Joe Dooley

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Joe Dooley (born 1964) is a former Irish sportsperson who played hurling for Offaly in the 1980s and 1990s.

Joe Dooley was born in County Offaly in 1964. He was born into a family that was steeped in hurling history. His father's uncle, Tom Dooley, as well as his mother's father and uncle had played in junior All-Ireland finals in 1929 and 1923 respectively. Similarly, for almost two decades Joe and his brothers Billy and Johnny formed the backbone of the Offaly senior hurling team. Offaly won the All-Ireland Championship in 1981, and Joe Dooley joined the senior side in March 1982.

Two years later in 1984 he made his senior championship debut, playing against Wexford. The team made it to the All-Ireland final but were defeated by Cork in the centenary final in Semple Stadium. The following year Dooley claimed his first All-Ireland medal with a victory over Galway. By 1988 the hurling careers of the three Dooley brothers merged together when they won the Offaly County Championship with their club Seir Kieran. By the mid-1990s all three brothers were playing together on the senior team. They all played in the forward lines in the All-Ireland final of 1994, when victory was secured in the last five minutes of the match when a huge score of 2-6 was recorded. The Dooley's were back in the All-Ireland final in 1995, however, victory went to Clare on that occasssion.

Three years later Offaly and the Dooley's claimed another All-Ireland title over Kilkenny, having lost the Leinster Final to the same team. In 2000 the old foes met again, however, this time Kilkenny emerged victorious in one of the most one-sided All-Ireland finals in decades. After that game Joe Dooley decided to retire from hurling. During his career he had won 3 All-Irelands, 6 Leinster Championships, 1 National Hurling League, 1 Walsh Cup and 1 Oireachtas title. With his club, Seir Kieran, he won 4 County Championships, as well as one All Star Award in 1998.