Davy Fitzgerald facts for kids

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Davy Fitzgerald

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Personal information
Irish name	Daithí Mac Gearailt
Sport	Hurling
Position	Goalkeeper
Born	(1971-08-02) 2 August 1971 (age 54) Sixmilebridge, County Clare, Ireland
Club(s)
Years	Club	Apps (scores)
1989–2011	Sixmilebridge	100 (4–9)
Club titles
Clare titles	6
Munster titles	2
All-Ireland Titles	1
Inter-county(ies)*
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1990–2008	Clare	60 (2–0)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles	3
All-Irelands	2
NHL	0
All Stars	3
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 20:42, 27 June 2013.

David Carler Fitzgerald (born 2 August 1971) is a famous Irish hurling manager and former player. He is currently the manager of the Antrim senior hurling team, a role he took on in August 2024.

Before managing Antrim, he was the manager of the Waterford county team from 2022 until 2024. He also managed Waterford earlier, between 2008 and 2011. As a player, Davy was a goalkeeper and won two All-Ireland titles with his home county, Clare.

Fitzgerald started his hurling journey with his local club, Sixmilebridge. He joined the club's main adult team when he was just 17 in 1989. His biggest success with Sixmilebridge was in 1996, when they won the All-Ireland Club Championship. Davy's club playing career finished in 2011. By then, he had also won two Munster Club Championship titles and six Clare Senior Championship titles.

At the county level, Fitzgerald was part of the Clare minor team that won the Munster Championship in 1989. He then played for the Clare under-21 team. He joined the Clare senior team in 1990. From his first game, Fitzgerald was always the goalkeeper. He played in 148 National League and Championship games before his career ended in 2006. During this time, he was part of two All-Ireland Championship-winning teams in 1995 and 1997. Fitzgerald also won three Munster Championship medals. He announced he was retiring from county hurling on March 31, 2008.

Fitzgerald won his first All-Star award in 1995. He won two more All-Stars in 2002 and 2005. He holds the record for the most championship appearances for Clare, having played in 60 championship games. He also played for Munster in inter-provincial games and won Railway Cup medals in 1995, 1996, 1997, and 2005.

Even while he was still playing, Fitzgerald started getting involved in coaching. In 1999, he was part of the Clare under-21 coaching team. He received a suspension after a disagreement on the field during a match. After coaching many teams at Sixmilebridge, he also managed Nenagh Éire Óg. Later, he became the director of hurling at the Limerick Institute of Technology, where he won two Fitzgibbon Cup titles.

Fitzgerald's first job managing a county team was with Waterford in 2008. In his four years there, he led the team to their first All-Ireland final in 45 years. They also won the Munster Championship title in 2010. Fitzgerald then managed the Clare senior team for five seasons. He led them to the All-Ireland title in 2013 and their first National League title in 38 years. After leaving Clare, he managed the Wexford senior team, winning the Leinster Championship in 2019.

On September 26, 2019, Fitzgerald confirmed he would stay with the Wexford hurlers for two more seasons. He had been linked to the Galway hurling manager job but said he only spoke to the Wexford County Board. He left Wexford on July 30, 2021. In 2022, Davy helped the Cork camogie team as part of their backroom staff. He was sent off by the referee in Cork's first league match of 2022. Davy started his second time as Waterford manager in August 2022 and stayed until 2024. In 2025, Fitzgerald began managing the Antrim senior hurling team.

Early Life and Family

Davy Fitzgerald was born on August 2, 1971. His father, Pat Fitzgerald, was the secretary of the Clare County Board for a long time, starting in June 1990. Pat Fitzgerald announced his retirement from that role in June 2022 after 32 years.

Davy was married to Ciara Flynn, and they have a son named Colm. In 2019, he married Sharon O'Loughlin, and they had a son in 2022.

Playing Career Highlights

Club Hurling with Sixmilebridge

Davy Fitzgerald played club hurling with his local team, Sixmilebridge. He had a very successful career that lasted over four decades, playing 100 senior championship games.

He made his first appearance as a substitute in 1989. Soon after, he became the main goalkeeper. In his first season, he won his first county championship medal when Sixmilebridge beat Clarecastle.

In 1992, Sixmilebridge won the championship again, beating Éire Óg by a single point. This gave Fitzgerald his second county championship medal. They won again in 1993, beating O'Callaghan's Mills, which was Fitzgerald's third county championship.

After not winning for a couple of years, Sixmilebridge reached the championship final again in 1995. They beat Scariff by just one point, giving Fitzgerald his fourth county championship medal. "The Bridge" then won the Munster title by beating Nenagh Éire Óg. Fitzgerald even scored a penalty in that game! Sixmilebridge then went on to win the All-Ireland final against Dunloy, giving Fitzgerald his first All-Ireland medal.

After losing the final in 1999, Sixmilebridge came back strong in 2000. Fitzgerald won his fifth championship medal by beating Éire Óg. He also won his second Munster medal that year, beating Mount Sion.

In 2002, Sixmilebridge won the county final again, beating Clarecastle. This was Fitzgerald's sixth and final championship medal with the club. He continued playing until 2008 and even came out of retirement in 2011 to play his 100th game and help the club reach the county final.

Clare County Team: Minor and Under-21

Fitzgerald first played for Clare as part of the minor team in the 1989 Munster Championship. He played his first game on April 19, 1989, as goalkeeper against Cork. On July 2, 1989, he won a Munster Championship medal when Clare narrowly beat Limerick in the final. On September 3, 1989, Clare lost to Offaly in the All-Ireland final.

Fitzgerald then joined the Clare under-21 team for the 1990 Munster Championship. He played his first game in this age group on June 20, 1990, against Cork. On July 15, 1992, Fitzgerald played in the Munster final against Waterford, but Clare lost. This was his last game at the under-21 level.

Clare County Team: Senior Career

Fitzgerald joined the Clare senior team in the 1989-90 National League. He played his first senior game on February 19, 1990, against Down. He quickly became the first-choice goalkeeper for the 1990 Munster Championship.

On July 4, 1993, Fitzgerald played in Clare's first Munster final since 1986, but they lost to Tipperary. The next year, on July 10, 1994, he played in another Munster final, but Clare lost to Limerick.

On May 7, 1995, Fitzgerald played in his first National League final, where Clare lost to Kilkenny. On July 9, 1995, he played in his third straight Munster final against Limerick. Clare won 1–17 to 0–11, and Fitzgerald earned a winners' medal. A memorable moment was when he ran the length of the field after scoring a penalty in that game. On September 3, 1995, Fitzgerald was in goal when Clare reached the All-Ireland final for the first time since 1932. Clare won 1–13 to 2–08, and Fitzgerald received an All-Ireland medal. He was also named on the All-Star team that year.

On July 6, 1997, Fitzgerald played in his fourth Munster final and won his second medal, beating Tipperary. On September 14, 1997, Clare played Tipperary again in the All-Ireland final. Clare won 0–20 to 2–13, and Fitzgerald collected his second All-Ireland medal.

On July 12, 1998, Clare drew with Waterford in the Munster final. In the replay a week later, Fitzgerald made a crucial save. Clare won 2–16 to 0–10, giving him his third Munster medal in four years.

In 2002, Clare surprised many by reaching the All-Ireland final again. They played well against Kilkenny, but Kilkenny won. In 2005, Clare had a strong run, reaching the All-Ireland semi-final against Cork, but lost by just one point. In 2006, Clare lost to Kilkenny in the All-Ireland semi-final.

In early 2007, there were rumors that Fitzgerald might retire due to disagreements with the county team setup and new manager Tony Considine. He was left out of the Clare team for a while. In early 2008, he returned under new manager Mike McNamara but suffered a serious finger injury. After this, he decided to retire from county hurling on March 31, 2008.

Inter-Provincial Games

Fitzgerald also played for Munster in the inter-provincial hurling championship. He first played for Munster in 1993. By 1996, he was the main goalkeeper for Munster. He won his first Railway Cup medal in 1996, beating Leinster. He won a second Railway Cup medal in 1997, also against Leinster. After a break, Fitzgerald was called back to the Munster team in 2005 and won his third Railway Cup medal, beating Leinster.

Poc Fada Competition

Fitzgerald also had success in the famous Poc Fada competition, held every year in the Cooley Mountains. He won the men's senior event in 1999 and 2002. He also won the pairs competition five times: in 1993 with Michael Shaughnessy, in 1998 with Seamus McMullan, in 2002 with Graham Clarke, in 2005 with Damien Fitzhenry, and in 2007 with Albert Shanahan.

Managerial Career Highlights

Davy Fitzgerald

Club management
Years Club 2005 - 2008 2008 Sixmilebridge Nenagh Éire Óg
Inter-county management
Years Team 2008–2011 2011–2016 2016–2021 2022–2024 2025- Waterford Clare Wexford Waterford Antrim
Inter-county titles
County League Province All-Ireland Waterford Clare Wexford Antrim 0 1 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 1 0 0

Limerick Institute of Technology

Fitzgerald managed the Limerick Institute of Technology hurling team. In March 2004, he received an eight-week ban for comments he made about a referee during a college semi-final game. In 2005, his team won the Fitzgibbon Cup, beating University of Limerick. Two years later, in 2007, they won the Fitzgibbon Cup again, beating National University of Ireland, Galway.

Sixmilebridge Club Management

Even while playing, Fitzgerald was very involved in coaching and managing teams. He coached many teams at his home club, Sixmilebridge, from young players to senior teams. In 2005, he became the manager of the club's senior hurling team, but this period was not very successful.

Nenagh Éire Óg Club Management

In 2008, Fitzgerald took over as manager of the Nenagh Éire Óg club team in Tipperary. He left this role because of his commitments as a county manager.

Waterford County Manager (First Term)

After Justin McCarthy resigned, Fitzgerald became the manager of the Waterford senior hurling team in June 2008. Waterford had lost several semi-finals before. Davy led Waterford to victory over Tipperary, reaching the 2008 All-Ireland final for the first time in 45 years. However, Kilkenny won the final.

In 2009, Waterford reached the All-Ireland semi-final again but lost to Kilkenny. In 2010, Fitzgerald guided Waterford back to the Munster final. After a draw, Waterford won the replay against Cork, claiming the provincial title.

His final season in charge, 2011, had some good moments but also some criticism. Fitzgerald received a four-week suspension for disrespectful comments towards a referee during a league game. After a big loss to Tipperary in the 2011 Munster final, Waterford still reached a fourth straight All-Ireland semi-final. Kilkenny stopped Waterford's All-Ireland hopes again. After this defeat, Fitzgerald decided not to continue as Waterford manager, ending his four years in charge.

Clare County Manager

On October 11, 2011, Fitzgerald was confirmed as the Clare senior hurling manager for three years. Clare had many talented young players coming up, having won under-21 All-Irelands and Munster Minor championships.

In Fitzgerald's first season, Clare was promoted from Division 1B of the National League. On August 18, 2013, Clare reached the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final after beating Limerick. On September 28, Fitzgerald led Clare to win the All-Ireland senior title, beating Cork in a replay.

In October 2013, Fitzgerald received an extension to his contract until the end of 2016. Clare did not defend their All-Ireland title in 2014, losing to Wexford. In March 2015, Clare was relegated from Division 1A of the National Hurling League. On July 11, 2015, Clare lost to Cork and exited the 2015 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship.

On May 8, 2016, Clare won the 2016 National Hurling League, their first National League title since 1978, by beating Waterford in a replay. Clare was knocked out of the 2016 Championship by Galway in the quarter-finals on July 24. On September 21, 2016, Fitzgerald stepped down as Clare Senior Hurling manager. He stated that due to divided opinions among the players, it was best for Clare hurling that he leave the role.

Wexford County Manager

On October 7, 2016, Fitzgerald was appointed manager of the Wexford senior hurling team for three years. Wexford also had good young hurling players.

On February 19, 2017, Wexford beat Galway in the 2017 National Hurling League. On March 12, 2017, Wexford was promoted to Division 1A of the National Hurling League. On April 2, 2017, Wexford defeated Kilkenny in the league quarter-finals. On April 16, 2017, during a league semi-final, Fitzgerald had a strong disagreement with the referee and some players on the field, which led to an eight-week suspension.

On June 10, 2017, Wexford defeated Kilkenny in the 2017 Leinster Championship semi-final, reaching their first Leinster final in nine years. In 2018, Wexford had good results in the National Hurling League. In the Leinster championship, they beat Dublin and Offaly but lost to Galway and Kilkenny. This led them to an All-Ireland quarter-final against Clare, which they lost. After this, Fitzgerald's future with Wexford was uncertain, but the players convinced him to stay.

On July 2, 2017, Wexford lost to Galway in the Leinster Final. They then lost to Waterford in the All-Ireland quarter-finals on July 23, 2017.

In June 2019, Fitzgerald led Wexford to the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship Final. On June 30, 2019, Wexford won their first Leinster Senior Hurling title since 2004, beating Kilkenny. On June 8, 2021, Fitzgerald received a two-match sideline ban after a verbal disagreement with the Antrim manager during a league game. On July 30, 2021, Fitzgerald stepped down as Wexford manager after five years.

Waterford County Manager (Second Term)

On August 11, 2022, Fitzgerald was appointed Waterford Senior hurling manager for a second time. Under his management, Waterford did not advance from the Munster Championship in 2023 and 2024. Waterford was also relegated from the 2024 Division 1 Hurling League. In June 2024, Fitzgerald was suspended for four weeks for disrespectful behavior towards a match official. After two unsuccessful years, Fitzgerald stepped down as manager on July 2, 2024.

Antrim County Manager

On August 12, 2024, Fitzgerald was appointed Antrim Senior hurling manager. On May 25, 2025, Antrim was relegated from the Leinster Championship after losing all five of their matches. On May 30, 2025, Fitzgerald received an eight-week suspension for comments he made after his side's Leinster SHC defeat to Galway.

Career Statistics

Player

Manager

Honours and Awards

Playing Honours

Sixmilebridge

• All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship (1): 1996
• Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship (2): 1995, 2000
• Clare Senior Hurling Championship (6): 1989, 1992, 1993, 1995, 2000, 2002

Clare

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (2): 1995, 1997
• Munster Senior Hurling Championship (3) 1995, 1997, 1998
• National Hurling League (Division 2) (1): 1989–90
• Munster Minor Hurling Championship (1) 1989

Munster

• Railway Cup (3): 1996, 1997, 2005

Managerial Honours

Limerick Institute of Technology

• Fitzgibbon Cup (2): 2005, 2007

Waterford

• Munster Senior Hurling Championship (1): 2010

Clare

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (1): 2013
• National Hurling League Division 1 (1): 2016
• National Hurling League Division 1B (1): 2012
• Munster Senior Hurling League (1): 2016
• Waterford Crystal Cup (1): 2013

Wexford

• Walsh Cup (1): 2018
• Leinster Senior Hurling Championship (1): 2019

Awards and Achievements

• All-Stars (3): 1995, 2002, 2005
• RTÉ Sports Manager of the Year (1): 2013