Conor Hayes

Conor Hayes

Personal information
Irish name	Conchur Ó hAodha
Sport	Hurling
Position	Full-back
Born	11 May 1958 (1958-05-11) (age 53) Kiltormer, County Galway
Height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Occupation	Engineer
Club(s)
Years	Club
1970s-1990s	Kiltormer
Club Titles
Galway titles	5
Connacht titles	3
All-Ireland Titles	1
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County
1979-1989	Galway
Inter-county titles
All Irelands	3
NHL	2
All Stars	3

Conor Hayes (born 11 May 1958 in Kiltormer, County Galway) is an Irish retired sportsperson and manager. He played hurling with his local club Kiltormer and was a member of the Galway senior inter-county team from 1979 until 1989. Hayes captained Galway to back-to-back All-Ireland titles.^[1]

Playing career

Club

Hayes played his club hurling with his local club in Kiltormer. Here he was joined by other notable hurlers, imcluding Michael, Tony and Ollie Kilkenny, John Goode, Tom Lynch, Ciarán Lynch and Tony Furey. In 1976 Hayes first tasted major success when he captured a senior county championship winners' medal following a 1-9 to 1-6 defeat of Killimordaly. Kiltormer later represented Galway in the provincial club championship. The Connacht final saw Hayes's side being defeated by Tremane of Roscommon.^[2]

Hayes collected a second consecutive county title with Kiltormer in 1977 before the club set out on the provincial trail once again. In spite of recahing the Connacht final for a second year a walk-over was awarded to Rour Roads of Roscommon as Kiltormer were suspended from the competition.^[3]

It was 1982 before Hayes added a third county winners' medal to his collection after a defeat of Castlegar. After defeat in two earlier provincial finals Kiltormer trounced Four Roads by 3-14 to 0-6, giving Hayes a coveted Connacht club winners' medal.^[4] Kiltormer's championship campaign came to a halt in the All-Ireland semi-final as St. Rynagh's of Offaly defeated Hayes's club.^[5]

The rest of the 1980s was a bleak time for Kiltormer, however, the team bounced back in 1990 with Hayes adding a fourth county winners' medal to his collection. A second Connacht club title quickly followed for Hayes as Kiltormer trounced Oran by 5-11 to 0-6.^[6] Unfortunately, Kiltormer were subsequently defeated by London side St. Gabriel's in the All-Ireland quarter-final.^[7]

Hayes captured a fifth and final county winners' medal in 1991 following a 3-9 to 0-15 defeat of Athenry. Kiltormer's provincial campaign culminated in a 2-9 to 1-6 defeat of Four Roads and the capturing of a third Connacht club winners' medal for Hayes.^[8] Hayes's side later faced Cashel King Cormac's in the All-Ireland semi-final. A three-game saga which produced two replays has gone into GAA folklore, however, in the end victory went to Hayes's side who booked a place in the All-Ireland final. Offaly club Birr were the opponents on that occasion. Kiltormer were well on top in that game and secured a 0-15 to 1-8 victory. It was Hayes's first All-Ireland club winners' medal.^[9]

Inter-county

Hayes first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Galway under-21 hurling team in the late 1970s. In 1978 Galway reached the final of that championship with Tpperary providing the opposition. An exciting game produced a draw while the subsequent replay was also an exciting and high-scoring affair. At the second time of asking Galway emerged victorious by 3-15 to 2-8 and Hayes collected a coveted All-Ireland under-21 winners' medal.^[10]

In 1979 Hayes was appointed captain of the Galway under-21 team. That year his side qualified for the All-Ireland final once again and, for the second consecutive year, Tipperary were the opponents. On this occasion Tipperary made no mistake and defeated Hayes's team by 2-12 to 1-9.^[11]

By this stage Hayes had already made his senior debut for the Galway senior team. In the 1979 championship his side shocked four-in-a-row hopefuls Cork in the All-Ireland semi-final and qualified for an All-Ireland final showdown with Kilkenny. In one of the worst All-Ireland finals of recent decades Galway goalkeeper Séamus Shinnors had an absolute nightmare of a game. A 70-yards free by Liam 'Chunky' O’Brien after just four minutes dipped, hit off Shinnors and ended up in the Galway net. Galway fought back and went two points up twelve minutes into the second half, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Four minutes before the end of the game another long-range free for Kilkenny ended up in the net behind Shinnors. It was a score which summed up the day for Hayes's side as Kilkenny went on to win by 2-12 to 1-8.^[12]

In 1980 Galway defeated Kildare and Offaly to reach a second All-Ireland final. Munster champions Limerick provided the opposition on this occasion and an exciting championship decider followed. Bernie Forde and P.J. Molloy goals for Galway meant that the men from the west led by 2-7 to 1-5 at half-time. Éamonn Cregan single-handedly launched the Limerick counter-attack in the second-half. Over the course of the game he scored 2-7, including an overhead goal and a point in which he showed the ball to Hayes and nonchalantly drove the ball over the bar. It was not enough to stem the tide and Galway went on to win the game.^[13] It was the county’s first All-Ireland title since 1923 and the celebrations surpassed anything ever seen in Croke Park.

1981 saw Galway reach a third consecutive All-Ireland final and Offaly were the opponents. Everything seemed to be going well for Hayes's side as Galway hoped to capture an unprecedented second consecutive All-Ireland title. Offaly 'keeper Damien Martin was doing great work in batting out a certain Galway goal early in the second-half. With twenty-three minutes left in the game Galway led by six points, however, they failed to score for the rest of the game. Johnny Flaherty hand-passed Offaly's second goal with just three minutes remaining. At the long whistle Hayes's side were defeated by 2-12 to 0-15.^[14]

Defeat in the All-Ireland semi-finals followed for the next few years for Hayes, however, Galway returned to the big stage in 1985. That year the team reached the All-Ireland final again, resulting in a rematch with Offaly. Pat Cleary scored a goal for the Leinster champions nine minutes before the interval to give them a huge boost. Cleary pounced again twenty-two seconds after the restart for a second goal. A third goal by Joe Dooley was disallowed while P.J. Molloy scored Galway's only goal of the day. At the end of the game Offaly were the winners by 2-11 to 1-12.^[15]

In 1986 Galway reached the All-Ireland final once again, this time with Cork providing the opposition. The men from the west were the red-hot favourites against an ageing Cork team, however, on the day a different story unfolded. Four Cork goals, one from John Fenton, two from Tomás Mulcahy and one from Kevin Hennessy, stymied the Galway attack and helped ‘the Rebels’ to a 4-13 to 2-15 victory.^[16] In spite of the defeat Hayes was later presented with a first All-Star award.

In 1987 Hayes was appointed captain of the Galway team. The year began well when he led the team to their first National Hurling League title in over a decade following a 3-12 to 3-10 defeat of Clare.^[17] Later that summer Galway qualified for a third All-Ireland final in-a-row. The prospect of becoming the first team to lose three consecutive championship deciders weighed heavily on the Galway team as Kilkenny provided the opposition. The game was not a classic by any standard and Noel Lane got a key goal for Galway nine minutes before the end. A 1-12 to 0-9 victory gave Hayes a second All-Ireland winners' medal while he also had the honour of accepting the Liam McCarthy Cup.^[18] A second All-Star award quickly followed.

In 1988 Hayes was captain of the team for a second year. That year Galway reached a fourth successive All-Ireland final. After more than a decade-and-a-half in the wilderness Tipperary were back providing the opposition in the championship decider. Galway defeated Tipp in the semi-final the previous year, however, with an extra year’s experience it was expected that Tipperary might shade the victory. Galway, however, used this to motivate themselves. Noel Lane again scored the crucial goal for Galway while Nicky English sent a late penalty over the bar for a point. A 1-15 to 0-14 score line resulted in victory for Galway and a third All-Ireland winners' medal for Hayes.^[19] Another solid performance at full-back resulted in a third All-Star award for the Galway captain.

In 1989 Hayes was captain of the team as Galway went in search of a third All-Ireland title in-a-row. For the third time in as many years Tipperary faced Galway in the All-Ireland series, however, on this occasion the men from the West were controversially without their star player Tony Keady. The game turned out to be a tense and unsavory affair as Tipp finally triumphed over Galway. A 1-17 to 2-11 victory for the Munster men meant that Galway's three-in-a-row dream was over. This defeat also brought the curtain down on Hayes's inter-county career.

Inter-provincial

Hayes also lined out with Connacht in the inter-provincial hurling championship and enjoyed some success. In 1980 he line dout in his second consecutive inter-provincial final. Munster provided the opposition on that occasion and, after a poor game, Connacht emerged as the winners by 1-5 to 0-7.^[20] It was Hayes's first Railway Cup winners' medal. Three years later in 1983 Connacht were back in the final with Leinster lining out against Hayes's province. This game was another low-scoring affair with victory going to Connacht by 0-10 to 1-5. It was Hayes's second Railway Cup title.^[21] After defeat in subsequent seasons Connacht were back in the final again in 1986. Munster were the opponents again, however, the west's ability to score goals gave Connacht a 3-11 to 0-11 victory and gave Hayes a third Railway Cup title.^[22] Hayes was captain of Connacht in 1987. A 2-14 to 1-14 defeat of Leinster gave him a fourth a final Railway Cup winners' medal.^[23]

Managerial career

Conor Hayes

Inter-county management
Years County 2002 - 2006 Galway
Inter-county titles
County League Province All-Ireland Galway 1 4 0

Galway

In retirement from playing Hayes continued his involvement with hurling. In late 2002 he was appointed manager of the Galway senior hurling team, succeeding his old team mate Noel Lane and defeating Brendan Lynskey and Gerry Fahy for the job. His first season in charge in 2003 was fruitless as Galway were out of contention very early for the National League exited the championship without reaching Croke Park.

In 2004 Hayes earned a reprieve as Galway recahed the final of the National League. Waterford provided the opposition on that occasion, however, it was Hayes's side that claimed a 2-15 to 1-13 victory.^[24] It was his first silverware as manager. This success was not converted into success later on in the summer. For the second consecutive year Galway exited the championship at a very early stage.

In 2005 Hayes was under pressure to deliver. An unconvincing league camapign resulted in many expecting little of Galway in the subsequent championship campaign. The All-Ireland quarter-final piited Galway against old rivals Tipperary. While Hayes's side were the underdogs they pulled off a surprise by recording a 2-20 to 2-18 victory.^[25] Galway's next game was an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Kilkenny. Once again Hayes's side were regarded as underdogs. Kilkenny got off to a great start, however, the young Galway team fought back and exposed a poor defence. The final score of 5-18 to 4-18 in favour of Galway saw Kilkenny leave the championship following one of the games of the decade.^[26] This game also brought the curtain down on the careers of Peter Barry and D.J. Carey. The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against Galway. It was their first meeting at this stage of the championship since 1990, however, Galway have never betaen Cork in an All-Ireland final. Cork's Ben O'Connor scored a goal in the sixteenth minute that gave his team a comfortable lead. Damien Hayes fought back with a Galway goal in the fiftieth minute, reducing Cork's lead to a point. Galway fell flat and didn't score in the last ten minutes as Cork won by 1-21 to 1-16.^[27]

Hayes's contract as manager expired following the defeat by Cork, however, he was coaxed back by the county board for one more season in 2006. After little success in the National League Hayes's side qualified to meet Kilkenny in the All-Ireland quarter-final. That game saw 'the Cats' take a huge lead before Galway fought back in the second-half. At the end of the game Kilkenny still won by 2-22 to 3-14. Following this defeat Hayes resigned as manager and was replaced by Ger Loughnane.

Honours

Kiltormer

• All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (1): 1992
• Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (3): 1982, 1990, 1991
  • Runner-up (2): 1976, 1977
• Galway Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (5): 1976, 1977, 1982, 1990, 1991
  • Runner-up (1): 1981

Galway

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship:
  • Winner (3): 1980, 1987 (C), 1988 (C)
  • Runner-up (4): 1979, 1981, 1985, 1986
• National Hurling League:
  • Winner (2): 1986-1987, 1988–1989
  • Runner-up (1): 1985-1986,

Connacht

• Railway Cup:
  • Winner (4): 1980, 1983, 1986, 1987 (C)
  • Runner-up (2): 1985, 1988

References

1. ^ Corry, Eoghan (2005). The GAA Book of Lists. Hodder Headline Ireland. p. 251. 
2. ^ Des, Donegan (2005). The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games. DBA Publications. p. 99. 
3. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 99
4. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 100
5. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 100
6. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 100
7. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 100
8. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 100
9. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 360
10. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 42
11. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 42
12. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 360
13. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 360
14. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 360
15. ^ The GAA Book of Lists pp. 359-360
16. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 361
17. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 69
18. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 362
19. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 362
20. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 82
21. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 82
22. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 83
23. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 83
24. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 70
25. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 9
26. ^ The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games p. 9
27. ^ The GAA Book of Lists p. 368

Sporting positions
Preceded by Noel Lane	Galway Senior Hurling Captain 1987-1989	Succeeded by Joe Cooney
Preceded by Noel Lane	Galway Senior Hurling Manager 2002-2006	Succeeded by Ger Loughnane
Achievements
Preceded by Noel Lane (Connacht)	Railway Cup Hurling Final winning captain 1987	Succeeded by Aidan Fogarty (Leinster)
Preceded by Tom Cashman (Cork)	All-Ireland Senior Hurling winning captain 1987, 1988	Succeeded by Bobby Ryan (Tipperary)

Teams

Persondata
Name	Hayes, Conor
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	11 May 1958
Place of birth	Kiltormer
Date of death
Place of death