Ronan Curran

Ronan Curran (born 26 February 1981) is an Irish former inter-county hurler who played for the Cork senior team as a centre-back.

Born in Cork city, Curran excelled as a dual player in school. He played both hurling and Gaelic football at inter-county minor and under-21 levels, and joined the Cork senior team in 2001. He made his debut in 2003 and went on to play a key part in Cork's back-to-back All-Ireland-winning campaigns in 2004 and 2005, while also winning three Munster medals.

Curran continues to play his club hurling with the famous St. Finbarr's club and also represented Munster in the inter-provincial championship, winning one Railway Cup medal.

With 46 championship appearances, Curran has played more times at centre-back than any other player in the history of Cork hurling. His partnership with Seán Óg Ó hAilpín and John Gardiner in the half-back line was renowned for consistency and longevity, with all three lining out together for almost every championship game for seven championship seasons, and is still regarded as one of the greatest of all-time. Curran officially announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on 24 August 2011. Former Cork manager John Allen described him as the outstanding centre-back of the decade.