Eddie Murphy has proved time and again to be one of the best hurling coaches in Cork

Since the foundation of the GAA there have been many top-class coaches and managers and Bishopstown-born Eddie Murphy has a record up there with the best.

Club All-Ireland success in both camogie with Clanmaurice Kerry and Ballymartle Cork is a rare achievement for any manager but Murphy’s success goes on and on.

Indeed, the Bishopstown man has competed in 13 finals at GAA headquarters and in Cork he has been involved in eight county finals with various clubs.

“It all started with Kerry where I coached every team from U14 to Senior but I moved back to my home club Bishopstown where we had had success in 2006 and 2007 in the Premier U21 and Premier Intermediate championships,” said Murphy.

It was an amazing year as Murphy guided Colaiste na Gael Chiarrai to All-Ireland football success as well as being part of the Patrickswell team that reached the Limerick senior hurling final.

The link up with Ballymartle in 2009 was another shrewd move as the South East club reached the Holy Grail.

“We lost by four points to Douglas in 2009 but a year later we swept the boards that included the league, county, Munster and the All-Ireland Intermediate championship in 2011 so you could say this club were rewarded for their incredible dedication,” added Eddie.

Various clubs began reaching out to Murphy and in 2013 he spent a season with Newcestown and the following season he moved to Blarney.

“Newcestown were a great dual club that I certainly enjoyed and again Blarney were ambitious and you can see the progress they have made in recent years having three players on the Cork Senior hurling panel which is unprecedented.” 

In 2015, Blackrock was the next destination and despite guiding them to a league final they lost to Newtownshandrum in the championship.

ROAD TRIP

When you have a resume as good as Murphy has it is inevitable other counties would seek advice and a trip to Laois was next with Belfast, Limerick and Galway development teams also getting sessions from him.

In Cork, Junior teams like Newmarket and Dromina sought out Murphy but in 2024, the call from Carrigaline and Murphy couldn’t refuse.

“I had a fantastic two years with Carrigaline as in my first season we won the division two league but we sadly lost to a late Watergrasshill goal in the Premier Intermediate final.

“Last season we again got out of the group but lost to Ballincollig in the quarter-final but for any dual club it is very difficult to keep both codes firing on all cylinders.” 

In a recent Echo interview, the St Finbarr’s manager Paudie Murray spoke about his concerns for player welfare a sentiment echoed by Murphy.

“It’s crazy as the dual players are involved in about 18 games before the championship starts and in my book they should maybe have one higher division with seven teams that would give them six games with no hurling or football games in June.” 

This season, Murphy has joined the Éire Óg management team and he is once again experiencing a club with many dual players.

“The majority of my hurling team are footballers and presently we are fielding depleted teams as our last game against Blarney we had only 16 players available and in our previous game against Ballinhassig it was much the same.” 

After experiencing coaching various clubs in different counties does Murphy believe longevity at the helm is a thing of the past in club hurling and football.

If you are with a club too long, players get tired of listening to the same voice and the methods you use and for me to get the maximum from players maybe two to three years managing is ample time.” 

There is no doubt the coming season with Éire Óg will be demanding but it’s a challenge Murphy is relishing.

“Not having players full time for hurling when you are mixing football is always a test but I have a good relationship with Cathrach Keane in the football and when I have sessions getting the maximum out of players is a priority for me.

COMMITTED

“On the plus side, Éire Óg is a top club with great structures and facilities with committed people and I suppose knowing the background of the club is advantageous for me going forward.

“There are a lot more playing football than hurling at Éire Óg but in my book, some of the young people choose football as there are far more skills attached playing to hurling. The lads here are willing and we will see how far that can take us come championship.”