Patrick Donnellan

{{infobox Gaelic games player

|image =

|name = Patrick Donnellan

|irish = Pádraig Ó Dónalláin

|nickname =

|occupation = Sales manager

|feet = 6

|inches = 2

|sport = Hurling

|code = Hurling

|county = Clare

|province = Munster

|clubs = O'Callaghan's Mills

|clyears =

|clposition = Centre Back

|clapps(points) =

|clcounty = 0

|clprovince =

|clallireland =

|counties = Clare

|icyears = 2006-2017

|icposition = Centre-back

|icapps(points) = 26 (0-5)

|icprovince = 0

|icallireland = 1

|nhl = 0

|allstars = 1

|birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1985|6|19|df=yes}}

|birth_place = Ennis, County Clare, Ireland

|icupdate = 17:23, 27 December 2014

}}

Patrick Donnellan (born 19 June 1985) is an Irish hurler who played as a centre-back for the Clare senior team.{{cite news|url=http://clare.fm/sport/donnellan-named-new-clare-hurling-captain|title=Donnellan named as new Clare hurling captain|date=17 February 2012|publisher=Clare FM|accessdate=21 February 2012|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304003347/http://www.clare.fm/sport/donnellan-named-new-clare-hurling-captain|archivedate=4 March 2016}} At club level Donnellan plays with O'Callaghan's Mills.

Born in O'Callaghan's Mills, County Clare, Donnellan first arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Clare minor team before later joining the under-21 side. He made his senior debut during the 2006 championship. Donnellan has since gone on to play a key part in defence for Clare, and has won one All-Ireland medal and one National League (Division 2) medal.{{cite web|url = http://www.independent.ie/sport/hurling/the-whole-thing-is-still-a-bit-surreal-its-still-only-sinking-in-29887394.html|title= 'The whole thing is still a bit surreal. It's still only sinking in'|date=4 January 2014|publisher=Irish Independent|accessdate=9 January 2014|first=Christy|last=O'Connor}}

As a member of the Munster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions, Donnellan has yet to win a Railway Cup medal. At club level he plays with O'Callaghan's Mills.

Playing career

=Inter-county=

Donnellan first played for Clare as a member of the minor and under-21 teams, however, he ended his underage playing days without a single victory.

On 28 May 2006, Donnellan made his senior championship debut in Clare's 0-20 to 0-14 Munster semi-final defeat by Cork.{{cite web|url=http://www.breakingnews.ie/sport/other/rebels-dismiss-clare-challenge-260858.html|title=Rebels dismiss Clare challenge|date=28 May 2006|publisher=Breaking News|accessdate=27 December 2014|first=|last=}} He was dropped from the team in 2007 before being recalled the following year.

Donnellan was appointed captain of the Clare senior hurling team in 2012.{{cite web|url=http://www.clarecourier.ie/article.asp?id=3093|title=Donnellan is Clare hurling captain|date=21 February 2012|publisher=Clare Courier|accessdate=27 December 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20141227194354/http://www.clarecourier.ie/article.asp?id=3093|archivedate=27 December 2014}}

On 8 September 2013 Donnellan led out Clare in the All-Ireland final against Cork. Three second-half goals through Conor Lehane, Anthony Nash and Pa Cronin, and a tenth point of the game from Patrick Horgan gave Cork a one-point lead as injury time came to an end. A last-gasp point from corner-back Domhnall O'Donovan earned Clare a 0-25 to 3-16 draw.{{cite news|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2013/0909/ireland/an-emotional-riveting-roller-coaster-242435.html|title=An emotional, riveting roller-coaster|date=9 September 2013|publisher=Irish Examiner|accessdate=22 September 2013|first=Diarmuid|last=O'Flynn}} The replay on 28 September was regarded as one of the best in recent years. Clare's Shane O'Donnell was a late addition to the team, and went on to score a hat-trick of goals in the first nineteen minutes of the game. Horgan top scored for Cork, however, further goals from Conor McGrath and Darach Honan secured a 5-16 to 3-16 victory for Clare.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishexaminer.com/archives/2013/0930/ireland/a-day-borrowed-from-the-hurling-gods-244741.html|title=A day borrowed from the hurling gods|publisher=Irish Examiner|date=30 September 2013|accessdate=1 October 2013|first=Diarmuid|last=O'Flynn}} It was Donnellan's first All-Ireland medal, while he became only the third Clare man to lift the Liam MacCarthy Cup.

In October 2017, Donnellan announced his retirement from inter-county hurling. He had missed the 2016 season with a cruciate ligament injury, and wasn't selected to play in the 2017 championship.{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/clare-allirelandwinning-captain-announces-retirement-from-intercounty-hurling-36218163.html |title= Clare All-Ireland-winning captain announces retirement from inter-county hurling|date=11 October 2017|work=Irish Independent|accessdate=11 October 2017}}