Davy Fitzgerald, who quit as Waterford senior hurling manager in early July, was last week named as the new Antrim senior hurling manager. Confirming the appointment Antrim County Board Chairman Seamus McMullan said: ‘‘Davy brings a wealth of experience to the role. His vision, drive and determination is a perfect fit with the ambition of our playing panel. We are confident, too, that Davy will bring the very best out of the emerging hurling talent that is present within our county.’’
Back in the late 1960s, former Cork hurler Justin McCarthy was the first to make the long commute north, at a time when the Irish road network was nowhere like it is now. After breaking his leg in a motorcycle accident in 1969 McCarthy got involved in coaching while recuperating from the accident and travelled north to coach Antrim. The following year Antrim won the All-Ireland Intermediate final.
In recent years Cork’s Jerry Wallace and Tipperary’s Dinny Cahill both travelled north. Coincidentally Antrim’s most recent manager Tipperary native Darren Gleeson, was like Fitzgeralda former goalkeeper. Gleeson had been in charge since 2019 and led the Saffrons to win the Joe McDonagh Cup twice. Davy, who celebrated his 53rd birthday earlier this month, was a brilliant goalkeeper and won all-Ireland senior medals with his native Clare in 1994 and 1997. He has been coaching teams all his life, starting with his own club Sixmilebridge and later with LIT college in Limerick.
Coincidentally Davy replaced Justin McCarthy in Waterford and took the Déise to their first-All-Ireland final appearance in 45 years in 2008 where they lost to Kilkenny. He was later manager of his naïve Clare to win the MacCarthy Cup in 2013 and also had a spell with Wexford, before returning to Waterford. .
There is talent to work on in Antrim as after Cork (259 clubs) and Dublin (134), Antrim are next in the list of most clubs per county with 108, but not all of them play hurling. Naturally a man has to be paid for his time and travel and there are expenses involved, but it’s a lot of driving from Fitzgerald’s home in Sixmilebridge in East Clare to the Antrim Centre of Excellence in Dunsilly, half an hour beyond Belfast, where Antrim normally train.
Antrim have qualified for only two All-Ireland senior finals, in 1943 and 1989, when they suffered heavy defeats each time, but that was in the era when they qualified for All-Ireland semi-finals as Ulster champions. Antrim have been playing in the more competitive Leinster Championship since 2009. It’s a big ask, but with Davy involved Antrim are certain to feature regularly on the back pages. And maybe by the time Casement Park is re-built Davy will have also have re-built the Antrim senior hurling team.
