Seán O'Leary-Hayes (born 16 July 1999) is an Irish hurler. At club level, he plays with Westmeath New York and at inter-county level with the New York senior hurling team. O'Leary-Hayes previously played with Midleton and Cork.

Seán O'Leary-Hayes
Personal information
Native name
Seán Ó Laoire-Ó hAodha (Irish)
Born (1999-07-16) 16 July 1999 (age 26)
OccupationEngineer
Height5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Sport
SportHurling
PositionFull-back
Clubs
Years Club
2017-2024
2023-present
Midleton
Westmeath NY
Club titles
Cork titles 1
College(s)
Years College
2018-2021
2021-2022
Cork Institute of Technology
Trinity College, Dublin
College titles
Fitzgibbon titles 0
Inter-county
Years County
2019-2021
2025-present
Cork
New York
Inter-county titles
Munster titles 0
All-Irelands 0
NHL 0
All Stars 0

Career

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O'Leary-Hayes was educated at Midleton CBS Secondary School and played in all grades of hurling during his time there. He won a Dean Ryan Cup medal in 2015, after a one-point win over Our Lady's Secondary School in the final.[1] O'Leary-Hayes later won back-to-back Dr O'Callaghan Cup titles in 2017 and 2018.[2][3]

As a student at the Cork Institute of Technology, O'Leary-Hayes lined out in the Fitzgibbon Cup.[4] He later received a scholarship to Trinity College and also lined out with them in the Fitzgibbon Cup.[5]

O'Leary-Hayes first played for Midleton at juvenile and underage levels before making his senior team debut in June 2017.[6] He won a Cork PSHC medal in November 2021, after lining out at corner-back in the 0–24 to 1–18 win over Glen Rovers.[7] O'Leary-Hayes later played with the Westmeath New York team before officially transferring in 2024.[8][9] He won a New York SHC medal in 2025, following a 3–22 to 3–18 win over Hoboken in the final.[10]

At inter-county level, O'Leary-Hayes first played for Cork during a two-year tenure with the minor team. He captained the team to a 2–17 to 2–15 defeat by Galway in the 2018 All-Ireland MHC final.[11] He was later named in the full-back position on the inaugural Minor Star Awards Hurling Team of the Year.[12] O'Leary-Hayes later progressed to the under-20 team and was at centre-back for the 5–17 to 1–18 defeat by Tipperary in the 2019 All-Ireland U20HC final.[13]

O'Leary-Hayes made his senior team debut in January 2019.[14] He came on as a substitute for Niall O'Leary in the 3–32 to 1–22 defeat by Limerick in the 2021 All-Ireland SHC final.[15] O'Leary-Hayes continued to play with Cork until 2023, but later joined the New York team. He won a Lory Meagher Cup medal in 2025, after a 4–17 to 2–17 win over Cavan in the final.[16] O'Leary-Hayes was also part of the New York team that won the Nicky Rackard Cup in 2026.[17]

Honours

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References

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  1. "Cork's Midleton CBS claim Dean Ryan Cup title with narrow final win over Templemore". The 42. 15 November 2014. Retrieved 18 February 2025.
  2. Coughlan, John (16 December 2016). "Gosnell points the way as Midleton edge out Colman's". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  3. Allen, Olan (14 December 2017). "Midleton retain the O'Callaghan Cup with impressive victory over the AG". Echo Live. Retrieved 14 February 2019.
  4. "Shane Kingston in lethal form as UCC defeat rivals CIT in Fitzgibbon Cup". Echo Live. 19 January 2020. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  5. "Trinity College Dublin announces new Sport Scholars for 2021/22". Trinity College website. 8 November 2021. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  6. "Senior Hurling". Midleton GAA website. 25 June 2017. Retrieved 14 February 2025.
  7. Hurley, Denis (21 November 2021). "Premier SHC final: Midleton are the county champions again". Echo Live. Retrieved 21 November 2021.
  8. "Sean O'Leary Hayes on what it's like playing hurling in the US". Echo Live. 9 November 2023. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  9. "Sean O'Leary Hayes to miss championship after transferring to the States". Echo Live. 24 July 2024. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  10. "Westmeath New York hurlers claim first title since 1996". Westmeath Examiner. 25 August 2025. Retrieved 21 November 2025.
  11. O'Toole, Fintan (3 September 2017). "Canning man-of-the-match as Galway lift All-Ireland minor title with win over Cork". The 42. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  12. "Galway and Cork dominate inaugural minor All Stars awards". RTÉ Sport. 12 September 2017. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  13. O'Toole, Fintan (24 August 2019). "Early Tipp goals power them past Cork to seal All-Ireland hurling glory". The 42. Retrieved 25 August 2019.
  14. Hurley, Denis (2 January 2019). "0-13 for Bennett and a goal for Brick Walsh as Waterford saw off Cork tonight". The 42. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
  15. Fogarty, John (22 August 2021). "Will record-breaking All-Ireland victory over Cork be Limerick's high water mark? Don't bet on it". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
  16. "Lory Meagher Cup Final: Historic win for New York". GAA website. 31 May 2025. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
  17. "Nickey Rackard Cup Final: New York take the title". GAA website. 30 May 2026. Retrieved 1 June 2026.
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