Fingal county hurling team

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2021}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2021}} {{Infobox Gaelic games county team | name = Fingal | crest = | sport = [[Hurling]] | irish = Fine Gall | nickname = The Ravens{{citation needed|date=June 2021}}<br>The Northsiders{{citation needed|date=June 2021}} | county board = | manager = | captain = | most appearances =  | top scorer =  | home venues = [[Lawless Memorial Park]], [[Swords, County Dublin|Swords]] | sfc = Defunct | last championship title = ''None'' | nfl division = Defunct | last league title = ''None'' | pattern_la1 = | pattern_b1 = | pattern_ra1 = | pattern_sh1 = | pattern_so1 = | leftarm1 = 800080 | body1 = 800080 | rightarm1 = 800080 | shorts1 = FFFFFF | socks1 = 800080 | pattern_la2 = | pattern_b2 = | pattern_ra2 = | pattern_sh2 = | pattern_so2 = | leftarm2 = | body2 = | rightarm2 = | shorts2 = | socks2 = | current = }}

The '''Fingal hurling team''' ({{langx|ga|Foireann Iománaíochta Fhine Ghaill}}) is an [[inter-county]] [[hurling]] team representing [[Fingal]] in the [[Kehoe Cup]], the [[National Hurling League]] and the [[Nicky Rackard Cup]]. It is organised by the [[Dublin GAA]] and was established in 2008.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/dublin-county-board-back-fingal-s-motion-to-rejoin-hurling-championship-1.1647383|title=Dublin County Board back Fingal’s motion to rejoin hurling championship |date=8 January 2014|work=The Irish Times |accessdate=2014-03-28}}</ref> Fingal are currently managed by Mick Kennedy of the [[Fingallians GAA|Fingallians]] club.<ref>{{cite news |title=Kennedy assumes Fingal hotseat |url=http://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/temp/kennedy-assumes-fingal-hotseat-28976563.html |publisher=Fingal Independent |date=1 January 2013 |accessdate=16 March 2013}}</ref>

The Fingal team is made up of players from [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]] clubs within the Fingal region. While players from Fingal are eligible to play for the Dublin county team, players from outside of Fingal are not eligible to play for the Fingal county team. The Fingal catchment area stretches from [[Blanchardstown]] to [[Balbriggan]] and contains a total of 16 clubs; these include [[Castleknock GAA|Castleknock]], [[Erin go Bragh GAA|Erin go Bragh]], [[Fingallians GAA|Fingallians]], [[Naomh Barróg CLG|Naomh Barróg]], [[Naomh Mearnóg CLG|Naomh Mearnóg]], [[O'Dwyers GAA|O'Dwyers]], Setanta, [[Skerries Harps GAA|Skerries Harps]], [[St Brigid's GAA (Dublin)|St Brigid's]], St Finians (N), [[Naomh Maur CLG|St Maurs]], St Pats Donabate, [[St Peregrines GAA|St Peregrines]], [[St Sylvester's GAA|St Sylvester's]], [[Trinity Gaels GAA|Trinity Gaels]] and [[Wild Geese GAA|Wild Geese]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Fingal are up for the fight |url=http://www.herald.ie/sport/gaa/fingal-are-up-for-the-fight-27879501.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131016080717/http://www.herald.ie/sport/gaa/fingal-are-up-for-the-fight-27879501.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 October 2013 |publisher=Evening Herald |date=22 July 2008 |accessdate=16 March 2013}}</ref>

==History== [[File:Fingal Hurling Squad 2008.png|right|thumb|300px|The Fingal hurling team which played in the 2008 [[Nicky Rackard Cup]] semi-final.]] In 2007, the GAA announced that hurling teams from [[Fingal]] and "South Down" (i.e. excluding the [[Ards peninsula]]) would compete at inter-county level in parallel to the main [[Dublin county hurling team|Dublin]] and [[Down county hurling team|Down]] hurling teams, to encourage hurling in these areas where the game had not been strong.<ref>{{cite news |title=Down, Dublin teams to compete in Rackard |author=Gavin Cummiskey |url=http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2007/0517/1179315435755.html |publisher=The Irish Times |date=17 May 2007 |accessdate=8 March 2009 |archive-date=13 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121013002249/http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/sport/2007/0517/1179315435755.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> In 2008, Fingal entered the [[Kehoe Cup]] which is a pre-season tournament for second and third-tier inter-county and third-level hurling teams. Fingal won their debut match against [[Institute of Technology, Tallaght|IT Tallaght]] by 3–12 to 1–11 to qualify for the quarter-final stages.<ref>{{cite news |title=Review of Walsh & Kehoe Cup action |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2008/0113/226812-walsh_kehoecup/ |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=6 August 2008 |accessdate=16 March 2013}}</ref> Their next match was drawn against [[Carlow GAA|Carlow]] whom they lost to by 1–13 to 1–10.<ref>{{cite news |title=Review of Kehoe Cup action |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2008/0127/227362-kehoecup/ |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=12 March 2008 |accessdate=16 March 2013}}</ref> Later that year, both Fingal and [[South Down GAA|South Down]] were entered into the [[Nicky Rackard Cup]], a competition for the third-tier hurling teams of the [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]]. Fingal qualified for the semi-finals after finishing top of their group and beating [[Leitrim county hurling team|Leitrim]] in the quarter-finals by 1–19 to 0–12.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nicky Rackard Cup round-up |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2008/0719/234873-rackard/ |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=6 August 2008 |accessdate=16 March 2013}}</ref> However, Fingal lost the semi-final to [[Sligo county hurling team|Sligo]] by 1–16 to 0–11, who later went on to win the competition.<ref>{{cite news |title=Nicky Rackard Cup round-up |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2008/0726/235323-nicky_rackard/ |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=13 January 2008 |accessdate=16 March 2013}}</ref>

Fingal claimed their first piece of silverware in 2012 when they won the [[Kehoe Cup#Kehoe Cup Shield|Kehoe Cup Shield]], beating [[Armagh county hurling team|Armagh]] in the final by 4–11 to 1–14.<ref>{{cite news|title=First ever silverware for Fingal hurling |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/dublin/fingal/first-ever-silverware-for-fingal-hurling/27815171.html |publisher=Fingal Independent |date=14 February 2012 |access-date=26 February 2012 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120326020352/http://www.fingal-independent.ie/sport/hurling/first-ever-silverware-for-fingal-hurling-3018511.html |archive-date=26 March 2012 }}</ref> They topped off the year by winning division 3A of the [[National Hurling League]] after [[Monaghan county hurling team|Monaghan]] refused to play in the final.<ref>{{cite news |title=Monaghan will not fulfil hurling final |url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/hurling/2012/0410/316636-monaghan-squad-set-to-boycott-league-final/ |publisher=RTÉ Sport |date=11 April 2012 |accessdate=16 March 2013}}</ref>

However, in 2013 they won the National Hurling League Division 3A Final and a season later reached the final of the Nicky Rackard Cup where they eventually lost to Tyrone.

The Fingal hurling project was eventually disbanded in 2016.

==Sponsorship== In April 2012, the [[Dublin GAA|Dublin County Board]] announced a new partnership with Dublin Airport Authority ([[Dublin Airport Authority|DAA]]) which would provide the Fingal team with a sponsor for the first time in its 5-year history. The DAA had previously supported local GAA clubs in the Fingal area including St Margarets, [[Naomh Mearnóg CLG|Naomh Mearnóg]] and [[St. Sylvesters GAA|St Sylvesters]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Community Sponsorship |url=http://www.daa.ie/gns/company-profile/community-and-sponsorship/community.aspx |publisher=Dublin Airport Authority |date= |accessdate=16 March 2013 |archive-date=14 February 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130214011324/http://www.daa.ie/gns/company-profile/community-and-sponsorship/community.aspx |url-status=dead }}</ref>

==Management team== *Manager: Mick Kennedy ([[Fingallians GAA|Fingallians]]) *Selectors: Sean McGarry ([[Skerries Harps GAA|Skerries Harps]]), Des Foley ([[St Vincents GAA|St Vincents]]), Liam Mac Cuirc ([[Setanta Sports|Setanta]])

===Managerial history=== {| class="wikitable" |- !Years!!Name!!Club!!Kehoe Cup titles!!National League titles!!Nicky Rackard titles |- ||2008–2010||Denis Murphy||[[Skerries Harps GAA|Skerries Harps]]|||||| |- ||2011||Ben Dorney||[[St Vincents GAA|St Vincents]]|||||| |- ||2012||Willie Burke||[[St Brigid's GAA (Dublin)|St Brigid's]]||[[2012 Kehoe Cup#Kehoe shield|2012 (Shield)]]||[[2012 National Hurling League|2012 (Div. 3A)]]|| |- ||2013–2016||Mick Kennedy||[[Fingallians GAA|Fingallians]]||||[[2013 National Hurling League|2013 (Div. 3A)]]|| |- |}

==Honours== ;Senior *'''[[National Hurling League|National Hurling League Division 3A]]:''' 2 **[[2012 National Hurling League|2012]], [[2013 National Hurling League|2013]] *'''[[Kehoe Cup#Kehoe Cup Shield|Kehoe Cup Shield]]:''' 1 **[[2012 Kehoe Cup#Kehoe shield|2012]]

;Minor *'''[[All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship|All-Ireland Minor 'C' Hurling Championships]]:''' 1 **[[2012 All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship|2012]]

==References== {{Reflist|3}}

==External links== *[http://www.hill16.ie Dublin County Board Website] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20100111055256/http://www.friendsofdublinhurling.com/ Friends of Dublin Hurling]

[[Category:2008 establishments in Ireland]] [[Category:Hurling in County Dublin]] [[Category:Sport in Fingal|hurling]]