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 an Irish hurling manager and former player. He managed the Galway senior hurling team from 2021 to 2024. During his playing career, he was known as "King Henry." This nickname came from his strong leadership and competitive spirit on the field. He is the only player to win 'Hurler of the Year' three times. Many people consider him the best player in the history of hurling.

Henry grew up in Ballyhale, County Kilkenny. He started playing for his local club, Ballyhale Shamrocks, at age 17. He played for them for 21 years. He also joined the Kilkenny county team in 1999. Henry retired from inter-county hurling in 2015.

He won 10 All-Ireland Championship titles. This is more than any other player in history. He also won many other major competitions with Kilkenny. Henry is one of the most successful players in the sport.

Growing Up and Early Hurling

Henry Shefflin was born in Cork. He grew up in a large family with three brothers and three sisters. Hurling was a very important sport in his household.

He attended St Patrick's national school in Ballyhale. There, his hurling skills were first noticed and developed. His older brothers also played hurling for Kilkenny. John Shefflin won an All-Ireland medal in 1990. Tommy Shefflin won an All-Ireland medal that same year.

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

Life Outside Hurling

Henry Shefflin works with New Holland Finance. This company helps people with financing for farm equipment. He mainly works with the agri-business side of things. His area covers several counties in the south-east of Ireland.

On 30 March 2007, Henry married Deirdre O'Sullivan. Deirdre was a talented camogie player from Callan, County Kilkenny. They have four children together. Their first child, a daughter named Sadhbh, was born in April 2008. Their first son, Henry Michael, was born in October 2009. They later welcomed Siún in March 2011 and Freddie in April 2014.

Playing for Clubs and Colleges

College and University Success

During his time at St Kieran's College in Kilkenny, Henry was a key player. In 1996, he won a Leinster medal. His team then won the All-Ireland medal.

While studying at the Waterford Institute of Technology, Henry played for the college hurling team. In 1999, he helped WIT win the Fitzgibbon Cup. They won again in 2000, giving Henry his second Fitzgibbon Cup medal.

Club Success with Ballyhale Shamrocks

Henry played his club hurling with Ballyhale Shamrocks. He had great success with his home club. When he was 14, he didn't make the club's under-16 team. But he later became a very important player for the minor team.

In 1997, he won a minor championship medal. That same year, he helped the intermediate team win their championship. This win earned them promotion to the senior grade.

Success at senior level took some time for Ballyhale. In 2006, Henry helped them win their first county championship. They then won a Leinster medal. On 17 March 2007, Ballyhale Shamrocks won the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship. This was Henry's first All-Ireland club medal.

He missed Ballyhale's 2007 county win due to an injury. However, he was back on the team when they won three county championships in a row in 2008. He also won a second Leinster medal that year.

Henry won his third county championship medal in 2009. Ballyhale also claimed a third Leinster medal. On 17 March 2010, Ballyhale faced Portumna in the All-Ireland final. Ballyhale won, giving Henry his second All-Ireland club medal.

In 2012, Henry won his fourth county championship medal. He won his fifth county medal in 2014. He also collected his fourth Leinster medal that year. On 17 March 2015, Ballyhale won the All-Ireland final easily. Henry collected his third All-Ireland club medal.

Henry's final championship appearance was in the 2016 county final. However, Ballyhale lost that close game.

Playing for Kilkenny

Starting His Kilkenny Journey

Henry first played for Kilkenny in 1996 with the minor team. He won two Leinster medals in 1996 and 1997.

In 1998, he joined the Kilkenny intermediate hurling team. He won a Leinster medal with them. That same year, he was added to the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won his first Leinster medal in that age group.

Henry won a second Leinster under-21 medal in 1999. Kilkenny then won the All-Ireland final. This was Henry's only All-Ireland medal at the under-21 level.

Henry made his senior debut for Kilkenny in 1999. He won his first Leinster medal that year. Kilkenny later faced Cork in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny lost by just one point in a very close game.

Winning Championships with Kilkenny

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

Kilkenny's dominance in Leinster continued in 2001. Henry won his third Leinster medal.

Kilkenny bounced back strongly in 2002. Henry won his first National Hurling League medal. He then collected his fourth Leinster medal. On 8 September 2002, Henry played in his third All-Ireland final. Kilkenny won against Clare. This was Henry's second All-Ireland medal. He was also named 'Hurler of the Year' by several groups.

In 2003, Henry won a second league medal. He then won his fifth Leinster medal in a row. The All-Ireland final saw Kilkenny face Cork. Kilkenny won, and Henry got his third All-Ireland medal. He also received his third All-Star.

In 2004, Kilkenny lost a Leinster semi-final. However, they worked their way through the qualifiers to reach the All-Ireland final against Cork. Kilkenny lost that game. Despite this, Henry still collected his fourth All-Star.

Kilkenny were back in form in 2005. Henry won his third league medal and his sixth Leinster medal. He also added a fifth All-Star award to his collection.

Making History: Ten All-Ireland Wins

In 2006, Henry won his fourth league medal and his seventh Leinster medal. On 3 September 2006, Kilkenny faced Cork in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny won a tight game. Henry collected his fourth All-Ireland medal. He also won his sixth All-Star and was named 'Hurler of the Year' for a second time.

Henry collected his eighth Leinster medal in 2007. On 2 September 2007, Kilkenny played Limerick in the All-Ireland final. Henry scored an early goal. He got injured during the game and had to leave at half-time. Despite losing their captain, Kilkenny still won. Henry had the honour of lifting the Liam MacCarthy Cup and collected his fifth All-Ireland medal. He also earned his seventh All-Star award.

After recovering from injury, Henry collected his ninth Leinster medal in 2008. On 7 September 2008, Kilkenny played Waterford in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny played a near-perfect game and won by a large margin. This was Henry's sixth All-Ireland medal. He also received his eighth All-Star.

Henry collected his fifth league medal in 2009. He then won his tenth Leinster medal. On 6 September, Kilkenny aimed to win four All-Ireland championships in a row against Tipperary. Kilkenny won a thrilling game. Henry scored a penalty goal. He had collected his seventh All-Ireland medal. He also received his ninth All-Star award.

In 2010, Henry won his eleventh Leinster medal. In the All-Ireland semi-final, he suffered a serious knee injury. Despite fears he would miss the final, he made a remarkable recovery. He started the All-Ireland final against Tipperary. However, his knee gave out early, and he had to be replaced. Kilkenny lost that final.

Kilkenny's strong performance in Leinster continued in 2011. Henry won his twelfth Leinster medal. Kilkenny then faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny won, and Henry collected his eighth All-Ireland medal. He also received his tenth All-Star award.

Kilkenny were surprised by Galway in the 2012 Leinster final. However, both teams met again in the All-Ireland final. The first game was a draw. In the replay, Kilkenny won. Henry collected his record-breaking ninth All-Ireland medal. He also received his eleventh All-Star award. He became the first player to be named 'Hurler of the Year' for a third time.

In 2013, Henry suffered another injury. He returned to play later that year. In an All-Ireland quarter-final against Cork, he received a red card. This was his first red card in his championship career. The red card was later removed after an appeal.

In 2014, Henry collected his sixth league medal. He also secured his thirteenth Leinster medal. On 7 September 2014, Kilkenny faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland final. Henry started on the bench but came on to play. The game was a draw, leading to a replay. In the replay, Kilkenny won. This was Henry's incredible tenth All-Ireland medal.

Retiring as a Legend

After winning his tenth All-Ireland medal, people wondered if Henry would retire. On 25 March 2015, he held a press conference. He announced that he was retiring from inter-county hurling. He said he had enjoyed "endless hours of happiness, satisfaction and fulfilment" playing for Kilkenny.

In 2015, Henry joined The Sunday Game as an analyst. He shared his thoughts on hurling matches on TV and radio.

After Playing: Becoming a Manager

Ballyhale Shamrocks Manager

On 12 December 2017, Henry was announced as a co-manager for the Ballyhale Shamrocks senior team. He managed alongside his brother Tommy. They led the Shamrocks to win the Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship and Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship in 2018. They then won the All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship in 2019.

Henry stepped down as manager of Ballyhale Shamrocks in January 2020.

Thomastown Manager

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

Galway Manager

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

What Makes Him Great?

Many famous Irish sportspeople believe Henry Shefflin is one of the greatest hurlers ever.

Noel Skehan, who also won nine All-Ireland medals, said Henry is "the greatest hurler ever."

Jimmy Barry-Murphy, a famous player and manager, wrote that Henry is "most certainly the greatest hurler that I have ever seen." He praised Henry's amazing work ethic.

D. J. Carey, another Kilkenny legend, called Henry the "greatest forward of all time."

Joe Canning, who was also a top hurler, said: "Henry is the best player that has every played and his nine All-Ireland medals speaks for itself."

Eddie Keher, a six-time All-Ireland winner, stated: "Henry Shefflin is the greatest hurler of all time. He's a most sporting player and he's competitive."

Even Brian O'Driscoll, a famous Irish rugby captain, called Henry Shefflin Ireland's greatest athlete.

In 2017, a portrait of Henry Shefflin was painted by Gerry Davis. It is now displayed in the National Gallery of Ireland.

Honours and Records

Here are some of the amazing things Henry Shefflin achieved in his career:

Player Honours

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (10): 2000, 2002, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012, 2014
• Leinster Senior Hurling Championship (13): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014
• National Hurling League (6): 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2009, 2014
• All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship (3): 2007, 2010, 2015
• Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship (4): 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014
• Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship (5): 2006, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2014
• All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship (1): 1999
• All-Ireland Colleges' Senior Hurling Championship (1): 1996
• Fitzgibbon Cup (2): 1998–99, 1999–00

Individual Awards

• All Stars Hurler of the Year (3): 2002, 2006, 2012 (He is the only player to win this award three times!)
• GAA GPA All Stars Awards|All-Stars (11): 2000, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 (He holds the record for the most All-Star awards!)
• RTÉ Sports Person of the Year (1): 2006

Manager Honours

• All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship (2): 2019, 2020 (as manager)
• Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship (2): 2018, 2019 (as manager)
• Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship (2): 2018, 2019 (as manager)
• Walsh Cup (hurling)|Walsh Cup (1): 2023 (as Galway manager)

Amazing Records

• He is the only male athlete in Gaelic games to win ten All-Ireland senior winner's medals while playing on the field.
• He is the only player to score a goal in 14 consecutive championship seasons (1999–2012).
• He holds the joint record for the most Leinster Championship titles (13).
• He has the most All-Star awards (11).
• He has won the 'Player of the Year' award more than anyone else (3 times).
• He is the highest scorer in All-Ireland finals (5 goals and 81 points).

Images for kids

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  Shefflin, playing for Kilkenny