Tom Ryan (Limerick hurler)

Tom Ryan (born 1944 in Ballybrown, County Limerick, Ireland) is an Irish former hurling manager and player. He played hurling with his local club Ballybrown^[1] and was a member of the Limerick senior inter-county team from 1973 until 1976. Ryan later served as manager of both the Limerick and Westmeath senior inter-county teams.^[2]

Tom Ryan

Personal information
Irish name	Tomás Ó Riain
Sport	Hurling
Position	Left wing-back
Born	1944 Ballybrown, County Limerick, Ireland
Height	5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Nickname	Timber Tom
Occupation	Electrical rewind mechanic
Club(s)
Years	Club
1962–1983	Ballybrown
Club titles
Limerick titles	0
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1973–1976	Limerick	11 (0-00)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles	2
All-Irelands	1
NHL	0
All Stars	0

Playing career

Club

Ryan played his club hurling with his local club in Ballybrown.^[1]

Inter-county

Ryan began his playing career with Limerick in the 1960s and went on as a substitute for Bernie Hartigan in the 1973 All Ireland Final which Limerick won, beating Kilkenny by 1–21 to 1–14. He started the 1974 All Ireland final as a right half back but Limerick were beaten by Kilkenny 3–19 to 1–13. He also won a National Hurling League^{[clarification needed]} as a player in 1971.

Managerial career

Limerick

Ryan took over as Limerick senior hurling manager from Phil Bennis in the late summer of 1993 and remained as manager until 1997. He won two Munster titles in 1994 and 1996 as a manager, and won a National Hurling League in 1997. He was removed immediately after that success following a frosty relationship with the Limerick county board officers. He was replaced as manager by Éamonn Cregan.

Westmeath

Ryan was appointed manager of the Westmeath senior hurling team in November 2003.^[2] After two unsuccessful years in this position, he stepped down in 2005.

References

1. "The Leader Interview..with Tom Ryan". Limerick Leader. 19 February 2009. Retrieved 17 July 2010.
2. "Ryan to manage Westmeath hurlers". RTÉ Sport. 13 November 2003. Retrieved 13 September 2009.

Sporting positions
Preceded by Phil Bennis	Limerick Senior Hurling Manager 1993–1997	Succeeded by Éamonn Cregan
Preceded by Michael Conneely	Westmeath Senior Hurling Manager 2003–2005	Succeeded by Séamus Qualter