Conor Fogarty’s retirement has tugged away yet another black and amber thread from the already fraying fabric of Kilkenny’s most glorious era.
Between 2000-2015 the Cats won 11 All-Ireland senior hurling titles, a period of dominance when some Kilkenny players had as many medals as hurls rustling around their gear bags. There were certainly no Kilkenny hurlers peacocking around town boasting about having one or two Celtic crosses in their back pocket, because the exchange rate in that currency was far higher on Noreside.
But the trophy-laden empire Kilkenny built under Brian Cody has been downsizing year on year – they are a decade without a visit from Liam MacCarthy.
And as of now Kilkenny will enter the 2025 season with just two players who featured in their last All-Ireland final win in 2015 – Eoin Murphy and TJ Reid.
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Richie Reid was the sub goalkeeper in the 2015 All-Ireland final but he did not feature on the day. Should any of those players also step away over the coming weeks, the severing of the last remaining links to that history-making age will draw ever closer.
Given the length of service put down by both Murphy (34) and TJ (37), there is clearly more hurling behind them than ahead. It is very possible in the near future Kilkenny will have a dressingroom with no All-Ireland winners – something unthinkable just a few years back.
Cody used a total of 17 players in that 2015 All-Ireland final win over Galway – which remains the last time the Cats won hurling’s biggest prize. Some 15 are no longer involved.
There have been three significant Kilkenny retirements during this off season – Cillian Buckley, Walter Walsh and now Fogarty. They take away a combined total of 10 All-Ireland senior medals with them from the dressingroom.
Since Kilkenny won their first All-Ireland in 1904 this ongoing drought equals the county’s longest wait between titles – they went 10 years in 1922-32 and 1947-57. The danger now is the barren period dragging on because soon there won’t be any current Kilkenny player with a Celtic cross to bridge the gap between All-Irelands.
Cody was in Croke Park last month for the launch of the Hurling Development Committee and when asked about Kilkenny’s decade-long search for Liam, he didn’t agree with suggestions there is pressure on the team to deliver an All-Ireland.
“You never look on it like that,” he said. “You look at, ‘Are you being competitive? How are you playing?’ You could go through the other strong hurling counties and start counting years as well, Kilkenny are not alone. It’s hard to win these things.
“Since Derek came in, we have been very competitive. It’s easy to say you want to be successful, but to be successful you have to be competitive, and we are.”
Which is true. Kilkenny are currently five-in-a-row Leinster champions and have won eight provincial crowns since 2014. They have contested two of the last three All-Ireland finals.
But as the natural departures of experienced hurlers continues annually, it leaves behind a panel of players trying to chase down a culture of success which is gradually slipping out the door too.
It is also worth noting Kilkenny’s underage pedigree over the last decade, for that is a strong indicator of the talent coming off the conveyor belt. Between 2014-2024 they have won four Leinster minor titles but their last All-Ireland at the grade was in 2014.
During the same period the Cats have won three provincial under-20/21 titles while there was one All-Ireland under-20 triumph, in 2022.
Since Kilkenny’s last All-Ireland minor triumph – Galway, Tipperary, Cork, and Clare have all tasted success at that level. Kilkenny lost this year’s minor final to Tipp after extra-time.
Murphy was the goalkeeper on Kilkenny’s 2015 All-Ireland senior final winning team.
The full-back line was Paul Murphy, Joey Holden and Shane Prendergast. Murphy and Holden retired in 2021 while Prendergast stepped away in 2017.
The half-back line in that final was Pádraig Walsh, Kieran Joyce and Buckley. Joyce retired at the end of the 2017 season while Walsh played until 2023. Buckley announced his retirement in August of this year.
Fogarty and Michael Fennelly were Kilkenny’s midfielders against the Tribesmen. Fennelly played two more seasons while Fogarty kept going until now.
The Erin’s Own clubman (34) was not a regular this season but did feature off the bench in five of Kilkenny’s championship games – including the All-Ireland semi-final loss to Clare.
“It has been a privilege to have worked alongside Conor whose contributions to Kilkenny hurling have been significant,” said Kilkenny manager Derek Lyng.
“His humble attitude demonstrated his strong work ethic and discipline, and he played a pivotal role in Kilkenny’s successes down through the years. Conor will be greatly missed and I wish him all the best as he enters retirement.”
Colin Fennelly, Richie Hogan and Reid were named as the Kilkenny half-forward line for the 2015 final. Fennelly officially retired in November 2021 while Hogan stepped away in September 2023.
TJ, for now at least, remains a Kilkenny hurler.
“I can only imagine TJ will go back. Look, he is still one of the best players in Ireland. I can’t see why he would retire,” stated Walter Walsh recently.
“Hurling is a game of skill and TJ has it in abundance. His ability to win his own ball is second to none, I’d be very surprised if he didn’t [go back].”
The full-forward line in 2015 was Walsh, Ger Aylward and Eoin Larkin. Aylward retired in 2021 while Larkin stepped away in December 2016.
When asked last month about the amount of trophies Kilkenny won during his time in charge, Cody patted the praise towards those inside the white lines.
“I didn’t hit a ball in any of those matches,” he said. “The players that I was privileged to be involved with won whatever they won.”
But a decade on from Kilkenny’s last All-Ireland success, there aren’t too many of those players now left.
KILKENNY PLAYERS IN THE 2015 ALL-IRELAND SHC FINAL
Eoin Murphy
Paul Murphy – Retired January 2021
Joey Holden – Retired November 2021
Shane Prendergast – Retired October 2017
Pádraig Walsh – Retired November 2023
Kieran Joyce – Retired October 2017
Cillian Buckley – Retired August 2024
Michael Fennelly – Retired December 2017
Conor Fogarty – Retired December 2024
Colin Fennelly – Retired November 2021
Richie Hogan – Retired September 2023
TJ Reid
Ger Aylward – Retired January 2021
Walter Walsh – Retired November 2024
Eoin Larkin – Retired December 2016
Richie Power – Retired January 2016
John Power – Stepped away from the panel in 2017
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