Padraig O’Shea appointed as Midleton manager following Micheál Keohane’s three-year spell

There’s continuity, change and a familiar feeling all in one for Midleton, as Padraig O’Shea is set to take on the role as manager for the 2026 season.

O’Shea, who captained the Magpies to county glory over Sarsfields in 2013, now returns in a very different role but with a very similar mission, to bring the Seán Óg Murphy Cup back to Midleton.

His appointment comes after Micheál Keohane’s three-year spell in charge, a tenure that yielded two Premier Senior Hurling Championship finals and a semi-final, but ultimately fell just short of silverware. And on each occasion, they were bested by the team that O’Shea helped defeat in 2013, Sarsfields.

O’Shea was part of Keohane’s backroom team during the outgoing manager’s first two seasons at the helm, before taking a step back ahead of the 2025 season.

He’s been busy in the interim. Having already been a selector when Midleton won the first of two consecutive East Cork U21 titles and a county success last year, he's been part of the backroom team again this season, as the Magpies are on the cusp of adding to their third straight divisional success with a second consecutive county crown. Only Shandrum stand in their way this weekend at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh’s 4G.

The continuity for Midleton is in the backroom team. Carrigtwohill native Frank Flannery is staying on as the team’s coach, while Barry Fitzgerald and Liam Walsh remain as selectors for a second season.

Prior to joining Midleton at the start of 2025, Flannery was manager of Carrigtwohill in 2023, when they were defeated in the SAHC semi-finals. Before that, he guided Kanturk to that same title in 2021.

He’s also led Waterford clubs Ballysaggart and Ardmore to county intermediate titles, and aided Wexford side Oulart-the-Ballagh to back-to-back county senior successes in 2015 and 2016, as well as a Leinster SHC title in 2015.

Incoming selectors are Aidan Ryan and Cillian Hurley, both of whom only recently stepped away from playing, and have been alongside O’Shea this year with the Midleton U21 management team.

Ryan was playing alongside O’Shea when Midleton were crowned county champions in 2013, while Cillian Hurley – club veteran and third choice goalkeeper in 2023 – was called into action when both Brion Saunderson and Bryan Rossiter were unavailable for their second group meeting against Glen Rovers, and stepped up to make a couple of key saves in the first half, which earned him second choice status right up until the end of this championship season.

The goal for O’Shea this coming year will be converting their recent U21 success into county glory, something they haven’t been able to achieve since 2021, when the late Ger Fitzgerald as manager and current Cork senior hurling manager Ben O’Connor at the helm.