Sam Callinan
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| Born | 2003 (age 22–23) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Student | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 6 ft 1[1] in (185 cm) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Sport | Gaelic football | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Position | Right wing-back | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Sam Callinan (born 2003) is an Irish Gaelic footballer. At club level he plays with Ballina Stephenites and at inter-county level with the Mayo senior football team.
Career
[edit]Born in Kilkenny, Callinan's family moved to Ballina, County Mayo when he was three years old.[2] He participated in a number of sports as a teenager, including soccer, athletics and rugby with Ballina RFC, however, he committed to Gaelic football from the age of 18.[3] Callinan was part of the Ballina Stephenites team that won three consecutive Mayo SFC titles between 2024 and 2026.[4]
Callinan attended St Muredach's College in Ballina and lined out in all grades of Gaelic football during his time there.[5] He continued his Gaelic football development during his time as a student at University College Dublin, and was part of the university's Sigerson Cup team.[6]
At inter-county level, Callinan first appeared for Mayo as a member of the minor team in 2020.[7] He was later part of the under-20 team that lost consecutive Connacht U20FC finals in 2021 and 2022 during his three years with the team.[8][9] Callinan was named on the U20 Team of the Year in 2022.[10]
Callinan was just 18-years-old when he was called up to the senior team in 2021, however, his debut season was impacted by an injury.[11] He remained on the panel for the next few years and won a National League medal in April 2023, following Mayo's 0–14 to 0–11 win over Galway in the final.[12] Callinan lined out at right wing-back when Mayo played Kerry in the 2026 All-Ireland SFC final and ended the game with an All-Ireland SFC medal following the 1–20 to 1–17 win, with Mayo claiming their first title in 75 years.[13]
Honours
[edit]- Ballina Stephenites
- Mayo Senior Football Championship (3): 2023, 2024, 2025
- Mayo
References
[edit]- ↑ "2023 Mayo Football Championship Finals" (PDF). Mayo GAA website. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Callinan's Carlow connection to Mayo's magic". Carlow Nationalist. 28 July 2026. Retrieved 29 July 2026.
- ↑ "Sam Callinan Explains How Underage Rugby Helped His Development As A Gaelic Footballer". Balls website. 10 January 2025. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ Finnerty, Mike (25 October 2025). "Ballina make it three in-a-row in Mayo after incredible comeback floors Westport". RTÉ Sport. Retrieved 27 October 2025.
- ↑ "Balancing the books: Mayo's Sam Callinan and Wexford's Oisín Pepper face juggling act in Leaving Cert year". Irish Independent. 7 March 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Late surge carries UCD past Maynooth in Sigerson Cup". Irish Examiner. 13 January 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Connacht MFC: Sligo send holders Mayo packing". Hogan Stand. 20 December 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Roscommon shock favourites Mayo to claim Connacht U20 football title". RTÉ Sport. 21 July 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Stirring Sligo comeback seals U20 Connacht football title". RTÉ Sport. 30 April 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Mayo centre-back named on EirGrid 20 Under 20 Team of the Year". Connaught Telegraph. 1 June 2022. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Sam Callinan ready to step up after serving his apprenticeship". GAA website. 8 January 2025. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Colm Reape stars as Mayo claim Division 1 title with win over Galway". Irish Examiner. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 28 July 2026.
- ↑ "Brilliant Mayo banish years of heartbreak to at last clinch Sam". Irish Examiner. 26 July 2026. Retrieved 28 July 2026.