View source for Pete Finnerty

{{Short description|Irish hurler and coach}}
{{BLP sources|date=April 2008}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox Gaelic games player
| code= Hurling
| sport = Hurling
| image =
| name = Pete Finnerty
| irish = Peadar Ó Fiannachta
| feet = 6
| inches = 1
| occupation = [[Garda Síochána]]
| county = Galway
| province = Connacht
| club = [[Mullagh GAA|Mullagh]]
| clubs =
| clyears = 1980s–1990s
| clapps(points) =
| clcounty =
| clprovince=
| clallireland =
| counties = [[Galway county hurling team|Galway]]
| icposition = Right wing-back
| icyears = 1985–1994
| icapps(points) =
| icprovince = 0
| icallireland = 2
| allstars = 5
| clupdate =
| icupdate =
| birth_date={{Birth date and age|1964|3|4|df=yes}}
| birth_place=[[Mullagh, County Galway]], [[Republic of Ireland|Ireland]]
}}
'''Peter "Pete" Finnerty''' (born 4 March 1964 in [[Athlone]], County Westmeath, Ireland) is an Irish former [[hurling]] coach and former player.

Regarded as one of his county's all-time greats, Finnerty had a distinguished playing career at club level with [[Mullagh GAA|Mullagh]] and at senior level with the [[Galway county hurling team|Galway county team]]. He was a wing-back on the latter team from 1985 until 1994 and collected two [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] titles, one [[National Hurling League]] title and five [[GAA All Stars Awards|All-Star]] awards.

In retirement from playing Finnerty has maintained a keen association with the game. He has been a long-serving hurling analyst with [[RTÉ]] on both ''[[The Sunday Game]]'' and ''[[Sunday Sport (television)|Sunday Sport]]''. From 2007 until 2010 Finnerty served as coach, under the management of Martin Brennan, to the [[Mayo senior hurling team]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mayonews.ie/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9779%3Amayo-hurlers-on-hunt-for-new-manager&Itemid=51|title=Hurlers on hunt for new manager|publisher=Mayo News|date=17 May 2010|access-date=2010-11-11}}</ref>

==Biography==
Pete Finnerty was born in [[Mullagh, County Galway]] in 1964.  From a young age he showed great interest in the game of [[hurling]] and, in time, he would become a key member of the successful Galway team of the 1980s. He was educated principally at [[Ballinasloe]] secondary school where he fostered a reputation for himself as a no-nonsense defender. It was here that Finnerty first experienced success, winning three All-Ireland Vocational Schools medals. Finnerty later worked with [[Bank of Ireland]] and also owns a franchise [[Supermac's]] restaurant in [[Tuam]] since opening it in the early 1990s.

==Playing career==
===Club===
Finnerty played his club hurling with [[Mullagh GAA|Mullagh]], the club made famous by [[Tony Reddin]].

===Inter-county===
Finnerty's hurling exploits in secondary school lead to an automatic selection on the Galway minor hurling team. He played against [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]] in the [[All-Ireland Minor Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] minor final of 1982, however, he ended up on the losing side that day. Finnerty quickly graduated onto Galway's under-21 team, subsequently winning an [[All-Ireland Under-21 Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] medal with the side in 1983. His son Niall is one of the brightest football prospects in Galway at the moment. He is currently player of the Cortoon Shamrocks under-21 team.

That same year Finnerty made his senior debut in a [[National Hurling League]] game and he captured a place of his own on the team by the time the 1985 championship got underway. That year he played in his first All-Ireland final; however, victory went to [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]] on the day.  In spite of this he was still presented with an [[GAA All Stars Awards|All-Star]] award. In 1986 Galway reached another All-Ireland final; however, they were again defeated, this time by [[Cork GAA|Cork]]. A second All-Star was collected by Finnerty. In 1987, in their third All-Ireland final appearance in-a-row, Galway took on [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]]. At the third time of asking Galway emerged victorious and Finnerty finally captured his first [[All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship|All-Ireland]] medal at senior level, before collecting his third All-Star award.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/hurling/the-phone-call-in-a-new-york-bar-that-changed-galway-hurling-37220859.html|title =The phone call in a New York bar that changed Galway hurling|date=16 August 2018|work=Irish Independent|access-date=16 August 2018}}</ref>	

In 1988 [[Tipperary GAA|Tipperary]] were Galway's opponents in their fourth consecutive All-Ireland final appearance. Finnerty had another solid performance at wing-back and claimed his second All-Ireland title in the process, before later winning his fourth consecutive All-Star award. In 1989 Finnerty began the year by winning his first [[National Hurling League]] title; however, Galway's star centre-back, [[Tony Keady]], was banned from playing for a year. The side had contemplated withdrawing from the championship in protest, however, they decided to play, eventually losing out to Tipp in the All-Ireland semi-final.  In 1990 Finnerty played in his fifth All-Ireland final in six seasons. Galway were the hot favourites to beat Cork and it looked as if that prediction would come true when the tribesmen went 7 points up. Cork clawed their way back and eventually went on to win on a scoreline of 5-15 to 2-21. In spite of this loss Finnerty still won a fifth All-Star award.

Two years later in 1992 Finnerty missed the entire championship due to a cruciate knee injury. He returned in 1993 but could not command a regular place on the team. He did come on as a substitute in that year's All-Ireland final; however, victory went to [[Kilkenny GAA|Kilkenny]]. Finnerty regained his fitness in 1994 and played his last game against [[Offaly GAA|Offaly]] in the All-Ireland semi-final.

==Post-playing career==
In retirement from playing Finnerty has maintained a keen interest in hurling. In 2000 his exceptional talent was acknowledged when he was named on the Galway "Hurling Team of the Millennium."  He also worked as an analyst on [[RTÉ]]'s Gaelic games programme ''[[The Sunday Game]].''

In 2008 Finnerty became coach of the [[Mayo senior hurling team]], and took them to the [[Christy Ring Cup]] semi-final that season, before being defeated by eventual champions Carlow. Finnerty remained as Mayo coach in 2009 and again guided them to the Tier Two hurling championship semi-final, this time going out to Down. In December 2009 Finnerty agreed to continue as coach of the Mayo hurlers for the 2010 season.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{Galway Hurling Team 1985}}
{{Galway Hurling Team 1986}}
{{Galway Hurling Team 1987}}
{{Galway Hurling Team 1988}}
{{Galway Hurling Team 1990}}
{{Galway Hurling Team 1993}}
{{1985 Hurling All Stars}}
{{1986 Hurling All Stars}}
{{1987 Hurling All Stars}}
{{1988 Hurling All Stars}}
{{1990 Hurling All Stars}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finnerty, Pete}}
[[Category:1964 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship winners]]
[[Category:All Stars Awards winners (hurling)]]
[[Category:Bank of Ireland people]]
[[Category:Connacht inter-provincial hurlers]]
[[Category:Gaelic games commentators]]
[[Category:Garda Síochána officers]]
[[Category:Galway inter-county hurlers]]
[[Category:Hurling backs]]
[[Category:Hurling coaches]]
[[Category:Irish restaurateurs]]
[[Category:Mayo county hurling team]]
[[Category:Mullagh hurlers]]
[[Category:Police officers from County Galway]]
[[Category:20th-century Irish sportsmen]]