Late John O’Mahony was an ‘innovative manager and coach who saw success with many different teams'

The late John O’Mahony was “an innovative manager and coach who saw success with many different teams”.

Ballaghaderreen resident Mr O’Mahony, who passed away on Saturday at the age of 71, was a former member of the Connacht Council GAA, serving as the colleges’ representative on the council. In addition, he also managed the Connacht interprovincial team.

A statement this afternoon from Connacht GAA said: “He was an innovative manager and coach who saw success with many different teams. He managed his school, St Nathy’s College, to an All-Ireland Senior B title in 1999. At just 30 years of age, he successfully managed Mayo to an U-21 All-Ireland title in 1983 and led Mayo to the All-Ireland final in 1989. In 1994, he led Leitrim to their first Connacht title in 67 years. He finally saw All-Ireland senior success with Galway in 1998 and again in 2001.

“As a manager, he won Connacht titles in 1988, 1989, and 2009 with Mayo; in 1994 with Leitrim; and in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003 with Galway.

“He was also a strong advocate of the province outside football and served the people of Mayo as a member of the Dáil from 2007 until 2016 and as a member of Seanad Éireann from 2016 until 2020.

“He was a tremendously generous person with his time and often assisted Connacht GAA with our match streaming as a co commentator, most recently in Philly McGuinness Park Mohill for the Connacht B U-20 final with John Lynch. He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of GAA in the province and country,” said the statement.

President of Connacht GAA Vincent Neary said: “I have a long association with John O going back to my school days when he taught me in St Nathy’s and coached me as a footballer.

“In later years as a player I often came up against his Ballaghaderreen teams. I’d like to highlight his enormous contribution to the GAA in the province successfully managing three different counties to success a feat unlikely to repeated.

“Many of his former players went on to manage teams successfully, in fact all five Connacht counties have had managers who were previously coached by John O. I’d also like to acknowledge his contribution to the council as a colleges’ representative.

“News of John O’s passing has stunned us all and to his wife Geraldine, his daughters Grainne, Niamh, Rhona, Deirdre and Cliodhna; his brothers, Fr. Stephen and Fr Dan, and the wider Towey and O Mahony families I’d like to extend the deepest sympathies of Connacht GAA.”