OISIN MCCONVILLE, THE former Armagh forward whose goal in the 2002 final helped the Ulster county win their solitary All-Ireland SFC, is returning to the county set-up after a 13-year absence.
Armagh announced the news on their official Twitter account, saying that McConville would work along with former Armagh team-mate, Barry O’Hagan. It is O’Hagan, McConville explained, who will take on more of a managerial role, McConville set to specialise as a coach.
It’s an appointment that makes perfect sense, McConville’s football intelligence matched by the excellence of his man-management skills. As a player, he won 16 county championships, 10 Ulster club titles and five All-Irelands with Crossmaglen Rangers; as a county player, he collected two All-Stars, seven Ulster titles and a National League as well as that All-Ireland.
NEWS: Oisin McConville and Barry O'Hagan to manage the U20 County team for 2022, subject to ratification at the next county board meeting. pic.twitter.com/6TouzmM3AY
— armagh_gaa (@Armagh_GAA) December 17, 2021
He has also tasted managerial success with Crossmaglen, winning an Ulster club championship and two county titles, when he worked alongside John McEntee. For the last two years he has managed Iniskeen Grattans in Monaghan and will continue in that role, as well as maintaining his position as coach of Dundalk IT, with whom he has won two Trench Cups.
O’Hagan was also an All-Ireland winner in 2002, when he came off the bench to help Armagh defeat Kerry.
McConville told The42: “It is a busy (coaching) workload and when you have a young family, you are conscious of the amount of commitment you are able to give.
“But the Under 20s is not as full-on as senior inter-county management. It suits for now.
“It does not feel as though you are jumping into the deep end of the pool – it definitely feels as though the water will only be up to your waist.
“This is what I love. The fact it is more of a coaching role fits the bill a lot better for me.”
Down the line he would like to try his hand as a senior inter-county manager if the right position was to come up.
“That seems to be the obvious end game for most people who get into coaching. They want to do it at the highest level and I am no different.
“The split season has made it more doable and it has made it more attractive to people like me because the way things have been as an inter-county manager for the last six or seven years, the season was too prolonged and there was too much involved.
“I have had opportunities to go and do it but I didn’t want to go down that road because time would not allow it.”
McConville’s last involvement with Armagh was in 2008 when he was an unused sub in their All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Wexford. “I left on a sore point. I stopped playing because I was not getting much game-time in my last year.
“I have managed to put that behind me and it is time to move on. This is a completely different thing, a different chapter and the fact I have been given the opportunity is great because I know the vast majority of the young lads. I have seen them play. I can’t wait to get working with them.”
