MID-SEASON MANAGERIAL departures are a rarity in inter-county GAA, particularly in the regime’s maiden season.
The news of Ray Dempsey’s reign as Limerick manager coming to an end after just five games in the Allianz League came as a surprise on Friday afternoon.
In the annals of the shortest inter-county managerial tenures, Dempsey’s 154 days do not threaten the record books, with Richie Connor (Offaly football), Teddy Holland (Cork football) and Mossie Carroll (Limerick hurling) all shorter.
The Knockmore man was only given the role in October, after he had lost out to Kevin McStay in the selection process for the Mayo job.
Fast-forward five months, and Dempsey’s regime has ended. The Irish Examiner reported that it came after the players held a meeting, with ‘issues around man-management and preparation’ raised.
Former Kerry minor selector Mark Fitzgerald takes the reins, having been a member of Dempsey’s backroom team.
But the episode raises questions around Limerick’s prospects for the season ahead, and indeed their longer-term trajectory.
Advertisement
The Limerick footballers had enjoyed a steady rise in recent seasons. Evan Treacy / INPHO
Evan Treacy / INPHO / INPHO
Dempsey succeeded Billy Lee, who oversaw a sustained period of progress across his six years at the helm.
Big ball in the county was at a low ebb when Lee took charge in 2017. At that stage, he inherited a Division 4 side on a downward spiral who had not won a Munster Championship match since 2012.
Across the six seasons, Lee got Limerick football back on track. After steering the team to a Division 4 title in 2020, he then oversaw promotion from the third tier in 2022.
Championship progress also ensued, with wins over Clare and Tipperary last summer sending the team to their first Munster final in 12 years.
Add in Newcastle West’s run to the Munster club final during the winter, and there was a feel-good factor around football in Limerick, even with the county team in the shadow of John Kiely’s all-conquering hurlers.
Recent weeks have stalled momentum, however. Life in Division 2 has proven a significant step up. Unlike fellow promotees Louth, Limerick have struggled to stay afloat.
After scoring just four points in their opener away to Derry, they managed to keep things respectable when Dublin came to the TUS Gaelic Grounds. But with the ‘big two’ out of the way early, results failed to improve. They suffered a narrow defeat to Louth, before Cork ran riot against them in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
It was in wake of the Rebels’ 6-18 to 0-12 rout that the reported players’ meeting took place.
A home draw with Meath last weekend was not enough to prevent Friday’s change.
Ultimately, a management that wasn’t the correct fit for the county has left them with a mountain to climb.
Defeat at home to fellow strugglers Kildare next weekend would condemn the Treaty to relegation. Even with a victory over the Lilywhites, they would still have work to do on their final-day trip to Ennis to take on Clare.
They will also have one eye on the Munster Championship. When the draw was made, it appeared a favourable one with Kerry on the opposite half. They await the Rebels or the Banner County in the semi-final on 22 April, as they bid to return to the provincial decider which would also ensure their participation in the Sam Maguire Cup.
But given their current form and sticky mid-season predicament, ambitions of retaining their Division 2 status and reaching a Munster final appear lofty.
New manager Fitzgerald is tasked with steadying the ship. It is unclear what that would look like in terms of results right now, but the tumultuous start to the year must be put in the rearview mirror as quickly as possible.
The one silver lining is that their next opponents are also going through a rough patch. And the Lilywhites’ woes could increase any ‘new manager bounce’ experienced by Limerick.
As for Dempsey, it is the end of a forgettable chapter in his managerial career. Having managed Mayo underage teams in the past as well as leading Knockmore to county titles in 2020 and 2021, his CV remains enticing for big jobs on the side-line in the future.
But his five-month stint in Limerick is best consigned to the past, after the partnership came to an abrupt halt.
Get instant updates on the Allianz Football and Hurling Leagues on The42 app. Brought to you by Allianz Insurance, proud sponsors of the Allianz Leagues for over 30 years.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Close
Comments
This is YOUR comments community. Stay civil, stay constructive, stay on topic.
Please familiarise yourself with our comments policy
here
before taking part.
Limerick and Ray Dempsey part ways after partnership to forget
MID-SEASON MANAGERIAL departures are a rarity in inter-county GAA, particularly in the regime’s maiden season.
The news of Ray Dempsey’s reign as Limerick manager coming to an end after just five games in the Allianz League came as a surprise on Friday afternoon.
In the annals of the shortest inter-county managerial tenures, Dempsey’s 154 days do not threaten the record books, with Richie Connor (Offaly football), Teddy Holland (Cork football) and Mossie Carroll (Limerick hurling) all shorter.
The Knockmore man was only given the role in October, after he had lost out to Kevin McStay in the selection process for the Mayo job.
Fast-forward five months, and Dempsey’s regime has ended. The Irish Examiner reported that it came after the players held a meeting, with ‘issues around man-management and preparation’ raised.
Former Kerry minor selector Mark Fitzgerald takes the reins, having been a member of Dempsey’s backroom team.
But the episode raises questions around Limerick’s prospects for the season ahead, and indeed their longer-term trajectory.
Dempsey succeeded Billy Lee, who oversaw a sustained period of progress across his six years at the helm.
Big ball in the county was at a low ebb when Lee took charge in 2017. At that stage, he inherited a Division 4 side on a downward spiral who had not won a Munster Championship match since 2012.
Across the six seasons, Lee got Limerick football back on track. After steering the team to a Division 4 title in 2020, he then oversaw promotion from the third tier in 2022.
Championship progress also ensued, with wins over Clare and Tipperary last summer sending the team to their first Munster final in 12 years.
Add in Newcastle West’s run to the Munster club final during the winter, and there was a feel-good factor around football in Limerick, even with the county team in the shadow of John Kiely’s all-conquering hurlers.
Recent weeks have stalled momentum, however. Life in Division 2 has proven a significant step up. Unlike fellow promotees Louth, Limerick have struggled to stay afloat.
After scoring just four points in their opener away to Derry, they managed to keep things respectable when Dublin came to the TUS Gaelic Grounds. But with the ‘big two’ out of the way early, results failed to improve. They suffered a narrow defeat to Louth, before Cork ran riot against them in Páirc Uí Chaoimh.
It was in wake of the Rebels’ 6-18 to 0-12 rout that the reported players’ meeting took place.
A home draw with Meath last weekend was not enough to prevent Friday’s change.
Ultimately, a management that wasn’t the correct fit for the county has left them with a mountain to climb.
Defeat at home to fellow strugglers Kildare next weekend would condemn the Treaty to relegation. Even with a victory over the Lilywhites, they would still have work to do on their final-day trip to Ennis to take on Clare.
They will also have one eye on the Munster Championship. When the draw was made, it appeared a favourable one with Kerry on the opposite half. They await the Rebels or the Banner County in the semi-final on 22 April, as they bid to return to the provincial decider which would also ensure their participation in the Sam Maguire Cup.
But given their current form and sticky mid-season predicament, ambitions of retaining their Division 2 status and reaching a Munster final appear lofty.
New manager Fitzgerald is tasked with steadying the ship. It is unclear what that would look like in terms of results right now, but the tumultuous start to the year must be put in the rearview mirror as quickly as possible.
The one silver lining is that their next opponents are also going through a rough patch. And the Lilywhites’ woes could increase any ‘new manager bounce’ experienced by Limerick.
As for Dempsey, it is the end of a forgettable chapter in his managerial career. Having managed Mayo underage teams in the past as well as leading Knockmore to county titles in 2020 and 2021, his CV remains enticing for big jobs on the side-line in the future.
But his five-month stint in Limerick is best consigned to the past, after the partnership came to an abrupt halt.
Get instant updates on the Allianz Football and Hurling Leagues on The42 app. Brought to you by Allianz Insurance, proud sponsors of the Allianz Leagues for over 30 years.
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Limerick Treaty tumult