Henry Shefflin facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Henry Shefflin

Shefflin in 2009
Personal information
Irish name	Anraí Ó Sibhleáin
Sport	Hurling
Position	Centre-forward
Born	(1979-01-11) 11 January 1979 (age 46) Waterford, Ireland
Height	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Nickname	King Henry, Sheff
Occupation	Bank official
Club(s)*
Years	Club	Apps (scores)
1997–2017	Ballyhale Shamrocks	66 (16–406)
Club titles
Kilkenny titles	6
Leinster titles	4
All-Ireland Titles	3
Colleges(s)
Years	College
1997–2002	Waterford IT
College titles
Fitzgibbon titles	2
Inter-county(ies)**
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1999–2015	Kilkenny	71 (27–484)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles	13
All-Irelands	10
NHL	6
All Stars	11
* club appearances and scores correct as of 15:22, 21 March 2015 (UTC). **Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 15:22, 1 June 2018 (UTC).

Henry Shefflin (born 11 January 1979) is a famous Irish hurling player and manager. He was the manager of the Galway senior hurling team from 2021 to 2024. People called him "King Henry" because he was a strong leader and very competitive on the field.

Many people think he is the best hurling player ever. He is the only player to win the 'Hurler of the Year' award three times. He won it in 2002, 2006, and 2012. Henry Shefflin played as a forward, often in the centre or full-forward positions.

Henry grew up in Ballyhale, County Kilkenny. He started playing for the Ballyhale Shamrocks senior team in 1996 when he was 17. He played for them for 21 years. He is one of the few people to win the All-Ireland Club Championship as both a player and a manager.

He first played for Kilkenny as a minor in 1996. He then moved up to the under-21 and intermediate teams. His senior debut for Kilkenny was in 1999. Henry Shefflin stopped playing for Kilkenny on 25 March 2015.

Henry Shefflin has won many awards. With Kilkenny, he won 10 All-Ireland Championship titles. This is more than any other player in history! He also won 13 Leinster Championship titles and six National Hurling League titles.

He also has many personal awards. He won 11 All-Star awards. He played in a record 71 championship games for Kilkenny. He was also Kilkenny's top scorer for a long time. In 2006, he was named RTÉ Sports Person of the Year.

Early Life and Education

Henry Shefflin was born in Cork. His parents were Henry and Mae Shefflin. He grew up in a big family with three brothers and three sisters. His family loved hurling.

He went to St Patrick's national school in Ballyhale. His hurling skills were first noticed there. His older brothers also played hurling for Kilkenny. John won an All-Ireland minor medal in 1990. Tommy won an All-Ireland under-21 medal that same year.

Henry later went to St Kieran's College in Kilkenny. After that, he studied electronics at the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT). He later changed his studies to business and financial services.

Personal Life

Henry Shefflin works for New Holland Finance. This company is part of Bank of Ireland. He mainly works with farming businesses, helping them with loans for New Holland tractors. His work covers counties like Tipperary, Kilkenny, and Wexford.

On 30 March 2007, Henry married Deirdre O'Sullivan. Deirdre is from Callan, County Kilkenny and was a good camogie player. They had their first child, a daughter named Sadhbh, in April 2008. Their first son, Henry Michael, was born in October 2009. Their third child, Siún, was born in March 2011. Their youngest son, Freddie, was born in April 2014.

Playing Career Highlights

College and University Hurling

While at St Kieran's College, Henry was a key player for the senior hurling team. In 1996, he won a Leinster medal. They beat Good Counsel College. He then won an All-Ireland medal when St Kieran's College beat St Colman's College.

At the Waterford Institute of Technology, Henry played for the college hurling team. In 1999, his team, WIT, won the Fitzgibbon Cup. They beat University College Cork. He won a second Fitzgibbon Cup medal in 2000, beating University College Dublin.

Club Success with Ballyhale Shamrocks

Henry Shefflin played club hurling for Ballyhale Shamrocks. He had a lot of success with them. When he was 14, he didn't make the under-16 team. But he later became a very important player for the minor team. In 1997, he won a championship medal with the minor team.

That same year, he helped the Ballyhale intermediate team win a championship medal. This meant they moved up to the senior level.

In 2006, Henry won his first senior championship medal with Ballyhale. They beat O'Loughlin Gaels. He then won a Leinster medal. On 17 March 2007, Ballyhale Shamrocks won the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship final against Loughrea. Henry won his first All-Ireland club medal.

He won another championship medal in 2008. Ballyhale Shamrocks won three championships in a row. He also won another Leinster medal. In 2009, Henry won his third championship medal as Ballyhale won four in a row. They also won a third Leinster medal. On 17 March 2010, Ballyhale won their second All-Ireland club medal against Portumna.

In 2012, Henry won his fourth championship medal with Ballyhale. He won his fifth championship medal in 2014. He also got his fourth Leinster medal. On 17 March 2015, Ballyhale won the All-Ireland club final against Kilmallock. Henry won his third All-Ireland club medal.

His last championship game was in the 2016 Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship final. Ballyhale lost to O'Loughlin Gaels.

Kilkenny County Teams

Henry first played for Kilkenny in 1996 with the minor team. He won his first Leinster medal that year. He won a second Leinster minor medal in 1997.

In 1998, Henry joined the Kilkenny intermediate hurling team. He won a Leinster medal. He also played for the Kilkenny under-21 team that year. He won his first Leinster medal with them.

In 1999, he won a second Leinster under-21 medal. Kilkenny then won the All-Ireland final against Galway. This gave Henry his only All-Ireland under-21 medal.

Senior Hurling with Kilkenny

Shefflin, playing for Kilkenny

Henry Shefflin started playing for the Kilkenny senior team in 1999. He won his first Leinster medal that year. Kilkenny played Cork in the All-Ireland final, but they lost by one point.

In 2000, Henry won his second Leinster medal. Kilkenny then won the All-Ireland final against Offaly. Henry scored a goal. This was his first All-Ireland senior medal. He also won his first All-Star award.

Kilkenny continued to win in Leinster in 2001, giving Henry his third Leinster medal.

In 2002, Henry won his first National Hurling League medal. He also won his fourth Leinster medal. On 8 September 2002, Kilkenny won the All-Ireland final against Clare. Henry scored 1-07. This was his second All-Ireland medal. He was also named Hurler of the Year by several groups.

In 2003, Henry won his second league medal. He also won his fifth Leinster medal. Kilkenny then beat Cork in the All-Ireland final. This was Henry's third All-Ireland medal. He also won his third All-Star award.

Kilkenny lost to Wexford in the Leinster semi-final in 2004. But they made it to the All-Ireland final against Cork. Kilkenny lost this game. Even without a trophy, Henry won his fourth All-Star.

In 2005, Henry won his third league medal. He also won his sixth Leinster medal. Kilkenny lost to Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final. Henry still received his fifth All-Star award.

Four All-Ireland Wins in a Row

In 2006, Henry won his fourth league medal and his seventh Leinster medal. On 3 September 2006, Kilkenny played Cork in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny won, and Henry collected his fourth All-Ireland medal. He also won his sixth All-Star and was named Hurler of the Year again.

Henry won his eighth Leinster medal in 2007. On 2 September 2007, Kilkenny played Limerick in the All-Ireland final. Henry scored a goal early in the game but had to leave at half-time due to an injury. Kilkenny still won, and Henry got his fifth All-Ireland medal. He also won his seventh All-Star award.

In 2008, Henry won his ninth Leinster medal. On 8 September 2008, Kilkenny played Waterford in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny won easily. This was Henry's sixth All-Ireland medal. He also won his eighth All-Star.

Henry won his fifth league medal in 2009. He also won his tenth Leinster medal. On 6 September 2009, Kilkenny played Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny won, making it four All-Ireland wins in a row! Henry scored a penalty goal. This was his seventh All-Ireland medal. He also won his ninth All-Star.

More Success and Retirement

In 2010, Henry won his eleventh Leinster medal. He got injured in the All-Ireland semi-final but played in the final against Tipperary. His knee gave out early in the game, and Kilkenny lost.

In 2011, Henry won his twelfth Leinster medal. Kilkenny then beat Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. Henry won his eighth All-Ireland medal, tying a record. He also won his tenth All-Star.

Kilkenny lost to Galway in the 2012 Leinster final. But they met again in the All-Ireland final. The first game was a draw. In the replay, Kilkenny won. Henry won his ninth All-Ireland medal, setting a new record! He also won his eleventh All-Star and was named Hurler of the Year for a third time.

In 2013, Henry had an injury that kept him out for a while. He returned to play but got a red card in a game against Cork. The red card was later removed.

In 2014, Henry won his sixth league medal. He also won his thirteenth Leinster medal. Kilkenny played Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. The first game was a draw. In the replay, Kilkenny won. Henry won his tenth All-Ireland medal, setting another amazing record!

On 25 March 2015, Henry Shefflin announced he was retiring from inter-county hurling. He said he had enjoyed endless hours of happiness playing for Kilkenny. After retiring, he became an analyst for The Sunday Game on RTÉ.

Inter-Provincial Games

Henry also played for Leinster in the inter-provincial hurling championship. In 2002, Leinster won the Railway Cup final against Munster. This was Henry's first Railway Cup medal. He won a second Railway Cup medal in 2003 against Connacht. In 2009, he won his third Railway Cup medal, again against Connacht.

Recognition and Praise

Many people believe Henry Shefflin is one of the greatest hurlers ever.

• Noel Skehan, a former Kilkenny goalkeeper, said Henry was the "greatest hurler ever."
• Jimmy Barry-Murphy, a famous player and manager, said Henry "outshines everything that I have ever seen on a hurling field."
• Cork hurler Donal Óg Cusack called him "the perfect example for every young player."
• D. J. Carey, another Kilkenny legend, called Henry the "greatest forward of all time."
• Babs Keating, a former Tipperary player and manager, said Henry would "go down as the greatest hurler in every way."
• Joe Canning, who Henry beat for Hurler of the Year in 2012, said Henry is "the best player that has every played."
• Eddie Keher, who Henry passed as top scorer, said Henry is "the greatest hurler of all time."
• Former Ireland rugby captain Brian O'Driscoll called Henry "an absolute phenomenon."

In 2017, a portrait of Henry Shefflin by artist Gerry Davis was put on display at the National Gallery of Ireland.

Managerial Career

Ballyhale Shamrocks

In December 2017, Henry Shefflin became co-manager of the Ballyhale Shamrocks senior team with his brother Tommy. They led the team to win the Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship and Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship in 2018. They also won the 2019 All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship Final in 2019.

Henry stepped down as Ballyhale Shamrocks manager in January 2020.

Thomastown

In November 2020, Henry Shefflin became the manager of the Thomastown intermediate team.

Galway

On 20 October 2021, Henry Shefflin was announced as the new manager of the Galway senior hurling team. He left this role on 3 July 2024, after three seasons.

Honours and Records

Player Achievements

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: 10 wins (2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014)
• Leinster Senior Hurling Championship: 13 wins (1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014)
• National Hurling League: 6 wins (2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014)
• All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship: 3 wins (2007, 2010, 2015)
• Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship: 4 wins (2006, 2008, 2009, 2014)
• Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship: 5 wins (2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014)
• Hurler of the Year Awards: 3 wins (2002, 2006, 2012)
• All-Stars Awards: 11 wins (2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012)

Manager Achievements

• All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship: 2 wins (2019, 2020)
• Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship: 2 wins (2018, 2019)
• Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship: 2 wins (2018, 2019)
• Walsh Cup: 1 win (2023)

Amazing Records

• He is the only male athlete in Gaelic games to win 10 All-Ireland senior medals while playing.
• He scored a goal in 14 championship seasons in a row (1999–2012).
• He holds the record for the most Leinster Championship titles (13).
• He has won the most All-Star awards (11).
• He has won the most 'Player of the Year' awards (3).
• He is the highest scorer in All-Ireland finals with 5 goals and 81 points (96 points total).