Senan Cooke

Senan Cooke, born in 1945 in Kilmacow, County Kilkenny, is a retired Irish hurler who played as a half-forward for the Kilkenny senior team. Beyond sport he became known as an author and social entrepreneur, completing part-time diplomas in social studies, industrial engineering and accountancy while working at Waterford Crystal, then a master's degree in education and training and a doctorate completed in 2006 on educational disadvantage in a knowledge economy, with Waterford Crystal as the case study. He later became a full-time lecturer at Dublin City University and remains a part-time lecturer there. In hurling he began with Kilmacow, represented Kilkenny at senior, under-21 and minor level, and won an All-Ireland minor medal in 1962 and an All-Ireland senior medal in the 1972 championship, having been a regular senior panelist for two seasons as a non-playing substitute.