Páidí’s final job in inter-county management

THE late Páidí Ó Sé (pictured), who died suddenly last week, was appointed to the Clare senior football managers position in December 2006. The eight-time All-Ireland winner and 1985 All-Ireland winning Kerry captain also managed his county to All-Ireland success in 1997 and 2000 having also guided the Kerry U-21 team to national glory.

His management of Kerry concluded in 2003, after The Kingdom were beaten by Tyrone in the All-Ireland semi-final. The following year Ó Sé inspired Westmeath to winning their first and only Leinster senior title.

 

He succeeded Donie Buckley and Michael Brennan in Clare in the winter of 2006. Kieran Kelleher and Vincent O’Connor were his selectors, while the then county board chairman, Michael McDonagh led a delegation to West Kerry to convince Páidí to take accept the role.

“There was a delegation of Clare officials who came down to me in the pub on Friday night and this is the frugal truth of the fact. I met with them and they wouldn’t leave the pub without getting ‘yes’ for an answer so I told them I’d give them a 90% commitment. I had to check it out with the family. So I got the green light from the boss, who is my wife. And away we go and we have a go at it,” Ó Sé said at the time.

His love of Kerry was always crystal clear, however.

“I will always be a Kerry man. One of the highlights for me was the Ó Sé family brought the Sam Maguire up to Arda Bothar on the night before last and my young fella, Páidi Óg slept with the Sam Maguire. Now if that isn’t passion for Kerry football – you get somebody to come up with a better one,” he said in an interview with Newstalk radio in 2006.

Clare made a decent start to their Division 2A League campaign, beating Carlow and Leitrim. However a trio of successive defeats to Roscommon, Monaghan and Offaly helped to consign Clare to Division 4 of the NFL for the 2008 season. The league was restructured into four divisions in 2008. Clare have yet to emerge from the basement division despite the efforts of subsequent managers, Frank Doherty and Micheál McDermott.

Clare played Waterford in the first round of the Munster Championship in Dungarvan on May 20, 2007.

The home county won 1-6 to 0-7. That was the end of Clare’s championship season as newly relegated Division 4 teams were not allowed into the All-Ireland qualifiers in either 2007 or 2008.
Kilfenora’s David Connole lined out at wing-forward and achieved the unique distinction of playing minor, U-21 and senior championship football for Clare in 2007. The starting 15 featured three other U-21 players. John Hayes, Greg Lyons and Gary Brennan, who along with Connole, were part of the Clare U-21 team that defeated Kerry in the first round of the Munster championship in Kilmihil in March 2007.

Cratloe’s Oige Murphy became the first player from his club to play Munster championship football for Clare.

A players’ man to his fingertips, Páidí didn’t lay the blame for Clare’s defeat on them.

“I’m not in the least finding fault with the players,” Páidí said. “The players that we had down here today gave it their all and I would have to say that I’m proud of each and every one of them,” he added.

“In the first 15 minutes we played magnificent football and it just left us then after that,” Páidí stated.

“We went back to our old traits and to our own things that have been wearing the team down,” he sighed.

“Had we picked up another point I’d say we’d have possibly salvaged a draw,” the then Clare manager speculated.

“But a lot of the ball we got into our inside line, we were beaten for it. We were beaten for strength more than anything else. But in the end the Waterford lads finished stronger than us. We’d have to say that as well,” he admitted.

As downbeat as he was, Páidí reminded everyone that several Clare players were playing championship football for the first time.

“It’s a disappointing day. I’d have to say that. But you’d also have to consider that there was a very, very young Clare team out there today,” he observed.

For the record the team and subs in Páidí Ó Sé’s only Munster championship game in charge of Clare was: Joe Hayes (Lissycasey), Laurence Healy (Ennistymon), Conor Whelan (Doonbeg, capt), Gordon Kelly (Miltown), John Hayes (Kilrush), David Russell (Kilkee), Greg Lyons (Doora-Barefield); Frank O’Dea (Doonbeg), Gary Brennan (Clondegad); David Connole (Kilfenora), Enda Coughlan (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Oige Murphy (Cratloe), Evan Talty (Kilmurry Ibrickane), Stephen Hickey (Eire Óg), Rory Donnelly (Summerhill).
Subs: Michael O’ Dwyer (Kilmurry Ibrickane) for David Connole, Cathal Lafferty (Miltown) for Óige Murphy, Darragh Kelly (Kilkee) for John Hayes, Shane Daniels (Eire Óg) for Evan Talty.
Scorers: David Russell (0-2), Rory Donnelly (0-2, 1f), Stephen Hickey (0-1 pen), Evan Talty, Laurence Healy (0-1 each).