Career
Born in Ovens, County Cork, Sheehan first excelled at hurling in his youth. He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Cork minor team, before later joining the intermediate side. He made his senior debut during the 1965 championship.
At club level Sheehan is a two-time championship medallist in the junior grade with Éire Óg.
His grandnephew, Ciaran Sheehan, is also an All-Ireland medallist with Cork in Gaelic football. Throughout his career Sheehan made 9 championship appearances.
His retirement came following the conclusion of the 1968 championship. Club
Sheehan played his club hurling with his local Éire Óg side and enjoyed much success.
In 1960 he was barely out of the minor ranks when he captured a Mid-Cork junior championship title following an eight-point drubbing of Ballincollig.
lieutenant was the first of three divisional titles in-a-row for Sheehan and Éire Óg as Cloughduv and Ballincollig were subsequently defeated in the finals of 1961 and 1962. This victory allowed Éire Óg to move into the county intermediate championship. In their very first year in the new grade Sheehan"s side captured the county intermediate league title.
Two years later in 1965 Éire Óg reached the final of the intermediate championship.
At the long whistle Sheehan ended up on the losing side as "the Glen" recorded a 3-8 to 3-5 victory. Inter-county
He scored 1-1 on his debut in a 2-15 to 3-7 Munster quarter-final defeat by Clare.
On 16 August 1964 Cork faced Wexford in the All-Ireland decider. A low-scoring 2-8 to 1-5 defeat was Sheehan"s lot on that occasions.
Sheehan made his senior championship debut for Cork on 4 July 1965 in a 2-6 apiece Munster semi-final draw with Waterford.
A 4-9 to 2-9 defeat of Waterford in the provincial decider gave him a Munster medal. The subsequent All-Ireland final on 4 September 1966 pitted Kilkenny against Cork for the first time in nineteen years. Kilkenny were the favourites, however, a hat-trick of goals from Sheehan gave Cork a merited 3-9 to 1-10 victory over an Eddie Keher-inspired Kilkenny.
Not only was it a first championship for Cork in twelve years, but it also gave Sheehan a coveted All-Ireland medal.
Sheehan played no part in Cork"s unsuccessful championship campaign in 1967 but was restored to full-forward the following year as Cork faced a 2-13 to 1-7 Munster final trouncing by Tipperary. This defeat brought the curtain down on Sheehan"s inter-county career.
