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Mayo

Sport:	Hurling
Irish:	Maigh Eo
Nickname(s):	The Westerners The Yew County The Heather County
County board:	Mayo GAA
Home venue(s):	Castlebar
Recent competitive record
Last league title:	2021
First colours Second colours

The Mayo county hurling team represents Mayo in hurling and is governed by Mayo GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the Christy Ring Cup and the National Hurling League. It formerly competed in the abolished Connacht Senior Hurling Championship.

Mayo's home ground is MacHale Park, Castlebar. The team's manager is vacant.

The team last won the Connacht Senior Championship in 1909, but has never won the All-Ireland Senior Championship or the National League.

History

Although not a traditional hurling county, hurling is strong in certain parts of the county especially in the eastern region around Ballyhaunis and Tooreen. Mayo has four senior hurling clubs, each of which provides players for the Mayo senior hurling panel, which participates in the National Hurling League and the All-Ireland Nicky Rackard (Tier 3) Cup.

Mayo has 10 clubs that provide players for the Mayo underage hurling development panels. Mayo has development panels at under-14, under-15, under-16 and minor age-groups, and competes in the All-Ireland 'B' competitions each year.

The Mayo under-21 hurling team competes in the Connacht U-21B Hurling Championship each year alongside Leitrim, Roscommon and Sligo.

Mayo's best performances in the Christy Ring Cup came in 2008 and 2009, when the Mayo side fell at the semi-final stage to Carlow and Down respectively.

Mayo won the 2016 Nicky Rackard Cup, defeating Armagh by a scoreline of 2–16 to 1–15 at Croke Park.

Mayo lost the 2020 Nicky Rackard Cup Final to Donegal by a scoreline of 3–18 to 0–21.

Current panel

Team as per Mayo vs London in the Christy Ring Cup (Round 3), 24 April 2022

Player has had an injury which has affected recent involvement with the county team.
Player has since retired from the county team.
Player has since withdrawn from the county team due to a non-injury issue.

Current management team

Manager: Vacant

Managerial history

Mark Deeley 1997–2001

Gerry Kilbride 2001

Mattie Murphy Galway 2001–2002

Gerry Spellman or Spelman Galway 2003–2005

Frank Browne Wexford/Ballyhaunis 2005–2006

Martin Brennan Westport 2006–2011

Murt Connolly Galway 2011–2012

Christy Phillips Limerick 2013–2014

J P. Coen 2015–?

Derek Walsh Ballyhaunis 2018–2022

Vacant 2022–

Walsh was appointed in 2018, ratified for a fourth year in charge ahead of the 2021 season then resigned at the end of the 2022 season.

Players

Notable players

Captaincy

• Shane Boland: 2022

Records

• Mayo's most famous hurlers:
  • Joe Henry (Tooreen), who won Railway Cup medals with Connacht in the 1980s
  • Keith Higgins (Ballyhaunis), the dual player who played for the county football team in many's an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final from 2006 onwards
  • Shane Boland, 2022 captain, finished as top scorer in the 2022 Christy Ring Cup
  • Shane Crinnigan, Tooreen - Four Connaught Medals for Tooreen (2017, 2019, 2021, 2022)

Honours

National

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship
  • Semi-finalists (1): 1909
• All-Ireland Senior B Hurling Championship / Joe McDonagh Cup (Tier 2)
  • Runners-up (1): 2004
• All-Ireland Intermediate Hurling Championship / Christy Ring Cup (Tier 3)
  • Runners-up (1): 2022
  • Semi-finalists (3): 2008, 2009, 2014
• All-Ireland Junior Hurling Championship / Nicky Rackard Cup (Tier 4)
  • Winners (5): 1980, 1981, 2003, 2016, 2021
  • Runners-up (3): 1976, 1978, 2020
• All-Ireland Minor C Hurling Championship
  • Winners (2): 2013, 2014
• National Hurling League Division 2B
  • Winners (1): 2018
• National Hurling League Division 3
  • Winners (7): 1966, 1980, 1986, 1988, 2003, 2005, 2024
• National Hurling League Division 4
  • Winners (2): 1991, 2002

Provincial

• Connacht Senior Hurling Championship
  • Winners (1): 1909
  • Runners-up (1): 1905
• Connacht Intermediate Hurling Championship
  • Winners (2): 1969, 2014
  • Runners-up (2): 1968, 2013
• Connacht Junior Hurling Championship
  • Winners (3): 1936, 1967, 2004
  • Runners-up (10): 1934, 1935, 1939, 1950, 1959, 1960, 1964, 1965, 1972, 1975
• Jim Hogan Couriers Connacht U21 Hurling Championship
  • Winners (2): 2015, 2016
• Connacht Minor Hurling Championship
  • Winners (1): 1964
  • Runners-up (2): 1935, 1952

References

1. "Feeney hits 1–9 as Mayo secure Nicky Rackard Cup". Irish Independent. 4 June 2016.
2. "Donegal goal burst enough to secure Nicky Rackard glory". RTÉ Sport. 22 November 2020.
3. "Spelman ready for Carlow challenge". Hogan Stand. 10 June 2005.
4. O'Connell, Cian (22 April 2017). "Skill is the key to Galway's development". GAA.ie. Gerry Spelman has spent his whole life serving the game of hurling in a variety of roles in the west. A fiercely respected competitor during his playing days with Clarinbridge, Spelman is a highly regarded coach, who trained Gort to Galway SHC glory in 2014.
5. "Spellman steps down as Mayo hurling boss". RTÉ. 15 August 2005. Spellman and his fellow selectors, Sean O'Coisdealbha and Fr Michael Murphy, resigned following Mayo's victory over Derry in the relegation final of the Christy Ring Cup.
6. "Browne ratified as Mayo hurling boss". Irish Examiner. 17 December 2005.
7. "Browne appointed Mayo hurling boss". RTÉ. 17 December 2005. Wexford man Frank Browne has been appointed as the new manager of the Mayo senior hurlers, succeeding Gerry Spellman. Browne, who has yet to confirm his selectors, is well-known in Mayo hurling circles having played for both Ballyhaunis and the county team.
8. "Frank's with Mayo". Gorey Guardian. 22 December 2005. Former Faythe Harriers clubman, Frank Browne, was recently appointed manager of the Mayo Senior team, after giving devoted service to the county as a player as well.
9. "Brennan named as new Mayo hurling boss". RTÉ. 6 December 2006. Westport native Brennan served as a selector under previous manager Frank Browne, who was critical of county board support for the hurlers.
10. Carey, Daniel (18 January 2011). "Galwayman Murt Connolly to lead Mayo hurlers". The Mayo News. He takes over the Mayo job from Westport's Martin Brennan, who was in charge for the past four seasons and guided the team to back-to-back Christy Ring Cup semi-finals in 2008 and 2009.
11. "Connolly is new Mayo hurling boss". Hogan Stand. 13 January 2011.
12. "Connolly named as Mayo hurling boss". RTÉ. 12 January 2011.
13. "Former Limerick hurler Leo O'Connor appointed as Mayo Senior Hurling Coach". Hogan Stand. 27 November 2013. O'Connor joins the Mayo Hurling Management team with fellow Limerick man Christy Phillips (Team Manager) and Austin Kenny (Selector) from Mayo Champions Tooreen.
14. "Walsh's warriors looking forward to league final". Mayo Advertiser. 25 February 2018.
15. "Derek Walsh steps down as Mayo GAA Senior Hurling Manager". 29 July 2022.
16. "Walsh to remain in charge of Mayo hurlers". Hogan Stand. 9 January 2021.
17. "Derek Walsh ends reign as Mayo hurling boss". RTÉ. 29 July 2022.
18. "Mayo on the hunt for new hurling manager after Walsh steps down". Hogan Stand. 30 July 2022.
19. "Higgins announced as captain of the Mayo hurling team". The Connaught Telegraph. 5 May 2021.
20. "Tooreen legend wins Club Stars award". The Mayo News. 3 January 2018.
21. "Henry, Joe". Hogan Stand. 13 December 1991.
22. "Keith Higgins stars as Ballyhaunis bounce back to claim Mayo hurling title". RTÉ Sport. 12 September 2020.
23. "Shane Boland confirmed as top scorer in the Christy Ring Cup". MidWest Radio. 25 May 2022.

• Mayo county hurling team
• County hurling teams