Seán O'Leary (25 February 1952 – 1 December 2021) was an Irish hurler who played as a left corner-forward at senior level for the Cork county team.
Career
Born in Youghal, County Cork, Munster, O'Leary first played competitive hurling whilst at school at St. Colman's College. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Cork minor team, before later joining the under-21 side. He made his senior debut during the 1971 championship. O'Leary went on to play a key part for Cork, and won four All-Ireland medals, nine Munster medals and four National Hurling League medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on three occasions.
O'Leary was a member of the Munster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions, however, he ended his career without a Railway Cup medal. At club level he is an intermediate championship medallist with Youghal.
His grandfather, Tom Mahony, was also an All-Ireland medallist with Cork, while his son, Tomás, was an All-Ireland minor-winning captain who played rugby with London Irish.
Throughout his career O'Leary made 36 championship appearances. He retired from inter-county hurling following the conclusion of the 1984 championship.
O'Leary was widely regarded as one of Cork's all-time greatest and most popular players. During his playing days he won three All-Star awards, while he was later chosen as one of the 125 greatest hurlers of all-time in a 2009 poll.
In retirement from playing O'Leary became involved in team management and coaching. After a stint as coach of the Cork under-21 team, he was a two-time All-Ireland-winning selector with the Cork senior team.
O'Leary died on 1 December 2021, at the age of 69.
Playing career
Club
In 1969 O'Leary was still eligible for the minor grade when he was a member of Youghal's top team that qualified for the final of the intermediate championship. A narrow 3–7 to 0–13 defeat of Cobh gave him a championship medal.
Minor and under-21
O'Leary first played for Cork in 1969 when he joined the minor side. He made his debut when he came on as a substitute in the provincial semi-final, before starting the subsequent provincial decider at left corner-forward. O'Leary won his first Munster medal that year following a 1–12 to 2–4 defeat of Tipperary. This victory allowed Cork to advance to an All-Ireland final meeting with Kilkenny. O'Leary finished the game with 1–1 and collected his first All-Ireland medal as Cork triumphed by 2–15 to 3–6.
In 1970 O'Leary collected a second Munster medal as he scored a hat-trick of goals in Cork's 3–8 to 4–4 defeat of Tipperary. The subsequent All-Ireland decider saw Cork face Galway. O'Leary was Cork's joint-top scorer as the team powered to a 5–19 to 2–9 victory. It was his second All-Ireland medal in the minor grade.
O'Leary was still a member of the Cork minor team when he was added to the under-21 side for the All-Ireland decider with Wexford in 1970. He was introduced as a substitute and scored a decisive goal which resulted in Cork salvaging a draw. O'Leary started the replay and collected an All-Ireland medal in that grade as Cork recorded a 5–17 to 0–8 victory in the replay.
In 1971 O'Leary's underage run of success continued when he collected his first Munster medal in the under-21 grade following a 5–11 to 4–9 defeat of Tipperary. For the second successive year Cork faced Wexford in the under-21 All-Ireland decider. Cork dominated the game with goals, beating Wexford by 7–8 to 1–11. It was O'Leary's second All-Ireland medal.
Cork's bid for a fifth successive All-Ireland under-21 crown ended in 1972, however, the team bounced back the following year. A 4–11 to 2–7 defeat of Limerick gave O'Leary a third Munster medal in four seasons. Once again the subsequent All-Ireland decider featured Cork and Wexford. In a close game Cork triumphed by 2–10 to 4–2, with O'Leary securing a third All-Ireland medal. It was his final game in the under-21 grade.
Senior
Beginnings
O'Leary made his senior championship debut as a substitute on 4 July 1971 in a 2–16 to 2–14 Munster semi-final defeat by Limerick.