Galway secure Éamonn Fitzmaurice as manager to revive football fortunes
Galway GAA confirmed on 30 September 2026 that Éamonn Fitzmaurice has been appointed senior football manager on a three‑year contract, ending Pádraic Joyce’s seven‑year spell. The 49‑year‑old school principal will take charge of the county’s senior footballers immediately.
Fitzmaurice arrived on the scene as a 2014 All‑Ireland‑winning boss with his native Kerry before stepping down in 2018 after six seasons at the helm. He previously guided Kerry to a National League title and six successive Munster championships during his tenure.
His playing résumé includes three Sam Maguire trophies, and he later served as a selector when Kerry lifted national honours in 2009. As a coach he led Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne to back‑to‑back Hogan Cup victories at Croke Park.
Recent coaching successes
Beyond inter‑county duties, Fitzmaurice steered the Clifford brothers’ club Fossa to an All‑Ireland Junior title and helped his home club Finuge clinch the Kerry Premier Junior Championship in September. He also appears regularly as a pundit on RTÉ’s championship coverage and writes a column for the Irish Examiner.
He was a prominent figure on the Jim Gavin‑chaired Football Review Committee, which oversaw the introduction of Gaelic football’s new rules – a framework he will now apply as Galway’s manager.
Galway’s recent finals record
Galway reached the All‑Ireland finals in 2022 and 2024, losing the first to Kerry and the second to Dublin after a quarter‑final exit that ended a bid for a five‑in‑a‑row of Connacht titles. Fitzmaurice inherits a generation eager to convert those near‑misses into trophies.
“We are delighted to appoint a manager of Éamonn’s calibre to lead the Galway senior footballers for the next three years,” said Galway GAA Chairperson Paul Bellew. He added that Fitzmaurice’s record “speaks for itself” and that the county looks forward to working closely with him, the players and the wider team.
“I want to acknowledge and thank everyone who took part in the process over the past number of weeks,” Bellew continued, noting that the backroom staff will be finalised in the coming weeks. The announcement, captured by Tom Maher’s photo, featured across the Sport, Soccer, LOI, Rugby, Golf, Racing, Upgrade, League, Horse, Boxing, Motorsport, Athletics, NFL, NBA, Live, Video, Review, Podcasts, Extra, Football, Family, See, More, Stories sections of the website.