[1] Born in Clonakilty, County Cork, Hayes first played competitive football during his schooling at St. Mary's College.
He arrived on the inter-county scene at the age of seventeen when he first linked up with the Cork minor team, before later joining the under-21 side.
[3] Hayes was a member of the Munster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions, however, he never won a Railway Cup medal.
[citation needed] His brother, Tim F. Hayes, also played football for Cork.
[citation needed] Throughout his inter-county career, Hayes made 12 championship appearances for Cork.