Herity began his hurling career at club level with Dunnamaggin. He broke onto the club's top adult team as a 17-year-old in 2000 and enjoyed his greatest success that year when the club won the Kilkenny Intermediate Championship title. Herity also played Gaelic football with the Kilmoganny club.
At inter-county level, Herity was part of the successful Kilkenny minor team that won Leinster Championship titles in 1999 and 2001 before later winning back-to-back All-Ireland Championships with the under-21 team in 2003 and 2004. He joined the Kilkenny senior team in 2003. Herity subsequently established himself as the team's first-choice goalkeeper and made a combined total of 30 National League and Championship appearances in a career that ended with his last game in 2014. During that time he was part of five All-Ireland Championship-winning teams – in 2008, 2009, 2011, 2012 and 2014. Herity also secured five Leinster Championship medals and five National Hurling League medals. He announced his retirement from inter-county hurling on 24 November 2014.[1][2][3][4][5]
He is currently manager of the Kildare hurling team.[6]
Playing career
Club
Herity plays his club hurling with the local Dunnamaggin club. He has enjoyed little success apart from a Leinster senior club league title in 2009.
Minor and under-21
Herity first played for Kilkenny in 1999 when he joined the minor side. He won his first Leinster medal that year following a 2–13 to 1–11 defeat of Wexford.
Two years later Herity was still eligible for the minor grade. He collected a second Leinster medal that year following a 3–16 to 1–9 trouncing of Wexford once again.
By 2003 Herity was a key member of the Kilkenny under-21 team. He won his first Leinster medal that year following a 0–12 to 1–4 defeat of Dublin. Kilkenny later faced Galway in the All-Ireland decider. "The Cats" outsmarted a Galway side which struggled in attack and conceded a goal a minute into the second half. The 2–13 to 0–12 score line gave Herity his first All-Ireland medal in the grade.[7]
Herity collected a second Leinster medal in 2004, as Wexford were downed once again by 0–16 to 2–3. The subsequent All-Ireland final between Kilkenny and old rivals Tipperary was a total mismatch. "The Cats" scored key goals early in the opening half, which helped power them to a 3–21 to 1–6 victory.[8]
Senior
While still a member of the under-21 team in 2003, Herity joined the senior team as a member of the extended league panel. He won a National Hurling League medal as a non-playing substitute that year following Kilkenny's remarkable 5–14 to 5–13 extra-time defeat of Tipperary.[9]
After a number of years off the team, Herity returned as third-choice goalkeeper once again in 2008. He won a set of Leinster and All-Ireland medals as a non-playing substitute that year, before collecting another set the following year. Herity added a third Leinster medal to his collection in 2010, once again collected as an unused member of the substitutes.
In 2011 Herity took over from P. J. Ryan as Kilkenny's first-choice goalkeeper for the championship campaign. A 4–17 to 1–15 defeat of Dublin gave "the Cats" a record-equalling seventh successive championship.[10] It was Herity's first winners' medal on the field of play. Kilkenny subsequently faced Tipperary in the All-Ireland decider on 4 September 2011. Goals by Michael Fennelly and Richie Hogan in either half gave Kilkenny, who many viewed as the underdogs going into the game, a 2–17 to 1–16 victory.[11] Herity collected his first All-Ireland medal as a full member of the team.
2012 began well for Herity when he collected a second National League medal on the field of play following a 3–21 to 0–16 demolition of old rivals Cork.[12] Kilkenny were later shocked by Galway in the Leinster decider, losing by 2–21 to 2–11, however, both sides subsequently met in the All-Ireland decider on 9 September 2012.[13] Kilkenny had led going into the final stretch, however, Joe Canning struck a stoppage time equaliser to level the game at 2–13 to 0–19 and send the final to a replay for the first time since 1959.[14] The replay took place three weeks later on 30 September 2012. Galway stunned the reigning champions with two first-half goals, however, Kilkenny's championship debutant Walter Walsh gave a man of the match performance, claiming a 1–3 haul. The 3–22 to 3–11 Kilkenny victory gave Herity a second All-Ireland medal.
After impressing as a goalkeeper during several games in the 2013 league campaign, Eoin Murphy succeeded in supplanting Herity as first-choice goalkeeper.[15]
Herity was confined to the substitutes' bench once again in 2014, however, an elbow injury to Eoin Murphy saw Herity being restored as first-choice 'keeper for the latter stages of the provincial championship.[16] He subsequently secured a second Leinster medal, as a dominant Kilkenny display gave "the Cats" a 0–14 to 1–9 victory over Dublin.[17] Herity made way for Murphy during the subsequent All-Ireland final and replay, however, he collected a fifth All-Ireland medal overall, his third as a non-playing substitute, following a 2–17 to 2–14 defeat of Tipperary in the decider.[18]
Inter-provincial
Herity has also had the honour of lining out for Leinster in the Interprovincial Championship. He secured a winners' medal in this competition in 2012 following a 2–19 to 1–15 defeat of Connacht.[19]