View source for Jim O'Regan

{{Short description|Irish hurler and Gaelic footballer}}
{{For|the Australian cricketer|Jim O'Regan (cricketer)}}
{{unreferenced|date=February 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox Gaelic games player
| code= Hurling
| image = 
| name = Jim O'Regan
| irish = Séamus Ó Riagáin
| fullname = James O'Regan
| height = 
| nickname = Jim O
| occupation = Garda / National school teacher
| county = Cork
| province = Munster
| club = [[Kinsale GAA|Kinsale]]<br>[[De La Salle GAA|De La Salle]]<br>[[Birr GAA|Birr]]<br>[[Garda GAA|Garda]]<br>[[Courcey Rovers GAA|Courcey Rovers]]<br>[[UCC GAA|UCC]]<br>[[Éire Óg GAA (Cork)|Éire Óg]]<br>[[Nil Desperandum GAA|Nils]]<br>[[Na Deasúnaigh GAA|Na Deasúnaigh]]
| clposition = 
| clubs = 
| clyears = 
| clapps(points) = 
| clcounty = 
| clprovince= 
| clallireland = 
| counties = [[Offaly county hurling team|Offaly ('''H''')]]<br>[[Dublin county hurling team|Dublin ('''H''')]]<br>[[Cork county hurling team|Cork ('''H''')]]<br>[[Cork county football team|Cork ('''F''')]]
| icposition = Centre-back
| icyears = 1924<br>1925<br>1926–1935<br>1926–1935
| icapps(points) = <br><br>33 (0–1)<br>14 (7–3)
| icprovincef = 1
| icprovinceh= 4
| icallirelandh= 4
| icallirelandf = 0
| nhl = 2
| nfl = 0
| clupdate = 
| icupdate =
| birth_date = 14 December 1901
| birth_place=[[Kinsale]], [[County Cork]], Ireland
| death_date = October 1982 (aged 80)
| death_place=Kinsale, County Cork, Ireland
}}
'''James O'Regan''' (14 December 1901 – October 1982) was an [[Irish people|Irish]] [[Hurling|hurler]] and [[Gaelic football]]er who played as centre-back for the [[Cork GAA|Cork]] and [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]] senior teams, as well as the [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]] junior team.

Born near [[Kinsale]], [[County Cork]], O'Regan first played competitive [[Gaelic games]] during his studies at the De La Salla College in [[Waterford]]. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of twenty-three when he first linked up with the Offaly junior team. He made his senior debut for Dublin during the [[1925 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|1925 championship]] before becoming a [[dual player]] with Cork's senior teams the following year. O'Regan immediately became a regular in the inter-county scene and won four [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] medals, four [[Munster Senior Hurling Championship|Munster]] medals and two [[National Hurling League]] medals as well as a [[Munster Senior Football Championship|Munster]] football medal.

As a member of the [[Munster GAA|Munster]] inter-provincial teams on a number of occasions, O'Regan won several [[Railway Cup]] medals as a dual player. At club level, he played with various club teams such as [[Kinsale GAA|Kinsale]], [[Garda GAA|Garda]] and [[Courcey Rovers GAA|Courcey Rovers]].

Throughout his career O'Regan made a combined total of 47 championship appearances for Cork. His retirement came following the conclusion of the [[1935 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|1935 championship]].

In retirement from playing O'Regan became involved in team management and coaching. After serving as trainer with Courcey Rovers and [[St Vincent's GAA (Cork)|St Vincent's]], he trained the Cork senior hurlers to All-Ireland success in 1966.
O'Regan has been repeatedly voted onto teams made up of the sport's greats, including at centre-back on the Cork Hurling Team of the Century.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

==Playing career==

===Club===
O’Regan initially played his club [[hurling]] with his local club in [[Kinsale GAA|Kinsale]].  After moving to [[Dublin]] he joined the [[Garda GAA|Garda]] club and won a [[Dublin Senior Hurling Championship|Dublin Senior county title]] in the 1920s.{{Citation needed|date=January 2023}}

===Inter-county===
O’Regan first came to prominence on the inter-county scene with [[Cork GAA|Cork]] in 1926.  That year Cork won the inaugural [[National Hurling League]] competition, giving O'Regan his first major hurling title.  Later that year Cork played [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]] in the Munster final, but it took three games for the two sides to be separated.  Cork won on the third occasion with O'Regan collecting his first [[Munster Senior Hurling Championship]] medal.  The subsequent All-Ireland final pitted Cork against [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]] at a snow-covered [[Croke Park]] in October of that year.  O'Regan's side took the lead at half-time and held on to win by 4–6 to 2–0.  It was Cork's first championship title since 1919 and O'Regan's first [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship]] medal.

Cork retained their Munster title in 1927, but O'Regan did not play any part in the provincial final.  He returned to the team for the subsequent All-Ireland final against [[Dublin GAA|Dublin]].  Cork fell behind by 2–3 to 0–1 at half-time; however, they fought back in the second-half. In spite of this, Dublin won the game.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

In 1928 Cork faced [[Clare GAA|Clare]] in the Munster final.  That game ended in a draw, but in the replay Cork triumphed with O'Regan collecting his second Munster title.  Cork later defeated Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final before lining out against [[Galway GAA|Galway]] in the championship decider.  Galway, who had received a bye into the final, were beaten on a scoreline of 6–12 to 1-0 and O'Regan won his second All-Ireland medal.

In 1929 Cork retained their provincial dominance for a fourth consecutive year.  A 4–6 to 2–3 defeat of [[Waterford GAA|Waterford]] gave O'Regan his third Munster title in four years.  The subsequent All-Ireland final was a replay of the previous year's game as Cork played Galway once again. Cork won the day by 4–9 to 1-3 giving O'Regan his third All-Ireland title.

O’Regan won a second National League title in 1930. However, Cork surrendered their provincial crown later that summer.  The team bounced back in 1931 with O’Regan collecting a fourth Munster winners’ medal.  Once again it took a replay for Cork and Waterford to be separated.  The All-Ireland final saw Cork take on Kilkenny for the first time since 1926. After a close game both sides finished level – 1-6 apiece.  The replay of the final took place four weeks later.  Cork took the lead at half-time, but Kilkenny fought back.  Once again both sides finished level – 2-5 apiece.  The first week of November saw the second replay of the All-Ireland final take place.  At the third attempt Cork triumphed by 5–8 to 3-4 giving O'Regan his fourth All-Ireland medal.

In 1932 Cork set out to defend the Munster and All-Ireland titles; however, Clare defeated O’Regan's side on that occasion.  Cork went into decline following that defeat and failed to reach another Munster final until 1939.  O’Regan retired from inter-county hurling in 1936.

===Provincial===
O’Regan also lined out with [[Munster GAA|Munster]] in the inter-provincial hurling competition.  He first played for his province in the inaugural year of the [[Railway Cup]] competition in 1927. [[Leinster GAA|Leinster]] were the victors on that occasion.  O’Regan remained on the team and helped Munster to capture the next four titles in 1928, 1929, 1930 and 1931.  He last lined out for Munster in 1933.

{{s-start}}
{{s-ach|ach}}
{{succession box
| before=[[Seán Robbins]]
| title=[[All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship|All-Ireland Minor Hurling Final]] [[referee]]
| years=1935
| after=[[Ignatius Harney]]
}}
{{succession box
| before=[[Tommy Daly]]
| title=[[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland Senior Hurling Final]] [[referee]]
| years=[[1936 All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|1936]]
| after=[[John Flaherty (referee)|John Flaherty]]
}}
{{s-end}}

{{Cork NHL Team 1926}}
{{Cork Hurling Team 1926}}
{{Cork Hurling Team 1928}}
{{Cork Hurling Team 1929}}
{{Cork NHL Team 1930}}
{{Cork Hurling Team 1931}}
{{Cork Hurling Team 1966}}
{{Tailteann Games Hurling Team 1928}}
{{Cork county hurling team managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregan, Jim}}
[[Category:1901 births]]
[[Category:1982 deaths]]
[[Category:All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship Final referees]]
[[Category:All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners]]
[[Category:Cork inter-county hurlers]]
[[Category:Cork inter-county Gaelic footballers]]
[[Category:Dual players]]
[[Category:Garda hurlers]]
[[Category:Garda Síochána officers]]
[[Category:Hurling referees]]
[[Category:Hurling selectors]]
[[Category:Irish schoolteachers]]
[[Category:Kinsale hurlers]]
[[Category:Munster inter-provincial hurlers]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Kinsale]]
[[Category:Police officers from County Cork]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen]]