Paul McKillen (born June 1966[1]) is a Northern Irish hurling manager and former player. At club level he played with McQuillan Ballycastle and at inter-county level with the Antrim senior hurling team.
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Pól Mac Coilín | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Midfield | ||
| Born |
June 1966 Ballycastle, County Antrim, Northern Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | ||
| Nickname | Humpy | ||
| Occupation | Caretaker | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
1983-2001 | McQuillan Ballycastle | ||
| Club titles | |||
| Antrim titles | 3 | ||
| Ulster titles | 3 | ||
| All-Ireland Titles | 0 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1984-1998 | Antrim | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Ulster titles | 7 | ||
| All-Irelands | 0 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 1 | ||
Playing career
editMcKillen first played hurling with the McQuillan Ballycastle club. He was still eligible for the minor grade when he won his first Antrim SHC medal after a defeat of Loughgiel Shamrocks in 1983. McKillen won a second title a year later when McQuillan's retained the title, before claiming a third and final winners' medal in 1986. Each of these three victories were subsequently converted into Ulster Club SHC title successes.[2]
At inter-county level, McQuillan first appeared for Antrim at underage levels, however, his minor and under-21 tenures ended without any title success. McKillen made his senior team debut in 1984 and went on to win seven Ulster SHC titles in a ten-year period between 1989 and his retirement in 1998.[3] He also lined out at midfield when Tipperary beat Antrim by 4-24 to 3-09 tin the 1989 All-Ireland final.[4]
McKillen's other inter-county honours include a National League Division 2 medal. He also earned inclusion on the Ulster team in the Railway Cup competition. McKillen was an All-Star Award recipient in 1993.[5]
Management career
editMcKillen first became involved in coaching as a result of his day job as a caretaker at Cross & Passion College. He has served as a coach and selector with various college teams and was part of four Mageean Cup-winning management teams. McKillen later became involved in inter-county management as a selector with the Antrim senior hurling team that won the 2006 Christy Ring Cup after a defeat of Carlow in the final.[6]
McKillen later served as a coach with the Down senior hurling team that lost the 2009 Christy Ring Cup final to Carlow.[7] He later guided the Antrim minor hurling team to the Ulster MHC title in 2014.[8] A stint as manager of the St Mary's, Rasharkin club team was followed by McKillen becoming joint-manager of the Antrim intermediate camogie team.[9] He guided the team to the All-Ireland ICH title in 2021.[10]
Honours
editPlayer
edit- McQuillan Ballycastle
- Ulster Senior Club Hurling Championship: 1983, 1984, 1986
- Antrim Senior Hurling Championship: 1983, 1984, 1986
- Antrim
- Ulster Senior Hurling Championship: 1989, 1990, 1991, 1993, 1994, 1996, 1998
- National Hurling League Division 2: 1991–92
Management
edit- Cross & Passion College
- Mageean Cup: 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2020
- Antrim
References
edit- ^ "Antrim pen pictures". Irish Press. 2 September 1989. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "My GAA Life with Paul McKillen". Gaelic Life. 9 April 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "The Irish News Archive - July 3 1998: Paul McKillen can't resist lure of Saffron's Sean McGuinness". The Saffron Gael. 3 July 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "Together again….The men of '89". The Saffron Gael. 30 September 2019. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "Pride in Antrim jersey McKillen's goal". Belfast Telegraph. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "McKillen answers Saffrons' call". Irish Examiner. 2 January 2006. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "McKillen and McKernan take charge of Antrim camogs". Hogan Stand. 17 January 2020. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "The difficult task of preparing Antrim's minor hurlers". Hogan Stand. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "Good win for Rasharkin in McKillen's first game in charge". The Saffron Gael. 26 March 2018. Retrieved 20 December 2024.
- ^ "Antrim too good for Kilkenny in intermediate decider". RTÉ Sport. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 20 December 2024.