THE CLUB CHAMPIONSHIPS are still at the county stage but with the 2025 season looming closer, some counties are yet to appoint a manager of their football team.
With Gabriel Bannigan and Robbie Brennan become the new Monaghan and Meath bosses respectively, there four managerial positions still up for grabs. Meanwhile in Galway, Pádraic Joyce is on the hunt for a new coach to take the place of Cian O’Neill.
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Clare
Just 12 months into his tenure, Mark Fitzgerald announced his decision to step down as the Banner boss. His departure was surprising after a prosperous season for Clare in which they contested the Munster final and fought bravely to a six-point defeat. They also finished one point shy of promotion out of Division 2.
However, Fitzgerald has admitted that he is leaving the position to take up a role with the Kerry U20s, who lost the All-Ireland final this year to Tyrone. The Tralee man says working with Tomás Ó Sé’s management team was something he “couldn’t turn down.”
But his absence leaves Clare in a precarious position, particularly since Fitzgerald’s predecessor Colm Collins put down 10 years in the role. That stretch made him the longest serving inter-county manager, as well as a beloved figure in Clare GAA circles.
The Cratloe man was linked with a return as manager following Fitzgerald’s exit, but Collins has told the Irish Independent that he will not be seeking re-appointment.
Westmeath
Westmeath have been without a manager since August when Dessie Dolan called time on his two-year reign.
Similar to Fitzgerald, Dolan’s call to move on has been met with surprise. Having won the Tailteann Cup in 2022, Dolan oversaw an impressive Sam Maguire group campaign that ended in narrowly missing out on a place in the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-finals. Standing on the precipice of a shock win over Tyrone, John Heslin missed a free which would have allowed Westmeath to advance.
They secured top-tier championship football again this year after defeating Down in the Division 3 final. They failed to progress again but ran eventual All-Ireland champions Armagh to five points, while Galway needed a late Shane Walsh goal to shrug them off in Cusack Park.
Lar Wall, who recently stepped away as a selector with Roscommon, is rumoured to be a frontrunner as Dolan’s replacement. He was in line to become the new Meath manager, with Robbie Brennan filling that vacancy last week. 2004 All-Star John Keane, who was part of Dolan’s backroom team, is also a potential successor as is former Dublin star forward Jason Sherlock, who also worked under Dolan.
Paddy Christie is also a possible candidate having just recently stepped down as manager of their neighbours Longford.
Derry
The only one thing we can say with any certainty, is that Rory Gallagher is not going to be the next manager. Having said that, we have maintained on these web pages that very point since Mickey Harte stepped down.
If Derry knew what a hassle this process was going to be, you wonder if they might have even thought to persevere with Harte.
The difficulty for them is multi-fold. The best options were already taken, their geography has them right up on the tip of Ireland, and the former manager Gallagher casts a shadow over this team and has close contact with the players.
Right now it would appear Mark Doran, the former Clare and Wicklow coach, is the front runner. Though nothing will be made public while he is still the Slaughtneil manager and they are in the Derry championship.
Doran will inherit a serious playing base, with simply enormous potential coming through, but for all parties to succeed, they have to burn the boats.
New York
Always an interesting prospect in some way, the New York manager’s job has become slightly less of a thankless task since the extra game in the Tailteann Cup came into play.
Johnny McGeeney of Culloville, Co Armagh had been doing the job for a number of seasons and led them to their greatest-ever result of the modern era when they beat Leitrim in the 2023 Connacht championship on penalties.
He had also been taking the New York Junior team, made up of American natives that competed in the All Ireland Junior All Ireland, where they beat Kilkenny in the final.
After McGeeney stood down, the position was taken up by former Cavan goalkeeper Alan O’Mara. He stepped down recently with his own work in Colleges’ sports ramping up.
Ronan McGinley has been named as the new manager in the coming weeks. The Ballygawley man is a brother of former Tyrone player and Antrim manager Enda, and is a former player, captain and coach with New York.
Galway – Cian O’Neill
Right now they are in a pickle, seeking to replace Cian O’Neill who returned to Kerry.
There are a number of options open to them. But the most intriguing would be a move from leftfield.
For some years, Rory Gallagher worked for Padraig Joyce, in the recruitment sector. The two have worked closely together, though never in a football sense.
Could Joyce bring him in? Indeed, could he bring him in?
Written by Declan Bogue and Sinéad Farrell
