Diarmuid O'Sullivan
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| Diarmuid O'Sullivan | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Sport | Hurling | |
| Irish Name | Diarmuid Ó Súilleabháin | |
| Full name | Diarrmuid O'Sullivan | |
| Place of birth | Cloyne , County Cork | |
| Nickname(s) | The Rock, Sully | |
| Club information | ||
| Club | Cloyne | |
| Position | Full-Back | |
| Inter-County | ||
| County | Cork | |
| Position | Full-back | |
| Inter-County(ies)** | ||
| County | Years | Apps (scores) |
| Cork | 1997- | 42 (0-3) |
| Senior Inter-County Titles | ||
| Munster Titles | 5 Hurling 1 Football |
|
| All-Ireland | 3 | |
| NHL | 1 | |
| All Stars | 4 | |
|
* club appearances and scores |
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Diarmuid O'Sullivan (born July, 1978 in Cloyne, County Cork) is an Irish sportsman. He plays hurling with his local club Cloyne and with the Cork senior inter-county team. He is known as 'The Rock'.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Diarmuid O'Sullivan was born in Cloyne, County Cork in 1978. He was educated locally and later attended Midleton CBS where his hurling talents came to the fore. In 1995 he first tasted hurling success when the school won the Harty Cup, a prestigious hurling competition. O'Sullivan subsequently worked as a site foreman.
[edit] Playing career
[edit] Club
O'Sullivan plays his local club hurling with Cloyne and has had some success with the club. In 1997 Cloyne was still a junior club so O'Sullivan played hurling with his local divisional side, Imokilly, in the Cork Senior Hurling Championship. That year the division surprisingly won the county title, with O'Sullivan playing a key role in defence. In 1998 Cloyne joined the senior ranks of the county championship. Since then Cloyne have gone on to become one of the most unlucky sides in the championship. They played in three county finals in-a-row in 2004, 2005 and 2006, however, O'Sullivan ended up on the losing side in all three games.
[edit] Under-21
O'Sullivan's hurling prowess brought him to the attentions of the Cork inter-county selectors and he was soon picked for the under-21 team. In 1997 he won his first All-Ireland medal with the side. In 1998 O'Sullivan won a second consecutive All-Ireland medal with the under-21 team. His team-mates on those teams - Donal Óg Cusack, Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and Joe Deane - would all go on to form the backbone of the senior team over the next decade.
[edit] Senior
O'Sullivan quickly made the step up to the Cork senior team and made his championship debut in 1997. Cork hurling was in the doldrums at this time and his only senior success of note was when he captained Cork to a National Hurling League medal in May of 1998. In 1999 Cork were back at the top, having won their first Munster Championship title since 1992, with O'Sullivan playing a key role at full-back. Later that year Cork defeated Kilkenny to win their first All-Ireland title since 1990. O'Sullivan finished off the year by claiming his first All-Star award as well as being named Young Hurler of the Year.
In 2000 he claimed a second consecutive Munster title, however, O'Sullivan's side were defeated by Offaly in the All-Ireland semi-final. By this time O'Sullivan was also noted as a good footballer. He won a Munster Football Championship medal with Cork in 2002 after coming on as a substitute. After this victory he decided to concentrate on his hurling career. While the Cork hurling team should have gone from strength to strength, instead the opposite happened. In 2002 the players went on strike demanding better treatment and conditions. O'Sullivan supported the players fully when the entire hurling panel withdrew their services in December 2002 demanding better conditions. Eventually the players demands were met and normal service resumed on the Cork hurling team. In 2003 Cork were back and O'Sullivan won a third Munster medal but suffered defeat by Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. One of the most enduring images of that final defeat was O'Sullivan, one of the most physically strong members of the team, in floods of tears after the final whistle. In 2004 Cork lost the Munster final, however, they qualified for the All-Ireland final via the "back-door system". Once again their opponents were Kilkenny, however, this time Cork overturned the result of the previous year and O'Sullivan captured a second All-Ireland winners medal. Cork were on form again in 2005 with O'Sullivan capturing his fourth Munster medal, before going on to defeat Galway in the final to win his third All-Ireland medal. In 2006 he claimed his fifth provincial title, however, Cork, who were playing in their fourth All-Ireland final in-a-row, were defeated by Kilkenny.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by Fergal McCormack |
Cork Senior Hurling Captain 1998 |
Succeeded by Mark Landers |
| Preceded by Stephen Byrne (Offaly) |
Eircell Young Hurler of the Year 1999 |
Succeeded by Noel Hickey (Kilkenny) |
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