Tommy Dunne (hurler, born 1974) facts for kids

Tomás Dunne (born 21 May 1974) is an Irish hurling coach and former player. He comes from Toomevara, County Tipperary, Ireland. He is well-known for his time playing with the Tipperary senior hurling team.

Dunne had a great playing career with his local club, Toomevara GAA. He also played for his county, Tipperary. He was a midfielder for Tipperary from 1993 to 2005. During this time, he won many important titles. He won one All-Ireland title as captain. He also won two Munster titles. In addition, he earned three National Hurling League titles and three All-Star awards.

After he stopped playing, Dunne started coaching. He was a selector for the Tipperary minor team. This team won the All-Ireland title in 2007. Later, Dunne coached the Tipperary under-21 team. They won the All-Ireland title in 2010.

Tommy Dunne's Playing Career

Club Hurling Success

Dunne played club hurling for his local team, Toomevara. He had a lot of success with them. His playing years were a very good time for the club. In 1992, Toomevara won their first senior county title since 1960. They beat Thurles Sarsfields after a replay.

In 1993, Dunne won his second county championship. Toomevara then played in the provincial club championship. Dunne helped his team beat Sixmilebridge. This win gave him his first Munster club title. Toomevara then reached the All-Ireland club final. They played against Sarsfield's from Galway. Toomevara scored three goals, but Sarsfield's won the game.

Dunne won a third county title in a row in 1994. However, Toomevara lost their Munster club title that year.

After a short break, Dunne won four more county titles in a row. This was between 1998 and 2001. Toomevara did not win a fifth title in a row. But Dunne won two more county titles in 2003 and 2004. In 2004, they also won their second Munster club title. They had a close win against Mount Sion from Waterford. Toomevara then lost in the All-Ireland semi-final.

In 2006, Dunne won his tenth and final county championship medal. He was the captain of the team that year. He also won his third Munster club title. However, his team lost in the All-Ireland club semi-final. Dunne was sent off during this game, which affected his team's performance. After this defeat, Dunne decided to stop playing club hurling.

Minor and Under-21 Achievements

Dunne first played for his county, Tipperary, in the early 1990s. He was part of the minor hurling team. In 1991, he won a Munster title. They beat Limerick easily. Dunne then played in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny won that game.

Dunne then joined the Tipperary under-21 hurling team. He continued to have success. In 1995, he won a Munster title. They defeated Clare. Dunne again played in the All-Ireland final. Kilkenny was the opponent once more. Tipperary won an exciting game by 1–14 to 1–10. Dunne not only won an All-Ireland under-21 medal, but he was also named the RTÉ Man of the Match.

Senior County Career

By this time, Dunne had already joined the Tipperary senior hurling team. He played his first senior championship game in 1993. Tipperary won the Munster semi-final against Kerry. Tipperary later won the Munster title, but Dunne found it hard to get a regular spot on the team.

In 1994, Dunne won his first senior title. He came on as a substitute in Tipperary's National Hurling League win against Galway. However, Tipperary did not have much success in the championship that year.

After losing a close Munster final in 1996, Dunne played in another provincial final in 1997. Clare was the opponent. Tipperary lost a very exciting game by 1–18 to 0–18. Because of a new "back-door" system, Clare and Tipperary met again. This time, it was in the first All-Munster All-Ireland final. It was one of the best games of that decade. Clare was ahead for most of the game. However, Tipperary scored two goals late in the game. Clare won by just one point. Even with this loss, Dunne received his first All-Star award.

Dunne won a second National League medal in 1999. But he still wanted to win a championship. He earned a second All-Star award in 1999. However, Tipperary lost an exciting Munster final to Cork in 2000.

In 2001, Dunne was the captain of the Tipperary team. This was his third year as captain. That year, Tipperary played in their third National League final in a row. Dunne's team won against Clare by 1–19 to 0–17. This was Dunne's third National League medal. Later that year, Tipperary played in the Munster final. This was Dunne's fourth time in a provincial final. He had not won one yet. But in 2001, Tipperary defeated Limerick by 2–16 to 1–17. This was Dunne's first Munster title.

After a draw and a replay against Wexford, Dunne led his team to Croke Park. They were playing in the All-Ireland final. Galway was the team they played against. Two goals by Tipperary's Mark O'Leary helped Tipperary stay ahead. With nine minutes left, Tipperary was only up by one point. But they scored more points in the final minutes. Tipperary won by 2–18 to 2–15. Dunne not only won his first All-Ireland medal, but he also got to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup for his team and county.

He quickly received a third All-Star award. Dunne also won all three Hurler of the Year awards that year.

The next few years were tough for Dunne. Tipperary did not win any more Munster or All-Ireland titles. He stopped playing inter-county hurling in 2005.

Provincial Games

Dunne also played for Munster in the Railway Cup. This is a competition between provinces. He first played for Munster in 1996. He won his first Railway Cup title that year. Munster beat Leinster in the final. Dunne won another provincial title in 1997. He continued to play for Munster until 2002.

Tommy Dunne's Coaching Career

On 11 September 2010, the Tipperary Under-21 hurlers won the All-Ireland Under-21 title. Dunne was their coach. They beat Galway by a large score at Semple Stadium.

In November 2010, he became the coach of the Tipperary Senior hurling team. He was part of the new manager Declan Ryan's team. Dunne also has special training in Strength & Conditioning coaching.

In September 2017, Dunne was named the manager of the Tipperary U-17 hurling team for 2018.

In October 2018, Liam Sheedy, the new Tipperary manager, chose Dunne as a coach. He coached the Tipperary senior hurling team for 2019.

In 2022, he was a selector for the Tipperary team. He worked under manager Colm Bonnar before leaving in July 2022.

Tommy Dunne's Honours and Awards

Toomevara

• Munster Senior Club Hurling Championship (3): 1993, 2004, 2006
• Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship (10): 1992, 1993, 1994, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006
• North Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship (10): 1991, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2004, 2006

Tipperary

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (1): 2001
• Munster Senior Hurling Championship (2): 1993 (sub), 2001
• National Hurling League (3): 1993–94, 1999, 2001
• All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship (1): 1995
• Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship (1): 1995
• Munster Minor Hurling Championship (1): 1991

Munster

• Railway Cup (2): 1996, 1997

Individual Awards

• All Stars Hurler of the Year (1): 2001
• Texaco Hurler of the Year (1): 2001
• GPA Hurler of the Year (1): 2001
• All Stars (3): 1997, 1999, 2001
• All-Ireland Hurling Final Man of the Match (1): 2001
• In May 2020, a public vote by RTÉ.ie named Dunne as a top hurler. He was chosen for a team of All-Stars from the era of The Sunday Game.