Maigh Cuilinn senior football team manager Cathal Clancy. Photo by Cumann Peile Mhaigh Cuilinn
By Cian O’Connell
Cathal Clancy smiles about the madness and relentlessness of it all. That Maigh Cuilinn have remained relevant is a source of considerable pride.
On Sunday, Maigh Cuilinn contest a fourth Bon Secours Galway SFC Final in five years against Corofin. Consistency has been attained, but out west there is rarely a tougher test than a match against Corofin, regardless of the grade or level.
Valuable lessons have been learned by Clancy during Maigh Cuilinn’s splendid recent spell. “It is nice, it is new to me, it is my first year as manager, but I have been there in the background with this team since 2018,” Clancy explains.
“When Don Connellan was manager, I was there doing all sorts of roles - coaching, analysis, carrying the water sometimes. The experience of the county final thing isn't that new, but I'm finding with the management side there is a whole lot of other stuff just like tonight that comes.
“It is good, it is exciting, and it is our fourth one now in five years. As a group we are well used to it, but each ones brings something new with it.”
Maigh Cuilinn’s rise has been remarkable and swift. Talented footballers have always represented the club and subsequently Galway, but the current crop continue to deliver. “1977 was when Moycullen had previously got to a semi-final or final when we reached the semi-final in 2019, 42 years,” Clancy remarks.
“I played from the late 90s and a lot of the 2000s, we got to a couple of quarter-finals, we couldn't even win one. Now, to have just been in our sixth semi-final in a row, our fourth final in five years, it is mad.
“It is something we're embracing, we're kind of getting used to it, and we hope it will stay around for a good while to come yet. You just have to make them count when they come along. On Sunday that is what we're looking to do.”
Under Connellan’s shrewd guidance Maigh Cuilinn emerged as a force in Galway football. Clancy has also been on the line with Connellan and Maurice Sheridan with accomplished University of Galway outfits in the Sigerson Cup. “I've had a great tutelage in the last few years,” Clancy responds.
“Having played for Moycullen, I fell into the management side. I was looking after an U21 that Seán Kelly and Peter Cooke were on in 2017. That led me to take on the juniors and getting involved in the seniors with Don in 2018.
David Wynne and Owen Gallagher celebrate following Maigh Cuilinn's 2022 AIB Connacht Club SFC victory. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
“Through that I got to learn so much with Don. Then, in the Sigerson with Maurice Sheridan. Anyone that goes into coaching or managing, they take a little bit along the way from people they've been under or seen. So, you're just trying to take the best bits that you can.”
Coaching assistance has been provided in 2024 by former Donegal footballer Mark McHugh, who has been involved with Maigh Cuilinn. “Mark has been a brilliant influence on us this year, he has been a huge addition,” Clancy remarks.
“The connection is that David Wynne, our captain, went to college with Mark McHugh. That was our connection at the start of the year, Mark was with Roscommon last year, he was taking a break away from the inter-county scene.
“He got involved with us, he still played with his club all year. He never missed a game for Kilcar. He did one night every week with us and every second weekend.”
McHugh will return to the inter-county arena with Westmeath, who recently appointed Dermot McCabe as manager. In Maigh Cuilinn the respect for McHugh runs deep. “What he has brought has just been brilliant,” Clancy adds.
“He brings enthusiasm, he has a great way about him, the lads love him. He probably brings that bit of a northern influence too, which is needed sometimes. Kieran Murphy and myself are still involved from the regime over the last few years, just to have that bit of freshness was super.
“He is now going in with Westmeath, but he is fully committed to us. As long as we keep playing football, Mark McHugh will still be coming down from Kilcar and we are delighted with that.”
As a native Clancy has seen how Moycullen has developed as a place. Undoubtedly, that brings different challenges, but one thing is for certain: sport will be on the agenda.
This week, the dynamic Julie Ann-Russell features for the Republic of Ireland senior international team against Georgia. Her brother, John, manages Sligo Rovers and was an accomplished underage Gaelic footballer back in the day.
Others with strong connections to the area like Vinny Faherty and Iarfhlaith Daveron starred on the League of Ireland stage. Moycullen’s thriving basketball club has contributed enormously to the local community. “In one sense Moycullen is growing the whole time, it is a different village in many ways than it was 20 or 25 years ago,” Clancy explains.
Maigh Cuilinn coach Mark McHugh. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
“We've seen that reflected in the teams that have come up. The other side of it is there is a huge amount of work being done by the club at underage level in the last 20 years. You've lots of areas around the city that are growing.
“I think it is a tribute to the club. Our juvenile club with Dermot Cullen as the current chairman, the senior club has Seán Houlihan as the chairman. The work that goes in is Trojan. The thing about Moycullen is that it is a very sporty place.
“Just because the place is growing doesn't mean they will all play football. Right now, we have the likes of John Russell managing in the League of Ireland, his sister is playing, we've a basketball team competing at national level, Dylan Tierney-Martin is playing for Connacht Rugby, Fiona Murtagh was in the Olympics, it is a very sporty place with so much going on.
“Our hurlers are a Senior A team. To have two senior teams - we are growing, but it isn't a massive pool - it is a tribute to the work that goes on across the clubs in the parish. Long may it continue.”
Everywhere you turn in the Maigh Cuilinn panel, a footballer has featured at inter-county level, underage or senior. Four years ago Maigh Cuilinn triumphed, but they haven’t drifted. “We won the first one in 2020 and won again in 2022, going all the way to an All-Ireland semi-final,” Clancy says.
“It is just something you can see within this group, there is a massive, massive hunger to keep it going. It has been aided by a lot of younger lads coming in. If you go back over the 2020 team versus now, you've a lot of the same lads still playing, but we've a lot of new lads coming in too.
“We won a county minor title in 2022, I was involved in, and they are all starting to filter through. Seán O'Connor has played some games this year, he came on the last day, he started the first day against Dunmore, we've loads of other young lads coming through. They're learning from all of this in the senior group.”
A solid foundation has been established. Maigh Cuilinn want to keep competing for silverware in Galway. “No more than Corofin have done over the years, we are hoping to pass on and keep it going,” Clancy acknowledges. “We didn't want to just win one in 2020 and be gone again.
“Even just being in our sixth semi-final does show a level of consistency over the years. Ultimately, it is about winning the big one really.”
An interesting match beckons at Tuam Stadium.
