Joe Canning facts for kids
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| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Centre forward | ||
| Born | 11 October 1988 Portumna, County Galway, Ireland |
||
| Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Occupation | Publican and restaurateur | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | Apps (scores) | |
|
2004–present
|
Portumna | 113 (62-907) | |
| Club titles | |||
| Galway titles | 5 | ||
| Leinster titles | 2 | ||
| All-Ireland Titles | 4 | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
|
2007–2013
|
Limerick Institute of Technology | ||
| College titles | |||
| Fitzgibbon titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county(ies)* | |||
| Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
|
2008–2021
|
Galway | 62 (27-486) | |
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 3 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 3 | ||
| All Stars | 5 | ||
| *Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 14:00, 28 July 2021. | |||
Joe Canning (born 11 October 1988) is a famous Irish hurler. He played for his local club, Portumna, and was a star player for the Galway senior hurling team. Many people think Joe is one of the best hurlers ever!
Joe played for Galway for 14 seasons. During that time, he won five All-Star awards. An All-Star award is given to the best players in each position at the end of the season. In 2017, he was even named GAA-GPA Hurler of the Year, which means he was the top player in the whole sport that year!
He won seven big trophies with Galway, including one All-Ireland Championship, three Leinster Championships, and three National Hurling Leagues. Joe was amazing at scoring, both from open play and from special shots called "placed balls." He holds the record for the most "sideline cuts" scored (28). He also became the All-Ireland Championship's all-time top scorer with 27 goals and 486 points. Joe played in 62 championship games, which is a record for Galway.
Joe grew up in Portumna, County Galway. He started playing hurling for the Portumna club when he was very young. He joined the senior team at just 15 years old in 2004 and quickly became a key player. In his second year, he helped his club win a County Championship and then the All-Ireland Club Championship in 2006. This was the first of four county titles in five years, and he also won All-Ireland club titles in 2008 and 2009. Joe won his fifth county championship in 2013 and his fourth All-Ireland club medal in 2014.
Joe played for Galway at different age levels for 17 years. As a younger player, he won two All-Ireland Minor Championships and one All-Ireland Under-21 Championship. He made his senior debut in 2008 and won his first All-Star award, plus he was named Young Hurler of the Year. In 2012, he won his third All-Star and was nominated for Hurler of the Year after Galway won their first Leinster Championship. The year 2017 was huge for Joe, as he was named Hurler of the Year. He helped Galway win the National League, the Leinster Championship, and their first All-Ireland Championship in 29 years! In 2018, he earned his fifth All-Star and was nominated for Hurler of the Year again after winning a third Leinster Championship.
Contents
About Joe Canning
Joe Canning was born in Portumna in 1988. His family has a strong connection to hurling. His uncle, Frankie Canning, played hurling for Galway. Joe's brothers and sister also played hurling or camogie (a sport similar to hurling for women) and won All-Ireland medals. His brother, Ollie, was also a famous hurler for Galway, and his sister, Deirdre, played for the county camogie team.
Joe's family helped him love hurling from a young age. He was a very talented player in both hurling and rugby when he was younger. He went to school locally and later studied Business and Marketing at the Limerick Institute of Technology.
Joe's Playing Journey
Playing for College
In 2007, Joe Canning played for the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) hurling team. He won a Fitzgibbon Cup medal that year when his team beat the National University of Ireland, Galway.
In 2008, LIT tried to win the Fitzgibbon Cup again. Joe scored an amazing 1 goal and 16 points in the final, but his team still lost. Even though he only won one Fitzgibbon Cup, Joe was chosen as the best full-forward on the Fitzgibbon Cup team of the century in 2012.
Playing for Portumna Club
Joe started playing for the Portumna club when he was very young. He played at all levels as he grew up. He made his first appearance for the club's senior team when he was just 15 years old in 2004.
On 13 November 2005, Joe scored 1 goal and 11 points to help Portumna win their second ever Galway Senior Championship title. He was also the top scorer when Portumna won the Connacht Championship on 20 November. Joe won his first All-Ireland Club Championship medal on 17 March 2006. He scored 1 goal and 6 points in the final and was named the best player of the match.
Joe helped Portumna win another Galway Championship on 21 October 2007, scoring 3 goals and 4 points. They also won the Connacht Championship again. On 17 March 2008, Joe scored 10 points in the All-Ireland final, including a fantastic shot from the sideline. His performance was called "phenomenal" as Portumna won the title.
On 2 November 2008, Joe won his third Galway Senior Championship. On 17 March 2009, he scored 9 points as Portumna won their second All-Ireland Club Championship in a row.
Joe won his third straight Galway Senior Championship medal on 15 November 2009. On 17 March 2010, Portumna lost the All-Ireland final, with Joe scoring 10 points.
On 28 October 2013, Joe won his fifth Galway Senior Championship medal. In the All-Ireland final on 17 March 2014, Joe won his fourth All-Ireland club medal, scoring 10 points.
Playing for Galway County
Early Years with Galway
Joe first played for Galway on the minor (under-18) team. He was only 15 when he played his first game in 2004. He helped Galway win the All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship in 2004 and again in 2005.
In 2006, Joe was captain of the minor team. They tried to win a third All-Ireland title in a row, but they lost in the final. Joe later said he was frustrated because the team didn't play their best.
Joe also played for the Galway under-21 team. On 8 September 2007, he helped the team win the All-Ireland final, scoring three points. This was his only All-Ireland medal at that level.
Senior Team Debut and Success
Joe made his debut for the Galway senior team on 13 April 2008. He scored four points, including one of his famous sideline cuts. He played his first All-Ireland Championship game on 28 June 2008, scoring 2 goals and 6 points. At the end of that season, he won his first All-Star award and was named Young Hurler of the Year.
In 2009, Joe was the top scorer in the All-Ireland Championship. He won his second All-Star award.
On 2 May 2010, Joe scored 1 goal and 5 points in the National League final, but Galway lost. On 4 July, he played in his first Leinster Championship final. He was Galway's top scorer in the championship and was nominated for his third All-Star.
In 2012, Joe had a fantastic season. On 8 July, he scored 1 goal and 10 points as Galway beat Kilkenny to win the Leinster Championship final for the first time ever! He was also named the best player of the match. On 9 September, Joe scored a last-minute free shot to get a draw in the All-Ireland final. In the replay game, Joe scored nine points, but Kilkenny won. He was nominated for Hurler of the Year and won his third All-Star.
In December 2013, Joe was chosen as the captain of the Galway senior hurling team for 2014.
On 5 July 2015, Joe played in the Leinster Championship final. He scored an amazing goal that was called one of the "classiest" goals ever seen in Croke Park. Galway lost the game, but Joe was the top scorer in the championship that year.
All-Ireland Glory in 2017
On 19 February 2017, Joe returned from an injury. On 22 April, he scored nine points as Galway won the National Hurling League title. Galway then reached the Leinster Championship final against Wexford. Joe was the top scorer with ten points as Galway won.
On 6 August, Galway beat the All-Ireland Champions, Tipperary, in the All-Ireland semi-final. Joe scored 11 points, including a "Miracle shot" from the sideline that won the game for Galway!
On 3 September 2017, Joe played in the All-Ireland final against Waterford. He was the top scorer for Galway as they won their first All-Ireland Championship in 29 years! After this amazing season, Joe was named Hurler of the Year and won his fourth All-Star.
Later Years and Retirement
In 2018, Joe continued to play well despite some injuries. On 1 July, he scored six points in a draw with Kilkenny in the Leinster Championship final. In the replay, he scored ten points as Galway won. On 19 August, Joe played in the All-Ireland final against Limerick. He scored 1 goal and 10 points, but Limerick won the game. Joe had a chance to level the game with a last-minute free shot, but it fell short. He later said he felt he "should have got it." He won his fifth All-Star award that year.
In March 2019, Joe had surgery for a groin injury. He returned to play later that year.
On 29 November 2020, in the All-Ireland semi-final against Limerick, Joe scored four points from sideline balls, setting a new championship record.
On 24 July 2021, Joe scored nine points in a game against Waterford. This made him the top scorer in the history of the hurling championship, passing Henry Shefflin. He finished with a total of 27 goals and 485 points.
On 28 July 2021, Joe Canning announced that he was retiring from playing inter-county hurling for Galway.
Joe's Life After Hurling
Media Work
Since 2022, Joe Canning has worked as a sports expert for RTÉ Sport, talking about hurling games. In January 2023, he was featured in an episode of the TV show Laochra Gael, which tells the stories of famous Gaelic games players.
Personal Life
Joe Canning married Megan Hoare in November 2022. They have a daughter named Josie, who was born in 2024. Joe also runs a restaurant in Galway and a bar in Athlone.
Career Statistics
Club
| Team | Year | Galway | Connacht | All-Ireland | Total | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | ||
| Portumna | 2004–05 | 7 | 0-12 | — | — | 7 | 0-12 | ||
| 2005–06 | 7 | 10-52 | 1 | 1-09 | 2 | 2-13 | 10 | 13-74 | |
| 2006–07 | 5 | 3-46 | — | — | 5 | 3-46 | |||
| 2007–08 | 7 | 6-53 | 1 | 0-05 | 2 | 1-19 | 10 | 7-77 | |
| 2008–09 | 8 | 4-63 | — | 2 | 2-14 | 10 | 6-77 | ||
| 2009–10 | 8 | 8-67 | — | 2 | 1-20 | 10 | 9-87 | ||
| 2010–11 | 7 | 5-56 | — | — | 7 | 5-56 | |||
| 2011–12 | 4 | 2-29 | — | — | 4 | 2-29 | |||
| 2012–13 | 5 | 2-37 | — | — | 5 | 2-37 | |||
| 2013–14 | 8 | 3-77 | — | 2 | 0-19 | 10 | 3-96 | ||
| 2014–15 | 7 | 4-55 | — | — | 7 | 4-55 | |||
| 2015–16 | 5 | 3-55 | — | — | 5 | 3-55 | |||
| 2016–17 | 4 | 0-33 | — | — | 4 | 0-33 | |||
| 2017–18 | 6 | 2-58 | — | — | 6 | 2-58 | |||
| 2018–19 | 6 | 2-61 | — | — | 6 | 2-61 | |||
| 2019–20 | 4 | 0-23 | — | — | 4 | 0-23 | |||
| 2020–21 | 3 | 1-31 | — | — | 3 | 1-31 | |||
| Career total | 101 | 55-808 | 2 | 1-14 | 10 | 6-85 | 113 | 62-907 | |
Inter-county
| Team | Year | National League | Leinster | All-Ireland | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | Apps | Score | ||
| Galway | 2008 | Division 1A | 2 | 1-10 | 0 | 0-00 | 3 | 4-27 | 5 | 5-37 |
| 2009 | Division 1 | 2 | 0-15 | 2 | 3-19 | 3 | 0-27 | 7 | 3-61 | |
| 2010 | 2 | 1-07 | 4 | 3-13 | 1 | 1-05 | 7 | 5-25 | ||
| 2011 | 1 | 1-06 | 2 | 1-06 | 3 | 2-25 | 6 | 4-37 | ||
| 2012 | Division 1A | 2 | 2-19 | 2 | 1-21 | 3 | 1-29 | 7 | 4-69 | |
| 2013 | 6 | 2-48 | 2 | 1-18 | 1 | 0-07 | 9 | 3-73 | ||
| 2014 | 1 | 0-01 | 3 | 2-06 | 1 | 0-05 | 5 | 2-12 | ||
| 2015 | 4 | 1-23 | 4 | 4-32 | 3 | 1-23 | 11 | 6-78 | ||
| 2016 | 6 | 1-52 | 3 | 0-22 | 2 | 1-13 | 11 | 2-87 | ||
| 2017 | Division 1B | 7 | 3-47 | 3 | 0-26 | 2 | 0-20 | 12 | 3-93 | |
| 2018 | 2 | 0-11 | 5 | 1-48 | 3 | 1-30 | 10 | 2-89 | ||
| 2019 | 6 | 0-57 | 1 | 0-02 | — | 7 | 0-59 | |||
| 2020 | 2 | 0-19 | 2 | 0-23 | 2 | 0-26 | 6 | 0-68 | ||
| 2021 | Division 1A | 3 | 1-18 | 1 | 0-06 | 1 | 0-09 | 5 | 1-32 | |
| Career total | 46 | 13-333 | 34 | 16-242 | 28 | 11-246 | 108 | 40-821 | ||
Honours and Awards
Team Achievements
- Limerick Institute of Technology
- Fitzgibbon Cup (1): 2007
- Portumna Club
- All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship (4): 2006, 2008, 2009, 2014
- Connacht Senior Club Hurling Championship (2): 2005, 2007
- Galway Senior Hurling Championship (5): 2005, 2007, 2008, 2009, 2013
- Galway County
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (1): 2017
- Leinster Senior Hurling Championship (3): 2012, 2017, 2018
- National Hurling League (3): 2010, 2017, 2021
- All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship (1): 2007
- All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship (2): 2004, 2005
Individual Awards
- All Stars Hurler of the Year (1): 2017
- All Stars Young Hurler of the Year (1): 2008
- All-Star Awards (5): 2008, 2009, 2012, 2017, 2018
- Fitzgibbon Cup Team of the Century: 1912–2012
- Best Galway team of the last fifty years: 1962–2012
- In May 2020, a public vote by RTÉ.ie named Canning in the half-forward line of a special team of hurlers.
- Also in May 2020, the Irish Independent newspaper named Canning as one of the "Top 20 hurlers in Ireland over the past 50 years."
Sponsorships
Red Bull
Joe is sponsored by Red Bull, an energy drink company. He has been part of their promotions, including being the face of a Red Bull hurling game called Red Bull Strike.
