IT’S FIVE YEARS since he first stepped out onto the inter-county senior stage, rewarded for his personal exploits with an All-Star award and close to rounding off his debut season with the ultimate hurling triumph.
That national honour is something Seamus Harnedy is still chasing but his third Munster accolade last month carried an extra sense of satisfaction for the St Ita’s club man.
For a player who didn’t make the grade at minor level and was a squad member at U21, the role of senior leader with Cork is something to cherish.
“For years you’re just striving to get into the setup itself and then to be given that honour is very nice. t’s nice for the lads at home I suppose. They are incredibly good people behind me from home the whole time, they’ve very supportive.
“The Munster final, a busload of them travelled up the last day. I’m very proud of where I come from and there’s good people down there. Look you can’t dwell on that too much. The days go very quickly.”
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The 28-year-old has been one of the shining lights of Cork’s play this season, racking up 3-14 from play and was central to Cork’s Munster hurling final revival. But past examples of stirring form are not something he’s concentrating on.
Seamus Harnedy hoists the Munster senior hurling trophy into the air. Morgan Treacy / INPHO
Morgan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
“I think there’s so many kind of leaders in the team. It lessens the burden anyway. I just see myself as one of 15, one of 20, one of 30. My main focus is looking after the younger lads.
“We had a lot of lads coming in last year, they settled in nicely. You just look after them. We have a number of leaders there obviously, Anthony Nash, Patrick Horgan, Bill Cooper, Mark Ellis, you’d lads like that in and around you and they help. They’re unbelievable.
“They keep pushing things. Even Alan Cadogan, who picked up a knock this year, he’s incredibly good. Obviously Conor Lehane as well. You have lads that have played for a number of years and are experienced and are good leaders.”
Cork return to the All-Ireland semi-final stage on Sunday, a hurdle they could not surmount last August against Waterford. In the aftermath of that painful loss, Harnedy found solace in local hurling matters and by late October he had captained divisional outfit Imokilly to a county title.
Seamie Harnedy celebrates after last year's Cork senior hurling final. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
“That was the beauty of it, we were out two weeks after back with Imokilly. There’s nothing better than after a poor performance to get back on the horse and go again.
“That really did help. We went to the All-Ireland 7s as well with the club and we were lucky enough to win the junior and intermediate section of that so that helped as well. You just want to get back playing after a disappointment like that.”
Off the pitch he’s halfway through a Postgraduate Masters in Education in UCC and set to teach in Midleton CBS from this autumn. On the pitch the focus is on getting past this semi-final assignment, his hopes spurred on by the impact Cork’s young bunch of players.
Cork's Darragh Fitzgibbon celebrates the Munster final victory. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
“They’re very good, burst onto the scene last year. The most encouraging aspect of them is how grounded they are. They want to be successful. How they apply themselves on a daily basis, they’re incredibly grounded, modest for what they’ve achieved in a short space of time.
“The challenge for them is trying to keep them levels of enthusiasm up. They’re a great bunch, they’re not hard to manage and if anything they’re driving the older lads as much as we’re trying to drive them. They’re incredibly good in that aspect.”
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'For years you're just striving to get into the setup itself and then to be given that honour is very nice'
IT’S FIVE YEARS since he first stepped out onto the inter-county senior stage, rewarded for his personal exploits with an All-Star award and close to rounding off his debut season with the ultimate hurling triumph.
That national honour is something Seamus Harnedy is still chasing but his third Munster accolade last month carried an extra sense of satisfaction for the St Ita’s club man.
For a player who didn’t make the grade at minor level and was a squad member at U21, the role of senior leader with Cork is something to cherish.
“For years you’re just striving to get into the setup itself and then to be given that honour is very nice. t’s nice for the lads at home I suppose. They are incredibly good people behind me from home the whole time, they’ve very supportive.
“The Munster final, a busload of them travelled up the last day. I’m very proud of where I come from and there’s good people down there. Look you can’t dwell on that too much. The days go very quickly.”
The 28-year-old has been one of the shining lights of Cork’s play this season, racking up 3-14 from play and was central to Cork’s Munster hurling final revival. But past examples of stirring form are not something he’s concentrating on.
“I think there’s so many kind of leaders in the team. It lessens the burden anyway. I just see myself as one of 15, one of 20, one of 30. My main focus is looking after the younger lads.
“We had a lot of lads coming in last year, they settled in nicely. You just look after them. We have a number of leaders there obviously, Anthony Nash, Patrick Horgan, Bill Cooper, Mark Ellis, you’d lads like that in and around you and they help. They’re unbelievable.
“They keep pushing things. Even Alan Cadogan, who picked up a knock this year, he’s incredibly good. Obviously Conor Lehane as well. You have lads that have played for a number of years and are experienced and are good leaders.”
Cork return to the All-Ireland semi-final stage on Sunday, a hurdle they could not surmount last August against Waterford. In the aftermath of that painful loss, Harnedy found solace in local hurling matters and by late October he had captained divisional outfit Imokilly to a county title.
“That was the beauty of it, we were out two weeks after back with Imokilly. There’s nothing better than after a poor performance to get back on the horse and go again.
“That really did help. We went to the All-Ireland 7s as well with the club and we were lucky enough to win the junior and intermediate section of that so that helped as well. You just want to get back playing after a disappointment like that.”
Off the pitch he’s halfway through a Postgraduate Masters in Education in UCC and set to teach in Midleton CBS from this autumn. On the pitch the focus is on getting past this semi-final assignment, his hopes spurred on by the impact Cork’s young bunch of players.
“They’re very good, burst onto the scene last year. The most encouraging aspect of them is how grounded they are. They want to be successful. How they apply themselves on a daily basis, they’re incredibly grounded, modest for what they’ve achieved in a short space of time.
“The challenge for them is trying to keep them levels of enthusiasm up. They’re a great bunch, they’re not hard to manage and if anything they’re driving the older lads as much as we’re trying to drive them. They’re incredibly good in that aspect.”
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GAA Seamus Harnedy Super Seamie Cork