View source for Billy Fitzpatrick

{{short description|Irish former sportsperson|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{BLP sources|date=April 2008}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox Gaelic games player
| code= Hurling
| sport = Hurling
| image = 
| name = Billy Fitzpatrick
| irish = Liam Mac Giolla Phádraig
| fullname = William Fitzpatrick
| feet = 5
| inches = 11
| occupation = Publican
| nickname = Fitz
| county = Kilkenny
| province = Leinster
| club = [[Fenians GAA|Fenians]]
| clubs = 
| clyears = 1972-1993
| clapps(points) = 
| clcounty = 4
| clprovince= 1
| clallireland = 0
| counties = Kilkenny
| icposition = Half-forward
| icyears = 2010-present
| icapps(points) = 34 (1-10)
| icprovince = 6
| icallireland = 5
| allstars = 2
| clupdate = 
| icupdate =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1954|4|6}}
| birth_place=[[Johnstown, County Kilkenny|Johnstown]], [[County Kilkenny]]
}}
'''Billy Fitzpatrick''' (born 6 April 1954 in [[Johnstown, County Kilkenny|Johnstown]], [[County Kilkenny]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]) is an [[Irish people|Irish]] former sportsperson.<ref>({{Harvnb|Fullum|2002}})</ref> He played [[hurling]] with his local club [[Fenians GAA|the Fenians]] and was a member of the [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]] senior inter-county team from 1974 until 1986.<ref name=gaa>({{Harvnb|Kilkenny GAA|2008|p=86}})</ref>  Fitzpatrick captained Kilkenny to the [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] title in 1975.<ref name=gaa/>

==Biography==
Fitzpatrick was born in [[Johnstown, County Kilkenny]] in 1954.  From an early age he showed great skill at the game of [[hurling]].  He was educated locally and later attended [[St. Kieran's College]] in [[Kilkenny]] city, a secondary school and noted nursery for young hurling talent.  It was here that his hurling skills were further developed.  Fitzpatrick first tasted success when he won an All-Ireland Colleges’ title with Kieran’s in 1971.  He was captain of the side the following year when the college lost to Farranferris of [[Cork (city)|Cork]].

==Playing career==

===Club===
Fitzpatrick played his club hurling with [[Fenians GAA|Fenians]] club in Johnstown.  He had much success at underage levels before joining the senior team in the early 1970s.  In all he won four [[Kilkenny Senior Hurling Championship|Kilkenny SHC]] titles with the club in 1972, 1973, 1974 and 1977.  Fitzpatrick also won a [[Leinster Senior Club Hurling Championship|Leinster]] club hurling title in 1974, but lost to [[St. Finbarr's GAA|St. Finbarr's]] of [[Cork (city)|Cork]] in the [[All-Ireland Senior Club Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] final.

===Inter-county===
By the early 1970s Fitzpatrick had come to the attention of the [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]] inter-county selectors and he quickly joined the minor team.  In 1972 he won his first [[All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] medal when the Kilkenny minors beat the [[Cork GAA|Cork]] minors in the final.  Fitzpatrick quickly moved onto the Kilkenny under-21 team where he won back-to-back [[All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] medals in 1974 and 1975.  These were Kilkenny’s first titles at under-21 level.

Fitzpatrick made his senior debut in a [[National Hurling League]] game against [[Cork GAA|Cork]] in 1973.  In 1974 he became a regular in the half-forward line and won his first [[Leinster Senior Hurling Championship|Leinster]] medal at senior level.  This was subsequently converted into his first senior [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] medal following a win over [[Limerick GAA|Limerick]].  In 1975 Fitzpatrick, although still only 21 years old, was appointed captain of Kilkenny’s senior hurling team.  He captured his second Leinster title before leading Kilkenny to victory over [[Galway GAA|Galway]] in the first 70-minute All-Ireland final.  For the next two years [[Wexford GAA|Wexford]] ousted Kilkenny as provincial champions, however, Fitzpatrick won his first [[National Hurling League]] title in 1976. "The Cats" were back in 1978 with Fitzpatrick winning his third Leinster title.  Kilkenny were subsequently defeated by Cork in the All-Ireland final.

In 1979 Fitzpatrick won his fourth provincial medal before later claiming his third All-Ireland title following another win over Galway.  For the next two years [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]] emerged as Leinster champions, however, Fitzpatrick won his second National Hurling League title in 1982, before winning his fifth provincial title.  In the subsequent All-Ireland final Kilkenny demolished Cork with Fitzpatrick winning his fourth All-Ireland medal as well as being honoured with his first [[GAA All Stars Awards|All-Star]] award.  In 1983 captured a unique double by claiming back-to-back League, Leinster and All-Ireland honours.  In the All-Ireland final against Cork Fitzpatrick gave one of the best performances of his life when he scored ten points.  Once again he was honoured with another All-Star award.

Fitzpatrick continued playing with Kilkenny until 1986 when he retired following a National League game against Galway.

==Career statistics==

{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
!rowspan="2"|Team
!rowspan="2"|Year
!colspan="3"|[[National Hurling League|National League]]
!colspan="2"|[[Munster Senior Hurling Championship|Munster]]
!colspan="2"|[[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]]
!colspan="2"|Total
|-
!Division!!Apps!!Score!!Apps!!Score!!Apps!!Score!!Apps!!Score
|-
|rowspan="13"|[[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]]
|1973-74
|rowspan="7"|[[National Hurling League|Division 1A]]
|x||0-02||x||0-00||2||0-03||x||0-05
|-
|1974-75
|x||2-01||2||0-04||1||0-00||x||2-05
|-
|1975-76
|x||1-04||x||1-03||colspan=2|—||x||2-07
|-
|1976-77
|x||1-10||x||1-02||colspan=2|—||x||2-12
|-
|1977-78
|x||1-13||2||1-04||2||1-06||x||3-23
|-
|1978-79
|x||1-22||2||1-03||1||0-01||x||2-26
|-
|1979-80
|x||1-06||2||2-16||colspan=2|—||x||3-22
|-
|1980-81
|rowspan="2"|[[National Hurling League|Division 1B]]
|x||1-19||1||0-08||colspan=2|—||x||1-27
|-
|1981-82
|9||2-39||2||2-12||2||0-12||13||4-63
|-
|1982-83
|rowspan="4"|[[National Hurling League|Division 1]]
|9||4-33||2||1-14||1||0-10||12||5-57
|-
|1983-84
|9||4-54||2||1-11||colspan=2|—||11||5-65
|-
|1984-85
|x||1-08||x||0-04||colspan=2|—||x||1-12
|-
|1985-86
|x||2-06||x||0-00||1||0-01||x||2-07
|-
!colspan="3"|Career total
!x!!21-217!!x!!10-81!!x!!1-33!!x!!32-331
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{Refbegin}}
* {{Citation
| last=Fullum
| first=Brendan
| title=Captains of the Ash
| publisher=Wolfhound Press
| year=2002
}}.
* {{Citation
| author=Kilkenny GAA
| title=Kilkenny GAA Bible
| url=http://www.kilkennygaa.ie/KK%20GAA%20Bible.pdf
| publisher=[[Kilkenny GAA]]
| year=2008
| access-date=1 October 2010
| archive-date=18 November 2007
| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071118175238/http://www.kilkennygaa.ie/KK%20GAA%20Bible.pdf
| url-status=dead
}}.
{{refend}}

{{s-start}}
{{succession box
 | after=[[Phil 'Fan' Larkin]]
 | title=[[List of Kilkenny senior hurling team captains|Kilkenny Senior Hurling Captain]]
 | years=1975
 | before=[[Nicky Orr]]
}}
{{succession box
 | title=[[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Winning Captains|All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final]]<br>winning [[Captain (sport)|captain]]
 | before=[[Nicky Orr]]<br>([[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]])
 | years=[[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship 1975|1975]]
 | after=[[Ray Cummins]]<br>([[Cork GAA|Cork]])
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Fenians Hurling Team 1975}}
{{Kilkenny Hurling Team 1974}}
{{Kilkenny Hurling Team 1975}}
{{Kilkenny Hurling Team 1978}}
{{Kilkenny Hurling Team 1979}}
{{Kilkenny Hurling Team 1982}}
{{Kilkenny Hurling Team 1983}}
{{1982 Hurling All Stars}}
{{1983 Hurling All Stars}}
{{All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship top scorers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzpatrick, Billy}}
[[Category:1954 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Fenians hurlers]]
[[Category:Kilkenny inter-county hurlers]]
[[Category:Leinster inter-provincial hurlers]]
[[Category:All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen]]