Ger Brennan's Louth exit stuns former manager of Wee County
Kelly managed the Louth senior footballers between 2014 and 2017, guiding them to successive league promotions to Division 2.
Speaking to RTÉ, Kelly said: "I suppose overall, it's shock really. It happened so suddenly.
"It went out on social media [on Tuesday] afternoon. All of a sudden now, you're in a situation where you've no manager, and I suppose it's deja vu really because we've been through this with Mickey Harte [leaving] a couple of years ago.
"So it's probably shock when you think of Leinster champions and a couple of weeks later now, you're looking for a new manager."
Brennan is now seen by some as the heir presumptive to the Dublin throne after Dessie Farrell's resignation, but Kelly doesn't believe that the vacancy at Brennan's home county had any affect on his decision.
"I don't really think that the Dublin manager's job would have a part to play in it," he said.
"From our point of view, we probably wouldn't have been expecting it so the process starts now to look for someone new."
For Louth, the process starts now for the Leinster champions to appoint a new figure at the helm, whether they promote a coach in the Wee County's youth setup or look outward remains to be seen.
Kelly said: "Fergal Reel has done a hell of a job with the U20s, got to a first All-Ireland final, the minor management team have played in a Leinster final and Gavin Devlin is now working within the county.
"Tony McEntee, Oisin McConville, there's a lot of guys out there now in close proximity to the Louth team and who knows at this stage. It's early days."
McEntee left Sligo's footballers after five years at the helm while McConville's agreement with Wicklow has run its course, although he may renew for another season.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Irish Times
an hour ago
- Irish Times
Lions v Waratahs player ratings: Mitchell, Jones and Earl stand out
15 Hugo Keenan (Ireland) Just back from illness and not the error free Keenan we have become used to. A missed high ball in the first half and fell off the tackle as Lancaster ran into score to the Waratahs in the first half. Rating: 5 14 Mack Hansen (Ireland) Mixed bag from the Irish right wing. Got his hands on the ball early but didn't inject himself into the attacking play enough. Made some brave tackles and later in the game was one of the players that looked dangerous. Rating: 6 13 Huw Jones (Scotland) Took his two chances well for his tries and showed what a threat he can be. Especially the second try where he stepped the first defender and used muscle to wrench the ball over the line. Rating: 7 12 Sione Tuipulotu (Scotland) A huge physical presence in the centre. While he didn't get any clear air to make clean linebreaks and open the Waratah's defence his small gains and hard defending were crucial. Rating: 6 READ MORE Sione Tuipulotu of the British and Irish Lions. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty 11 Blair Kinghorn (Scotland) Having just come over from France the left wing saw very little ball in the first half. Because of the handling errors and spilled balls, he was isolated. Needed to come in more and get involved. Rating: 5 10 Fin Smith (England) Kicked the ball away a few times and although he was willing to take the ball on and try to get the backline moving struggled to do so. Maybe lacked a bit of creativity before Smith came on. Rating: 5 9 Alex Mitchell (England) The England scrumhalf was one of the players who looked like he was playing for a Test place. A different style to Gibson-Park he provided decent ball but it was his breaking and try that impressed on the day. Rating: 7 1 Pierre Schoeman (Scotland) Aggressive at the breakdown. Tackled hard and carried when asked among a packed field. The scrum was strong and he was a willing work horse in a tough phase of the game. Rating: 6 2 Luke Cowan-Dickie (England) His lineout throwing was accurate and carried a few balls in the first half. High energy effort but was part of an overall package that didn't go well in contact in the first half. Rating: 6 3 Finlay Bealham (Ireland) Got his hands on the ball early in the game and did some good work both sides of the ball especially during the energy sapping first 30 minutes when Waratahs were pushing hard. Rating: 6 4 Scott Cummings A safe pair of hands in the lineout and took several clean balls for the Lions' driving maul. Put a decent shift in around the park on both sides of the ball but not that many carries. Rating: 5 5 James Ryan (Ireland) Was strong in the lineout, taking a few balls and was willing to take on work. Spilled a ball going forward but could have done with more energy and visibility until McCarthy came on. Rating: 5 James Ryan of the British and Irish Lions and Miles Amatosero of the Waratahs compete in the lineout. Photograph: Cameron Spencer/Getty 6 Tadhg Beirne (Ireland, capt) Put in his usual high work-rate and was among the bodies in most of the physical exchanges around the park. Didn't get to carry and was disappointed with a knock-on in attack at the end of the match. Rating: 5 7 Josh van der Flier (Ireland) A typical honest performance from the flanker and had some visibility early on. More of a hard graft game for him and didn't get that opportunity to carry in what was a scrappy game overall. Rating: 6 8 Ben Earl (England) One of the players that stood out from the beginning. The number 8 found gaps and exploited space as well as putting in big tackles. He has pace and uses it well. Throughout a genuine line break threat. Rating: 7 Replacements The bench brought energy as expected against a tiring Waratahs but apart from Alex Mitchell's individual try on 54 minutes the scoreboard didn't really move against a dogged opposition. Rating: 5 Head coach : Andy Farrell A scrappy performance with handling errors throughout the match. The team lacked a bit of hardness and bite in the breakdown area and lost collisions. The team moved forward in the last match but not this one. Rating: 5
Irish Times
2 hours ago
- Irish Times
Mikey Johnston to make surprise move to Brazil to join Flamengo
Mikey Johnston will make the move from West Bromwich Albion to Brazilian side Flamengo, according to local media in England. He is expected to join the side for about £5 million, according to the Express and Star. The winger scored two goals in 40 Championship games for the West Midlands team last season, and has 15 caps for the Republic of Ireland. Flamengo are one of the biggest teams in Brazil and recently beat Chelsea in the group stage of the Club World Cup. He would link up with players such as former Ballon d'Or nominee Jorginho and former Juventus player Alex Sandro. Johnston would join a growing Irish contingent playing football outside Ireland and Britain, with the likes of Troy Parrott, Festy Ebosele and Callum O'Dowda plying their trade in continental Europe.
Irish Daily Mirror
4 hours ago
- Irish Daily Mirror
Dublin hurling thriving and one club encapsulates what is building in the GAA
'And we're all off to Dublin in the green, in the green, "Where the helmets glisten in the sun, 'Where the camans flash, and the hurleys clash, 'To the rattle of the game hard won...' - The Dubliners (sort of) 1969 There are 30 senior hurling clubs spread across three senior divisions in Dublin and Thomas Davis — founded in 1888 — can hold their heads up with any. They have been county champions, one of only 27, but remain a village/community club - indeed their nickname is 'The Little Village' Tallaght may be the largest 'village' in Ireland but don't doubt its sporting acumen. Thomas Davis are a dual-code senior outfit while Shamrock Rovers reside nearby and Tallaght AC has been Rhasidat Adeleke's springboard. But as club chairman Paul Nugent, Games Development Officer Stephen Stewart, club stalwart Terry Carthy and senior hurler Jack O'Connor can attest, Dublin's 2025 inter-county hurling side is in 'The Ready Position' - just one win away from a first All-Ireland SHC final in 64 years. That was before The Dubliners — with local hero Ciaran Bourke (tin whistle, flute, guitar) one of their three founding members — released their iconic version of The Merry Ploughboy, in 1969. Nugent played all the way through the club's age-grades, senior for 20-odd years, has been involved at intercounty level (1988-91), managed the senior team, been involved in the committees, been football chairman and occupied a few different roles too. But in his first year as chairman he knows there is something very special going on – the surge of excitement about the hurling team can almost be touched. 'Last week and this week has just been phenomenal. I suppose over the last 20 years, it was all about football, and obviously, with the six-in-a-row team, everyone was interested in that but it probably died down a little bit. 'You know, we used to get 82,000 into Croke Park all the time for the footballers but I suppose winning too much can breed a little bit of neglect, let's say. 'When Dublin won that match against Limerick, the surge in anticipation was plain to see, straight away we had hundreds of applications for tickets for the next match — I suppose people are longing to see them doing well. 'It's been creeping up over the last 10 years of effort put into Dublin hurling. I suppose it takes time to compete with the Kilkennys and Corks, who are hurlers all their lives and by nature go to school with a hurley, but we're getting there!' These weeks are camp weeks across the GAA; here on Kiltipper Road they alternate between football and hurling week on week and Thomas Davis is awash with kids, a reflection of a burgeoning underage section. 'We cater for 300 four-to-seven year old kids in our Saturday morning Academy and another 600 at CCC1 and CCC2 levels at weekends,' says Games Development Officer Stephen Stewart, who combines his work at club level with responsibility for 10 primary schools. His is an interesting combination, blowing his whistle, keeping the volunteers busy, handling logistics for different groups/different ages – he's a watchman, full of encouragement and perhaps helped by his primary schools' role, he seems to know every kid's name! Club dual star and 2022-24 Dublin minor football panelist Jack O'Connor is working skills with 11 year-old Ruairí Ó Murchú, part of a wider group on Thomas Davis's astro-pitch. 'Watching the last game and the lads pulling through with the red card. I was in more shock than anything,' says O'Connor. 'I think they kind of just bonded, came together as one team instead of trying to play as 14 individuals unlike the Limerick team on the day. 'They held together, stuck to their tasks, did the basics better. I really like their mix within the team, sure, some are more disciplined than others, some would be more skillful than others, but they've worked these things together and that's been a thing. 'Overall, style-wise I really like the way they work off the ball, try to play easy transfers, and they have been getting into acres of space for free shots, I think that's a great part of their skill. 'Sean Currie has been an unbelievable player for them, highest scorer for Dublin and the highest scorer in the Championship, also Conor Burke, Conor Donohoe.' This semi-final could be a game specifically about goals... 'Especially with the way the Limerick game unfolded. Cian O'Sullivan and John Hetherton's two goals in space a minute proved vital because the Dubs only won by two points. 'I think they will need to think clinically about goals against Cork but they have shown they definitely have goals in them, especially from those long, driven frees.' And yet Dublin hurling is not just about attaining a first All-Ireland final for seven decades, even if it is on the back of All-Ireland titles for Na Fianna (2025) and Cuala (2018 & 2017). They are the first Dublin clubs to have won that but this it was on the shoulders of a hell of a lot of club building - there have been 124 Dublin senior hurling Championships, dating back to 1887. Thomas Davis were on board for the county Championship within a year, a little-known entity from a tiny village against the backdrop of the Dublin mountains, its future as one of the city's thriving sprawls a long way off. Says Nugent of then and now: 'Our current facility was only bought in 1982, before that we were down near the village. We used to have a pitch there that we rented from Kevin Molloy, the local publican. 'Kevin was a barrister by trade, a very professional guy and on the committee here, and was instrumental in us buying this land in the late 1970/80s and starting us off here which was fantastic. 'We have an all-weather facility here albeit it's down 20 years and for which we are hoping to raise a lot of money, maybe ¤500k, to get it recovered alongside two main pitches, one we purchased from An Post probably six or seven years ago and we've recently developed. 'So we have great facilities but we also have over 100 teams so you never have enough facilities. It's always a battle with the county council to try and get enough pitches to cater for maybe 50 home games every weekend or during the week.' Dublin-Cork match will be the focus of this weekend for those who go to Croker, but there will also be those in a heaving and excited clubhouse catching the action. 'Yeah, we have our travel organised, one of the lads here has coaches and buses (Gerry Moore's Ridgway Coaches) so whatever is required it's kind of put out. There's at least a couple of buses going and if the demand is there for more he just puts them on. 'The clubhouse will be packed. We are not simply 'open' to the public for the day, we would always be welcoming to anyone in the local community, and over the last couple of years we've developed what we have to offer here. 'We have a cafe that opens at 9am, serves breakfast and then lunches up to half-two, then Thursday to Sunday we have food upstairs anyway.' Drop down if you are near! Thomas Davis are confident you'll like what you see, a modern, well-run operation, part of the identity of thriving Tallaght. 'It's a big community hub here and we field 100 teams each week. There's just loads of people giving a hand, running things like the Tallaght Festival or the St Patrick's Day parade, you put a small committee together and you try and get things done. 'There's two or three mentors with each team, then you have ground staff, you have committee staff, you are always looking for people to come in and help out and we've over 300 volunteers here -— volunteerism, as most people understand, is actually where the GAA is.' 'Actually it is the young people who are the lifeblood of this club,' says longtime club veteran Terry Carthy. 'They're fantastic, you take those helping at the camps today, they're going to be the Paul Nugents of tomorrow. 'Paul was a coach here one time too — now the young coaches are they're going on to play senior football and senior hurling. That's the way it works here. 'They are a fantastic group of young people, you couldn't get better in any area, in any other sport, because the idea is that it has to be that it is self-sustaining, that has to be your target.' 'You're always working at something,' says Nugent from the Thomas Davis bridge. 'I suppose, there's always a bit of fundraising going on, and here in Tallaght, a lower income area, it can be harder to raise funds. 'Our senior hurlers are in Division 1B, one down from the top echelon. We kind of went up and down a couple of times over the years but it's a big jump and we've struggled with it. 'Our footballers are in the top division, we got to the Championship final in 2020 and we'd be optimistic this year, we have a couple of lads who came back from abroad so it has strengthened our team. 'We have an intermediate team playing in Division 3 and our junior team is playing Division 5 in football so to have three teams at one, three and five is excellent. 'The girls' section is just thriving, imagine we have just one minor (Under-18) boys team but three minor girl teams. 'Obviously then, we are looking to re-cover our all-weather pitch, you're always trying to get a few grants and South Dublin County Council have been good to us over the years, or the government, let's say, with the grants originally. 'We have a big facility here that helps the whole community and we are proud to represent it too.'
