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Irish Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Roscommon GAA appoint new football manager with just three vanancies to fill
Roscommon GAA have recommended Mark Dowd to succeed Davy Burke as their new senior football manager, meaning there are now just three inter-county senior football jobs to fill. The only current vacancies are in Westmeath, Waterford and Antrim following the recent appointments of Ger Brennan (Dublin), Dermot McCabe (Cavan) and Paul Madden (Clare). Dowd is one of six managers who will make their inter-county bow next year, including a joint manager ticket in Sligo. The other five are Dessie Sloyan/Eamonn O'Hara (Sligo), Gavin Devlin (Louth), Ciaran Meenagh (Derry) and Paul Madden (Clare). On top of this, Brennan and McCabe have moved back to their own native counties, while Andy Moran previously managed Leitrim for three seasons, meaning there will be seven entirely new management teams in place in 2026. Dowd is the man a committee appointed to find the new boss came up with and his name will now go before the Roscommon County Board for ratification. The current Roscommon Gaels boss is steeped in GAA in the county and has his fingerprints all over some of their biggest football successes over the past two decades. Strokestown native Dowd was part of Fergal O'Donnell's management team that led Roscommon to All-Ireland minor glory in 2006, defeating Kerry in a replay in the final. Dowd also guided Roscommon under-21 footballers to a Connacht Championship triumph in 2015, before losing out narrowly against Mayo in the provincial final a year later. He has twice been involved in Roscommon Senior Connacht Championship wins, being in the backrooms of Fergal O'Donnell (2010) and Anthony Cunningham (2019). At club level Dowd has an extensive CV, helping Mayo side Ballaghaderreen to a Senior Championship and a Connacht Final in 2012, where they lost out by nine points to Roscommon side St. Brigid's. On the Roscommon scene, Dowd was part of the Strokestown management that landed the 2022 county title, their first in 20 years and eleventh in total. Last year Dowd managed Roscommon Gaels to the County Final, where they lost to Pádraig Pearses and he's back for another shot at a county title this year. Amazingly, he is the first Roscommon native to take sole charge of the team since Des Newton in 2012. Since then Roscommon have been managed by Kerry man John Evans (2013-15) Mayo man Kevin McStay, who lives in Roscommon Town (2015-18, with the first year as joint manager with Fergal O'Donnell), Galway's Anthony Cunningham (2019-22) and Kildare's Davy Burke (2023-25). In fact, since Galway's John Tobin took over as Roscommon boss in 2001, they've had a whopping nine outside managers, also including Tommy Carr (Dublin), Val Daly (Galway) and John Maughan (Mayo) As things stand, in 2026 there will be eight outside managers, including Offaly joint boss Mickey Harte, with seven of them from Ulster. The odd one out is Mayo man Mike Solan, in charge of Longford. The other outside managers are Wicklow's Oisin McConville (Armagh), Laois' Justin McNulty (Armagh), Derry's Ciaran Meenagh (Tyrone), Tyrone's Malachy O'Rourke (Fermanagh), Leitrim's Steven Poacher (Down) and Louth's Gavin Devlin. Oisin McConville is the only outside boss currently in a job to have served three years - and he recently agreed a fresh two year term. Dowd has a big job on his hands with Roscommon's last Connacht title coming back in 2019. This year they exited the All-Ireland series in a preliminary quarter-final defeat by Cork, having made last year's quarter-finals where they lost out to eventual Sam Maguire winner Armagh by 2-10 to 0-10, after shocking Tyrone in the previous round. Roscommon GAA Chairperson Brian Carroll pointed to Dowd's wealth of experience as he unveiled the county's new man at the helm. 'We are delighted to welcome Mark Dowd as the incoming manager of the Roscommon senior football team,' said Carroll. 'Mark has an outstanding track record at both club and county level and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion for Roscommon football. 'We are confident that his leadership will help drive this team forward and build on the progress of recent years. 'I have had the pleasure of working with Mark on numerous occasions over the last 12 years and I know the Roscommon senior football team is in safe hands going forward. 'On behalf of Roscommon GAA, I would like to wish Mark every success in the role and assure him of our full support as he begins this exciting new chapter.'
The 42
3 days ago
- Sport
- The 42
Mark Dowd to become new Roscommon manager
MARK DOWD has been selected as the new manager of the Roscommon senior football side. The move will be subject to ratification at the next county board meeting, with Dowd's backroom team to be announced in due course. Advertisement Dowd succeeds Davy Burke, who last June announced he had decided to step down at the end of his three-year term. Currently the manager of Roscommon Gaels, the Strokestown native was previously part of the management team when Roscommon won the All-Ireland Minor Championship in 2006. He also guided Ballaghaderreen to the 2012 Mayo Senior Football Championship title and coached the Roscommon U21 team to Connacht Championship glory in 2015. Dowd was part of the coaching setup for Roscommon's 2010 and 2019 Connacht Senior Championship triumphs, and he helped his home club, Strokestown, win the 2022 Roscommon Senior Championship. 'Mark has an outstanding track record at both club and county level, and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion for Roscommon football,' Roscommon GAA County Chairperson Brian Carroll said. 'We are confident that his leadership will help drive this team forward and build on the progress of recent years. 'I have had the pleasure of working with Mark on numerous occasions over the last 12 years, and I know the Roscommon Senior Football team is in safe hands going forward.'
The Irish Sun
3 days ago
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
‘We are delighted' – Roscommon GAA confirm former All-Ireland minor winner as new manager after Davy Burke departure
NEW MAN 'We are delighted' – Roscommon GAA confirm former All-Ireland minor winner as new manager after Davy Burke departure ROSCOMMON have confirmed an All-Ireland minor champion as their new senior football manager. Mark Dowd, who guided the Rossies to the All-Ireland minor title in 2006, succeeds Davy Burke after he stepped down earlier this summer. 2 Mark Dowd has been appointed Roscommon football manager Credit: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile 2 He succeeds Davy Burke who stepped down in June Credit: Brendan Moran/Sportsfile Advertisement The Strokestown-native guided Ballaghaderreen to the Mayo Senior Football Championship title in 2012. Dowd also led the Roscommon U21 team to Connacht Championship success in 2015. In addition, he was part of the coaching setup during Roscommon's Connacht Senior Championship wins in 2010 and 2019. And he played a key role in his home club Strokestown's Roscommon Senior Championship triumph in 2022. He is currently the manager of Roscommon Gaels. Advertisement Roscommon GAA County Chairperson, Brian Carroll, said: 'We are delighted to welcome Mark Dowd as the incoming manager of the Roscommon Senior Football team. "Mark has an outstanding track record at both club and county level, and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion for Roscommon football. "We are confident that his leadership will help drive this team forward and build on the progress of recent years. "I have had the pleasure of working with Mark on numerous occasions over the last 12 years and I know the Roscommon Senior Football team is in safe hands going forward. Advertisement "On behalf of Roscommon GAA, I would like to wish Mark every success in the role and assure him of our full support as he begins this exciting new chapter.' Mark will confirm his backroom team in due course. Back in June, Davy Burke stepped down after three years at the helm, having guided the Rossies back to Division 1 of the National League in his final campaign. The former Wicklow boss was appointed at Roscommon in October 2022. In his first season, they narrowly missed out on the Division 1 final, while they beat Mayo in the Connacht SFC before losing to Galway in the semi-finals. Advertisement His maiden All-Ireland series in charge was ended by Cork in the preliminary quarter-finals. 2024 saw them drop down to Division 2 while they lost to Mayo in the provincial semi-finals and Armagh in the last eight of the Sam Maguire. They bounced back up to Division 1 earlier this year before once again losing in the Connacht SFC semi-finals, to Galway. The Rossies failed to get out of the All-Ireland round robin this summer. And Burke's final act as boss being a two-point loss to Cork.
The Irish Sun
12-08-2025
- Sport
- The Irish Sun
Inside Andy Moran's life from wife and children to day job as he's set to be named Mayo GAA manager
He's already secured two big name assistants MOR MAYO Inside Andy Moran's life from wife and children to day job as he's set to be named Mayo GAA manager ANDY Moran is on the cusp of being appointed manager of Mayo's senior men's footballers after being proposed by the county board. Monday's noteworthy update virtually guarantees it will be the 41-year-old who succeeds Kevin McStay after seeing off competition from Tony McEntee. 7 He's been married to other half Jennifer Drake since 2012 Credit: @andypmoran 7 They have a son named Ollie as well as a daughter called Charlotte Credit: @andypmoran 7 Charlotte memorably starred in this award-winning photo after the 2016 All-Ireland final 7 This won't be his first role as a senior inter-county boss While arguably a bit early for him to rise to his dream job, the 2017 Footballer of the Year has carved out a coaching CV worthy of being given his chance to lead the county. He managed Leitrim for three seasons from 2021. That stint didn't all go according to plan as they suffered a stunning loss to New York in the 2023 Connacht Championship. However, he did showcase the ability to bounce back from adversity in 2024 when he got them promoted from Division 4 of the National Football League. Moran opted to leave the post at the end of that campaign and ended up doing a year as part of Gabriel Bannigan's backroom team. His first coaching inroads had come with the Mayo Under-20s before he took joint-charge of his club Ballaghaderreen with Mike Solan prior to their 2021 campaign. WHAT IS ANDY MORAN'S JOB? He's owned a gym since 2015. There's now two locations in Claremorris as well as Castlebar. You can check out The Movement Gyms' Instagram page here. His college background comprises an undergrad in Business and Recreation from Sligo IT between 2003-2007 followed by an Msc in Marketing and Entrepreneurship from Ulster University which he completed in 2008. IS HE MARRIED? The former sharpshooter has been married to long-term partner Jennifer since 2012. They tied the knot in their hometown of Ballaghaderreen which is actually in county Roscommon despite Andy being a legend of the Green and Red. TJ Reid and wife Niamh de Brun's gorgeous pregnancy reveal In excess of 300 guests watched on as their nuptials were held at Kilronan Castle. PLAYING HONOURS The full-forward called time on his inter-county playing career in 2019. Among the honours he earned along the way were eight Connacht championship medals, two NFL Division 1 titles and two All-Stars to go with his Footballer of the Year gong. 7 This season saw him work under Farney chief Gabriel Bannigan 7 He released his autobiography in 2021 Credit: @andypmoran 7 Moran holds the unfortunate record of most All-Ireland finals played (six) without having won one In his Sligo IT days he won three Sigerson Cups while he has two county championships with Ballaghaderreen. COUNTY BACKING Upon Monday's news that he is to be put forward for ratification at the next meeting of the Mayo county board a spokesperson gave him a glowing endorsement. They said: 'Andy Moran and his backroom team bring a wealth of experience. 'Their combined knowledge, leadership and proven track records will be invaluable in driving the continued development and success of Mayo football.' He will be aided by two high-profile backroom members in Colm Boyle and Paddy Tally - who was Derry's manager up until last month.
Irish Daily Mirror
20-06-2025
- Sport
- Irish Daily Mirror
Kerry like a 'wounded dog,' and 'so unconvincing' Galway in a dangerous place
Two teams plenty would have been eyeing up as potential All-Ireland winners are Galway and Kerry. Galway was my pick from the start. They're also two teams that so far in the All-Ireland series have failed to ignite in any way at all. The word from Kerry is they're like a wounded dog and some voices within the county are saying it might just be better to put them down rather than prolong the agony. Kerry have an injury crisis and even in the All-Ireland series game against Cork, where they ran out comfortable winners they coughed up so many goal chances. If that's an Armagh, Donegal or Tyrone, they score them. Galway have tailed off rather dramatically since winning their province. They've played Dublin, Derry and Armagh - and in all these games they have been so unconvincing. In no way, shape or form do they look like All-Ireland contenders. Kerry play Cavan and should win but I don't think they'll get it all their own way, while Galway play Down in Newry. Both should get through but if there is any chance of a shock it'll be in Newry. Galway are in a dangerous place as a team - and if anyone can exploit that weakness it's Conor Laverty, Marty Clarke and Mickey Donnelly. They're doing brilliant work in Down at the minute but the gulf might be just too much. Down are building towards a place that Galway are already operating in. Neither Galway nor Kerry can afford to wait for something to happen. Waiting for it is grand in a Munster or Connacht Championship when you've Clare or Leitrim the following week. But with a GAA front pack that is relatively even, and so good, then waiting for it to happen is the worst thing you can do. Neither team can afford to wait. They need to identify the problem(s), deal with them and move on. I don't think it's a case of them not having the work done. Paddy Tally said during the week that he knew Derry's problem as clear as day - it was conditioning. Incidentally, I don't agree with him as it wasn't conditioning that let them down in a few of those Championship games but he's best placed to make that call. It's funny because Donegal exposed a structural problem with Derry in the first game of last year's Championship - and for some bizarre reason just wouldn't fix it. It was a relatively easy fix too but something of the conditioning nature can't be fixed mid season. If you find the opposition is stronger, faster and fitter, then you're not going to find the extra few weeks in a condensed season to fix that. I don't believe Kerry or Galway's problems can't be fixed. They can get whatever they need sorted and push on. Obviously Kerry's injuries are a problem. Some have criticized Jack O'Connor for not trusting panel players and not building a strong enough squad but are the lads coming in actually good enough? You can argue Jack has been around a long time and won plenty. He knows what a Championship player is so maybe we should trust him. If it's a case of the squad simply not being good enough, you do have to wonder why a county like Kerry with their 38 All-Irelands can't build a squad the same way Armagh have. With the way the game is so demanding now and transitional, it's going to be sore on players. So having 20 to 23 lads that can genuinely add to things and play ball is a massive plus. Galway need to sort Damien Comer out and find out one way or another whether he's fit to play in the All-Ireland series - and at least they'll know. It's detrimental to a squad to have that in the back of the head, that maybe when Comer gets back we will move up a level. Goes back to that dangerous word of waiting. They also need to sort the keeper out. I hope I'm wrong here, but I honestly don't see Galway winning on the big stage with Connor Gleeson in goals - and Conor Flaherty isn't the answer either. I feel guilty saying that but I had Galway as my All-Ireland favorites at the start of the year but the more I see of them, the more I think that the keepers just don't have the tools to work it out. Joyce could do worse than have a look around the clubs in Galway. The word in Donegal is that Jim McGuinness has drafted in Danny Rodgers at the tail end of the season to help give cover for the keepers. He identified a fixable problem mid season and sorted it. Joyce can do the same. Throw it all at their effort to win an All-Ireland. For the likes of Kerry and Galway mindset can be important too, when they find themselves in a midseason. Loss of confidence can be terminal at this time of year. It's different for teams that know deep down they're not good enough - but for teams who have the potential to be at the top table and hit a patch like that, it's such a frustrating place to be. I've been there more times than enough with Donegal, where you're ticking along waiting for the spark thinking to yourself that eventually it'll happen and suddenly you find yourself out of the Championship. Just how do you save your season, knowing you have more there? Both teams will have many many conversations - in their wee groups and as a team. Just how do you sort this? You'll see it in so many club teams throughout the year, the fabled crisis meeting will be called. I always loved a crisis meeting myself back in the day. I'll never forget a time with Donegal, going to Murphy and saying I'm not happy here. I said, 'We need to have a meeting,' and he said, 'No, what we need to do is fix it in the training field.' That's something that has always stuck with me. Yes of course there is a time for meetings and talking but sometimes it's easy to talk. The training field is where most of the magic happens, where the bulk of what's going wrong on game day should be fixed. Kerry coughing up goals and being a bit porous, Galway struggling to get out on their own kickouts. They are all things that can be fixed. It can be tempting for teams to fall into the trap of just talking. I believe both teams will get through this weekend okay, Kerry easier than Galway. But unless they get their mindset sorted and fix the problems, they're not going to goany further than the quarter-finals.
