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He may be firmly in Jack’s plans but Dara Moynihan is taking nothing for granted

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2 years ago

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Kerry footballer Dara Moynihan at Reidy's in Killarney for the launch of the Killarney Club 7s. Photo: Paudie Healy.

by Adam Moynihan

After experiencing a stop-start intercounty career since making his debut in 2019, Dara Moynihan might be slowly but surely cementing his place in Kerry’s starting line-up.

The hard-working half forward started all eight of The Kingdom’s championship matches in 2023 and this year he has been selected for all five league matches to date, perhaps giving his best performance in last weekend’s victory over Tyrone in Killarney.

Going by those stats, he certainly appears to have established himself in manager Jack O’Connor’s best 15. But, speaking exclusively to this journalist on The Kerry Football Podcast, Moynihan indicated that he has no intention of taking his eye off the ball.

“I wouldn’t be going in with that attitude,” the 25-year-old says. “You can’t go in thinking that [you’re established].

“You have to go in with the attitude that you have to perform in every single training session because there’s a serious squad there. You need to be at the top of your game to keep your place. If your form dips, there’s a fella there to take your jersey.”

Competition for places is certainly fierce. Moynihan admits that as a starter you can feel other panelists breathing over your shoulder - and he firmly believes that’s a good thing.

“That’s what makes it enjoyable. That’s what improves the squad. If a player gets too comfortable, they’re obviously not going to perform. They need fellas chomping at the bit who are looking to take your jersey from you. It’s not like you’re fighting or anything like that. You just leave it on the [training] pitch and you’re the best of friends when you come off it.”

Moynihan counts himself fortunate to have several close friends on the panel, not least the Clifford brothers who he has known since childhood. Having that support network in place has been a great help to the Spa man, especially when times get tough.

“I would have known David and Paudie before [we played for] Kerry. I’d also be very friendly with Seánie O’Shea and Graham O’Sullivan from the Kerry minors. We were together the whole time, through the U20s and stuff like that. It does help, knowing that you have friends there. Through defeats we’d always try to stick together. I think we’ve come closer together over the last couple of years.

“Tony Griffin (performance coach) coming in has helped with that as well. There’s a serious bond there at the moment. We’ve worked on it since he came in and I’m sure if you asked any of the other players [they’d say the same]. We’re all around the same age now as well. Over the years there could have been big age gaps.

“But that bond just comes from being together for the last five or six years anyway, you get closer to fellas naturally.”

Moynihan was speaking to The Kerry Football Podcast as part of the launch of the Killarney Club 7s, an annual Gaelic football tournament hosted by Spa GAA Club. The event takes place over the June Bank Holiday weekend.

“The last two years of the Club 7s have been class,” Moynihan enthused. “To be fair to Shane Cronin, Evan Cronin, Andrew Garnett, Mike O’Donoghue and everyone involved, they’ve put in serious effort. It’s a great weekend out for everyone and it’s a great fundraiser for the club as well.”

Moynihan discussed a wide range of topics during his appearance on The Kerry Football Podcast, including his glory days with St Brendan’s, getting injured just days before the 2022 All-Ireland final, and Kerry’s prospects for the rest of the season.

Listen to the full interview on Spotify or Apple Podcasts.

For more information on the Killarney Club 7s, visit killarneyclub7s.ie.

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Home cup tie for St Paul’s could be epic

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1 month 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

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1 month 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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