AFTER SCORING FOUR points from play in his first appearance of 2026 for Cork, Séamus Harnedy had this to say to the media last Saturday evening.
“I badly needed a game. I hadn’t played in a couple of months, so there was a bit of black smoke going, but it is all terribly enjoyable.”
His teammates have noticed the enthusiasm in his form too. Brian Hayes, who scored two goals as Cork defeated Galway for their second league win in a row, pointed to the workrate and scoring efficiency of Harnedy, Shane Barrett and Darragh Fitzgibbon after the game. The trio combined for 0-13 in the half-forward line.
“Shane, Séamus and Darragh are the ones practicing the most during the week,” he told the Irish Examiner. “First out on the pitch and last off it. Their skillset is second to none.”
Séamus Harnedy in action against Galway in Division 1A. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Almost 13 years on from making his senior championship bow, Harnedy is still here, and still hungry for the All-Ireland medal that always seems just out of reach. Including the 2013 replay, he has played in five All-Ireland finals without reward. The most recent defeat in 2025 was widely accepted as a humiliation for Cork, one which ultimately marked a major shift in the set-up.
Manager Pat Ryan stepped down while Patrick Horgan announced the end of a decorated career in rebel red. Questions lingered about Harnedy’s future too. But he has found his way through the fog to go again.
He’s the big brother in the dressing room now. Following Horgan’s retirement, Harnedy is the oldest player on the Cork panel as he closes in on 36 this year.
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A quick look inside his trophy cabinet and you’ll find four Munster medals. There’s also three All-Stars — a testament to his individual brilliance. That he earned those awards in 2013, 2018 and 2024 is a reflection of his sustained excellence.
To put his longevity into further context, manager Ben O’Connor retired from Cork in 2012. Harnedy made his championship debut in the Munster semi-final against Clare in the following year, announcing himself with three points.
Harnedy was not an underage prodigy. His father Seán lined out at inter-county level for the Waterford hurlers while his mother Cathy (née Landers) won six All-Ireland camogie medals with Cork and captained the senior side to the 1983 All-Ireland title.
Harnedy making his Cork senior debut in the 2013 Munster semi-final. Cathal Noonan / INPHO
Cathal Noonan / INPHO / INPHO
The pedigree was certainly there but it took time for Harnedy to make his breakthrough. He didn’t feature at the minor grade for Cork. At U21 level, he was an unused substitute for his side’s 2011 Munster final epic against Limerick. The result after extra-time didn’t favour Cork but Harnedy was entranced by the hurling on show as his teammate Aidan Walsh struck eight points from play.
“They’re the kind of occasions that drive you on,” he said in a 2015 interview with The 42.
“It really kind of opened my eyes to what I had to do after that to get to that standard of a senior intercounty hurler.”
Harnedy feels he was limited by his size and physique in his younger days. Others agreed. Cork’s 1999 All-Ireland-winning captain Mark Landers — a cousin of his mother Cathy — coached Harnedy at minor level when he was involved with an amalgamation of Killeagh and Harnedy’s home club, St Ita’s.
Landers remarked on that height factor to the Irish Examiner in 2013 but added that Harnedy was also “quick, brave, very committed and like all small lads had an excellent first touch. But the best thing about it was his attitude. At about 19 you knew he had a good chance of making it with Cork.”
The Fitzgibbon Cup provided the platform to launch Harnedy’s Cork career at 22. Back-to-back successes with UCC in 2012 and 2013 put him in the shop window. It was enough to capture the attention of then Cork manager Jimmy Barry Murphy. In ways, it was a dream breakthrough season for Harnedy as he racked up a championship tally of 1-13 to land the first of his three All-Stars.
Harnedy celebrating winning the 2013 Fitzgibbon Cup with UCC. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
He broke new ground by becoming the first player from the St Ita’s club in Gortroe, east Cork, to line out for the county in senior hurling championship. Playing for the divisional outfit Imokilly has further enhanced his career, winning four county senior medals with the side from 2017-19, and again in 2024.
That 2013 season with Cork also coincided with his first experience of All-Ireland heartache for Harnedy, scoring 1-4 across a draw and replay odyssey against Clare.
More All-Star recognition followed in 2018, as Cork fell short after another memorable battle. This time, it was against eventual All-Ireland champions Limerick at the semi-final stage after extra-time. Harnedy had three points to his name that day, but was denied a goal that could have decided the game in normal time.
After 71 minutes, the teams were tied at 1-26 apiece when Cork went on the attack. The ball came to Harnedy in front of goal who tried to dance around the Limerick goalkeeper Nickie Quaid. But just as he released the ball for the strike, Quaid reached out to pick his pocket and divert the sliotar away.
Limerick's Nickie Quaid with an important intervention on Séamus Harnedy in the 2018 All-Ireland semi-final. Tommy Dickson / INPHO
Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO
It became an iconic moment of that championship. But in order for that image to soar, Harnedy had to suffer.
Limerick had more hurt to dish out when the sides met in the 2021 All-Ireland final. Harnedy clipped over four points but it was barely a footnote as Limerick collected their third All-Ireland title in four seasons with a 3-32 to 1-22 victory.
Things came full circle for Harnedy in 2024 when Cork met Clare in the All-Ireland final. Another draw. Another win for Clare, although it was after extra-time on this occasion. And another All-Star for Harnedy who scored 1-20 in the championship.
He registered 0-14 in last year’s championship which was somewhat interrupted by a hamstring issue. He didn’t start the final against Tipperary but managed to score a point after his introduction on 43 minutes. He also had a shot at goal that struck the crossbar just after the hour mark when Cork were 12 points behind.
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His hurt locker is stacked. And yet, Harnedy’s hunger continues to endure.
He clocked out at 64 minutes last Saturday after helping Cork come back from seven points down in the first quarter to secure a two-point win. After that break, he looked lively and agile despite the heavy conditions underfoot, grabbing the first of his four points in the 10th minute when Galway were leading 0-4 0-1.
After securing possession in an aerial battle against Daniel Loftus, his rapid turn created the space for Harnedy to run into and swing the ball over. Later in the first half, Harnedy used his physicality to hold off the presence of Galway’s Ronan Glennon for another impressive score.
And on it goes this weekend. Cork await Tipperary’s arrival to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening where narratives around a repeat of the All-Ireland final will be inevitable.
The son of a six-time All-Ireland-winning mother is still on the hunt for his own piece of history.
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The son of a six-time All-Ireland winner who overcame his size to stay in the hunt for glory
AFTER SCORING FOUR points from play in his first appearance of 2026 for Cork, Séamus Harnedy had this to say to the media last Saturday evening.
“I badly needed a game. I hadn’t played in a couple of months, so there was a bit of black smoke going, but it is all terribly enjoyable.”
His teammates have noticed the enthusiasm in his form too. Brian Hayes, who scored two goals as Cork defeated Galway for their second league win in a row, pointed to the workrate and scoring efficiency of Harnedy, Shane Barrett and Darragh Fitzgibbon after the game. The trio combined for 0-13 in the half-forward line.
“Shane, Séamus and Darragh are the ones practicing the most during the week,” he told the Irish Examiner. “First out on the pitch and last off it. Their skillset is second to none.”
Almost 13 years on from making his senior championship bow, Harnedy is still here, and still hungry for the All-Ireland medal that always seems just out of reach. Including the 2013 replay, he has played in five All-Ireland finals without reward. The most recent defeat in 2025 was widely accepted as a humiliation for Cork, one which ultimately marked a major shift in the set-up.
Manager Pat Ryan stepped down while Patrick Horgan announced the end of a decorated career in rebel red. Questions lingered about Harnedy’s future too. But he has found his way through the fog to go again.
He’s the big brother in the dressing room now. Following Horgan’s retirement, Harnedy is the oldest player on the Cork panel as he closes in on 36 this year.
A quick look inside his trophy cabinet and you’ll find four Munster medals. There’s also three All-Stars — a testament to his individual brilliance. That he earned those awards in 2013, 2018 and 2024 is a reflection of his sustained excellence.
To put his longevity into further context, manager Ben O’Connor retired from Cork in 2012. Harnedy made his championship debut in the Munster semi-final against Clare in the following year, announcing himself with three points.
Harnedy was not an underage prodigy. His father Seán lined out at inter-county level for the Waterford hurlers while his mother Cathy (née Landers) won six All-Ireland camogie medals with Cork and captained the senior side to the 1983 All-Ireland title.
The pedigree was certainly there but it took time for Harnedy to make his breakthrough. He didn’t feature at the minor grade for Cork. At U21 level, he was an unused substitute for his side’s 2011 Munster final epic against Limerick. The result after extra-time didn’t favour Cork but Harnedy was entranced by the hurling on show as his teammate Aidan Walsh struck eight points from play.
“They’re the kind of occasions that drive you on,” he said in a 2015 interview with The 42.
“It really kind of opened my eyes to what I had to do after that to get to that standard of a senior intercounty hurler.”
Harnedy feels he was limited by his size and physique in his younger days. Others agreed. Cork’s 1999 All-Ireland-winning captain Mark Landers — a cousin of his mother Cathy — coached Harnedy at minor level when he was involved with an amalgamation of Killeagh and Harnedy’s home club, St Ita’s.
Landers remarked on that height factor to the Irish Examiner in 2013 but added that Harnedy was also “quick, brave, very committed and like all small lads had an excellent first touch. But the best thing about it was his attitude. At about 19 you knew he had a good chance of making it with Cork.”
The Fitzgibbon Cup provided the platform to launch Harnedy’s Cork career at 22. Back-to-back successes with UCC in 2012 and 2013 put him in the shop window. It was enough to capture the attention of then Cork manager Jimmy Barry Murphy. In ways, it was a dream breakthrough season for Harnedy as he racked up a championship tally of 1-13 to land the first of his three All-Stars.
He broke new ground by becoming the first player from the St Ita’s club in Gortroe, east Cork, to line out for the county in senior hurling championship. Playing for the divisional outfit Imokilly has further enhanced his career, winning four county senior medals with the side from 2017-19, and again in 2024.
That 2013 season with Cork also coincided with his first experience of All-Ireland heartache for Harnedy, scoring 1-4 across a draw and replay odyssey against Clare.
More All-Star recognition followed in 2018, as Cork fell short after another memorable battle. This time, it was against eventual All-Ireland champions Limerick at the semi-final stage after extra-time. Harnedy had three points to his name that day, but was denied a goal that could have decided the game in normal time.
After 71 minutes, the teams were tied at 1-26 apiece when Cork went on the attack. The ball came to Harnedy in front of goal who tried to dance around the Limerick goalkeeper Nickie Quaid. But just as he released the ball for the strike, Quaid reached out to pick his pocket and divert the sliotar away.
It became an iconic moment of that championship. But in order for that image to soar, Harnedy had to suffer.
Limerick had more hurt to dish out when the sides met in the 2021 All-Ireland final. Harnedy clipped over four points but it was barely a footnote as Limerick collected their third All-Ireland title in four seasons with a 3-32 to 1-22 victory.
Things came full circle for Harnedy in 2024 when Cork met Clare in the All-Ireland final. Another draw. Another win for Clare, although it was after extra-time on this occasion. And another All-Star for Harnedy who scored 1-20 in the championship.
He registered 0-14 in last year’s championship which was somewhat interrupted by a hamstring issue. He didn’t start the final against Tipperary but managed to score a point after his introduction on 43 minutes. He also had a shot at goal that struck the crossbar just after the hour mark when Cork were 12 points behind.
His hurt locker is stacked. And yet, Harnedy’s hunger continues to endure.
He clocked out at 64 minutes last Saturday after helping Cork come back from seven points down in the first quarter to secure a two-point win. After that break, he looked lively and agile despite the heavy conditions underfoot, grabbing the first of his four points in the 10th minute when Galway were leading 0-4 0-1.
After securing possession in an aerial battle against Daniel Loftus, his rapid turn created the space for Harnedy to run into and swing the ball over. Later in the first half, Harnedy used his physicality to hold off the presence of Galway’s Ronan Glennon for another impressive score.
And on it goes this weekend. Cork await Tipperary’s arrival to Páirc Uí Chaoimh on Saturday evening where narratives around a repeat of the All-Ireland final will be inevitable.
The son of a six-time All-Ireland-winning mother is still on the hunt for his own piece of history.
Check out the latest episode of The42′s GAA Weekly podcast here
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Cork GAA GAA Hurling Seamus Harnedy veteran