Declan Ruth
Declan Ruth (born 30 April 1976) is an Irish hurling manager and former player. He is the current manager of his hometown club Rapparees, having enjoyed a lengthy career with them as a player, while he also lined out with the Wexford senior hurling team. Ruth usually lined out as a defender.[1]
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Déaglán Rút | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Centre-back | ||
| Born | 30 April 1976 Enniscorthy, County Wexford, Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||
| Nickname | Skippy | ||
| Occupation | Account manager | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| Rapparees Starlights | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Football | Hurling | ||
| Wexford titles | 2 | 0 | |
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
1994-1998 | Waterford Institute of Technology | ||
| College titles | |||
| Fitzgibbon titles | 0 | ||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
1995-2007 | Wexford | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Leinster titles | 2 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 0 | ||
Playing career edit
Ruth first came to prominence at juvenile and underage levels as a dual player with the Shamrocks GAA club, before transferring to the Rapparees GAA club. He eventually progressed onto the club's top adult teams and won two County Championship titles as a Gaelic footballer. Ruth first appeared on the inter-county scene as a member of the Wexford minor team before later winning consecutive Leinster Under-21 Championship titles.[2] He made his first appearance for the Wexford senior hurling team in an Oireachtas Cup game against Clare in November 1995. Ruth was a non-playing substitute on the Wexford team that beat Limerick in the 1996 All-Ireland final.[3] He had earlier won a Leinster Championship medal as a non-playing substitute and, after being dropped from the team for a period, returned to win a second provincial title in 2004.[4]
Managerial career edit
Ruth has been involved in coaching and team management at all levels with the Rapparees club. In 2021 he managed the club's senior team to a first County Championship title in 43 years.[5]
Personal life edit
Ruth was educated at Enniscorthy CBS before later completing a Bachelor's degree in Business Studies and Accountancy at the Waterford Institute of Technology. He later worked as a sales rep for a number of medical companies and also spent some time as an analyst on RTÉ's the Sunday Game. In 2009, Ruth married Wexford camogie player Aoife O'Connor.[6]
Honours edit
Player edit
- Starlights
- Wexford Senior Football Championship: 2002, 2004
- Wexford
- All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship: 1996
- Leinster Senior Hurling Championship: 1996, 2004
- Leinster Under-21 Hurling Championship: 1996, 1997
Manager edit
- Rapparees
References edit
- ^ "Ruth, Declan". Hogan Stand. 6 November 1998. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Declan Ruth: Wexford hurler". Irish Independent. 11 June 2006. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "A player-by-player guide to Wexford's All-Ireland 25 years on: 'We laughed as much as we hurled'". Irish Examiner. 1 September 2021. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ "Fitzhenry inspires Wexford to Leinster title". Irish Examiner. 4 July 2004. Retrieved 22 September 2021.
- ^ Verney, Michael (19 September 2020). "Goal-hungry Rapparees make hay after hitting St Anne's for six to end 43-year famine". Irish Independent. Retrieved 19 September 2021.
- ^ "A match made in hurling heaven". Wexford People. 23 April 2009. Retrieved 22 September 2021.