Shane O'Donnell

Irish hurler

Shane O'Donnell
Personal information
Irish name Seán Ó Dónaill
Sport Hurling
Position Full-forward
Born (1994-06-15) 15 June 1994 (age 29)
Ennis, County Clare, Ireland
Nickname SOD
Occupation Doctoral student
Club(s)
Years Club
2011-present
Éire Óg, Ennis
Club titles
Clare titles 0
Colleges(s)
Years College
2012-2018
University College Cork
College titles
Fitzgibbon titles 0
Inter-county(ies)*
Years County Apps (scores)
2013-present
Clare 49 (15-60)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles 0
All-Irelands 1
NHL 2
All Stars 2
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of match played 28 April 2024.

Shane O'Donnell (born 15 June 1994) is an Irish hurler who plays as a forward for the Clare senior team.

Born on the Ennis Road, County Limerick, O'Donnell first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Clare minor team, before later lining out with the under-21 side. He made his senior debut in the 2013 Waterford Crystal Cup. O'Donnell has since gone on to play a key part for Clare, and has won one All-Ireland medal and one Waterford Crystal Cup medal.

At club level O'Donnell plays with Éire Óg, Ennis. He missed the 2019 National Hurling League as he was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to Harvard University in the US.[1][2]

Playing career

Inter-county

O'Donnell made his senior debut during the pre-season Waterford Crystal Cup in 2013. It was a successful campaign for Clare, as a 1-21 to 1-13 defeat of Tipperary gave O'Donnell a winners' medal in that competition.[3] Later that year he made his championship debut at left corner-forward in a Munster quarter-final defeat of Waterford.[4] The rest of the championship campaign saw O'Donnell dropped from the starting fifteen for several games, however, he was a late addition at full-forward for Clare's All-Ireland final replay against Cork. His selection seemed surprising but was justified, as O'Donnell scored a hat-trick of goals in the first nineteen minutes of the game. Further goals from Conor McGrath and Darach Honan secured a 5-16 to 3-16 victory following a classic championship decider.[5] The win gave O'Donnell an All-Ireland medal, while he was also named man of the match.[6][7]

In October 2013, O'Donnell won the Opel Player of the Month Award for September.[8][9]

In June 2021, he received a heavy blow when training with the Clare team that left him with a serious concussion. It ruled him out of the 2021 Championship. He returned to the Clare panel in March 2022. [10][11]

Personal life

O’Donnell completed a PhD in Microbiology in 2021. Between 2018 and 2019, he spent six months in Harvard University as the recipient of a Fulbright scholarship.[12][13]

Career statistics

As of match played 28 April 2024.
Team Year National League Munster All-Ireland Total
Division Apps Score Apps Score Apps Score Apps Score
Clare 2013 Division 1A 6 1-03 2 1-01 5 5-04 13 7-08
2014 5 4-02 0 0-00 0 0-00 5 4-02
2015 6 3-05 1 0-01 2 1-02 9 4-08
2016 Division 1B 7 0-01 1 0-00 3 1-06 11 1-07
2017 Division 1A 2 0-00 2 2-02 1 0-02 5 2-04
2018 6 1-03 5 0-03 3 1-08 14 2-14
2019 4 1-01 4 1-01
2020 Division 1B 5 3-07 1 0-00 3 0-02 9 3-09
2021
2022 Division 1A 5 0-09 2 0-06 7 0-15
2023 0 0-00 5 0-08 2 2-03 7 2-11
2024 0 0-00 2 1-02 2 1-02
Career total 37 12-21 28 5-27 21 10-33 86 27-81

Honours

Clare
Awards
  • All-Star Award (2): 2022, 2023
  • The Sunday Game Team of the Year (2): 2022,[14] 2023
  • All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final Man of the Match (1): 2013 (replay)

References

  1. ^ "O'Donnell set to miss 2019 season due to Harvard studies". RTÉ. 23 March 2018. Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  2. ^ "'It's nice to know I still have a personality, that I wasn't just a hurler' - Shane O'Donnell on his Harvard stint". Irish Independent. 28 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  3. ^ Brophy, Shane (11 February 2013). "Clare click into gear as Tipperary flounder". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  4. ^ "Three new faces for Clare". Hogan Stand website. 31 May 2013. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  5. ^ O'Flynn, Diarmuid (30 September 2013). "A day borrowed from the hurling gods". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  6. ^ Fogarty, John (30 September 2013). "O'Donnell living the 'ridiculous' dream". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  7. ^ Clerkin, Malachy (30 September 2013). "The hurler with the boyband looks, Shane O'Donnell was Clare's hero against Cork". Irish Times. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  8. ^ "Hurling hero Shane O'Donnell: 'My mother is my agent'". Irish Independent. 14 November 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  9. ^ "Shane O'Donnell: How a helmet saved my life". Irish Independent. 21 May 2015. Retrieved 21 May 2015.
  10. ^ "Shane O'Donnell: 'I had accepted I wasn't ever going to hurl again. I was at peace with it'". The 42. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  11. ^ "Shane O'Donnell's concussion nightmare: 'I accepted I was never going to hurl again'". Sky Sports. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  12. ^ "'I'd rather lose 10 Munster finals in a row than be where I was 12 months ago' – Shane O'Donnell". Irish Independent. 14 June 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.
  13. ^ "Clare star Shane O'Donnell on his desire to become an astronaut – 'It's definitely something I would like to do'". Irish Independent. 17 May 2024. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
  14. ^ "Diarmaid Byrnes the player of the year as Limerick dominate team selection". RTE Sport. 17 July 2022. Retrieved 19 July 2022.
Awards
Preceded by
Conor Ryan
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final
Man of the Match

2013 (replay)
Succeeded by
  • v
  • t
  • e
Clare – 2013 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Champions (3rd title)
Subs used
K. Lynch for T. Kelly
J. Colleran for D. McInerney
E. Boyce for C. Galvin
N. Arthur for P. Collins
A. Cunningham for S. O'Donnell
Managers
D. Moloney
G. O'Connor
  • v
  • t
  • e
Clare – 2014 All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Champions (4th title)
Subs used
C. O'Connell for G. O'Connell
A. O'Neill for S. O'Donnell
Subs not used
E. Quilligan
S. McGrath
S. O’Brien
E. Quirke
D. Conroy
B. Carey
S. Taylor
S. Ward
N. O'Connor
S. Gleeson
Managers
D. Moloney
G. O'Connor
  • v
  • t
  • e
Clare – 2013 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Champions (4th title)
Subs used
23 C. McInerney for C. Galvin
20 N. O'Connell for P. Collins
14 D. Honan for S. O'Donnell
18 S. Morey for T. Kelly
Blood sub
21 F. Lynch for S. O'Donnell
Subs not used
16 D. Tuohy
17 C. Cooney
19 L. Markham
24 P. Duggan
25 J. Clancy
26 P. Flanagan
27 C. O'Connell
28 A. Cunningham
Manager
D. Fitzgerald
Selectors
L. Mulqueen
M. Deegan
P. Kinnerk
S. Bulfin
J. O'Connor
  • v
  • t
  • e
2022 All-Stars Hurling Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
2023 All-Stars Hurling Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final – Man of the Match
  • v
  • t
  • e
Clare hurling team – current senior panel

Substitutes
16 C. Broderick
17 R. Hayes
18 P. Flanagan
19 S. Moreu
20 D. McInerney
21 P. Donnellan
22 S. O'Donnell
23 A. Shanagher
24 S. Meehan
25 P. Crotty
26 G. Sheehy

Manager
B. Lohan
Coach
S. Treacy
Selectors
K. Ralph
J. Moran

Above is the starting lineup vs Kilkenny on 6 April 2024