Patrick Horgan admits that not winning the Liam MacCarthy Cup during his time with Cork will remain a "bit of a regret" but says that an All-Ireland SHC medal is “not everything” for him.

Horgan announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on Tuesday after a career which saw him winning four All-Stars, four Munster SHC titles and an Allianz League crown.

Having lost out in four All-Ireland SHC finals with the Rebels, including this year’s one against Tipperary, the 37-year-old goes down as one of the best players never to win a Celtic Cross.

Speaking to RTE Sport yesterday (Wednesday) on his decision to retire, hurling’s all-time top scorer says there were ultimately more important things to him than winning an All-Ireland senior title.

"Obviously, I'd be silly if I didn't say it hurt not winning one, probably especially the last one, being in the position we were in," said Horgan.

"But as a whole - and I said this for a long time - I was nearly hoping we'd win it so I could even double down on this point: It's not everything. We train a lot and we went on the road, playing a lot of games and I enjoyed every bit of it and I wouldn't change any of that for a medal.

"If I didn't enjoy it and won a medal, it wouldn't be for me or whatever. But obviously it's a bit of a regret but it's not everything for me."

'I had it in my mind since the final' - Cork great Patrick Horgan talks to @MartyMOfficial about his decision to retire after a remarkable 18-year inter-county career #rtegaa pic.twitter.com/rJfhAc2j7b

— RTÉ GAA (@RTEgaa) September 24, 2025

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