Cian Lynch

Cian Lynch (born 3 January 1996) is an Irish hurler who plays as a midfielder for club side Patrickswell and at inter-county level with the Limerick senior hurling team .

Lynch was born in Patrickswell, County Limerick. His uncle, Éamonn Carey, won an All-Ireland medal with Limerick in the minor grade in 1958, before later lining out for the senior team. Lynch's uncles, Pa and Ciarán Carey, were mainstays of the Limerick team throughout the nineties, while Sean, Nigel, Paul and Kevin won a multitude of medals with Patrickswell.

Arscoil Rís

Lynch first came to prominence as a hurler with Ardscoil Rís in Limerick. Having played in every grade as a hurler, he was just fifteen-year-old when he was selected for the college's senior hurling team. On 27 February 2011, Lynch was introduced as a substitute when Ardscoil Rís won the Harty Cup title after a 3-19 to 0-03 defeat of C.B.S. Charleville in the final. He was also introduced as a substitute in the subsequent 2-10 to 1-11 defeat by St. Kieran's College in the All-Ireland final.

On 22 February 2014, Lynch was captain of the Ardscoil Rís that defeated Scoil na Trionóide from Doon by 2-13 to 0-04 in the final of the Harty Cup.

Mary Immaculate College

During his studies at Mary Immaculate College, Lynch was selected as a forward for the college's senior hurling team. On 27 February 2016, he won a Fitzgibbon Cup medal as Mary I won their first ever title after a 1-30 to 3-22 defeat of the University of Limerick. Lynch was at full-forward when Mary I retained the title in 2017 following a 3-24 to 1-19 defeat of Carlow Institute of Technology. Cian graduated in 2018 with a BA in Geography and Theology & Religious Studies.

Patrickswell

Lynch joined the Patrickswell club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels.

On 23 October 2016, Lynch won a Limerick Hurling Championship medal after scoring three points from wing-forward in Patrickswell's 1-26 to 1-07 defeat of Ballybrown in the final.

Lynch was appointed captain of the Patrickswell senior team at the start of the 2019 Limerick Championship. On 6 October 2019, he won a second championship medal as captain after scoring three points in a 1-17 to 0-15 defeat of Na Piarsaigh.

Limerick

Minor and under-21

Lynch was just sixteen-years-old when he first played for Limerick as a member of the minor team on 2 May 2012. He scored 0-1 on his debut in a 0-16 to 1-12 Munster Championship defeat of Cork.

On 23 July 2013, Lynch was at wing-forward when Limerick won their first Munster Championship title in 29 years after a 1-20 to 4-08 defeat of Waterford in a replay of the final.

Lynch was appointed captain of the Limerick minor team in 2014 and won a second successive Munster Championship medal after a 0-24 to 0-18 second successive defeat of Waterford in a replay of the final. On 7 September 2014, Lynch captained Limerick in the All-Ireland final against Kilkenny. A 2-05 haul from Kilkenny corner-forward John Walsh ensured a 2-17 to 0-19 defeat for Limerick.

In his final year on the minor team, Lynch was included on the Limerick under-21 team. He made his debut in that grade on 4 June 2014 in a 2-20 to 1-14 Munster Championship defeat by Clare.

In his second season with the under-21 team, Lynch won a Munster Championship medal after a 0-22 to 0-19 win over Clare in the final. On 12 September 2015, Lynch was at centre-forward when Limerick defeated Wexford in the All-Ireland final. He ended the season by being named on the Bord Gáis Energy Team of the Year.

After surrendering their title in 2016, Lynch won a second Munster Championship medal the following year after a 0-16 to 1-11 defeat of Cork in the final. On 9 September 2017, Lynch was at left wing-forward in Limerick's 0-17 to 0-11 defeat of Kilkenny in the All-Ireland final. He was later named on the Bord Gáis Energy Team of the Year for a second time.

Senior

Lynch made his competitive debut for Limerick on 17 January 2015 in a 2-15 to 1-15 defeat of Waterford in the quarter-final of the Waterford Crystal Cup. He later collected his first silverware at senior level when Limerick defeated Cork by 3-20 to 1-16 in the final of the Waterford Crystal Cup. During the subsequent league campaign Lynch was a regular on the Limerick starting fifteen. He made his championship debut on 24 May 2015 in a 1-19 to 2-15 Munster quarter-final defeat of Clare and was later named man of the match after scoring 0-3 from play. He was later named as the GAA/GPA Player of the Month.

On 19 August 2018, Lynch scored a point from midfield when Limerick won their first All-Ireland title in 45 years after a 3-16 to 2-18 defeat of Galway in the final. Later that day he was named on The Sunday Game Team of the Year. Lynch ended the season by winning Hurler of the Year and an All-Star Award.

On 31 March 2019, Lynch was selected at midfield for Limerick's National League final meeting with Waterford at Croke Park. He collected a winners' medal after scoring two points from play in the 1-24 to 0-19 victory. On 30 June 2019, Lynch won a Munster Championship medal at midfield following Limerick's 2-26 to 2-14 defeat of Tipperary in the final. He ended the year by being nominated for a second All-Star award.

As of match played 27 July 2019.

Player

Patrickswell

• Limerick Senior Hurling Championship (2): 2016, 2019

Ardscoil Rís

• Dr. Harty Cup (2): 2011, 2014 (c)

Mary Immaculate College

• Fitzgibbon Cup (2): 2016, 2017

Limerick

• All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship (1): 2018
• Munster Senior Hurling Championship (1): 2019
• National Hurling League (1): 2019
• All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship (2): 2015, 2017
• Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship (2): 2015, 2017
• Munster Minor Hurling Championship (2): 2013, 2014 (c)
• Waterford Crystal Cup (1): 2015

Individual

Awards

• All Stars Hurler of the Year (1): 2018
• All-Star Award (1): 2018
• The Sunday Game Team of the Year (1): 2018
• GAA/GPA Player of the Month (1): May 2015