NAME: Liam Burke DATE OF BIRTH: 2/9/72 HEIGHT: 6'2" WEIGHT: 13 1/2 stone CLUB: Kilconieron COUNTY: Galway HONOURS: Feile na nGael, Silver in Community Games, College All-Ireland Juvenile Under 15, All-Ireland Colleges Senior B finalists, represented Galway Poc Fada, Under 21 B Kilconieron, All-Ireland Under 21 Galway INTER-COUNTY DEBUT: April 1991, against Limerick PLACE OF EMPLOYMENT: Family farm TOUGHEST OPPONENT: Bill Hennessy FAVOURITE GROUNDS: Semple Stadium FAVOURITE POSITION: Centre back SPORTING AMBITION: To win an All-Ireland senior medal DO YOU PLAY ANY OTHER SPORTS: Soccer BOYHOOD HEROES: John Connolly FAVOURITE PLAYERS (CLUB & COUNTY): Joe Cooney BIGGEST INFLUENCE ON YOUR CAREER: My family, especially my father. My parents came into this parish in 1963. My father played his hurling with a club called Maree WAYS OF IMPROVING THE GAME: Linesmen and umpires to be more positively involved with the referee BEST GAME SEEN: All-Ireland Under 21 semi final, Galway v Cork, 1991 PLAYERS WITH A PROMISING FUTURE: Paul Flynn, Waterford; Pat Minogue, Clare HOPES FOR 1993: Local club to senior status and to win the League and All-Ireland county medals YOUR CLUB KILCONIERON WENT DOWN TO PORTUMNA IN LAST YEAR'S GALWAY INTERMEDIATE HURLING FINAL AFTER A REPLAY. TELL US ABOUT YOUR CLUB: Kilconieron is a rural club between Loughrea and Athenry. In 1991 we won the Under 21 B Championship. 1992 was another good year, we reached the intermediate hurling final and are currently in the Under 21 A quarter final. We are developing a new pitch and dressing rooms which we hope will be in use this year. The future looks very bright for our club ANY OTHER PAST OR PRESENT GALWAY SENIOR HURLERS FROM KILCONIERON: Michael Connaughton played 29 years ago for Galway YOU HAD A PLAYER ON THIS YEAR'S SUCCESSFUL MINOR HURLING TEAM: John Murray played on this year's victorious minor hurling team. He is a very promising young player GALWAY MANAGER JARLATH CLOONAN, WE ARE TOLD HE HAD A BIG INFLUENCE ON YOUR CAREER TO DATE: All managers have a big influence on players as Jarlath had on me when, after returning from a long injury he enabled me to play in the semi final against Cork for the Under 21. He had confidence in me to give me the number 10 jersey for the final WHO ARE THE OTHER MEMBERS OF THE GALWAY BACKROOM TEAM: Gerry Holland (trainer), Tommie Grogan, Sean Kelly, Michael Fogarty THE GALWAY HURLING PANEL HAVE JUST RETURNED FROM A HOLIDAY IN THE CANARY ISLANDS. YOU HAD A GOOD TIME: We had a wonderful time. It built up great team spirit and comradeship between the players THE GALWAY HURLERS HAVE AN ACTIVE SUPPORTERS CLUB BEHIND THEM. ARE THEY A BIG HELP TO THE SENIOR SQUAD: Yes. For instance, they sponsored our trip to the Canary Islands YOU WERE PART OF THAT OUTSTANDING ALL-IRELAND WINNING UNDER 21 TEAM OF 1991: It was a great achievement to be part of the team which defeated the favourites, Offaly in such convincing style by a winning margin of eleven points. HOW MANY OF THAT SQUAD HAVE MADE THE BIG BREAKTHROUGH TO SENIOR LEVEL: Every member of the team has made the senior squad over the past two years GALWAY HURLING BOARD CHAIRMAN TOM CULLINAN IS FROM YOUR CLUB: We are very lucky to have a man of his calibre in both our club and county. He is a well respected figure in GAA circles THAT UNDER 21 SUCCESS IN '91 AND THE VICTORY OF THE MINORS LAST SEPTEMBER MUST HAVE BEEN A GREAT TONIC FOR GALWAY HURLING: In 1983 Under 21 and minors won All-Irelands. Many of these players followed through with those successes to win senior All-Irelands. I am optimistic that players of the 1991 Under 21 and 1992 minors will also win All-Ireland senior championships YOU PROBABLY LET KILKENNY OFF THE HOOK IN LAST YEAR'S ALL-IRELAND SEMI FINAL: I feel we could have beaten Kilkenny but for the injury sustained to Pat Malone HAPPY WITH YOUR OWN PERFORMANCE: Yes, I surpassed my own expectations AND GALWAY'S RUN TO DATE IN THE NATIONAL HURLING LEAGUE: We defeated Dublin in our first match in Ballinasloe. Drew with Wexford and lost to Waterford away from home THIS YEAR GALWAY WILL BE MEETING THE MUNSTER REPRESENTATIVES. ANY PREFERENCES: I feel confident we can beat any county from Munster ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, GALWAY WILL HAVE TO FANCY THEIR CHANCES OF GOING THE ENTIRE WAY: We have a strong committed panel and a good management team to see us through to victory on the first Sunday in September Taken from Hogan Stand magazine 12th February 1993 Vol 3 No 6 Tweet

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