Noel Hanley fronts new Ballyhea hurling management ahead of 2026 season

It’s another reset for Ballyhea as they turn towards 2026, with clubman Noel Hanley stepping into the manager’s role and fronting a new-look ticket for the season ahead.

Hanley is joined by former Limerick senior hurler Stephen Walsh as coach, while Ciaran Breen takes responsibility for strength and conditioning. Ballyhea men Michael Morrissey and former Cork hurler Johnny O’Callaghan complete the backroom team, as preparations begin for a Senior A Hurling Championship campaign that sees them face Blarney, Castlelyons and Watergrasshill in the group stages.

The appointment marks a fourth Senior A manager in four seasons for the north Cork club, following the departure of Claude Gough and his management team at the end of last season.

Hanley was part of John Mortell’s management team that stepped aside at the end of 2023, a group which included current Charleville boss Dominic Foley. Aidan Fitzgerald and Jimmy Quilty oversaw the 2024 season before Gough, assisted by Ollie Morrissey, Darren Ronan and Jonathan O’Sullivan, took charge in 2025.

The incoming Breen and Walsh have both worked together previously with the Limerick U20 hurlers, Breen as S&C coach under Evan Loftus with Walsh as a selector for the past two seasons. In both campaigns, the Limeick U20s were eliminated from the round robin phase with Waterford, posting one win from four in each campaign in 2024 and 2025.

Michael Morrissey joins the ticket having only recently retired. An Intermediate championship winner in 2014, he is the brother of current Ballyhea veteran forward John, with the family link continuing through the cousins of Gavin and Kieran Morrissey, who both lined out alongside John in last season’s final round group win over Bishopstown.

Their aim for the 2026 season will be getting out of the group, after the north Cork side have posted three consecutive third place finishes, with identical records of one win and two defeats.

That win over Bishopstown in 2025 was enough to ensure they avoided the relegation playoff, but defeats to Inniscarra on the first day out and eventual finalists Castlelyons prevented them from reaching the knockout stages for the first time since 2022.

On that occasion over three years ago, they lost out by a point to Courcey Rovers in the quarter-final, a defeat they then avenged on the opening round of the 2023 campaign, as they took down Courceys with five points to spare. However, defeats to Newcestown and Blarney – that season’s winner and runner-up – would leave them third.

2024’s championship saw them again paired up in the group stage with the eventual champions Glen Rovers, though their first round defeat to Inniscarra meant qualification would be a huge ask with just one game completed.

They did manage to beat Killeagh in the second round, but a heavy defeat to the Glen and a three-way tie on two points, meant Ballyhea finished on the wrong side of the line once more.

Inniscarra would again catch them in 2025, as did beaten finalists Castlelyons, the latter of which they will meet again this season in an extremely tough group.

League form will offer an early barometer. Ballyhea begin their RedFM Hurling League Division 4 campaign at home to Kildorrery on March 8.

They’ll also meet Blackrock’s second team, Kilworth, Cloughduv, Aghabullogue, Mallow, Bishopstown, St Catherine’s and group stage opponents Watergrasshill across the spring and early summer.