Colin Ryan (Clare hurler)

{{short description|Irish hurler}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2020}}

{{Infobox Gaelic games player

| code= Hurling

| sport = Hurling

| image =

| name = Colin Ryan

| irish =

| fullname = Colin Ryan

| feet = 5

| inches = 11

| nickname = Colly

| occupation = Secondary school teacher

| county = Clare

| province = Munster

| club = Newmarket-on-Fergus

| clposition =Full Forward

| clubs = Newmarket-on-Fergus

| clyears = 2005-present

| clapps(points) =

| clcounty = 1

| clprovince=

| clallireland =

| counties = Clare

| icposition = Left wing-forward

| icyears = 2007-2017

| icapps(points) = 25 (0-126)

| icprovince = 0

| icallireland = 1

| allstars = 0

| nhl = 1

| clupdate =

| icupdate = 14:33, 7 October 2017

| birth_date={{Birth date and age|df=yes|1988|9|2}}

| birth_place=Newmarket-on-Fergus,
County Clare, Ireland

}}

Colin Ryan (born 2 September 1988) is an Irish hurler. His league and championship career with the Clare senior team lasted ten years from 2007 to 2017.

Born in Newmarket-on-Fergus, County Clare, Ryan first played competitive hurling during his schooling at St. Flannan's College. Here he won an All-Ireland medal in 2005, as well as back-to-back Harty Cup medals.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/flannans-final-flourish-26012369.html|title=Flannan's final flourish|publisher=Irish Independent|date=15 March 2004|accessdate=31 July 2013}}{{cite web|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2005/0314/ireland/flannanaposs-power-to-harty-history-297336347.html|title=Flannan's power to Harty history|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=14 March 2004|accessdate=31 July 2013|first=Brendan|last=Larkin}} Ryan simultaneously began his club career at juvenile and underage levels with Newmarket-on-Fergus. After earlier winning several county under-21 championship medals, he won a county senior championship medal in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/newmarket-end-31-years-of-hurt-212316.html|title=Newmarket end 31 years of hurt|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=29 October 2012|accessdate=31 July 2013|first=Diarmuid|last=O'Flynn}}

Ryan made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he joined the Clare minor team. After little success in this grade, he later won an All-Ireland medal with the under-21 team in 2009.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2009/0914/ireland/last-gasp-oaposdonovan-makes-it-a-clare-day-at-croker-100853.html|title=Last-gasp O'Donovan makes it a Clare day at Croker|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=14 September 2009|accessdate=31 July 2013|first=Fintan|last=O'Toole}} By this stage Ryan had joined the Clare senior team, making his debut during the 2007 championship. Over the course of the next ten years, Ryan won one All-Ireland medal and one National Hurling League medal.{{cite web|url = http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/gaa/clare-win-eight-goal-thriller-608436.html|title=Clare win eight-goal thriller|date=28 September 2013|work=Breaking News|accessdate=4 November 2013}}{{cite web|url= http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/colin-ryan-we-live-and-die-by-the-standards-we-set-ourselves-31240357.html|title= Colin Ryan: 'We live and die by the standards we set ourselves'|date=21 May 2015|work=Irish Independent|accessdate=21 May 2015}} Having earlier announced that he was taking an extended break from inter-county hurling, Ryan announced his retirement from the game on 6 October 2017.{{cite web|url= http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/colin-ryans-extended-break-from-intercounty-hurling-paves-way-for-big-soccer-quarterfinal-35349396.html|title=Colin Ryan's extended break from inter-county hurling paves way for big soccer quarter-final|date=8 January 2017|work=Irish Independent|accessdate=10 January 2017}}{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/colin-ryan-becomes-second-clare-2013-all-ireland-winner-to-retire-this-week-36203173.html|title=Colin Ryan becomes second Clare 2013 All Ireland winner to retire this week|date=6 October 2017|work=Irish Independent|accessdate=6 October 2017}}

As a member of the Munster inter-provincial team, Ryan won one Railway Cup medal.{{citation needed|date=June 2020}}

Ryan attended NUI Galway.{{cite news|url=http://www.nuigalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/latest-news/nui-galway-students-and-alumni-among-all-ireland-senior-hurling-finalists-.html|title=NUI Galway Students and Alumni Among All-Ireland Senior Hurling Finalists|date=2 September 2013|access-date=23 December 2018|archive-date=23 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181223031322/http://www.nuigalway.ie/about-us/news-and-events/latest-news/nui-galway-students-and-alumni-among-all-ireland-senior-hurling-finalists-.html|url-status=dead}} He played for the university hurling team in the Fitzgibbon Cup, and was part of the side that lost the 2007 final.{{cite news|url=http://clarechampion.ie/major-clare-influence-on-nuig-fitzgibbon-campaign/|title=Major Clare influence on NUIG Fitzgibbon campaign|work=The Clare Champion}}