Aidan O'Shea: 'The desire to play is getting even stronger'

Michael Bolton

If you told Aidan O'Shea back in 2009 he would still be playing for Mayo in 2026, he wouldn't have believed you.

Some 17 years later, the man with the most outfield appearances in the championship is still as motivated as ever to chase success.

At this point in his career, at 35, he knows there are not many years left in inter-county football for him, and he enjoys every day as much as he possibly can.

Since making his debut as an 18-year-old, O'Shea has managed to stay mostly injury-free and says his discipline has been key to his longevity.

"In a contact sport, I haven't had too many significant injuries that have put me out for too long.

"On the flip side, despite what people would have thought earlier in my career, I probably was quite diligent and disciplined to set myself up as best as I can.

"You are probably never going to be 100 per cent. Sometimes you just go to grind through stuff.

"We train and play games, and in between is where, if you don't mind yourself, things will catch up with you quickly.

"When your desire is there, it is easy to maintain that discipline. It has never been something that has flickered or gone away.

"Playing for Mayo is something unbelievable and something I always wanted to do. If anything, the desire is getting stronger as the end is a lot closer to the start.

"I just go into training and hope I am starting next week against London, I train as hard as I can, and I get a great buzz out of that."

Having played alongside him for many years, O'Shea is now managed by his former teammate Andy Moran.

After spells with Leitrim and Monaghan, the former Mayo forward replaced Kevin McStay, as Mayo missed out on a league final after five wins.

The last couple of seasons have seen Mayo's season end in the smallest of margins. A one-point defeat to Donegal last season ended their hopes in the group stages, while a preliminary quarter-final ended in a penalty shoot-out defeat to Derry in 2024.

Having Moran as manager for the last few months, O'Shea is confident that standards are rising in Mayo.

"His energy is massive in all walks of life, not just football. Anytime you meet Andy, he is in good form. His energy is infectious.

"He set things fairly straight for us when we met first, basically said we haven't been where we should be over the last couple of years.

"He has driven standards back to a level that we had let slip a little bit holistically in Mayo.

"I would have definitely said he would have got involved in coaching. He was talking coaching with me in the latter stages of his career. He was big into soccer when he was younger. He talked about soccer tactics and applying them to Gaelic football."

One of the stories of Mayo's league campaign was the emergence of younger players, with all eyes on Kobe McDonald.

The son of Mayo legend Ciarán, the 18-year-old has been the centre of attention, as he scored 1-4 in his debut, a win over Monaghan in the league.

Unfortunately for Mayo fans, McDonald will be heading off to the AFL with St Kilda in the summer.

O'Shea has been impressed with how Kobe has carried himself as the hype has been building around him.

"It’s a funny one because obviously Kobe, for lots of reasons, there’s a lot of expectation. Obviously, his dad, being who he is, and for anybody who’s been in Mayo or kind of keeping tabs on it, like we’ve been hearing about Kobe since he was eight or nine years of age.

"What I’ve noticed about him, there’s a real self-assuredness about him and for an 18-year-old kid, it’s not like he’s just come into the Mayo squad. He’s very comfortable in his own skin.

"I think he is nearly embracing this period of time. Conscious of the fact that his intention is to go to Australia and be an absolute success."

It has been a busy few months for the Breaffy man off the pitch, as he and his wife welcomed their baby, Romee, into the world.

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After another season of heartbreak for Mayo, he could have been tempted to walk away with an exciting chapter of his life coming up, but the thought never crossed his mind.

" I suppose coming out of Donegal, you'd be raw for a few days and gathering your thoughts a bit, and from a home life perspective, we were expecting in January, and obviously, there were some considerations there.

"You’re leaving the house a lot, and you have a newborn in the house, so I was conscious of that.

"So maybe from a desire perspective, there was no doubt about wanting to play, but I would say there were just some lifestyle things that I probably didn't have to think about before.

"Once we chatted about that at home with Kris and the support I get from both sides, my in-laws and my own family, it helps at this moment in time to make sure I can play football.

"But yeah, that was probably the only consideration, but other than that, I was happy enough."