Yvonne O'Byrne

Yvonne O'Byrne (born 2 January 1992) is an Ireland women's field hockey international. She was a member of the Ireland team that played in the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup final. She plays for Cork Harlequins in the Women's Irish Hockey League and has also played for Cork Institute of Technology at intervarsity level.

Early years, family and education O'Byrne is the daughter of Pat O'Byrne. She has two brothers, Niall and Lorcan. She was raised in the Model Farm Road and Bishopstown districts of Cork. She was educated at St Catherine's N.S., Mount Mercy College, Cork and the Cork Institute of Technology. In addition to playing field hockey, in her youth O'Byrne also played association football with Wilton United.

Domestic teams Mount Mercy College O'Byrne began playing field hockey while attending Mount Mercy College, Cork. In 2006, aged just 14 and while still a second year student, O'Byrne was the youngest member of the Mount Mercy team that won the Munster Senior Schools Cup and the Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships. O'Byrne captained the Mount Mercy team in 2010. O'Byrne would later return to Mount Mercy to coach the field hockey team.

Munster Between 2006 and 2013 O'Byrne represented and captained Munster at Under-16, Under-18 and Under-21 levels. She played with the Munster senior team in 2011 when they won the Senior Interprovincial tournament. She was named Munster Under-18 Player of the Year in 2010 and Munster Under-21 Player of the Year in 2012. In the 2016–17 season she was captain of the Cork Harlequins team that played in the Irish Senior Cup final. Other members of the team included Roisin Upton and Naomi Carroll. She was again captain when Harlequins finished as runners up in both the Women's Irish Hockey League and the EY Champions Trophy in 2017–18.

Cork Institute of Technology O'Byrne has been a bursary student at Cork Institute of Technology since 2010. She completed a Bachelor of Business in Recreation and Leisure in May 2013. She then began an Honours Business degree in Sport and Exercise.

Ireland international O'Byrne represented Ireland at Under-18, Under-21 and Ireland A level before making her senior debut In January 2017 she was also a member of the Ireland team that won a 2016–17 Women's FIH Hockey World League Round 2 tournament in Kuala Lumpur, defeating Malaysia 3–0 in the final.

O'Byrne represented Ireland at the 2018 Women's Hockey World Cup and was a prominent member of the team that won the silver medal. She featured in all of Ireland's games throughout the tournament, including the pool games against the United States, India, and England, the quarter-final against India, the semi-final against Spain and the final against the Netherlands.

Honours Ireland Women's Hockey World Cup Runners Up: 2018 Women's FIH Hockey World League Winners: 2017 Kuala Lumpur Women's EuroHockey Championship II Winners: 2015 Women's Hockey Champions Challenge I Runners Up: 2014 Women's Four Nations Cup Runners Up: 2017 Cork Harlequins Munster Senior League Division 1 Winners: 2008, 2009, 2010, 2013 Women's Irish Hockey League Runners Up: 2009–10, 2017–18 Irish Senior Cup Runners Up: 2016–17 EY Champions Trophy Runners Up: 2018 Cork Institute of Technology Chilean Plate Winners: 2012 Mount Mercy College, Cork Kate Russell All-Ireland Schoolgirls Championships Winners: 2006 Munster Senior Schools Cup Winners: 2006