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O’Carroll was ‘open and honest’ about licence

Published

5 years ago

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Diarmuid O’Carroll has confirmed that his coaching qualifications were listed accurately in his application to become the new Northern Ireland U17 and U19 manager.

The Killarney man was left “devastated” last weekend after his appointment by the IFA was reversed within 24 hours due to an administrative error.

The U-turn led to confusion on Sunday before it emerged that O’Carroll technically did not have the correct coaching licence for the job. The Motherwell U20 boss has attained his ‘A’ and ‘B’ badges but he does not yet have the necessary UEFA Pro Licence to take on the role, although he is currently enrolled in a Pro Licence course in Scotland. When the IFA pointed this out to O’Carroll, the former Killarney Athletic player officially withdrew his application.

However, speaking to the BBC this week, the highly rated coach clarified that his correct qualifications were included in his initial job application.

"I have had the chance over the last few days to review my application in full and it clearly states that my Pro Licence, which is the question mark in this whole process, is ongoing,” he said. “I've put that in the qualification section of the application.

"I've never tried to hide it, anyone who follows me on social media or has anything to do with me will know that I am talking about the assignments and the excitement of the (Pro Licence) process at all times.

"It’s simply a technicality issue in terms of the criteria of the role and it’s nobody's fault. I have detailed it in the form and I have never consciously tried to mislead anybody. I've tried to be open and honest throughout the process.

"It is something that we need to move on from. The association will move on and, from my point of view, I will move on with my own career and take huge confidence from the fact that I was the person chosen."

In response to O’Carroll’s comments, the IFA issued the following statement:

"We cannot go into specific cases but can confirm all Irish FA application forms contain clear questions allowing the applicants to confirm they meet the essential criteria for the role. These answers are signed off as accurate by the applicant and then used by the panel to further shortlist. Only when applicants have confirmed they meet the essential criteria, can they move to the next stage of the process."

Ross Road native O’Carroll had been singled out as the outstanding candidate for the role following two interviews and a practical assessment. Following the mix-up, the IFA said they would “revisit the pool of other candidates to decide next steps” and on Tuesday they unveiled Academy Head Coach Gerard Lyttle as the new U17 and U19 manager.

It is undoubtedly an unfortunate turn of events for the 33-year-old, whose appointment had been greeted warmly in footballing circles in the north. The former Ireland U21 is a popular figure in Northern Ireland following successful stints as a player with Glenavon, Cliftonville and Crusaders, during which time he won four consecutive league titles (two apiece with Cliftonville and Crusaders).

On a positive note, O’Carroll has held encouraging talks with Motherwell and a return to Fir Park seems imminent.

"The people at Motherwell have been nothing but fantastic with me throughout my 18 months there, and they were among the first people on the phone to check I was alright. I have had very productive conversations with the manager and the chief executive, so that is something I am excited to get back into."

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

Published

3 months ago

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7 November 2025

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Paudie O’Connor National Cup (Round 1)

Utility Trust St Paul’s v GCU Brunell

Saturday 7.30pm

Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre

The St Paul’s women’s team will be hoping to get their National Cup adventure off the ground on Saturday when they welcome 2024 champions Brunell to Killarney. Tip-off in the Killarney Sports and Leisure Centre is at 7.30pm.

Paul’s have displayed some fine early season form, although their unbeaten start in the Super League came to an abrupt end last weekend when they lost to the Trinity Meteors in Dublin. James Fleming’s side weren’t at their best on the day but they were well in contention heading into the final quarter with the scores at 47-45 in favour of the hosts. The Meteors pushed on in the fourth, however, eventually running out 63-53 winners.

St Paul’s scorers on the night were Maisie Burnham (13), Tara Cousins (12), Lorraine Scanlon (12), Lovisa Hevinder (9), Denise Dunlea (5) and Leah McMahon (2).

The Killarney club are now joint second in the table alongside the Meteors with both teams holding a 4-1 record. Killester are top having won each of their first five games.

Paul’s opponents on Saturday, Brunell, have won three out of five league matches so far.

LAKERS

The Utility Trust St Paul’s Lakers have now won three of their last four games in Division 1 of the Men’s National League following an impressive home victory over Moycullen in Killarney.

Eoin Carroll and Jack O’Sullivan made significant contributions of the Boys in Black; Carroll hit 17 points and collected 13 rebounds while O’Sullivan had 14 points, 12 rebounds and some spectacular blocks.

Steve Kelly posted 30 points and the durable Sam Grant played every second, adding 21 points along the way.

The Lakers started well before the visitors found their footing and the sides went in level at the half-time break after scores by home captain Carroll. There was still nothing to separate the teams entering the fourth quarter (68-65) but buckets by Carroll, Pablo Murcia and Grant opened up a nine-point lead. Moycullen fought back admirably, however, cutting the deficit to just four, but Luke O’Hea’s charges held firm to prevail by eight (88-80).

Next up is a cup tie against the Tipperary Talons, a side they defeated by 30 points just a couple of weeks ago. The cup can be very different to the league, though, and they will need another solid performance to advance to the next round. Tip-off in in Killenaule is at 6.30pm on Saturday.

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Chances of Kerry v Cork Munster final in 2026 decrease as Munster GAA delay seeding plan

Published

3 months ago

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7 November 2025

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After facing a backlash from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipperary players, Munster GAA have postponed their plan to keep Cork and Kerry separate in the 2026 Munster Football Championship.

The new seeding system – which gives the two highest ranked Munster teams in the National League byes to separate semi-finals – will now come into play in 2027, twelve months later than initially planned.

This will give Clare and Limerick a chance to earn promotion to Division 2 of the league, potentially overtaking Cork if the Rebels were to get relegated to Division 3.

Despite traditionally being the two main contenders for Munster football honours, Kerry and Cork haven’t met in a provincial decider since 2021. The Kingdom have won each of the finals since then (one versus Limerick and three versus Clare) by an average margin of 15.75 points.

More high-profile Kerry v Cork finals might be desirable for fans of those teams, businesses in Killarney and Cork, and neutrals alike but Munster GAA’s plans to effectively keep the great rivals on opposite sides of the draw understandably drew criticism from the other participating counties. A statement by the GPA confirmed that players from Limerick, Clare, Waterford and Tipp had met via Zoom to discuss the matter. They were said to be “deeply disappointed and concerned” by the decision.

The 12-month delay will at least give two of those disaffected teams an opportunity to benefit from the new seeding process.

The draw for the 2026 Munster Football Championship will take place on November 27 under the old rules. As 2025 finalists, Kerry and Clare will get byes to the last four (but they will not necessarily be kept apart).

Nine members of Kerry’s squad are up for All-Stars at tonight’s awards ceremony in Dublin with Joe O’Connor and David Clifford also in contention for the prestigious Footballer of the Year award.

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