Séamus Looney

Séamus Looney (born 1950 in Cork, Ireland) is an Irish former sportsperson. A dual player at the highest levels, he played hurling and Gaelic football with his local club St. Finbarr's and was a member of the Cork senior inter-county teams in both codes from 1969 until 1977.^[1]

Playing career

Minor & under-21

Looney first came to prominence as a dual player at minor level with Cork. He first tasted success with the Cork Gaelic footballers who won both Munster and All-Ireland honours in 1967. This feat was repeated in 1968 with Looney playing a key role on the full-back line as he captured another pair of provincial and All-Ireland medals. 1968 also saw Looney come to the fore with the county’s minor hurling team, as he won a Munster title but lost out on an All-Ireland medal.

Looney subsequently moved on to the under-21 grades in both hurling and football. It was the beginning of a hugely successful period for the county. In 1969 Looney won his first set of Munster and All-Ireland under-21 hurling titles. He also captured a Munster under-21 football title for good measure. 1970 saw the success continue with Looney winning a second consecutive set of provincial and All-Ireland medals in hurling. That year he also added both Munster and All-Ireland under-21 football medals to his ever-growing collection of honours. In 1971 Looney completed a famous three-in-a-row with the under-21 hurlers when they captured the Munster and All-Ireland titles for a third successive year. Not to be outdone the Cork under-21 footballers also retained their Munster and All-Ireland honours, making it two-in-a-row.

Senior

By 1970 Looney was a key player on the Cork senior hurling team. He began that year by winning his first National Hurling League title, before later collecting his very first senior Munster title. Cork later beat Wexford in the first 80-minute championship decider, giving Looney his first All-Ireland medal. By 1971 Looney was also lining out for the county’s senior football team. He won a Munster title that year, however, the team was knocked out in the All-Ireland semi-final. 1972 saw Looney add a second National Hurling League medal to his collection, as well as a second Munster hurling title. Cork were later defeated by Kilkenny in a thrilling All-Ireland final.

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