Cian O’Neill, who has joined Jack O’Connor’s Kerry management team as head coach, will bring great experience to the set-up in the Kingdom where he will be remembered for the role he played alongside Eamonn Fitzmaurice when winning the All-Ireland in 2014.
The departure of O’Neill has come as a real blow to Pádraic Joyce’s Galway where the Kildare native had a major influence over the past three seasons, leading the county to All-Ireland finals in 2022, when they lost to Kerry, and this year when they were outsmarted by Armagh
His coaching experience proved invaluable as the Tribesmen secured promotion back to the top flight of the national league in 2022 and they went on to clinch successive Connacht titles despite significant challenges from Mayo and Roscommon.
Living in Cork for many years, where he is head of the sports and leisure department at MTU, O’Neill was initially involved as coach with the Limnerick footballers and then the Tipperary hurlers from 2009 to 2011 before he spent a season with the Mayo footballers and then he was invited to join the Kerry set-up by Fitzmaurice who was well aware of his coaching attributes.
Kerry won three Munster titles and the 2014 All-Ireland and O’Neill spent another season in the Kingdom before taking up the manager’s role in his native Kildare, a position he held for four years.
Departing from the Lilywhites, O’Neill said after four years travelling from Cork to Kildare three to four times a week, and with it a level of commitment and selfishness that required, other aspects of life undoubtedly suffered so it was time to hand the baton over.
He then spent some time coaching closer to home in Cork before Pádraic Joyce persuaded him to switch to Galway where his coaching abilities have been greatly valued.
Working closely with O’Connor, O’Neill will spearhead a new-look Kerry management team going forward with Aodán MacGearailt and James Costello coming in as selectors in place of MicheálQuirke and Diarmuid Murphy, Pa McCarthy from Currow joining as assistant coach with Brian Kelly succeeding Brendan Kealy as goalkeeping coach.
Tyrone’s Paddy Tally will stay on as performance coach while Jason McGahan and Arthur Fitzgerald willcontinue as strength and condition coaches.
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