Half of Premier SHC bosses casting second spells

When Brian Cody retired as Kilkenny manager a few days after the 2022 All-Ireland SHC final, it brought to an end a reign spanning nearly 24 years.

Unsurprisingly, an overarching theme of the reaction was that we would not see such a tenure again at the top level of inter-county GAA. Of the current sides competing for the Liam MacCarthy Cup, the man whose Limerick side beat Kilkenny in Cody’s last match, John Kiely, leads the way in his tenth year in charge of the Shannonsiders. Clare’s Brian Lohan, who first season in charge was 2020, is second.

The reasons for shorter stints are not difficult to comprehend. The demands on one’s time and energy are huge, it’s difficult to keep the message fresh so that players respond. Of course, younger players come through and others can be dispensed with but, at the same time, there is not the luxury of a transfer market to make wholesale changes.

For instance, Davy Fitzgerald’s 16 years in charge of Limerick IT is more than three times longer than any of his inter-county appointments – at third-level, player-churn happens automatically.

On top of all of those considerations, there is the fact that, however much someone might want to be in the job, results will ultimately dictate everything.

As difficult as it is to hold sway for an extended period in a county side, it’s harder again at club level, where the pool of talent is more limited.

However, unless a club has the wherewithal to venture outside its borders for managerial expertise, the coaching pool is finite too and so a common phenomenon is the returning boss, where someone does a few years, takes a break and comes back again.

Of the 12 clubs in the Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC, six of them are managed by someone who previously held the role before taking up the reins for a second time: Jamie Harrington (Blackrock), Liam Barry (Bride Rovers), Tomás Mulcahy (Glen Rovers), Tom Walsh (Kanturk), Gerdy O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum) and Johnny Crowley (Sarsfields).

Of course, Crowley led Sars to glory in 2010 and has had them on the winners’ rostrum twice, 2023 and 2025, the second time around, so the adage about never going back is one that need not be treated as gospel.