| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Seán Máirtín Locard | ||
| Sport | Dual player | ||
| Football Position: | Corner back | ||
| Hurling Position: | ? | ||
| Born | August 22, 1976 Banagher, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland |
||
| Height | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||
| Occupation | Teacher | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| 199x-Present | Banagher | ||
| Club Titles | |||
| Football | Hurling | ||
| Derry titles | 0 | 1 | |
| Ulster titles | 0 | 0 | |
| All-Ireland titles | 0 | 0 | |
| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
| 1995-2009 ?-? |
Derry (F) Derry (H) |
50[1] | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Football | Hurling | ||
| Ulster Titles | 1 | 0/1/2 | |
| All-Ireland Titles | 0 | 0 | |
| League titles | 3 | 0 | |
| All-Stars | 1 | 0 | |
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 14:55, 17 May 2008 (UTC). | |||
Seán Martin Lockhart (Irish: Seán Máirtín Locard; born 22 August 1976[2]) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Derry. He has won an Ulster Senior Football Championship and three National League titles with the county, as well an All-Ireland Under 21 Championship. He also won an All Star for his performances in the 1998 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Lockhart plays his club football for St. Mary's Banagher. He is a dual player in that he also plays hurling for Banagher, and has in the past also hurled for Derry.
In football he is seen as a mobile, very tight marking corner-back, who is also very competent with the ball in his hands going forward, proven by the fact he plays midfield for his club. He has won three Irish News Ulster All-Star awards (1998, 1999 and 2001) and was named left-corner back on the Irish News Team of the Decade in 2004.[3] Lockhart holds the record for the highest number of appearances in the International Rules Series,[4] having represented Ireland sixteen times over the course of eight series[5] (1998-2006[5]) He has been one of Ireland's best ever players in the hybrid game.[5]
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Lockhart works as a P.E.and religion teacher in St. Patrick's College, Maghera.[5] He is married with two children.
Lockhart reached the Ulster Under-21 Football Championship final with Derry Under-21s in 1996, but were defeated by Cavan.[6] In 1997 Lockhart and Derry won the Ulster Under-21 and All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championships,[7] defeating Fermanagh and Meath in the respective finals.
By that stage he was already playing for the Derry Senior team, having made his debut in October 1995 in a National League encounter against Kerry.[2][8] Derry went on to win the 1995/1996 National League with Lockhart playing left half forward in the final against Donegal.[2] He made his Championship debut against Armagh that year.[2][9]
Lockhart and Derry finished runners-up to Offaly in the 1998 National League decider.[10] Later that year he won the Ulster Senior Championship with Derry, with Lockhart's performance in the Ulster final was described as "outstanding".[11] Derry lost to Galway in the All-Ireland Championship semi-final. He was named full back on the 1998 All-Star team [12] and also awarded Footballer of the Year by the Ulster GAA Writers Association.[13]
Lockhart won another National League medal in 2000, playing in his more familiar position in the full back line.[7] He was nominated in 2000 for an All Star,[14] but narrowly missed out. 2001 saw Derry reach the All-Ireland semi-final again and Lockhart was again nominated for an All Star.[15] He was awarded the Ulster Tennent’s Monthly Merit Award for May 2003, for his two performances against Tyrone that month. He kept six-time All Star Peter Canavan scoreless from play in both the drawn game and replay.[16] Derry reached the All-Ireland semi-final again in 2004, but were defeated by Kerry.
He was part of the Derry team that won the 2008 National League where Derry beat Kerry in the final.[17][18] He however was injured for the duration of the 2008 Championship.
Lockhart plays for Banagher. He has also represented St. Brendan's GFC Chicago in Chicago, and in 2003 after a replay[19] they finished runners-up to Wolfe Tones GFC in the Chicago Senior Football Championship final.[20]
Lockhart played for Ireland in every game since the resumption of the International Rules Series in 1998 until 2006 (except for the 2002 series when he had a broken arm). Of the 16 games he played for Ireland, he was on the winning side eight times, with one draw. During the eight series, Ireland won four of them. In 1998 he was chosen as Irish Player of the Series and in 2004 he was chosen on the Supreme team to mark 20 years of Ireland versus Australia International Rules tests.[21] It has been said part of the reason for him excelling in International Rules is that his fitness levels are as high as the professional Australian Rules athletes.[5] He was selected as a runner for the Irish team for the 2008 Series,[22][23] with selector Anthony Tohill citing his experience as being helpful.[4] Although his official role was the runner, he "had a significant involvement in coaching the Irish squad".[24] He also took an active part in training, and was impressive, and was on ready to come into the team if the Irish squad suffered a few injuries.[24]
Lockhart was captain of the St Pat's Maghera side that won the 1995 MacRory Cup, playing centre half back. He could not go on to compete in the Hogan Cup for the school, as he was nine days over the age limit.[2] For his performances that year he became the first player to win both Ulster Colleges Football and Hurling All Stars.[2] He now teaches at the school and has managed and trained a number of teams at the school. For example he, with Martin McConnell and John Downey managed the St. Pat's second year team to success in the 2007 D'Alton Cup.[25] Along with McConnell, he is in charge of the 2009 MacRory side.[25][26]
Lockhart was part of the Derry Under-21 side that won the 1997 Ulster Under-21 Hurling Championship.[27] He also hurled for the Derry Senior team in the past.[28]
Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.
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