New Inniscarra hurling manager Danny O'Donoghue honoured to take over

AFTER Inniscarra won a glorious PIHC title in 2022, it was much more of a struggle in 2023 where they just about held onto their senior A status, with the aim now of kicking on.

The Muskerry club had to beat Mallow in the relegation play-off last September to survive, after suffering three defeats in the group stage to Killeagh, Na Piarsaigh and Bride Rovers, where they played in fits and starts. The team in blue and white saved the best till last when they put on their best performance in nearly 12 months to beat Mallow 3-16 to 1-13.

When a club does get promoted, the first objective is to avoid relegation, and Scarra achieved that, but there were mitigating factors in their struggles last season. It’s a fresh start now though, with the appointment of Danny O’Donoghue from Kanturk as the new manager ahead of the new season.

O’Donoghue has been heavily involved with Kanturk over the past two decades at all levels, and was part of the management team that guided the club to IHC glory in 2013. He also coached Duhallow to the U21 hurling county in 2009 and in more recent years, he has ventured outside of Cork, training Limerick sides Effin and Feohanagh-Castlemahon.

“First of all, it’s a great honour to be the new Inniscarra hurling manager,” says O’Donoghue.

“Inniscarra would have a lot of history, and traditionally would always have good hurlers, so it’s a big responsibility. One day recently I got a call from the club, out of the blue really, and the job really attracted to me. The stature of the club and the grade of hurling that Inniscarra are playing in and the potential is there to push on. It was an easy decision, I didn’t have to think too hard about it.” 

O’Donoghue has closely analysed Inniscarra’s championship games from last season. It was a very evenly matched group, and there always has to be a team that finishes bottom, unfortunately from Inniscarra’s point of view, it was them.

“Since I have come in the door, it has been extremely busy trying to get to know as much as I possibly can about the team. I watched back the Killeagh and Bride Rovers games from last year, and both of those teams would be very strong, and I thought from watching the games back, Inniscarra weren’t too far away. It was just when Inniscarra had their purple patch, they maybe didn’t deliver the scores that they should have. I haven’t seen the Na Piarsaigh match yet, which was in between the Bride Rovers and Killeagh games, but by all accounts they lost their way that evening.

“The Mallow match, with so much pressure on, the team delivered, but I do think a lot of it comes down to the day of the game. Inniscarra were down a few players last year due to lads being away, and I am not sure whether they will be back in the summer, but I have met the squad already and there's a great group there. We have a few players coming back from long-term injuries, so that’s a positive, and also players coming through from U21 level.” 

The 2024 championship group stage has pitted Inniscarra against Ballyhea, Glen Rovers and Killeagh. A difficult one, but O’Donoghue, as ever, is confident.

“The ultimate ambition has to be to qualify out of the group,” he said.

“I think we are plenty good enough to do that, but the lads will have to put in the work and things will have to fall our way. The team started slow and it cost them against Killeagh in the opening round last year, we can’t do the same this season. Ballyhea first up is crucial as then we have the Glen, which is a different ball game, before Killeagh in the last group match.”