IT has been a 12 months to remember for Lisnaskea man Owen Mooney, who guided St Brigid’s to the Connacht Club Championship title, as well as helping Dublin GAA reach new heights.
The Fermanagh coach is a well-known figure in GAA, having served in a number of roles with Ulster GAA, before his appointment as Learning and Games Development Coordinator with Dublin GAA in 2020.
Mooney’s career began at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen where he worked as a PE teacher, before his passion for Gaelic games saw him work with Ulster GAA.
The Lisnaskea man took a hands on role with the promotion of GAA in Fermanagh for many years. While he has moved on to a bigger role, helping young players in his home county is a highlight for Mooney.
“I wouldn’t be where I am today without my family and the likes of Hugh Kelly from Derrygonnelly and all of the staff I worked with at Ulster GAA,” Mooney told the ‘Herald.
“Teresa McNabb had a huge influence on me, as a friend and as a colleague, as well as Peter McGinnity and Tom Boyle.
“The experience of coaching in the primary schools in Fermanagh was immense. My first P1s was Joe McDade’s year and I saw Joe recently and we had a good catch up about it.
“Thinking about where I was then and where I am now, you have to pinch yourself sometimes.”
In April 2017, the Lisnaskea man was offered a job in the States to work as a Games Development Officer with Rockland GAA club in New York.
Mooney spent two years in America, before he made the decision to return to Ireland with his wife, Ciara, who was appointed to a senior physio position in Galway.
With a huge interest in sport, the Fermanagh man served as National Coach and Sport Development Coordinator for Special Olympics Ireland, before his appointment to Dublin GAA.
As Learning and Games Development Coordinator, Mooney is responsible for supporting the GAA coaches in Dublin.
“I’m based in Parnell Park all the time. We have 58 Games Promotions Officers who work in the clubs and I support them,” he explained.
“I look after staff development, coach development, all of the grade coach courses, referee development, resources and support. It’s a big role and it’s busy.”
Due to the size of Dublin and the huge demand for Gaelic games coaching, the county has two full-time GAA Games Managers, one for North Dublin and one for South Dublin.
It’s Mooney’s job to ensure that the coaches are provided with the relevant knowledge and guidance which they can pass on to their young players.
“I’ll be planning for 2026/27 around February, trying to get workshops sorted and making sure everyone is booked into enough courses,” the Fermanagh man said.
“Our volunteer coach developers are very experienced. We have the likes of John Divilly, Paddy Christie and Colm Nally on board.
“When the ‘new rules’ came in, Colm was on the FRC [Football Review Committee] so we were able to get a handle on coaching the rules pretty quickly. Colm knew all the rules and how to coach them.”
As well as his work with Dublin and his ongoing doctorate studies at Leeds Beckett University, Mooney is a coach at St Brigid’s in Roscommon, who recently captured the Connacht Club Championship title.
“I was doing a conference in Kildare and Stevie Poacher and Shane Curran were speaking at it. At the conference, I had a bit of a chat with Shane and we had things in common,” Mooney remembered.
“Shane rang me looking for a coach to come in with him and we were together for four years with different clubs.
“He’s a massive St Brigid’s man and then in 2023, St Brigid’s got in contact with me to say that Jerome Stack was leaving and they wanted me to come in as a coach.”
After receiving “his blessing” from Curran to work with the Roscommon club, Mooney teamed up with Anthony Cunningham at St Brigid’s – and the rest is history.
“Shane was a huge influence on me. He gave me his blessing, his friendship was more important than anything but he said I had to take it
“Last year, we won the league which they hadn’t done in eight years and we were unfortunate to be put out by Pádraig Pearses and they deserved it.
“This year, we won the league and we have been fortunate and extremely grateful for the lads they way they’ve been.
“We had two epic battles and then having the courageous, gutsy performance to get us over the line in the Connacht Final.
“My wife Ciara is our physio so there’s a bit of a family connection with Brigid’s now. We’re lucky to have that nice early Christmas present,” added Mooney.
