Club Achievements

Achievements

All Ireland Senior, 1989, 1991
Munster Senior: 1988, 1989, 1991, 1993
National Hurling League: 1987/’88. 1993/94
All Star Awards: 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993
Munster Minor Hurling: 1983
Railway Cup: 1992, 1995, 1996, 1997
County Senior Hurling: 1995
North Senior Hurling: 1992, 1993, 1998
North Tipp. Centenary Cup: 1984
North Tipp Senior League: 1988
North and County Junior Hurling: 1983
North and County U/21 Hurling: 1982
North and County Intermediate Football: 1988
North Under 21 Football: 1987
North Tipp Minor Football: 1983
North U14 Football: 1979
Garda Cup (Divisional) U16: 1982
Inter Provincial Colleges: 1984 (Munster beat Leinster- special centenary competition)
Under 16 North and County Hurling: 1982
Munster and All Ireland B Colleges: 1983
County U11 and U13 schools: 1975

As a manager, Michael was awarded the "Tipperary person of the year" in 2001 by the Tipperary Association in recognition of his leadership skills in guiding Tipperary to their second successive All Ireland Camogie title.

In 2002, Michael was awarded the prestigious Cidona Sports Executive Award in recognition of his role as Manager of the 3 in a row All Ireland winning camogie team.

Manager of the Irish International camogie team who won the first camogie international series at Croke Park in 2004

Throughout the 60's, 70's and 80's in Nenagh, the name JKC was synomonous with the happiest of times for all Eire Og juvenile players. It was a long standing tradition of the club that after every juvenile game, win, lose or draw there was always a bottle of orange and a "99" in JKCs to look forward to. James (JKC) was a great supporter of the Eire Og club and it is no surprise that he was a major influence in the career of one of Eire Og's hurling legends, his son, Michael Cleary.

Four times an All-Star, holder of 2 All Ireland Senior medals and manager of the 3 in a row Tipperary All Ireland winning camogie team, Michael (Skippy) Cleary is undoubtedly one of hurlings finest. Born in Nenagh in August 1966, Michael had his first competitive game as a nine year old with Nenagh CBS under-l1's, a game played at the Railway Field in Thurles. Success quickly followed when that same team were victorious in the county under-l1 championship. On the same day, as if to indicate his precocious ability, he also played on the successful under-13 team. Two county medals in one day…not a bad start to a glittering career. A noted defender in his underage days, beating Roscrea by a handsome 18 points when trailing at the break by six is surprisingly one of Michael’s all-time career highlights.

He won an All-Ireland Colleges B medal in 1983 and won All-Ireland senior medals in 1989 and 1991. He got his first All-Star in 1990, after defeat by Cork in the Munster final, and got three more in 1991, 1992 and 1993 (3rd on the Tipperary all time list of All Star winners). He won Munster medals in 1988, 1989, 1991 and 1993. There were National League medals in 1988 and 1994. Michael took great pride in lining out for Munster and has an impressive record of Railway Cup medals with victories in 1992, 1995, 1996 and 1997. Rounding off an impressive collection, Michael also has an Oireachtas medal from 1990.

On the club scene, Michael led Eire Og to a county U16 title in 1982 from centre back. Even then he was a noted free taker and many will recall his 100% record from frees during many of the matches as Eire Og progressed to winning the championship. Not long afterwards as a 17 year old, Michael won North and County junior hurling medals. On the day of the county junior final, Michael had earlier lined out for the Tipperary minor team at wing back before his entrance as a 2nd half substitute when he contributed a handsome 4 points. In the same year, he made his senior club debut which culminated in a North senior league medal. The following year Michael helped the Eire Og seniors to victory in the North Tipperary Centenary Cup final. His club performances quickly earned recognition from the Tipperary Senior Management and Babs Keating called Michael to the cause as a 20 year old in 1986. Back with Eire Og, partial success came Michael’s way in the form of league medals in 1988 and 1991. The real breakthrough came in 1992 when Nenagh beat Lorrha to take their first North senior championship in twenty-eight years. The North title was retained in 1993 only to be beaten by Toomevara by a point in the county final. Michael’s display in the first half of that game was probably his greatest for his club. Ultimate success came Michaels way in 1995 when Nenagh Eire Og won their first County Senior Hurling title.

A beautiful striker of the ball, in any assessment of Michael Cleary’s hurling career the first thing that is mentioned is his skill level. Undoubtedly one of the most skilful players of his generation, he was renowned as a free scoring forward who was rarely held scoreless over 60 minutes (for the years 1990 and 1991, Michael had a 96% success rate from frees in club and county matches). An acknowledged student of the game, Michael also possessed a great hurling brain. On his retirement from the Inter County scene, Michael became part of Tipperary folklore off the pitch when he managed the Tipperary Senior Camogie team to their first ever All-Ireland Senior Camogie title in 1999, beating Kilkenny by 1 point in the final. Michael remained at the helm for a number of years leading the team to the historic 3 in a row.

On and off the pitch, Cleary has produced the sort of hurling magic from which legends are made. His extraordinary skill and control were honed and perfected by endless hours of practice from an early age and he remains a role model for all future generations. He was renowned for his meticulous preparation evidenced by his free taking practice sessions all of which he is rumoured to have kept a detailed record of over the years. Ironically most Kilkenny folk will remember Michael from the 1991 All Ireland final for the goal early in the 2nd half which turned the game in Tipperarys favour. Was it a deliberate goal attempt or further evidence of the hurling brain recognising the opportunity?

Michael names former teammate Nicky English as his boyhood hero and looking back his favourite player from the past was Ray Cummins. He describes John Power of Kilkenny as his toughest opponent and of the present day players, he is a big admirer of Dan Shanahan. Michael names the 2004 Munster final as the best game he has seen and the 1991 Munster final drawn match as his best game for Tipperary. While he see less handling of the ball as a way of improving the game, his advice to young players is to “Live with the hurley in your hand”. Always a gentleman, a fantastic Eire Og man, and all-round sportsman, Michael is a former county Pitch and Putt champion, an accomplished snooker player and golfer. In fact he has taken part of the South of Ireland Amateur championship and retains a burning ambition to shoot a 59 in an 18 hole golf competition. Who would bet against it.