A DISCLAIMER TO disappoint you before we begin: no trade secrets from within the Galway dressing room will be revealed here.
That way is shut for all members of the public, and that includes family members of the players. No exceptions. Not even for fathers who played in two All-Ireland finals.
“I gave up asking years ago,” Anthony Finnerty laughs down the phone when asked in jest what his son Robert has revealed to him ahead of the Connacht final.
“We see what we see,” he adds.
And what do we see?
Well, in the case of Robert Finnerty, we have an experienced forward with a penchant for dummy solos, and a lethal left boot. He’s showing good form this season with 1-34 in the league to help preserve Galway’s Division 1 status. And his four points in Carrick-On-Shannon helped prevent a Leitrim upset in the Connacht semi-final.
But for Anthony, he sees one of his four children. A brother of Colm, William and Ailbhe. Like many fathers hoping to inspire a love of sport in their kids, Anthony coached Robert from when he was six, bringing what he learned in Mayo to the good folks across the border.
Regular trips to Croke Park helped deepen Robert’s interest. A glimpse at what could be possible for him. Kerry great Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper was among the stars during Robert’s youth and his father was eager to highlight the red-headed dynamo.
“We made it our business to try and get to Croke Park at least once a year. We might end up in the corner and I’d be thinking, ‘This is brilliant, we’re going to have the Gooch in front of us.’
“I’d be saying to Robert, ‘Keep an eye on the Gooch now,’ because he was shaping up to be a forward. We always loved the day out in Croke Park.”
Robert Finnerty celebrates a two-pointer during Galway's league victory over Dublin. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
****
Anthony Finnerty first came to Galway to attend University. He had Sigerson Cup success with NUI Galway and decided to stick around. He met his future wife in Salthill and joined the club football scene. After passing through a few Galway clubs, Finnerty eventually settled on An Cheathrú Rua, or Carraroe as it is in the English translation.
The Connemara-based side contained some of the best footballers in Galway at the time, including All-Ireland winners Seán Óg De Paor and Seán Ó Domhnaill. Finnerty ran a small takeaway in the village called ‘Tigh Larry Ramhair,’ and developed a strong affection for the Gaeltacht.
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“I was known as Fat Larry going back in the day,” Finnerty says.
Former Galway defender Seán Óg De Paor. INPHO
INPHO
“There was a nice team there. I don’t know if I ever enjoyed my football as much as I enjoyed with Carraroe because there was a lovely atmosphere within the club. I enjoyed playing in the Gaeltacht competitions. Heading off for weekends was just lovely.”
Naturally, all of Finnerty’s teammates conversed as Gaeilge and the team talks were in Irish too. Finnerty had the cúpla focal to help him get by at the counter and on the field, but he wishes he was more fluent in our native language.
“I would have understood lots of the stuff, but some of the lads, they spoke so fast. I picked up a few words and was able to get along on the pitch and all that.
“Maybe I’ll go back and get the blás eventually.”
Finnerty also won a Galway senior championship in 1996 with An Cheathrú Rua. He holds that achievement dearly but it’s tinged with some unfortunate memories too. In the county final against Oranmore-Maree, Finnerty received a straight red card after just five minutes. He was one of two early dismissals as Oranmore-Maree’s Cathal MacConn was sent off shortly after.
Finnerty had just lost an All-Ireland final replay with Mayo the previous week, a one-point battle with Meath which featured an infamous row. Finnerty, who started the game at corner-forward, was involved in the melee but it was Liam McHale of Mayo and Meath’s Colm Coyle who were sent off as punishment for both teams.
That compounded the hurt for Finnerty as he left the pitch in Tuam stadium for the Galway county final. But he can still reflect on a historic 1-11 to 0-10 victory for the club, and is forever thankful to sports commentator Garry Mac Donncha for scoring a vital goal.
Anthony Finnerty in action against Donegal in 1992. � INPHO / Billy Stickland
� INPHO / Billy Stickland / Billy Stickland
“Getting sent off a week after the famous row in Croke Park, it was a fairly tough time. I suppose I don’t go back there too often. It was unfortunate for myself [that] I got sent off, which I felt was in the wrong. But anyway, we won’t go there. I would have felt awful had we lost the game. In fairness, a great goal from Garry Mac Donncha.
“There’s lots of things that I play over and over again in my mind. But at the same time, I’m happy for the lads in a sense. I think about plenty of the ones that got away, the Mayo ones that got away over time.
“I ended up winning a Sigerson that year [with UCD] so I won two out of three.”
An Cheathrú Rua contested two more county finals in 1998 and 1999, losing the first to Corofin, and falling short after a replay against Killererin the following year.
“I was coming towards the end of my playing career,” Finnerty continues. “The one that went to a replay, I don’t think I featured.
“But I would have been involved and still training with the lads as much as I could.”
****
The end of Finnerty’s playing career dovetailed with the start of his adventure in coaching. By that stage, he had settled in Salthill and took the club’s senior men’s team for the first year of his retirement.
He stepped away after that as home life got busier but when it was time for his kids to start kicking ball, he was ready to go again. He began with his daughter, Ailbhe, the eldest of the four.
“I got involved as soon as the kids were ready to go play and started with girls’ football and then as soon as the lads were starting, I probably was doing the two for a few years, doing a bit with the girls at older age and then started with the lads.”
Robert came under his Dad’s watch as part of a particularly talented bunch of breakthrough players in Salthill-Knocknacarra. Current Galway midfielder John Maher, who Robert has often referred to as one of his best friends, also belonged to that crop.
John Maher and Robert Finnerty in the 2024 All-Ireland semi-final against Donegal. Ryan Byrne / INPHO
Ryan Byrne / INPHO / INPHO
Anthony managed them up to minor level, with five of his students representing Galway in the 2016 minor All-Ireland final against Kerry. Eoin McFadden started at corner-back that day, Maher was in midfield and Finnerty was joined by Evan Murphy in the forwards.
Eoghan Deeley was sprung from the bench in the second half of a 3-7 to 0-9 defeat against a Kerry team which included Seán O’Shea, Diarmuid O’Connor and David Clifford.
“We won two county minor titles that year,” Anthony adds. “My other lad, William, was a year ahead and we won the two minor titles with those lads.
“Funnily enough, John [Maher] was my captain from when he was 12 or 13 years of age and I’m delighted for him, he’s captain of Galway now. He’s a great lad, a great leader and a sound fella.
“We had great times with those lads and we got plenty of beatings too along the way. But we always kept our heads up when we came back and kept at it.”
Robert played in another All-Ireland final the following year, this time at U21 level. Again, he was deployed at corner-forward, but again it was a disappointing result for Galway as Dublin earned a six-point win in Tullamore.
He was struck by All-Ireland heartbreak twice more at senior level, losing the 2022 and 2024 finals. The second one was a particularly difficult day for Finnerty as he was forced off with a knee injury after just 10 minutes.
It’s a pain his father can relate to after his 1996 county final ended prematurely. He also has the memory of losing the 1989 All-Ireland final to go with the misery he endured against Meath in ’96.
“No more than myself, it was very unfortunate for him that he got injured so early in the Armagh final.
“He had started the game quite well. They still have the core of a very good, solid team. Let’s hope they get another chance or two.”
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Anthony Finnerty has managed the Salthill/Knocknacarra men's team in recent years. Tommy Dickson / INPHO
Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO
Finnerty is still happily living in Salthill, running Wards hotel which is his wife’s family business. He’s back on the Ladies football beat these days and was involved when Salthill-Knocknacara won the Junior All-Ireland in 2022. Ailbhe was the captain as they defeated Cork’s Naomh Abán in that final.
He was previously in charge of Salthill’s senior men’s team, guiding the club to county semi-finals in 2018 and 2019. A championship title is within their grasp after narrowly losing last year’s county final to Maigh Cuilinn.
Finnerty still has permission to show support for his home county, but his allegiance is with Galway now as his son continues to chase that elusive Celtic Cross.
Children of well known athletes often grow up in the shadow of their parent’s legacy. Some become burdened by that identifier and struggle to flourish on their own terms. County rivalries can also create added complications in that regard, something which Anthony did consider at one point.
“When Robert was 17 and didn’t make the Galway minor panel the first year, I have to say that a thought crossed my mind that it was a disadvantage to have a Mayo Finnerty name.
“I was saying, ‘God, will it happen for this lad?’ And I know that his heart was in playing for the county. Thankfully, everything fell into place for him the following year. I thought then, ‘Look, let him off.’”
To the current generation of young GAA fans, the only Finnerty they know is Robert. No trace of any shadow there that could burden him.
Perhaps there are parents bringing their children to Croke Park these days, encouraging them to watch the movement of the player wearing 13 for Galway. Yes, the one with the curls up top. Those conversations are likely to happen later today in Hyde Park as Galway chase a Connacht five-in-a-row.
“He’s his own man now,” says Anthony. “He’s managed to sort out a nice career for himself.”
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Roots in Mayo, raised in Salthill - the latest generation of the great Finnerty name
A DISCLAIMER TO disappoint you before we begin: no trade secrets from within the Galway dressing room will be revealed here.
That way is shut for all members of the public, and that includes family members of the players. No exceptions. Not even for fathers who played in two All-Ireland finals.
“I gave up asking years ago,” Anthony Finnerty laughs down the phone when asked in jest what his son Robert has revealed to him ahead of the Connacht final.
“We see what we see,” he adds.
And what do we see?
Well, in the case of Robert Finnerty, we have an experienced forward with a penchant for dummy solos, and a lethal left boot. He’s showing good form this season with 1-34 in the league to help preserve Galway’s Division 1 status. And his four points in Carrick-On-Shannon helped prevent a Leitrim upset in the Connacht semi-final.
But for Anthony, he sees one of his four children. A brother of Colm, William and Ailbhe. Like many fathers hoping to inspire a love of sport in their kids, Anthony coached Robert from when he was six, bringing what he learned in Mayo to the good folks across the border.
Regular trips to Croke Park helped deepen Robert’s interest. A glimpse at what could be possible for him. Kerry great Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper was among the stars during Robert’s youth and his father was eager to highlight the red-headed dynamo.
“We made it our business to try and get to Croke Park at least once a year. We might end up in the corner and I’d be thinking, ‘This is brilliant, we’re going to have the Gooch in front of us.’
“I’d be saying to Robert, ‘Keep an eye on the Gooch now,’ because he was shaping up to be a forward. We always loved the day out in Croke Park.”
****
Anthony Finnerty first came to Galway to attend University. He had Sigerson Cup success with NUI Galway and decided to stick around. He met his future wife in Salthill and joined the club football scene. After passing through a few Galway clubs, Finnerty eventually settled on An Cheathrú Rua, or Carraroe as it is in the English translation.
The Connemara-based side contained some of the best footballers in Galway at the time, including All-Ireland winners Seán Óg De Paor and Seán Ó Domhnaill. Finnerty ran a small takeaway in the village called ‘Tigh Larry Ramhair,’ and developed a strong affection for the Gaeltacht.
“I was known as Fat Larry going back in the day,” Finnerty says.
“There was a nice team there. I don’t know if I ever enjoyed my football as much as I enjoyed with Carraroe because there was a lovely atmosphere within the club. I enjoyed playing in the Gaeltacht competitions. Heading off for weekends was just lovely.”
Naturally, all of Finnerty’s teammates conversed as Gaeilge and the team talks were in Irish too. Finnerty had the cúpla focal to help him get by at the counter and on the field, but he wishes he was more fluent in our native language.
“I would have understood lots of the stuff, but some of the lads, they spoke so fast. I picked up a few words and was able to get along on the pitch and all that.
“Maybe I’ll go back and get the blás eventually.”
Finnerty also won a Galway senior championship in 1996 with An Cheathrú Rua. He holds that achievement dearly but it’s tinged with some unfortunate memories too. In the county final against Oranmore-Maree, Finnerty received a straight red card after just five minutes. He was one of two early dismissals as Oranmore-Maree’s Cathal MacConn was sent off shortly after.
Finnerty had just lost an All-Ireland final replay with Mayo the previous week, a one-point battle with Meath which featured an infamous row. Finnerty, who started the game at corner-forward, was involved in the melee but it was Liam McHale of Mayo and Meath’s Colm Coyle who were sent off as punishment for both teams.
That compounded the hurt for Finnerty as he left the pitch in Tuam stadium for the Galway county final. But he can still reflect on a historic 1-11 to 0-10 victory for the club, and is forever thankful to sports commentator Garry Mac Donncha for scoring a vital goal.
“Getting sent off a week after the famous row in Croke Park, it was a fairly tough time. I suppose I don’t go back there too often. It was unfortunate for myself [that] I got sent off, which I felt was in the wrong. But anyway, we won’t go there. I would have felt awful had we lost the game. In fairness, a great goal from Garry Mac Donncha.
“There’s lots of things that I play over and over again in my mind. But at the same time, I’m happy for the lads in a sense. I think about plenty of the ones that got away, the Mayo ones that got away over time.
“I ended up winning a Sigerson that year [with UCD] so I won two out of three.”
An Cheathrú Rua contested two more county finals in 1998 and 1999, losing the first to Corofin, and falling short after a replay against Killererin the following year.
“I was coming towards the end of my playing career,” Finnerty continues. “The one that went to a replay, I don’t think I featured.
“But I would have been involved and still training with the lads as much as I could.”
****
The end of Finnerty’s playing career dovetailed with the start of his adventure in coaching. By that stage, he had settled in Salthill and took the club’s senior men’s team for the first year of his retirement.
He stepped away after that as home life got busier but when it was time for his kids to start kicking ball, he was ready to go again. He began with his daughter, Ailbhe, the eldest of the four.
“I got involved as soon as the kids were ready to go play and started with girls’ football and then as soon as the lads were starting, I probably was doing the two for a few years, doing a bit with the girls at older age and then started with the lads.”
Robert came under his Dad’s watch as part of a particularly talented bunch of breakthrough players in Salthill-Knocknacarra. Current Galway midfielder John Maher, who Robert has often referred to as one of his best friends, also belonged to that crop.
Anthony managed them up to minor level, with five of his students representing Galway in the 2016 minor All-Ireland final against Kerry. Eoin McFadden started at corner-back that day, Maher was in midfield and Finnerty was joined by Evan Murphy in the forwards.
Eoghan Deeley was sprung from the bench in the second half of a 3-7 to 0-9 defeat against a Kerry team which included Seán O’Shea, Diarmuid O’Connor and David Clifford.
“We won two county minor titles that year,” Anthony adds. “My other lad, William, was a year ahead and we won the two minor titles with those lads.
“Funnily enough, John [Maher] was my captain from when he was 12 or 13 years of age and I’m delighted for him, he’s captain of Galway now. He’s a great lad, a great leader and a sound fella.
“We had great times with those lads and we got plenty of beatings too along the way. But we always kept our heads up when we came back and kept at it.”
Robert played in another All-Ireland final the following year, this time at U21 level. Again, he was deployed at corner-forward, but again it was a disappointing result for Galway as Dublin earned a six-point win in Tullamore.
He was struck by All-Ireland heartbreak twice more at senior level, losing the 2022 and 2024 finals. The second one was a particularly difficult day for Finnerty as he was forced off with a knee injury after just 10 minutes.
It’s a pain his father can relate to after his 1996 county final ended prematurely. He also has the memory of losing the 1989 All-Ireland final to go with the misery he endured against Meath in ’96.
“No more than myself, it was very unfortunate for him that he got injured so early in the Armagh final.
“He had started the game quite well. They still have the core of a very good, solid team. Let’s hope they get another chance or two.”
****
Finnerty is still happily living in Salthill, running Wards hotel which is his wife’s family business. He’s back on the Ladies football beat these days and was involved when Salthill-Knocknacara won the Junior All-Ireland in 2022. Ailbhe was the captain as they defeated Cork’s Naomh Abán in that final.
He was previously in charge of Salthill’s senior men’s team, guiding the club to county semi-finals in 2018 and 2019. A championship title is within their grasp after narrowly losing last year’s county final to Maigh Cuilinn.
Finnerty still has permission to show support for his home county, but his allegiance is with Galway now as his son continues to chase that elusive Celtic Cross.
Children of well known athletes often grow up in the shadow of their parent’s legacy. Some become burdened by that identifier and struggle to flourish on their own terms. County rivalries can also create added complications in that regard, something which Anthony did consider at one point.
“When Robert was 17 and didn’t make the Galway minor panel the first year, I have to say that a thought crossed my mind that it was a disadvantage to have a Mayo Finnerty name.
“I was saying, ‘God, will it happen for this lad?’ And I know that his heart was in playing for the county. Thankfully, everything fell into place for him the following year. I thought then, ‘Look, let him off.’”
To the current generation of young GAA fans, the only Finnerty they know is Robert. No trace of any shadow there that could burden him.
Perhaps there are parents bringing their children to Croke Park these days, encouraging them to watch the movement of the player wearing 13 for Galway. Yes, the one with the curls up top. Those conversations are likely to happen later today in Hyde Park as Galway chase a Connacht five-in-a-row.
“He’s his own man now,” says Anthony. “He’s managed to sort out a nice career for himself.”
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