Christy O'Connor: Lament for what Patrick Horgan doesn't have won't overshadow joy he gave to hurling

When Patrick Horgan was substituted in the 55th minute of Cork’s All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin in July, he made his way off the pitch to a deserved standing ovation, the thunderclap of noise and delirium ringing around the stadium like a giant expression of love and affection from the Cork public towards their favourite son.

The Cork crowd were already hyped up on a cocktail of good vibes and optimism while their team were still in the process of dismembering Dublin, but Horgan’s immense contribution that afternoon added to the jingoistic belief that deliverance was not only imminent for Cork – it was also on hand for Horgan.

Everything appeared lined up for perfection; Cork’s two-decade wait was set to end and Horgan would no longer have to carry that unwanted tag as possibly the greatest player never to win an All-Ireland. 

And then all those hopes and expectations were shattered to smithereens.

Horgan was expected to become the joint-second eldest player to win an All-Ireland, alongside George O’Connor (who was also 37 when he won his All-Ireland with Wexford in 1996) and behind Jim Ware, the Waterford goalkeeper who captained his county to the 1948 title at the age of 40.

Ware played his last game for Waterford the following season when they lost the 1949 Munster semi-final to Limerick, but O’Connor had the perfect ending to a storied career because that 1996 All-Ireland final was his last match for Wexford.

MAGICAL

There was no magical ending for Horgan as he departs the game now without that coveted Celtic Cross. That quest has long been the narrative around Horgan’s career but all the background noise and lament for what Horgan doesn’t have should never drown out the songs of praise and joy for what Horgan gave to the game.

He was, and still is, an ornament to the hurling and wider sporting world, having provided a lifetime of moments and memories that will last for an eternity, where stories of Horgan’s epic deeds and scoring feats will be told for as long as hurling is played.

Genius and wizardry were his mark and master but it wasn’t just what Horgan did - it was how he did it with such grace and class that set him apart.

He had a unique profile in the game but that status was cherished even more in Cork because of how Horgan’s artistic brilliance was so intrinsically connected to the Cork character and how the public want their teams to play and perform.

He was the ultimate embodiment of that Cork heritage but Horgan performed at such a level for so long that he entertained and thrilled those far beyond his own boundaries.

Much of the appeal and attraction around Horgan was how he was able to marry style and panache with the mindset of a cold-blooded assassin.

His penalty in the 2024 Munster round robin game against Limerick is an obvious reference point. So was his unerring accuracy from frees that kept Cork in touch late on in normal time and extra-time of the 2024 All-Ireland final against Clare.

Yet that was a pattern throughout Horgan’s career. He was average against Limerick in the 2018 All-Ireland semi-final but when Cork had a free from 80 yards to draw the match in additional time of normal time, nobody in the ground was in any doubt that Horgan would nail it.

Of course his career wasn’t all plain sailing either. In his early years with Cork there were games when Horgan seemed to drift out of matches. In 2009 he was dropped for a period during the championship, and it happened again a year later.

He had to put those lessons to good use, especially when Horgan’s idealistic and purist view of how the game should be played came into conflict with the reality of hurling’s changed direction at the outset of the last decade.

Systems and strategies, sweepers and high tackle-counts made it harder again for marquee inside forwards to get on the ball. 

And yet Horgan was still able to consistently turn minimal amounts of water into gallons of wine.

When Horgan nearly won the 2013 All-Ireland final against Clare with an outstanding point in additional time, it was the first time he had the ball in his hand in open play for 36 minutes. His previous possession had been another stunning point from almost 80 yards.

He could win a game in the blink of an eye but he faced other challenges too in the latter part of his career. After being dropped in 2022, Horgan’s days with Cork looked numbered but he was their top scorer from play in the 2023 championship. 

On the day Cork’s championship ended that summer, Horgan scored a stunning 1-14, including 1-3 from play.

When the questions resurfaced the following season after Cork’s opening day championship defeat to Waterford, when Horgan only had three possessions, and no score from play, he nailed 2-10 against Clare a week later, which included an exquisite goal from play.

He departs the game as the championship’s all-time top scorer but, for Horgan himself, it was never about the mass accumulation of medals and awards, or the incredible individual scoring records. 

It was about enjoyment and the core essence of what made Horgan so great in the first place.

PERFECTING THE ART

“It was never my ambition to play the game for the sake of winning All-Ireland medals or breaking records,” Christy Ring once said. “But to perfect the art as well as possible.” 

Horgan was fuelled by that same desire and passion as the greatest hurler of them all, where his obsession was that pursuit of trying to perfect the art of the game.

Horgan went so close that he didn’t need an All-Ireland medal to confirm or deny the brilliance that made him one of the most talented hurlers of all time.