang to life following a Johnny Dooley

Johnny Dooley

Johnny Dooley is an Irish former hurling manager and player. He played hurling with his local club Seir Kieran and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1991 until 2002...

 goal from a close-in free. Following the puck-out Offaly worked the ball up field and Pat O'Connor

Pat O'Connor (hurler)

Pat O'Connor is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Coolderry and was a member of the Offaly senior inter-county team from 1987 until 1996.-References:...

 struck for a second goal. The Offaly forwards scored another five unanswered points in the time remaining to secure a 3-16 to 2-13 victory. It was a bitter blow for Limerick who looked as if they had one hand on the Liam McCarthy Cup

Liam McCarthy Cup

The MacCarthy Perpetual Challenge Cup is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the hurling team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.-The trophy:...

.

Limerickregrouped and contested the a second Munster final in succession in 1995. Clare were the opponents once again, however, the roles were reversed on this occasion with victory going to the men from the banner county. Heffernan left the inter-county set up following this defeat. He returned briefly in 2003 at the behest of new manager Pad Joe Whelahan

Pad Joe Whelahan

Patrick Joseph Whelahan , better known as Pad Joe Whelahan, is an Irish hurling manager and former player. He played hurling with his local club St. Rynagh's and with the Offaly senior inter-county team in the 1960s and 1970s. Whelahan later served as manager of the Offaly and Limerick senior...

, however, his second coming was short-lived.

Early experience

In retirement from playing Heffernan immediately turned his attentions to coaching. He gained experience in his native Limerick when he took charge of a range of clubs, including Kilmallock

Kilmallock GAA

Kilmallock GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in the town of Kilmallock in County Limerick, Ireland. The club is almost exclusively concerned with the game of hurling.-Hurling:*Munster Senior Club Hurling Championships:** 1992, 1994...

, Murroe-Boher and his own native Blackrock, however, he enjoyed little success. In 2007 Heffernan took charge of the Bride Rovers club in east Cork and guided the team to the semi-finals of the county senior championship

Cork Senior Hurling Championship

The Evening Echo Cork County Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1887 for the top hurling teams in the county of Cork in Ireland....

.
Right now he tries to teach at Patrician Academy, Mallow

Kerry

In late 2007 Heffernan was appointed manager of the Kerry

Kerry GAA

The Kerry 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 Kerry...

 senior hurling team for a one-year term. His first season in charge got off to a good start as 'the Kingdom' only lost one game in the group stage of the National Hurling League

National 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...

. This allowed Heffernan's side to advance to the semi-final of the competition, however, Carlow

Carlow

Carlow is the county town of County Carlow in Ireland. It is situated in the south-east of Ireland, 84 km from Dublin. County Carlow is the second smallest county in Ireland by area, however Carlow Town is the 14th largest urban area in Ireland by population according to the 2006 census. The...

 GAA|Carlow]] won the game by 1-19 to 3-4. In the subsequent Christy Ring Cup

Christy Ring Cup

The Christy Ring Cup is an annual hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 2005 for middle-ranking hurling teams in Ireland....

 Kerry topped their group and qualified for a home quarter-final against old rivals Carlow. It was one of the toughest draws and, in spite of home advantage, Kerry were heavily defeated by 2-4 to 1-14.

In spite of failing to land any silverware Heffernan was reappointed manager for a second term at the end of 2008. This reappointment was short-lived as Heffernan subsequently stepped down before the start of the season citing personal reasons.

St. Brendan's Ardfert

In 2010 Heffernan was appointed trainer of the St. Brendan's Ardfert club from Kerry. He led them to the semi-final of the county championship, where Ballyduff proved too strong on the day.

Mallow

In 2010 Heffernan took charge of the Mallow

Mallow

Mallow or Mallows may refer to:Nature:* Malvaceae, family of plants; in particular the following genera:** Abelmoschus** Althaea – Marsh mallow** Callirhoe – Poppy mallow** Corchorus – Jews Mallow, Molokia, Mlukhia...

 Intermediate Hurlers. He got off to a great start in the championship beating Castlelyons

Castlelyons

Castlelyons is a small village in East County Cork in the Province of Munster in Ireland. It is situated south of Fermoy. In the 2002 census it recorded a population of 211....

 but lost the next round.
In the 2011 season heffernan has go to job as U21 Hurling Manager.

Limerick

In September 2010 Heffernan was named as a selector along with former team mates Ciarán Carey

Ciarán Carey

Ciarán Carey is an Irish hurling selector and player. He is currently a selector with the Limerick senior hurling team....

 and T. J. Ryan

T. J. Ryan (hurler)

T. J. Ryan is an Irish hurling selector and player. He is currently a selector with the Limerick senior hurling team....

 in Dónal O'Grady

Dónal O'Grady

Dónal O'Grady is an Irish former hurler and manager.O'Grady enjoyed a successful playing career as a full-back with the Cork senior team throughout the early 1980s...

's new management team that will oversee the Limerick senior hurling team for 2011.

Teams