GIVEN IT WAS The Irish Examiner who broke the news, and given his role as their star columnist, it seemed a done deal Eamonn Fitzmaurice would take the Galway football manager’s role. He is now expected to be ratified at a county board meeting tonight.
The process since Pádraic Joyce stepped down just over three weeks ago, is a study in how these things are done now.
In a thoroughly modern way, Galway invited applications for the role through their social media channels. The closing date was 18 September.
It’s understood that no applications were made, though a few enquiries were made on a confidential basis.
In his punditry role. James Crombie / INPHO
James Crombie / INPHO / INPHO
Often, GAA policy is decided by small groups piling into cars before a meeting to choreograph the meeting to follow in the hall. Managerial appointments can have a similar level of subterfuge.
Small, clandestine subcommittees are set up. They draw up a shortlist of preferred candidates and then go out into the world to test the waters.
Galway had, through chairman Paul Bellew or intermediaries, already approached candidates other than Fitzmaurice. The headline grabber was Jim Gavin, but there were other options explored, invitations to grab a coffee and chew some fat.
That Fitzmaurice wasn’t their first pick is irrelevant to him. He will know that his candidacy was left-field. You’d imagine everyone in Galway is pleased.
A county that Joyce has lifted into perpetual contention for an All-Ireland just wants someone to get them over the line. In that respect, as a former All-Ireland winning manager, he fills that criteria.
Logistics
The logistics for him will be interesting. Back in 2020, he told media at an event in Croke Park, “I’m living in Blennerville now. I’m half an hour from Finuge/Lixnaw so it is not feasible to be getting involved and going out training them, but certainly I’d like to get involved with my own club again.
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“But, no, to be honest I would never see myself getting involved with another county. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to face Kerry, so it wouldn’t appeal to me.”
With heavy heart we announce that our Manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice has stepped down. We cannot thank @efitz6 enough for all he has done for Kerry GAA. He is a gentleman to the core and has given everything for the cause. We wish Éamonn and his family all the best
Fitzmaurice had settled into a nice groove for himself. While out of the county merry-go-round, he still was consumed by the GAA. He was filing a column for The Irish Examiner, was in heavy rotation as an analyst and co-commentator for RTÉ Sport and popped up on the RTÉ Podcast and others.
Outside of that, he was one of the Football Review Committee members who was pushed to the fore, possibly because of his unflappable nature and patience in explaining, but also because he oozes kudos.
A football man
At the back of it all, he was still a man very comfortable around dressing rooms.
He had spells coaching in the school to All-Ireland success in 2014. His own clubs came calling, and he coached hurling with Lixnaw and football with Finuge, even coaching them to their recent Junior championship win over Knocknagoshel.
He had the privilege of nurturing the Clifford brothers with Fossa and winning an All-Ireland Junior championship.
As manager of Fossa. Bryan Keane / INPHO
Bryan Keane / INPHO / INPHO
Being so close to the county scene and the transformation of the game that he was so embedded in surely left him craving complete immersion.
In the past he wrote that no matter how the world perceived a game, he would still find enough areas of interest to sustain him. Now that it shines brighter than ever, it’s natural that he wants to be a participant rather than an observer.
Plotting out his journey to Galway, he would leave Blennerville, travel through Tralee and up to his homelands of north Kerry to get the Tarbert ferry across to Killimer in Clare.
All in, he could do it in well under three hours.
That’s the ideal scenario. The complication comes when he starts out from Dingle where he is the principal of Pobalscoil Chorcha Dhuibhne, which will add another 45 minutes to the journey.
Again, this will not put him off. He has previously heard approaches from counties much further away than Galway, and did give it some thought.
Talk of taking a year out of teaching would seem extremely hopeful.
There are some restrictions in that teachers have to apply in the previous spring to take time off from the following September. Given his role is that of principal, it would take a lot of moving and shifting for this to come to pass.
The outside man
Galway have had three local managers for the past 15 years: Alan Mulholland spent three years, Kevin Walsh was there for five and Joyce, seven.
Fitzmaurice is the first outside football manager since his fellow Kerry man Tomás Ó Flatharta, and Joe Kernan before him.
His first job will be to assemble a backroom team. While there is some attention brought to the lack of candidates among Galway for the manager’s job, it could be a different story for potential selectors.
Two strong candidates could be Kevin O’Brien, who led Corofin to three All-Ireland club titles. His footballing philosophy could dovetail perfectly with Fitzmaurice’s.
Kevin O'Brien. Tommy Dickson / INPHO
Tommy Dickson / INPHO / INPHO
Another is Kevin Johnson, the Sligo native who has managed Corofin in the past and is the current Galway U20 manager.
He might want some company on the journey and add a little more Kerry flavour to the mix. Dingle manager Padraig Corcoran could be just the man, and he had Corcoran as his head coach with Kerry a decade ago.
Tommy Griffin is another and while we are at it, Donie Buckley might be an option, living in Ennis.
All things considered, Fitzmaurice’s return to county management makes the pulse run that little bit faster.
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After helping to shape the new game, Eamonn Fitzmaurice opts for immersion with Galway
GIVEN IT WAS The Irish Examiner who broke the news, and given his role as their star columnist, it seemed a done deal Eamonn Fitzmaurice would take the Galway football manager’s role. He is now expected to be ratified at a county board meeting tonight.
The process since Pádraic Joyce stepped down just over three weeks ago, is a study in how these things are done now.
In a thoroughly modern way, Galway invited applications for the role through their social media channels. The closing date was 18 September.
It’s understood that no applications were made, though a few enquiries were made on a confidential basis.
Often, GAA policy is decided by small groups piling into cars before a meeting to choreograph the meeting to follow in the hall. Managerial appointments can have a similar level of subterfuge.
Small, clandestine subcommittees are set up. They draw up a shortlist of preferred candidates and then go out into the world to test the waters.
Galway had, through chairman Paul Bellew or intermediaries, already approached candidates other than Fitzmaurice. The headline grabber was Jim Gavin, but there were other options explored, invitations to grab a coffee and chew some fat.
That Fitzmaurice wasn’t their first pick is irrelevant to him. He will know that his candidacy was left-field. You’d imagine everyone in Galway is pleased.
A county that Joyce has lifted into perpetual contention for an All-Ireland just wants someone to get them over the line. In that respect, as a former All-Ireland winning manager, he fills that criteria.
Logistics
The logistics for him will be interesting. Back in 2020, he told media at an event in Croke Park, “I’m living in Blennerville now. I’m half an hour from Finuge/Lixnaw so it is not feasible to be getting involved and going out training them, but certainly I’d like to get involved with my own club again.
“But, no, to be honest I would never see myself getting involved with another county. I couldn’t imagine what it would be like to face Kerry, so it wouldn’t appeal to me.”
Fitzmaurice had settled into a nice groove for himself. While out of the county merry-go-round, he still was consumed by the GAA. He was filing a column for The Irish Examiner, was in heavy rotation as an analyst and co-commentator for RTÉ Sport and popped up on the RTÉ Podcast and others.
Outside of that, he was one of the Football Review Committee members who was pushed to the fore, possibly because of his unflappable nature and patience in explaining, but also because he oozes kudos.
A football man
At the back of it all, he was still a man very comfortable around dressing rooms.
He had spells coaching in the school to All-Ireland success in 2014. His own clubs came calling, and he coached hurling with Lixnaw and football with Finuge, even coaching them to their recent Junior championship win over Knocknagoshel.
He had the privilege of nurturing the Clifford brothers with Fossa and winning an All-Ireland Junior championship.
Being so close to the county scene and the transformation of the game that he was so embedded in surely left him craving complete immersion.
In the past he wrote that no matter how the world perceived a game, he would still find enough areas of interest to sustain him. Now that it shines brighter than ever, it’s natural that he wants to be a participant rather than an observer.
Plotting out his journey to Galway, he would leave Blennerville, travel through Tralee and up to his homelands of north Kerry to get the Tarbert ferry across to Killimer in Clare.
All in, he could do it in well under three hours.
Again, this will not put him off. He has previously heard approaches from counties much further away than Galway, and did give it some thought.
Talk of taking a year out of teaching would seem extremely hopeful.
There are some restrictions in that teachers have to apply in the previous spring to take time off from the following September. Given his role is that of principal, it would take a lot of moving and shifting for this to come to pass.
The outside man
Galway have had three local managers for the past 15 years: Alan Mulholland spent three years, Kevin Walsh was there for five and Joyce, seven.
Fitzmaurice is the first outside football manager since his fellow Kerry man Tomás Ó Flatharta, and Joe Kernan before him.
His first job will be to assemble a backroom team. While there is some attention brought to the lack of candidates among Galway for the manager’s job, it could be a different story for potential selectors.
Two strong candidates could be Kevin O’Brien, who led Corofin to three All-Ireland club titles. His footballing philosophy could dovetail perfectly with Fitzmaurice’s.
Another is Kevin Johnson, the Sligo native who has managed Corofin in the past and is the current Galway U20 manager.
He might want some company on the journey and add a little more Kerry flavour to the mix. Dingle manager Padraig Corcoran could be just the man, and he had Corcoran as his head coach with Kerry a decade ago.
Tommy Griffin is another and while we are at it, Donie Buckley might be an option, living in Ennis.
All things considered, Fitzmaurice’s return to county management makes the pulse run that little bit faster.
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Eamonn Fitzmaurice GAA Gaelic Football He's back