Pete Finnerty
Encyclopedia
Pete Finnerty is an Irish
retired hurling
coach and former player.
Regarded as one of his county's all-time greats, Finnerty enjoyed a distinguished playing career at club level with Mullagh and at inter-county level with Galway
. He was a wing-back on the latter team from 1985 until 1994 and collected two All-Ireland
titles, one National Hurling League
title and five All-Star
awards.
In retirement from playing Finnerty has maintained a keen association with the game. He has been a long-serving hurling analyst with RTÉ
on both the Sunday Game
and Sunday Sport. From 2007 until 2010 Finnerty served as coach, under the management of Martin Brennan, to the Mayo
senior hurling team.
, County Galway
in 1964. From a young age he showed great interest in the game of hurling
and, in time, he would become a key member of the great Galway
team of the 1980s. He was educated principally at Ballinasloe secondary school where he fostered a reputation for himself as a no-nonsense defender. It was here that Finnerty first tasted success winning three All-Ireland Vocational Schools medals. Finnerty later worked with Bank of Ireland
and also owns a franchise Supermac's
restaurant in Tuam
since opening it in the early 1990s.
id say hes fairly muscly.
.
minor hurling team. He played against Tipperary
in the All-Ireland
minor final of 1982, however, he ended up on the losing side that day. Finnerty quickly graduated onto Galway's under-21 team, subsequently winning an All-Ireland
medal with the side in 1983.
That same year Finnerty made his senior debut in a National Hurling League
game and he captured a place of his own on the team by the time the 1985 championship got underway. That year he played in his first All-Ireland final, however, victory went to Offaly
on the day. In spite of this he was still presented with an All-Star
award. In 1986 Galway reached another All-Ireland final, however, they were again defeated, this time by Cork. A second All-Star was collected by Finnerty. In 1987, in their third All-Ireland final appearance in-a-row, Galway took on Kilkenny
. At the third time of asking Galway emerged victorious and Finnerty finally captured his first All-Ireland
medal at senior level, before collecting his third All-Star award.
In 1988 Tipperary
were Galway's opponents in their fourth consecutive All-Ireland final appearance. Finnerty had another solid performance at wing-back and claimed his second All-Ireland title in the process, before later winning his fourth consecutive All-Star award. In 1989 Finnerty began the year by winning his first National Hurling League
title, however, Galway's star centre-back, Tony Keady
, was banned from playing for a year. The side had contemplated withdrawing from the championship in protest, however, they decided to play, eventually losing out to Tipp in the All-Ireland semi-final. In 1990 Finnerty played in his fifth All-Ireland final in six seasons. Galway were the hot favourites to beat Cork and it looked as if that prediction would come true when the tribesmen went 7 points up. Cork clawed their way back and eventually went on to win on a scoreline of 5-15 to 2-21. In spite of this loss Finnerty still won a fifth All-Star award.
Two years later in 1992 Finnerty mised the entire championship due to a cruciate knee injury. He returned in 1993 but couldn't command a regular place on the team. He did come on as a substitute in that year's All-Ireland final, however, victory went to Kilkenny
. Finnerty regained his fitness in 1994 and played his last game against Offaly
in the All-Ireland semi-final.
's Gaelic games programme The Sunday Game
.
In 2008 Finnerty became coach of the Mayo
senior hurling team, and took them to the Christy Ring Cup semi-final that season, before being defeated by eventual champions Carlow. Finnerty remained as Mayo coach in 2009 and again guided them to the Tier Two hurling championship semi-final, this time going out to Down. In December 2009 Finnerty agreed to continue as coach of the Mayo hurlers for the 2010 season.
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...
retired 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...
coach and former player.
Regarded as one of his county's all-time greats, Finnerty enjoyed a distinguished playing career at club level with Mullagh and at inter-county level with Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
. He was a wing-back on the latter team from 1985 until 1994 and collected two 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....
titles, one 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...
title and five 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...
awards.
In retirement from playing Finnerty has maintained a keen association with the game. He has been a long-serving hurling analyst with RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
on both the Sunday Game
The Sunday Game
The Sunday Game is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ Two every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ Two’s longest-running shows, having been on air since 1979, one year after the channel first...
and Sunday Sport. From 2007 until 2010 Finnerty served as coach, under the management of Martin Brennan, to the Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
senior hurling team.
Biography
Pete Finnerty was born in MullaghMullagh, County Galway
Mullagh is a parish in County Galway, Ireland. It is in the south-east of the county, close to the towns of Loughrea, Ballinasloe, and Portumna....
, County Galway
County Galway
County Galway is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the city of Galway. Galway County Council is the local authority for the county. There are several strongly Irish-speaking areas in the west of the county...
in 1964. From a young age he showed great interest in the game of 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...
and, in time, he would become a key member of the great Galway
Galway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
team of the 1980s. He was educated principally at Ballinasloe secondary school where he fostered a reputation for himself as a no-nonsense defender. It was here that Finnerty first tasted success winning three All-Ireland Vocational Schools medals. Finnerty later worked with Bank of Ireland
Bank of Ireland
The Bank of Ireland is a commercial bank operation in Ireland, which is one of the 'Big Four' in both parts of the island.Historically the premier banking organisation in Ireland, the Bank occupies a unique position in Irish banking history...
and also owns a franchise Supermac's
Supermac's
Supermac's is an Irish owned fast food restaurant chain with restaurants located across the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.-History:The first Supermac's opened its doors in 1978 in Main Street, Ballinasloe, County Galway, Ireland...
restaurant in Tuam
Tuam
Tuam is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The name is pronounced choo-um . It is situated west of the midlands of Ireland, and north of Galway city.-History:...
since opening it in the early 1990s.
id say hes fairly muscly.
Club
Finnerty played his club hurling with Mullagh, the club made famous by the legendary Tony ReddinTony Reddin
Martin Charles Reddington , better known as Tony Reddin, is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played hurling at various times with his local clubs Castlegar in Galway and Lorrha-Dorrha in Tipperary from the 1930s until the 1950s...
.
Inter-county
Finnerty's hurling exploits in secondary school lead to an automatic selection on the GalwayGalway GAA
The Galway County Boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Galway GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Galway. The county boards are also responsible for the Galway inter-county teams.Unlike all other counties in Ireland,...
minor hurling team. He played against 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...
in the All-Ireland
All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship
The GAA Hurling All-Ireland Minor Championship is an annual competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for competitors under eighteen years of age in the game of hurling played in Ireland.The series of games are played during the summer months with the All-Ireland final...
minor final of 1982, however, he ended up on the losing side that day. Finnerty quickly graduated onto Galway's under-21 team, subsequently winning 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...
medal with the side in 1983.
That same year Finnerty made his senior debut in a 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...
game and he captured a place of his own on the team by the time the 1985 championship got underway. That year he played in his first All-Ireland final, however, victory went to 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...
on the day. In spite of this he was still presented with an 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 1986 Galway reached another All-Ireland final, however, they were again defeated, this time by Cork. A second All-Star was collected by Finnerty. In 1987, in their third All-Ireland final appearance in-a-row, Galway took on 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...
. At the third time of asking Galway emerged victorious and Finnerty finally captured his 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....
medal at senior level, before collecting his third All-Star award.
In 1988 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...
were Galway's opponents in their fourth consecutive All-Ireland final appearance. Finnerty had another solid performance at wing-back and claimed his second All-Ireland title in the process, before later winning his fourth consecutive All-Star award. In 1989 Finnerty began the year by winning his first 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...
title, however, Galway's star centre-back, Tony Keady
Tony Keady
Tony Keady is an Irish retired sportsperson. He played hurling with his local club Killimordaly and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team in the 1980s and 1990s.-Club:...
, was banned from playing for a year. The side had contemplated withdrawing from the championship in protest, however, they decided to play, eventually losing out to Tipp in the All-Ireland semi-final. In 1990 Finnerty played in his fifth All-Ireland final in six seasons. Galway were the hot favourites to beat Cork and it looked as if that prediction would come true when the tribesmen went 7 points up. Cork clawed their way back and eventually went on to win on a scoreline of 5-15 to 2-21. In spite of this loss Finnerty still won a fifth All-Star award.
Two years later in 1992 Finnerty mised the entire championship due to a cruciate knee injury. He returned in 1993 but couldn't command a regular place on the team. He did come on as a substitute in that year's All-Ireland final, however, victory went to 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...
. Finnerty regained his fitness in 1994 and played his last game against 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 semi-final.
Post-playing career
In retirement from playing Finnerty has maintained a keen interest in hurling. In 2000 his exceptional talent was acknowledged when he was name don the Galway "Hurling Team of the Millennium." He also works as an analyst on RTÉRTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
's Gaelic games programme The Sunday Game
The Sunday Game
The Sunday Game is Raidió Teilifís Éireann's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ Two every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ Two’s longest-running shows, having been on air since 1979, one year after the channel first...
.
In 2008 Finnerty became coach of the Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
senior hurling team, and took them to the Christy Ring Cup semi-final that season, before being defeated by eventual champions Carlow. Finnerty remained as Mayo coach in 2009 and again guided them to the Tier Two hurling championship semi-final, this time going out to Down. In December 2009 Finnerty agreed to continue as coach of the Mayo hurlers for the 2010 season.