Jim Gavin, the son of West Clare parents has stepped down as manager of the Dublin senior footballers.
On Saturday morning, Jim “informed county officers, his management team and the players that he was handing back the reins of the Dublin senior football team to the county committee,” a spokesperson for Dublin GAA confirmed.
Chairperson of Dublin GAA, Seán Shanley said the organisation would be “forever grateful to Jim Gavin for his dedication, commitment and contribution as a player and, since 2003, leading the next generation of players at U21 and Senior level. I regret his departure but appreciate the huge sacrifices he has made over this period. The committee will commence the process of considering suitable candidates to replace Jim and his management team shortly”.
A six time All-Ireland SFC winning senior manager, Gavin famously led the Dubs to a historic five in a row earlier this year. The forty eight year old was also in charge as they won seven Leinster titles and five National Football Leagues. At U21 level, the Dubs won three All-Ireland and Leinster championships under his tenure.
As a player, he was wing-forward on the team that won the 1995 All-Ireland title while he also won three Leinster championships and one National League. Earlier this year, he was nominated for the Freedom of Dublin City by Dublin City Council.
While holding the role of senior manager, the Dubs regularly visited West Clare for training camps which comes as no surprise due to Gavin’s strong family connections in the area. His father Jimmy hails from Cree and his mother Ann (neé Vaughan) was born in Moy. They moved to the capital not long after getting married when Ann was offered a teaching post there. Jimmy won a county championship with Cooraclare in 1964. The Gavin’s have strong family connections to Ballynacally also.
