Departure of Kevin Murray from Cork football management is confirmed

Kevin Murray will not be a part of the senior football management for 2027.

At Tuesday’s monthly Cork County Board meeting at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh, it was confirmed that Murray, a member of the Cork squad that won the 1999 All-Ireland SHC, had decided to step aside from his role as coach in John Cleary’s set-up.

The possibility of such a development had been reported in The Echo last month. Murray – who coached UCC to win the county SFC in 2011 – is currently part of his brother Paudie’s management with the St Finbarr’s senior hurling team, who qualified for the quarter-finals of the Co-op SuperStores Premier SHC last weekend.

However, while that departure was revealed to delegates at the meeting, there were no appointments made to any of the three vacant managerial posts. The U20 hurling, minor hurling and minor football roles remain under consideration.

The recruitment of Cian O'Neill as coach to the senior hurling team, which had been previously revealed, was rubber-stamped. A high-performance coach will also be added to manager Ben O'Connor's backroom in due course.

At the behind-closed-doors meeting, Cork chairperson Pat Horgan also took issue what what he termed inaccurate reporting around the management situations, saying that it was putting volunteers under an unfair spotlight.