Pádraic Joyce still passionate about the Galway cause

By Cian O’Connell

During a glittering playing career Pádraic Joyce won two All-Ireland SFC titles with Galway. Important matches were always on the agenda.

In north Galway, football dominated the conversations. That is what the talk was about. A couple of decades later, Joyce has helped to forge that connection once again between the senior inter-county team and supporters.

Reaching two All-Ireland finals in 2022 and 2024 illustrated Galway’s potential. Joyce, though, is anxious to make sure that the management and panel never forget where they came from. “We won't and we don't because we're all ordinary people,” Joyce says.

“Yeah, we're managing Galway or involved with Galway playing, but we go back to clubs all the time. There's no airs and graces with anyone in the squad, thank God.

"We're humble enough to know where we come from, where we go. We'll take the flak when we get it, we'll take the pat on the back if it comes.

“I think it's huge that everyone feels part of it and I'd be huge on kind of developing a family atmosphere within the group as well. Every day we play a championship match, we'd have a family with us or someone that we'd donate a matchday experience kind of stuff.

“Money would be raised at some things and a charity would benefit. We'd take the family that come in with us all the time. Do the matchday pre-match stuff, come on the bus to the game, from the game, see the dressing room, see the players. We've no problem doing that for supporters because obviously we have to give back to them as well.”

Being Galway senior football team manager means life is busy. The day job is owner and managing director of PJ Personnel, a recruitment agency for the construction sector. Football, though, matters deeply to the proud Killererin man. “It's a privilege to be doing it, I always say that,” Joyce remarks about being the Galway boss.

“I don't see it as work or a job. It's very, very enjoyable. The players, I have said it from day one, they give everything.

“People will complain about them when they're having a few pints in the pub and complain about the manager and all that stuff. That's part and parcel. It's a bit of craic as well.

“Everyone has opinions on everything, which is great and we understand that people have to have opinions of it.

“But it's very, very enjoyable this time of the year when you're playing game-on-game, week-on-week. It's every two weeks now from now on in the championship, hopefully.”

The world is constantly changing, but protecting players is crucial according to Joyce. “Online has gone huge, it's gone crazy,” Joyce says.

“You only see it if you read it. Lads know themselves that people have opinions. It's the way they are. When Padraic Joyce leaves the Galway job, will they all be queuing up to take it?

“No, they won't because they'll just give an opinion and move on. That's just the way they are. Lads are well grouped nowadays. Every county has media managers, and everyone has different things to educate them what to be at and not to be at.”

Joyce’s exploits as a player earned respect. Tuam Stadium was frequently the venue where Joyce gave football clinics for Killererin. For Galway, Joyce contributed on the days that mattered most in 1998 and 2001.

New York host Galway at Gaelic Park in the Connacht SFC on Sunday. The next assignment in a busy 2025. What is the difference being a manager? “It's different when you're playing, your focus is on yourself,” Joyce replies.

“You've to worry about yourself, make sure you're right and make sure your ego is half filled as such and everything about yourself. When you're managing, it took me a long time.

"I had to adapt my way because I'd be old school and probably a little bit stout in a way and stubborn to a lot of degrees.

“I have to worry about all the players. I have to worry about all the backroom team and even the camaraderie there. You try to build a culture and environment in a group that's enjoyable to come into.”

Football can be a release. “I know every person that comes into me has some sort of trouble at home whether it's a family member sick or something going on, or trouble at work, relationship trouble,” he adds.

“That all happens. That's part and parcel of life. But when they come in the door to us in Loughgeorge, you can see that they want to be there, and they enjoy the training. The banter between us and the players is really, really good.”

Positive relationships have been forged ensuring difficulties can be overcome. “We have our rows, we have our disagreements, but we move on,” Joyce says.

“I feel we have a very good culture there at the minute with the group. For me, it's trying to manage all that and keep all that going. Obviously, deal with the County Board as well. I have to try to fight for the best for the players.

“We have a brilliant chairman at the minute in Paul Bellew. I couldn't speak highly enough of the County Board and Micheál Geraghty [Football Committee chairman], Padraig Kelly [Football Committee secretary], all them fellas.

“They're now asking the last couple of years, what do you need, what do you want? While we look after the players, we don't really spoil them as such because there has to be a bit of give and take in what can be got and what can't be got. There are huge differences from playing to managing.”

Joyce is happy to delegate. “On the management side of it, there's huge emphasis on nutrition now,” he says. “I think it's gone bananas. Whereas we'd be heading out to the mother years ago to have a fry before a championship match and if a fella was hungry before the match, he'd get a Mars bar or something to keep him going until half-time.

“Now, it's so detailed, the protein levels, the fibre levels that go into the stuff. It's mind-boggling what they have to eat. Thankfully we've Niamh Mallon looking after that.

“She's really, really good so I don't really get too much involved in that. But the players are big into what goes into their bodies. They just treat themselves really well.”

Ensuring that they are tested in a sporting sense is what Joyce wants to do too. John Concannon, John Divilly, and Mícheál Ó Domhnaill have soldiered alongside Joyce. Cian O’Neill was involved for three years before switching to Kerry.

Mickey Graham and David Morris have been added to the Galway coaching ticket in 2025. Across the country, several set-ups have former inter-county managers involved. It is a growing trend. “Some managers are stepping away from managing and getting more involved in the coaching side of it,” is Joyce’s assessment.

“We had a good three years with Cian. He was really, really good to us, can't say a bad word about him. Brought us to a different level, no doubt, and this year we got in Dave and Mickey.

“I have been a couple years after Dave to try to get him in because I know his level, he just couldn't commit with work and different things. But he's really, really good.

“Mickey is excellent as well. There's a different dynamic coming with the two of them as well. It's nice as well to keep things fresh and hear different voices because you need to keep things fresh as well and keep different things coming in, different ideas.

“For me, an outsider view is good as well because they're coming in, they've no loyalty to anyone so they'll say it as they see it as well, which is great.”

Just the way Joyce wants. Focused and direct. An approach that is still serving Galway football well.