Martin Coleman comes on board with Douglas hurlers

Former Cork hurler Martin Coleman has been appointed as coach of the Douglas senior hurling team for the coming season.

The Ballinhassig native was a member of the county hurling panel from 2003-12, winning All-Ireland medals as back-up to Dónal Óg Cusack in 2004 and 2005. He played a key part in the 2008 All-Ireland SHC win over Galway, coming on as a sub following Cusack’s red card, though this proved to be his only championship appearance.

The son of Martin Sr - goalkeeper for the three-in-a-row of 1976-78 - also won All-Irelands at minor (2001) and intermediate (2003) levels.

With his club, he won county PIHC titles in 2005 and 2012, with the south-east club gaining Munster honours after the first of those. He had previously helped them to Cork, Munster and All-Ireland junior medals.

A former games development administrator with Cork County Board, Coleman – now the director of Kinsale College – had been involved with Rebel Óg development squads and in 2023 he was a Cork minor hurling selector.

At Douglas, Coleman will be joined by selectors David Larkin, Henry Grimes and Gearóid Reddington.

Under the management of Denis O’Riordan, the city reached the quarter-finals of the Co-op SuperStores Cork Premier SHC in 2023, losing to Imokilly after beating Erin’s Own and Fr O’Neills in the group stage and being defeated by Charleville.

For this year’s championship, they are in a group with reigning champions Sarsfields, Bishopstown and Newtownshandrum.

Another Ballinhassig coach taking up a new post is Niall O’Halloran, who will be involved with Lisgoold in the intermediate A championship.

O’Halloran has built up a strong portfolio, having won county titles with Bandon (2016 Premier IHC), Éire Óg (2020 IHC) and Fr O’Neills (2022 SAHC). O’Neills were unlucky last year, only losing once, to Douglas by a point, but drawing with both Charleville and Erin’s Own.

Lisgoold won the Lower IHC (now known as the Premier JHC) in 2021 and they have reached the semi-finals and quarter-finals respectively in their two years operating at intermediate A.

Mossie O’Connell, the manager for the 2021 county victory, remains in charge while Ronan Carroll, a county senior medallist with Erin’s Own, is also on board as a selector. The East Cork club will have Cloughduv, Mayfield and Youghal for company as they look to make an impact in the coming season.

O’Halloran – coach to MTU Cork in the Fitzgibbon Cup the last two years – also has inter-county coaching experience, having been part of John Considine’s set-up with the Cork minor panel in 2018, and Considine is also back on the sideline for 2024.

Considine, who was part of the Cork team that won the All-Ireland in 1990 – earning an All-Star the same year – has taken charge of Kilbrittain. The Glanmire native, who played his club hurling with Sarsfields, has lived in the West Cork parish for the past two decades.

The 2018 stint in charge of the Cork minors was his third – Martin Coleman was in goal as Considine led the county to an All-Ireland in 2001 – while he was also in charge as Cork won the one-off All-Ireland U17 competition in 2017 for players missing out on minor as the age-grade changed from 18 to 17.

He has also coached Sars as well as managing Cork at U21 level and acting as caretaker manager for two matches in 2009 prior to the appointment of Denis Walsh.

Considine had been involved with Kilbrittain under Jamie Wall, who has stepped down after four years in charge. The club reached the Lower IHC final in 2021, losing to Lisgoold, and in 2020 and 2022 they were beaten semi-finalists while last year they lost to Glen Rovers after a penalty shootout at the quarter-final stage.

For 2024, ‘the Ambers’ have been drawn with Barryroe and Ballygarvan – both of whom they had for company in their group in 2023 – as well as last year’s junior A champions Nemo Rangers.

Meanwhile, the dates for the Electric Ireland Fitzgibbon Cup campaigns of UCC and MTU Cork have been set. With four groups of three teams, both Cork sides sit out the first round of fixtures on January 17, with UCC away to Mary Immaculate College Limerick and MTU travelling to face SETU Waterford on January 24. A week later, January 31, UCC host Maynooth University while MTU are at home to DCU Dóchas Éireann.