“They used to be one of us and now look at them” – Mullen following St Kieran’s and Ballyhale footsteps

Adrian Mullen never had to stray too far for inspiration or advice.

As a youngster growing up in Ballyhale, hurling legends were in every corner. Henry Shefflin was the main man, but dotted around the small parish in south Kilkenny you had men like James 'Cha' Fitzpatrick, TJ Reid and then his first cousins Michael and Colin Fennelly. These lads were, and still are some of the best hurlers this country has ever seen and throughout Mullins' childhood they were winning All-Irelands, in the black and amber and in the green and white, for sport. All around this island they were spoken of in awed tones but in the rural place they called home, they weren't treated, or they didn't act any differently. Just another bunch of hurlers and if you wanted to find them or if you wanted to chat to them, you'd only have to go to the hurling field. Mullen wasn't going anywhere else, these lads were real life heroes.

"The day before the All-Irelands a few years ago, Mick and Colin used to call into the house. I used to be looking at them, just wondering if I’ll ever make it," he said to us after he was named AIB Club hurler of the year.

A good underage grounding in Ballyhale was followed by some enjoyable years at St Kieran's College and that's all helped to make Mullen the hurler he is today.

"Just going to school in St. Kieran's was unreal like just getting the chance to play in this big occasions and having the school behind you it's just unreal and there were some moments there you'll never forget. "The atmosphere around the place is unreal, I don't think you get it anywhere else. I was just very grateful to go there and the teachers there were a great help. The manager Tom Hogan was brilliant. They guide you through and give you advice and try to develop you as a player."

"Just seeing the lads up there DJ, Henry, everybody and Eoin Kelly from Tipperary (On the wall at St Kieran's College) . You'd be hoping that some day you'd be up there. It makes you have that bit of belief. They used to be one of us and now look at them. It makes you want to work hard and get to where they were."

Mullen is giving it his best shot. In his six years at St Kieran's College he managed to win three All-Ireland schools titles (One as a goalkeeper and two as a half forward.) In that time, he'd win a Leinster minor title with Kilkenny, scoring 1-9 in the final, and last year he was a member of the Kilkenny under-20s team. Since then, he played a key role in Ballyhale's All-Ireland club win, and has earned himself a call-up to the Kilkenny seniors. He still has another year under-20.

"No matter where you are, You want to work hard and develop. If that takes you on further, then good but if the chance doesn't present itself you just work harder. When you get that chance then, you take it with both hands and make the most of it," he says.

He's certainly making the most of it. The call from Brian Cody duly arrived earlier this year and though the intensity of the training is something he wasn't used to at first, he's taking it all in his stride.

"It was a few months ago but Brian was very lenient and said to just concentrate on club and we went in [to county] after. It was a good call." "You're probably a bit shocked [to get the call], it was a very weird moment. You're just thinking when you're a young lad to get in there for a few training sessions, but just to get that call was unreal." "The intensity is higher. It’s just a different standard altogether. You just have to adapt to that, use every session to get better."

Having his brother Darren, cousin Colin and teammate all the way up Evan Shefflin alongside him has certainly helped with settling in.

"Yeah, they’ve been a great help over the few years. Having the older lads there as well to learn from isn't bad. I suppose it's the lads around us kind of makes it that bit better and life a bit easier," he says. "Even to win an All-Ireland with the club is unreal, but you do want to go that one step further and become one of them (winning an All-Ireland title with Kilkenny.)

Adrian Mullen is only getting started. Ballyhale Shamrock’s Adrian Mullen was crowned the AIB GAA Club Hurler of the Year for 2018/19. AIB and the GAA honoured 30 players on Saturday evening at the second annual AIB GAA Club Player Awards, held at a prestigious event in Croke Park. The AIB GAA Club Player Awards recognise the top performing players throughout the Club Championships in hurling and football and celebrate their hard work, commitment and individual achievements at a national level. AIB are proud to be in their 28th season as sponsors of the AIB GAA Club Championship. For exclusive content and to see why AIB are backing Club and County follow us @AIB_GAA on Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook and AIB.ie/GAA.