As a member of the Munster inter-provincial team on a number of occasions, Ryan won two Railway Cup medals in 2000 and 2001.
[4][5] Ryan was appointed joint-manager of the Limerick senior team in 2013, taking full responsibility the following year after the departure of Dónal O'Grady.
He won a county intermediate championship title in 1996, as Garryspillane gained promotion to the top flight of club hurling in Limerick.
Ryan was just nineteen when he made his senior championship debut on 5 June 1994 in a 4-14 to 4-11 Munster quarter-final defeat of Cork.
It looked as if Ryan's side were going to make history and claim the title as Limerick had a five-point lead with as many minutes left.
[10] Limerick surrendered their Munster title to Clare in 1995, however, both sides met in the opening round of the championship the following year.
Ryan's side emerged victorious thanks to a remarkable point from Ciarán Carey, described by many as the greatest match-winner of all-time.
Limerick later faced Tipperary in the provincial final and looked to be heading out of the championship as Tipp took a ten-point lead.
Tom Dempsey was the hero of the day as he scored a goal after nineteen minutes to give Wexford a major advantage.
On that occasion Munster faced Connacht in the decider, however, the southerners had a comfortable 1-21 to 1-15 victory and Ryan collected his second Railway Cup title.
Kanturk's shooting left them down as they registered eighteen wides over the course of the hour, with Kilworth claiming a narrow 2-15 to 2-13 victory.
[12] In September 2010 Ryan, alongside former teammates Ciarán Carey and Pat Heffernan, was named as a selector in Dónal O'Grady's new Limerick senior hurling management team.
In November 2013 Ryan was named as the new joint manager of the Limerick senior hurling team, alongside former boss Dónal O'Grady.
This followed an altercation with the Limerick County Board who falsely claimed at a meeting that the co-managers had "apologised for the abysmal" displays during the league.