Henry Downey

{{Infobox Gaelic games player

|image=

|name =Henry Downey

|irish =

|birth_place =Lavey, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland

|feet=5

|inches=9

|county=Derry

|province=Ulster

|clpositionf=Centre back

|clpositionh=Midfield

|club=St Brigids GAC

|clyears=

|clapps(points)=

|clubs=Lavey

|clcountyf=4

|clcountyh=12

|clprovincef=2

|clprovinceh=0

|clallirelandf=1

|clallirelandh=0

|iccounty=

|counties=Derry (F)
Derry (H)

|icpositionf=Centre back

|icpositionh= Half-forward

|icyears=1988–2001 (F)

|icapps(points)=

|icprovincef=2

|icprovinceh=0

|icallirelandf=1

|icallirelandh=0

|allstarsf=1

|nfl=4

|allstarsh=0

|icupdate=

|clupdate=

|birth_date={{Birth date and age|df=yes|1966|12|27}}

}}

Henry Downey (born 27 December 1966) is a former dual player of Gaelic games, who played as a Gaelic footballer at senior level for the Derry county team in the late 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s, where he usually played in at centre half back.

Downey captained Derry to the 1993 All-Ireland SFC title. He won two Ulster Senior Football Championship (1993 and 1998) and four National League (1992, 1995, 1996 and 2000) medals during his inter-county career. He also played hurling.

Playing career

Downey played club football and hurling with Erin's Own GAC Lavey, with whom he won the 1990–91 All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship. He was one of very few players in Ireland to complete this unique double of club and inter-county All-Irelands and almost did the extreme rarity of winning both competitions in the same year in 1993, but Lavey were defeated in the All-Ireland club after winning the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship for the second time. Downey also won four Derry Senior Football Championship and 12 Derry Senior Hurling Championship medals with Lavey.

Some of his key attributes included his leadership qualities and his surging runs up the field from the half back line.{{cite news |first=Alan |last=Rodgers |title=Experts say Tyrone rank among the best |work=Gaelic Life |pages=20–21 |date=10 October 2008 }}

=Inter-county=

Downey was part of the Derry side which won four national leagues in eight years (1992, 1995, 1996 and 2000), captaining the team in 1992 and 1996. Downey and Derry finished runners-up to Offaly in the 1998 National League decider.{{cite news|title=Lyons' pride pass tough test of character to land League |url=http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1998/04/27/shead.htm |work=Irish Examiner |date=1998-04-27 |access-date=2008-04-06 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090903084000/http://archives.tcm.ie/irishexaminer/1998/04/27/shead.htm |archive-date=2009-09-03 }}

In addition to his All-Ireland Club medal and two Ulster Club Championship medals he had massive success at Derry Championship level. He won four Derry Senior Football Championship, two Derry Minor Football Championships and twelve Derry Senior Hurling Championships.

Downey won an All-star in 1993 at centre back and was named 1993 Texaco Footballer of the Year. He also won Footballer of the Year at the 1993 Ulster GAA Writer's Association Awards.{{cite web |url=http://www.ulstergaawriters.com/1993a.htm |title=Ulster GAA Writer's Association Awards - 1993|access-date=2007-09-11 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080724232848/http://www.ulstergaawriters.com/1993a.htm |archive-date=2008-07-24}}

=School/college=

Downey attended school at St Patrick's College, Maghera, for whom he won two consecutive MacRory Cups (1984 and 1985). The school went on to be runners-up in the 1984 Hogan Cup final. He attended Queen's University Belfast, where he won the Sigerson Cup.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

Hurling career

Among Downey's hurling honours was winning the Ulster Under 21 Hurling Championship with Derry in 1986, defeating Antrim and Down along the way. He scored 0–12 against Antrim in the semi-final at Loughguile, with his brother Seamus scoring 1–3 in a 2–20 to 1–6 victory. They beat Down in the final after a reply; 3–9 to 1–2.{{cite news |title=Will Derry be singing the Blues at Newry? |work=The Mid-Ulster Observer |date=2007-08-16 }}

Honours

=Football=

==County==

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship - Winner (1): 1993 (c)
National Football League - Winner (4): 1992, 1995, 1996, 2000
National Football League - Runner up: 1998
Ulster Senior Football Championship - Winner (2): 1993 (c), 1998
Ulster Senior Football Championship - Runner up: 1992, 1997, 2000
Dr McKenna Cup - Winner (1): 1993, 1999

==Club==

All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship - Winner (1): 1991
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship - Winner (2): 1990, 1992
Derry Senior Football Championship - Winner (4): 1988, 1990, 1992, 1993
Derry Senior Football Championship - Runner up: 1998
Derry Minor Football Championship - Winner (2): 1983, 1984
Numerous underage awards

==Province==

Railway Cup - Winner (?) – 1998, 2000 (captain), more?

==School/College==

Sigerson Cup - Winner (1): 1990?
MacRory Cup - Winner (2) – 1984, 1985
Hogan Cup - Runner up: 1984

==Individual==

Texaco Footballer of the Year: 1993
All Star - Winner (1): 1993
All Star - Nominated (runner up): 1992, more?
Captain Derry Ulster and All-Ireland winning side: 1993
Captain Derry National League winning sides: 1992, 1996
Derry Senior football captain: 1991-1994, 1996

=Hurling=

==County==

Ulster Under 21 Hurling Championship - Winner (1): 1986, 1987?????

==Club==

Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship - Runner up: 1986?, 1988?, 1994?, 1997?, 2001?
Derry Senior Hurling Championship - Winner (12): 1985, 1986, 1988, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2002
Derry Senior Hurling Championship - Runner up: 1993?, more?
Numerous underage awards

==Individual==

Combined Universities - Winner (1): Year?

Note: The above lists may be incomplete. Please add any other honours you know of.

References

External links

[http://quis.qub.ac.uk/gaelicfc/halloffame/ulster.htm QUB Profile] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131029202814/http://quis.qub.ac.uk/gaelicfc/halloffame/ulster.htm |date=29 October 2013 }}

{{succession box

| before=Anthony Molloy
(Donegal)

| title=All-Ireland SFC
winning captain

| years=1993

| after=D. J. Kane
(Down)

}}

{{succession box

| after=Martin McHugh
(Donegal)

| before=Mickey Linden
(Down)

| title=Texaco Footballer of the Year

| years=1993

}}