McDermott takes over Garrycastle

FORMER Clare senior football manager, Micheál McDermott has been appointed manager of 2011 Leinster club champions Garrycastle. The Westmeath club were beaten in the 2012 county final and have won six senior championships since the club was established in 1981.

McDermott led Kilmurry Ibrickane to the 2010 All-Ireland club final and was in charge of Clare for three years. He was also involved with Monaleen in Limerick for two years. His appointment to the post in the midlands was confirmed last weekend.

“Garrycastle are a good side with a good tradition. They’re very much a club like Kilmurry Ibrickane. They have great ambition and they’re actually the same colours. If I’m as successful up there as I was back in Kilmurry Ibrickane, I’d be very, very happy,” McDermott said.

“It’s a challenge I’m looking forward go, going into a new county and a new team. It’s a fresh challenge,” he added.

The Cavan man was approached about the position in recent weeks.

“They made contact with me a couple of weeks ago to see would I be interested in it and would I meet with their committee. I think they spoke to a number of people at the time. They came back to me last Sunday evening and said they wanted me to take over. To be honest I didn’t think twice about saying yes,” he said.

“They’re probably a group of players that are hurting from losing the county final in 2012 and I’d say they are ambitious and ready for road in 2013. Their main goal will be to win back their county title. There’ll be a lot of hard work along the way to do that,” McDermott forecast.

The Cavan man is also managing the NUIG Sigerson Cup team.

“We’re out in the Sigerson against DIT on January 28. There’s a big, big challenge ahead of us in that game because DIT are probably one of the favourites for the competition and not alone for our game. But we’ve prepared well. They’re a good bunch of lads and the fact that we have D IT at home is a big, big plus for us,” he maintains.

Meanwhile, last years St Joseph’s Doora-Barefield senior hurling manager, Ciaran O’Neill has been appointed manager of the Doonbeg senior footballers for 2012. O’Neill coached Kilmaley to their last senior hurling title in 2004. Aidan Moloney has been re-appointed to the post of Kilrush senior manager following last weekends Kilrush Shamrock’s AGM.