Who is John Mullane? Life of Waterford GAA legend turned RTE commentator

John Mullane is a former Waterford legendary hurler turned RTÉ radio One commentator, from being dubbed as one of the best Waterford has ever produced to vastly popular voice of hurling.

The legendary corner forward has a huge list of accolades including being named 5 times All Star, 2 time Munster medalist with his club, De La Salle, 4 Munster titles with Waterford and a runner up in the All Ireland final in 2008.

Hurling started for John at the age of 4 when he was introduced to the game on the school yard of St Stephen's school in Waterford.

St Stephens was a De La Salle school ultimately leading John on to play senior club hurling for them. He made his debut for the club at a senior level in 1998.

The competitiveness of the club scene back then ultimately benefited the county hurlers as well, as Waterford went on to win their first Munster title against Tipp in 2002.

Several years later, in 2008, would give John one of the best moments of his career when playing for De La Salle, they won their first county championship in the club's history.

He made his senior hurling debut for Waterford in 2001 and almost immediately established himself as a vital asset for the team. He played a pivotal role in the successes that the Waterford hurlers enjoyed in his over a decade long career with his county. Highlights of which include three Munster Senior Hurling Championships titles in 2002, 2004, 2007, and 2010. He also earned himself multiple All-Star awards that highlight his excellence on the pitch over the years.

In 2008 he narrowly missed out on an All Ireland for Waterford as they were pipped at the post to the All Ireland by a very good Kilkenny team.

In 2012, after over a decade of of hard work for Waterford hurling, Mullane announced his retirement from inter-county hurling. Though his playing days for his county may be over John remained deeply connected to the sport of hurling and shifted into a very successful role as a commentator for the sport.

With his vast breath of knowledge and experience in both inter-county and club hurling John made the transition to commentating very smoothly. He is a natural fit in the commentary box where he can share his insights, analysis, and his pure passion for the game of hurling to the audience.

He does his commentating on RTÉ radio One and when asked about his natural style on commentary he said on The 2 Johnnies Podcast, "I'll do it my way or I won't do it at all." "Some lads loose the run of themselves, that's not me."

Today, his legacy lives on as one of the greatest hurlers to ever play the game for Waterford, remembered for his dedication, passion and unwavering commitment to hurling.