Seán Óg Ó hAilpín set for Cork minor hurling coaching role

SEÁN ÓG Ó hAILPÍN is set to serve under new Cork minor hurling manager Kieran Murphy as one of the coaches to the team for 2023.

The Na Piarsaigh clubman, who won All-Ireland medals in 1999, 2004, and 2005 — captain in the latter year — was confirmed as a coach at Tuesday night’s County Board meeting, along with Garry Gray of Sarsfields.

Ó Ailpín has previously been involved at senior and underage level with his club as well as serving as a Cork minor selector during the disrupted 2023 season, when Dónal Óg Cusack was in charge. Gray, a county SHC winner with Sarsfields in 2014, is current the coach to the Gaelcholáiste Mhuire an Mhainistir Thuaidh team in the Dr Harty Cup.

Murphy’s selectors are Martin Coleman (Ballinhassig), David Long (Kinsale), James Nyhan (Cloyne) and Colman O’Reilly (Shanballymore). Denis Murphy of Glen Rovers will be in charge of logistics.

The meeting also confirmed the appointment of former Galway and Sligo manager Kevin Walsh as a coach in the Cork senior set-up. Walsh won All-Ireland medals with Galway in 1998 and 2001 and was a three-time All-Star. As a manager, he led his native county to Connacht titles in 2016 and 2018.

He joins manager John Cleary and selectors James Loughrey, Ray Keane, Mícheál Ó Cróinín and Barry Corkery as Cork look to get out of Division 2 of the Allianz Football League and end an 11-year wait for a Munster senior championship.