Pierce Freaney

{{Infobox Gaelic games player

| code= Hurling

| sport = Hurling

| image =

| name = Pierce Freaney

| irish =

| feet =

| inches =

| occupation = Garda Síochána

| nickname =

| county = Cork

| province = Munster

| club = Rower-Inistioge
Carlow Town
St Finbarr's
Sarsfields

| clposition =

| clubs =

| clyears =

| clapps(points) =

| clcounty = 1

| clprovince=

| clallireland =

| colleges =

| colyears =

| fitz =

| counties = Kilkenny
Carlow

| icposition = Left wing-forward

| icyears = 1962; 1966–1968
1963–1964

| icapps(points) = 1 (1-03)
3 (0-01)

| icprovince = 0

| icallireland = 0

| allstars =

| nhl = 0

| icupdate =

| birth_date = 1943

| birth_place = Inistioge,
County Kilkenny, Ireland

| death_date =

| death_place =

}}

Pierce J. Freaney (born 1943) was an Irish hurler. At club level he played with Rower-Inistioge, Carlow Town and St Finbarr's and at inter-county level with Kilkenny and Carlow.

Playing career

Freaney first played hurling as a student at St Kieran's College in Kilkenny. He won a Croke Cup title in 1959, before captaining the team to All-Ireland final defeat by the North Monastery two years later.{{cite web|url=https://www.stkieranscollege.ie/roll-of-honour/all-ireland-senior-colleges-title-1959/|title=All-Ireland Senior Colleges Title 1959|publisher=St Kieran's College website|date=|access-date=26 June 2023|first=|last=}}{{cite web|url=https://www.stkieranscollege.ie/roll-of-honour/all-ireland-senior-colleges-title-1961/|title=All-Ireland Senior Colleges Title 1961|publisher=St Kieran's College website|date=|access-date=26 June 2023|first=|last=}} Freaney's performances for the college resulted in a call-up to the Kilkenny minor hurling team. His two years in the grade yielded consecutive All-Ireland MHC medals in 1960 and 1961.{{cite web|url=http://leinster.clubandcounty.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/33/2017/03/P94-98-All-%E2%80%A6l-M.H.-Winne.pdf|title=Leinster Minor All-Ireland Hurling Winning Teams|publisher=Leinster GAA website|date=|access-date=15 August 2023|first=|last=}}

Freaney immediately progressed to Kilkenny's intermediate team in 1962, while he also lined out for the senior team in some tournament games. He transferred to the Carlow Town club in 1963 and won a Carlow SHC medal in his first season.{{cite web|url=http://www.igp-web.com/Carlow/Carlow_hurling_Club.htm|title=Carlow Senior Hurling Champions 1963|publisher=Irish Genealogy Projects website|date=|access-date=15 August 2023|first=|last=}} Freaney also played for the Carlow senior hurling team in the Leinster SHC.

A spell with the Rower-Inistioge club was followed by a transfer to the St Finbarr's club in Cork in 1967. Freaney's first season with the club saw him end the championship as top scorer, before winning a Cork SHC in 1968.{{cite web|url=http://www.stfinbarrsnhf.ie/contentPage/346845/t_h_e_b_a_r_r_s-a_h_i_s_t_o_r_y|title=The Barrs - A History|publisher=St Finbarr's GAA website|date=|access-date=15 August 2023|first=|last=}} He earned a recall to the Kilkenny senior team for the 1968 Leinster SHC.

Post-playing career

Freaney ended his career with the Sarsfields club in Newbridge, where he became involved in the administrative affairs of the club. He later served as the GAA's National Referees Recruitment Officer.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/mad-enough-to-be-a-referee/26355707.html|title=Mad enough to be a referee?|publisher=Irish Independent|date=17 November 2006|access-date=15 August 2023|first=|last=}}{{cite web|url=https://www.hoganstand.com/county/waterford/article/index/113682|title=Freaney happy with refereeing standards|publisher=Hogan Stand|date=23 June 2009|access-date=15 August 2023|first=|last=}}