Declan Lynch (Gaelic footballer)
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 1992 (age 31–32) | ||
| Occupation | Political adviser[1] | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Lámh Dhearg[1] | |||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
2012– | Antrim | ||
Declan Lynch (born 1992)[1] is a Gaelic footballer who plays for the Lámh Dhearg club and at senior level for the Antrim county team.
He spent two years as Antrim county football captain under the management of Lenny Harbinson, before Peter Healy succeeded him in 2021 under Harbinson's successor Enda McGinley.[1][2]
Lynch was educated at Bunscoil Phobal Féirste and Scoil Mhuire.[3] He attended the University of Ulster, where he studied politics and criminology, and later completed a master's degree.[1] He is a fluent speaker of the Irish language.[3] After working for the Bank of Ireland, he became a political adviser.[1]
Lynch has had surgery five times on his hips (twice on the right and three times on the left) over a period of seven years, after first injuring himself while playing for Antrim when he was 16.[1] The first operation was done in 2012, also the year he made his Antrim senior debut.[1] Lynch had mild symptoms of COVID-19 from which he recovered in mid-2020.[4][5] His father Martin managed Lámh Dhearg to an Antrim Senior Football Championship in 2017.[1]
He also plays hurling for the Lámh Dhearg club, winning the 2016 Antrim and Ulster Junior Hurling Championship, but he has since dedicated himself to football.[6][7]
References[edit]
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Crossan, Brendan (27 April 2019). "Antrim could do with a few more like Lamh Dhearg's Declan Lynch". The Irish News. Retrieved 27 April 2019.
- ^ "Healy handed Antrim football captaincy". Hogan Stand. 14 May 2021.
- ^ a b O'Connell, Cian (5 November 2020). "Gaeilge matters deeply to Declan Lynch". Gaelic Athletic Association. Retrieved 5 November 2020.
- ^ "Declan Lynch: Being forced apart by coronavirus pandemic has made me appreciate my partner Áine even more". Belfast Telegraph. 28 May 2020. Retrieved 28 May 2020.
- ^ "Lynch prepared to boycott Championship if League left unfinished". BBC Sport. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
- ^ "Rule changes in hurling 'slowly, but surely starting to rip apart the game' - Lynch". Hogan Stand. 22 March 2021.
- ^ "Antrim GAA: Lynch believes the Antrim SFC is wide open". BelfastMedia.com. 22 March 2021.
Although Lynch's sole focus is on his football commitments these days, he was part of the Lámh Dhearg side who completed an Antrim and Ulster Junior Hurling Championship double in 2016 and he says the game of hurling doesn't need tweaked and should be left well alone.