*Dermot Coughlan. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
DERMOT COUGHLAN has been appointed as the new manager of the Clare U20 footballers.
Kilmurry Ibrickane clubman Coughlan was unanimously ratified to the post at the September meeting of Clare GAA on Tuesday night.
His emergence as the leading candidate was first reported by The Clare Echo which flagged last week that he was set to be appointed at the September meeting.
He succeeds Maurice Walsh who served in the role for one season. No exact term was proposed for the 1992 Munster SFC winner who spent six seasons in charge of the county minors up until 2024, reaching the provincial final in 2020.
Eoin Curtin who was among the coaches in Peter Keane’s Clare senior football management is on board as coach to Coughlan’s U20 side. The St Flannan’s College school teacher who is a three-time Clare SFC winner with St Joseph’s Miltown was a selector and coach in Keane’s ticket for 2024. Prior to this, he coached Miltown and Liscannor.
Liscannor’s TJ Carey is on board as a selector for the U20s, he previously worked with Dermot in the county minor set-up. Similarly, goalkeeper coach Peter O’Dwyer links up with his fellow clubman once again at inter-county level.
Jack Boddy who has been Club Development Officer with Craughwell and Castlegar in Galway is responsible for S&C. He had been an understudy to Shane O’Rourke with the senior footballers in the season just gone.
Murt Crowley (medical), Shane Callinan (kitman) and Dermot O’Mahoney (video analysis) are all part of Dermot’s ticket which was proposed by Clare GAA Chairman Kieran Keating and seconded by his Naomh Eoin clubman, Gabriel Keating. Further additions are likely to be made to his management in due course.
Coughlan this weekend will be in charge of Kilrush Shamrocks when they face Cooraclare in the Clare IFC quarter-finals. Already this year, they are unbeaten in the championship and have won the Garry Cup to secure promotion to the Cusack Cup for 2026. He has previously managed Kilrush, Kilmihil and Clondegad to championship glory in the intermediate grade.
