Kieran Fitzgerald calls time on remarkable playing career
April 26, 2020
Corofin's Kieran Fitzgerald lifts the Andy Merrigan Cup. ©INPHO/James Crombie.
Kieran Fitzgerald has today brought the curtain down on a remarkable 22-year senior playing career.
The veteran Corofin defender accumulated a magnificent 14 Galway SFC titles, seven Connacht SFC crowns and four All-Ireland SFC medals. At 39 years of age, Fitzgerald was still going as strong as ever this year when he helped his club claim an historic All-Ireland SFC three-in-a-row at Croke Park.
Fitzgerald also enjoyed plenty of success at inter-county level having won an All-Ireland SFC medal and an All Star award in a memorable debut season for Galway in 2001. He captained the Tribesmen in 2007 before announcing his inter-county retirement four years later.
Corofin's Kieran Fitzgerald organises his full back line during the All-Ireland club SFC final against Kilcoo. ©INPHO/Tom O'Hanlon.
"It’s hard to put into words the enjoyment and satisfaction I have experienced while playing the sport I love for over 30 years," Fitzgerald confirmed in a statement to the Tuam Herald.
"It was an absolute honour to play for Corofin GAA Club and for Galway. Although we had ups and downs, I loved it and if I could do it all again – I would!
"I am continually overwhelmed and humbled by the support and goodwill I have received down through the years from all corners of the GAA community both in good times and bad….to my teammates, the memories of standing arm-in-arm in the warm-up area underneath the Hogan Stand, with a feeling of total contentment and togetherness, after achieving our ultimate goals will be my most abiding memory and they are the ones I will miss the most.
"Finally, the GAA is my identity and it’s embedded in my DNA. I look forward to repaying the faith that Corofin GAA Club invested in me over the years, and in whatever way I can assist the next generation in making their dreams become a reality too, I will."
Best of luck Fitzy - @corofinabu1. Enjoy your retirement. What a career and what a player. Little more to say. #CorofinAbú https://t.co/gq4mBh2ly2
— Corofin.GAA (@CorofinGAA) April 26, 2020
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