Séamus Harnedy says retirement was a tough call but the right one

Séamus Harnedy admits that it was a tough decision to retire from inter-county hurling – but it was something that could have happened four years ago but for Pat Ryan’s influence.

The 36-year-old will line out for Ireland in Saturday’s hurling-shinty international against Scotland at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, having recently announced his departure from the Cork set-up.

Since his debut in 2013, the St Ita’s man had won four Munster SHC medals and three All-Star Awards, so making the call was a wrench.

“The obvious answer is yes,” he says.

“You get so used to travelling up and down the road to Cork for 14 or 15 years. I was on the U21 panel for two years before stepping up to the senior squad, so it’s going to be a change of life. It will be hard to adapt, there’s no doubt about that.

“I look back on my time there with immense gratitude. I think it had run its course for me. I’m 36, turning 37 next year, and I’m building a house at the moment and trying to do some of the work myself. It was time to go.

“I heard Shane O’Donnell talking recently about his decision to step away and he used the phrase ‘opportunity cost’, referring to the amount of time he was putting into it and what he was getting out of it. That resonated with me.

“As you get older, you have to put more and more time into getting your body right. You’re talking about travelling up and down the road four nights a week, gym sessions and probably three pitch sessions in a week when you’re not playing a game. Even when there is a match at the weekend, you’re getting together four times a week.

“The investment has been massive, probably more so than ever before. When I started in 2012 or 2013, I don’t think the time commitment was anything like it is now.

“It’s never easy to step away. There are incredible lads in there and I’ve made great friends. But when you consider the amount of time involved and where you are in life, along with the disappointment of how last year ended, I think it was the right call.

“I won’t miss the winter nights and the slog coming up over the next month or two. I’ll be honest, I was never too fond of the early league games either, but when the championship round-robin comes around, I’ll certainly miss it.

“There’s nothing better than getting up on a championship morning in April, May, June or July, if you’re lucky enough to get that far. You get the goosebumps, travel up to Cork, hop on the bus and prepare for a big championship game.

“Nothing will replicate that. Hopefully I’ll find something else, but it’s something I’ll certainly miss.”

Harnedy appearing in four of Cork’s seven championship games in 2026, all as a substitute. Injuries were a factor in that, though not the only factor.

“I’ve been very lucky throughout my career,” he says.

“I wouldn’t be selfish about minutes on the pitch, but last year was a tough time personally and I probably didn’t play as much as I thought I could.

“That’s part and parcel of sport. New management teams come in and have tough decisions to make. I know I’m older now, and that probably feeds into their thinking to some extent.

“But I’d never be selfish if I thought I was contributing in training, working hard enough, adding value and helping younger lads. I’d be very selfless in that regard.

“Last year, I travelled up in the car with Diarmuid Healy and Barry Walsh for most of the year. They were two lads in a similar position to me, and I’d do anything for them to try to make them one per cent better.

“It wasn’t about me. I would have been the happiest man in the room if we’d got over the line last year, but it wasn’t to be.

“I leave with no regrets, although not getting over the line is probably one regret. You can’t control every outcome. You’re one of 30 or 36 lads training hard every night.

“It probably formed part of my decision, but there were a lot of factors to consider before making the final call.”

Cork fans can at least be grateful that it was a call made in 2026 rather than 2022, with Ryan’s appointment as manager helping to prolong Harnedy’s time in red.

“During the club campaign before Pat came back, I did significant damage to my meniscus playing for St Ita’s,” he says.

“I was 32 and coming off a very tough defeat to Galway in 2022, a game we really should have won. Our efficiency that day was among the worst I’ve ever been involved in.

“I picked up the injury, and after that defeat I was questioning whether I would go back. It depended to a large extent on who the county board appointed. When I heard it was Pat, that was a major plus.

“I’ll never forget taking a phone call from him in my kitchen. We spoke for less than 10 minutes, and I’d nearly made up my mind straight away.

“His positivity, his knowledge of Cork hurling, his understanding of how to set us up and the camaraderie he creates within his groups all made a huge impression on me. I knew it was the right decision to return.”