Sean Og O hAilpin is a one-of-a-kind Irish sportsman, the iconic hurler of his generation. He became synonymous with Cork hurling during a period when the Rebel County reached the highest of highs and was regularly gripped by controversy.

All of this would have seemed pretty unlikely when Sean Og was born in Fiji in 1977. As Micheal O Muircheartaigh would famously point out during a commentary from Croke Park many years later, his mother was Fijian, and his father from Fermanagh. He was raised in Fiji and Australia - where he played rugby league - until, when he was 11, the family moved to Cork.

He was an outsider there, but in Cork Sean Og discovered hurling, and thus began one of the great GAA careers. Making his trademark barnstorming solo runs from left wing-back, Sean Og emerged as the lynchpin of the great group of Cork players that won five Munster titles and three All-Irelands. He was also central in standing up for players' rights against the Cork County Board - a source of great controversy and two painful strikes. Through it all, more than any other players, Sean Og epitomised the new combination of all that is best about the amateur ethos of the GAA and the new professionalism of players who want to perform at the very highest level, whether they are paid or not.

Now, Sean Og tells his own story in his own words - a story every GAA fan has been waiting to read. Tweet

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