Ciarán Byrne

Ciarán Byrne (born 6 December 1994) is a Gaelic footballer who plays for the St Mochta's club at senior level for the Louth county team. He previously played professional Australian rules football for the Carlton Football Club.

Ciarán Byrne
Personal information
Sport Gaelic football
Position Forward
Born (1994-12-06) 6 December 1994
Nickname Casey[1]
Club(s)
Years Club
 St Mochta's
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
2013; 2021–
 Louth
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 0
All-Irelands 0
NFL 0
All Stars 0

His nickname ("Casey") was the result of his younger sister's inability to pronounce Ciarán, and was used during his time at Carlton.[1][2]

Early career

Byrne was a talented prospect in Gaelic football. He was selected for the Louth county team panel at the age of 18, and scored five points in a 2013 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship qualifier match against Kildare at Newbridge.[3][4] Byrne played for Ireland in both Tests of the 2013 International Rules Series.[5][6]

AFL career
Ciarán Byrne
Personal information
Full name Ciarán Byrne
Nickname(s) Casey[1]
Original team(s) St Mochta's (club)/Louth (county team)
Draft Pick 64, 2013 AFL Rookie Draft
Height 188 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 88 kg (194 lb)
Position(s) Half-back
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
2014–2018 Carlton 22 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2018.
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

In August 2013, Byrne signed a two-year Category B rookie contract AFL club Carlton.[1][7]

Byrne made his senior AFL debut in Round 3, 2015 against Essendon at the MCG; however, after a hamstring injury in that game, he missed the remainder of the season, playing only a couple of games for Carlton's VFL-affiliate, the Northern Blues.[8] He became a regular in the team's backline in the early part of 2016, playing 11 of Carlton's first 14 games before rupturing his right anterior cruciate ligament, an injury which caused him to miss the rest of the 2016 AFL season.[9]

In October 2018, Byrne informed Carlton Football Club of his decision to retire from AFL football and to return to Ireland.[2] Byrne stated that he had fallen "out of love" with the Australian code and wanted to return to Gaelic football.[3]

Return to Gaelic football

After returning to Ireland, Byrne resumed his Gaelic football career with the St Mochta's club. Shortly after resuming the game he dislocated his ankle in the Louth Intermediate Football Championship final (which St Mochta's won after appearing there for the first time since 1981).[3] This injury caused Byrne to miss another season, and was initially thought to be career-threatening.[3] He recovered with the aid of reformer pilates (which he had first used while recovering from injury in the AFL) and subsequently began a pilates business in his home village of Louth, County Louth.[3]

Byrne was selected to play for Louth again and joined the county's senior football panel.[3]

See also

References
  1. De Bolfo, Tony (15 August 2013). "International rookie Byrne signs with Blues". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 15 October 2013. As Hughes said: 'The boys already call him Casey – a nickname he inherited years ago because his younger sister couldn't pronounce 'Ciaran.
  2. "Ciaran Byrne retires from AFL football". Carlton Football Club. 15 October 2018. Retrieved 15 October 2018.
  3. Keys, Colm (25 June 2021). "'We shouldn't have to beg a player to play for his county': Louth's Ciaran Byrne enjoying a 'second coming' eight years since his last championship game". Irish Independent.
  4. "Kildare 1–19 Louth 0–15". RTÉ. 14 July 2013.
  5. "Ireland 57–35 Australia". RTÉ. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
  6. "Ireland 116–37 Australia". RTÉ. 26 October 2013. Retrieved 26 October 2013.
  7. "Louth forward Byrne moves to AFL with Carlton". TheScore.ie. 15 August 2013. Archived from the original on 15 October 2013. Retrieved 15 October 2013.
  8. Balales, Danielle (27 October 2015). "Season review: Ciaran Byrne". Carlton Football Club. Retrieved 20 February 2016.
  9. "Scans confirm Byrne injury". Carlton Football Club. 3 July 2016. Retrieved 3 July 2016.
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