Zak Moradi
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Zachairí Moradi | ||
| Sport | Hurling | ||
| Position | Left corner-forward | ||
| Born |
Semaco Moradi 16 January 1991 Ramadi, Iraq | ||
| Nickname | Zak | ||
| Occupation | Pharmaceutical employee | ||
| Club(s) | |||
| Years | Club | ||
| St. Mary's GAA Thomas Davis GAA | |||
| Club titles | |||
| Dublin titles | 0 | ||
| Colleges(s) | |||
| Years | College | ||
| Institute of Technology, Tallaght | |||
| Inter-county(ies) | |||
| Years | County | ||
2010-present | Leitrim | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NHL | 0 | ||
| All Stars | 1 | ||
Semaco "Zak" Moradi (born 16 January 1991) is a Kurdish, Irish hurler who plays as a left corner-forward for the Leitrim senior team.[1]
Born in Ramadi, Iraq, Moradi and his family relocated to Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland in 2002. He first played competitive hurling at juvenile and underage levels with the St. Mary's Kiltoghert club. After moving to Dublin, Moradi joined the Thomas Davis club.
Moradi made his debut on the inter-county scene when he joined the Leitrim senior team in 2010. Since then he has become a regular member of the starting fifteen. In 2016 Moradi was included on the Lory Meagher Cup Champions 15.
In June 2019, Moradi was part of the Leitrim team that won the 2019 Lory Meagher Cup after a 2–23 to 2–22 win against Lancashire at Croke Park.[2][3]
His memoir Life Begins in Leitrim, written with Niall Kelly, was published in 2022.[4]
Documentary
[edit]A documentary titled HOME: The Story of Zak Moradi (2024) follows Moradi’s journey from a refugee camp in war‑torn Iraq to building a life in Ireland, and includes his emotional return to Kurdistan to explore the refugee experience.[5][6] The film premiered at the Galway Film Fleadh on 12 July 2024 and was later included in RTÉ's summer 2025 documentary line‑up.[7][8]
Honours
[edit]- Dublin Intermediate Hurling Championship: Winner 2017
- Dublin Under 21 B Football Championship: Winner 2011
- Thomas Davis Hurler of the year 2016.
- Oldbawn Sports person of the year: Winner 2010
- Leitrim
- Lory Meagher Cup (1)
- 2019
References
[edit]- ^ "'You couldn't open your mouth about Saddam Hussein. He was the God in Iraq'". The 42. 1 May 2017. Retrieved 10 March 2018.
- ^ "'It's been a long journey' - From war-torn Iraq to All-Ireland glory with Leitrim hurlers". The 42. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ "From Iraq to Croker joy: Refugee turned hurler Zak wins All-Ireland title". Irish Independent. 24 June 2019. Retrieved 25 June 2019.
- ^ Doyle, Martin (20 October 2022). "Books newsletter: Circling the Square; Leaves Festival; Leland Bardwell centenary; TS Eliot shortlist". Irish Times. Retrieved 28 October 2022.
- ^ Lyons, Tom (29 June 2024). "Finding home: Zak Moradi traces his refugee journey". The Currency.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "HOME: The Story of Zak Moradi". Network Ireland Television.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "Zak Moradi: "Declan was the main man…"". The Currency. 29 June 2024.
{{cite web}}: Missing or empty|url=(help) - ^ "RTÉ's summer slate of documentaries showcases unique Irish stories and explores Irish life". RTÉ. 24 June 2025.
{{cite web}}:|access-date=requires|url=(help); Missing or empty|url=(help)
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