Hanniffy retires from intercounty fare

BIRR hurling star Rory Hanniffy has announced his retirement from inter-county action.

The former captain and Offaly Hurler of the Year was left out of manager Brian Whelahan’s 34-man training panel that recently started their preparations for the 2015 campaign.

Hanniffy played for the Offaly senior team for 14 years, making his final championship appearance in the loss to Tipperary in this year’s All-Ireland qualifiers. He has two Division 2 medals from 2005 and 2007 and captained his county in 2007. He also won Leinster minor and U21 medals with the Faithful County.

Following in the footsteps of his brothers Gary and Darren, the Birr clubman made his championship debut for the Faithful in 2001.

Hanniffy won a pair of All-Ireland club medals with Birr in 2002 and 2003, as well as a large haul of county championship medals.
Coolderry’s Kevin Brady has also announced his retirement from the Offaly fold, also making his final appearance for Offaly in the loss to Tipperary. He made 37 championship appearances for his county and captained Offaly in 2008.

The Offaly training panel (listed below) does not include players from county champions Kilcormac-Killoughey, who defeated Raharney of Westmeath in the Leinster club SHC semi-finals last Sunday and will play either Ballyhale Shamrocks or Kilmacud Crokes (managed by former Offaly boss Ollie Baker) in the provincial decider.  

Offaly Training Panel: Paddy Murphy (Ballinamere), Colin Egan (Belmont), Seán Ryan (Birr), Brendan Murphy (Birr), Emmet Nolan (Birr), Colm Mulrooney (Birr), Chris McDonald (Brosna Gaels), Brian Carroll (Coolderry), Cathal Parlon (Coolderry), Kevin Connolly (Coolderry), David King (Coolderry), James Dempsey (Kinnitty), Kevin O’Connor (Kinnitty), Shane Kinsella (Kinnitty), James Rigney (Kinnitty), Joe Bergin (Seir Kieran), Adrian Hynes (Seir Kieran), Brian Mulrooney (Seir Kieran), James Mulrooney (Seir Kieran), Eanna Murphy (Seir Kieran), Dermot Mooney (Seir Kieran), Stephen Quirke (St Rynagh’s), Stephen Wynne (St Rynagh’s), Niall Wynne (St Rynagh’s), Pat Camon (St Rynaghs), Joseph O’Connor (St Rynagh’s), Conor Clancy (St Rynagh’s), Dermot Shortt (St Rynagh’s), Seán Cleary (Shinrone), Michael Cleary (Shinrone), Shane Dooley (Tullamore), Niall Houlihan (Tullamore), Stephen Egan (Tullamore), Gareth Mann (Tullamore).