To mark the national holiday, we take pick out five GAA Patricks who are sure to set the tone again in 2017.

All five of these players will be hoping to get their hands on major honours this summer, so there could be more than one Paddy's Day in 2017!

Patrick Bonnar Maher (Tipperary)

The army officer from Lorrha-Dorrha has established himself as one of the best hurlers in the country. An All Star in 2014, he has already collected two Celtic Crosses with the Premier County (2010 and 2014) as well as five Munster championships. Judging by the way Tipp have started in 2017, he'll be amongst the medals again this season.

Patrick McBrearty (Donegal)

One of the stars of Donegal's incredible Sam Maguire Cup winning campaign in 2012 (as an eighteen-year-old!), Patrick McBrearty has been a regular for his county since 2011 and is still only 23. The Kilcar clubman possesses a wand-like left foot and is blessed with superhuman strength. He is quite simply one of the best attackers in gaelic football and his display against Cork last summer - when he notched eleven points - was out of this world. Overdue an All Star.

Patrick Horgan (Cork)

'Hoggie' has been a key member of the Cork senior hurling squad since 2008. To date, he has won just a Munster SHC medal in 2014 but there have been signs during the league that the Rebels are starting to find some momentum again and Horgan will definitely be prominent if they're going to challenge for major honours.

Patrick Durcan (Mayo)

Mayo's other wing back gets all the headlines but it was young Castlebar Mitchels clubman Durcan who was named as GAA / GPA Footballer of the Month for September for his magnificent displays against Dublin in the 2016 All-Ireland finals at Croke Park. That was Durcan's first (and second) time to appear in an All-Ireland final but he is surely a big part of Stephen Rochford's plans for the coming championship.

Patrick Curran (Waterford)

Dungarvan clubman Curran has followed in the footsteps of his father, another Patrick, by nailing down a place in the Waterford senior hurling team. He won an All-Ireland MHC with Na Deise in 2013 and was joint-captain of the U21 All-Ireland winning team of 2016. The brilliant corner forward has now established himself on Derek McGrath's senior side and could have a big say in the destination of this year's Munster and All-Ireland SHC titles.

 

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