CIARÁN JOYCE can still feel the force of the shuddering shoulder that served as a rite of passage when he first joined Cork’s senior panel. Yet while rubbing shoulders with hurling’s elite, the Castlemartyr youngster has repeatedly proven that he is at home at the highest level. He recalled: "I actually did damage to my shoulder – Alan Cadogan gave me a shoulder and I’ll never forget it.
“It was a real wake-up call, those first few weeks, but I think your body gets used to it after a while. Those first two or three months are rough but you adapt to it." At 22, Joyce is already looking ahead to his fourth season with Cork.
Alongside the likes of newly-minted All-Stars Eoin Downey and Shane Barrett, he is one of the most successful graduates of the sides that won the 2020 and 2021 All-Ireland Under-20 titles. Joyce marked his senior debut with 0-3 from midfield in a 2022 National League win against Clare. He ended that year as one of three Cork players to be nominated for an All-Star.
A Young Hurler of the Year nominee in 2023, the MTU student has made the 45-man All-Star shortlist in each of his three seasons so far. The pace at which he discarded the learner plates to become a driving force for the Rebels exceeded even his own expectations. Joyce said: “When I was first called in, I was like, ‘If I make the match-day panel, I’ll be happy.
’ “When I started training and playing a few matches then, I was making my way up and up. Then I was in the starting 1.