*Eoin Hayes celebrates. Photograph: Mark Hayes
NEWMARKET-ON-FERGUS’ Eoin Hayes has once again been included in the Irish UEFA Regions Cup squad.
On Saturday, two Irish sides will face off with Region 1 battling with Region 2, the winning outfit will represent Ireland in the UEFA Regions Cup where they will play qualifiers against Romania, Bulgaria and San Marino in October.
Hayes has been selected in the Region 1 squad which is managed by Ross Carrig. He is the only Clare man included in either of the squads, among a total of forty footballers.
Since bursting onto the Newmarket Celtic A team as a teenager in 2008, Eoin has gained a reputation as one of the top junior footballers in the country, he was named the FAI Junior International of the Year in 2018 and has twenty three international caps at Amateur level, the first collected in September 2016.
At club level, he is the holder of nine Premier Division medals and nine Clare Cup medals. Eoin was also an integral part of the Clare side which clamed two Oscar Traynor titles under the tenure of Donie Garrihy. The Hayes family are a central part of the Newmarket Celtic club, his sister Grainne is the long-serving club secretary while his brother Cathal also lines out for the A team, managed by Mark O’Malley.
A secondary school teacher at St Anne’s Killaloe, the striker is also a vital member of the Newmarket-on-Fergus senior hurling side and was midfield on the side which were crowned Clare SHC winners in 2012, he also has an U21 All-Ireland medal from the victorious 2009 side managed by John Minogue.