John O’Mahony obituary: Influential figure in GAA and politics (2024)

Born: June 8th, 1953

Died: July 6th, 2024

John O’Mahony led three Connacht counties to some of their greatest football days before emerging as a significant political figure as a Fine Gael TD and senator. Although he had battled illness in recent years, his death was unexpected and occasioned enormous grief throughout the GAA and political communities.

O’Mahony earned his reputation as a pioneering leader through historic triumphs with Mayo, Leitrim and Galway. He was a relentless breaker of glass ceilings. The force of his will elevated each county to heights none had experienced in many decades. He managed those three counties to eight Connacht Senior Football Championships. He was thus one of the most influential GAA figures in the province over the past 60 years.

John O’Mahony was born on June 8th, 1953, to Stephen and Brigid (née Gallagher) O’Mahony in Magheraboy, Kilmovee, Co Mayo. As a boy, he played Gaelic football for countless hours with his brothers, Dan and Stephen, while helping out in his parents’ rural shop and small farm.

He received his primary education at Magheraboy National School before enrolling as a boarder in nearby St Nathy’s College, Ballaghaderreen, from 1966 to 1971. It was there he first encountered organised football competitions and captained the school to win the Connacht Junior Championship.

St Nathy’s became a cornerstone of his life, as he went on to teach there for four decades. As there was no club in Kilmovee during his youth, O’Mahony declared for Ballaghaderreen. He studied for some time for the priesthood at St Patrick’s Seminary, Maynooth, before transferring to University College, Galway from where he graduated with a Higher Diploma in Geography in 1975.

O’Mahony – also known as Johnno – was corner back when Mayo won 1971 and 1974 All-Ireland Minor and U21 titles, respectively. Additionally, he played on Ballaghaderreen teams that won Mayo Minor, U21, Intermediate and Senior championships between 1968 and 1972.

The 1970s were a fraught decade for Mayo and, in common with many others, he was dropped as a senior intercounty player after just a few seasons. He continued to line out with Ballaghaderreen and honed his coaching and management skills there and in St Nathy’s College.

This early grounding prepared him for the position of Mayo U21 manager. He led the county to the 1983 All-Ireland U21 title. In the autumn of 1987, he became Mayo senior manager. In 1989, excitement within the county reached fever pitch when a semi-final win over Tyrone propelled the green and red back to All-Ireland final day for the first time since the double-winning years of 1950 and 1951. Though they lost to Cork, O’Mahony’s team had lifted Mayo clear of the doldrums that had characterised the preceding four decades.

Guiding Leitrim to the 1994 Connacht title, their first in 67 years, is regarded as one of his greatest managerial achievements. In a spine-tingling moment of historic symbolism, their 1927 captain Tom Gannon was on hand in Dr Hyde Park to present the cup to Declan Darcy. Leitrim have only ever won the Connacht SFC on two occasions; the picture of an ageing Gannon beaming with pride alongside his successor Darcy in the full flush of youth adorns many Leitrim-leaning walls in Ireland and around the world.

O’Mahony took charge of Galway late in 1997. He coaxed back some who had drifted away, summoned an enhanced effort from regulars and put faith in emerging talents. A commanding second-half performance against Kildare in the 1998 All-Ireland final led to the Sam Maguire Cup crossing the Shannon for the first time since 1966, when Galway had completed the final leg of their three-in-a-row. Team captain Ray Silke acknowledged that without O’Mahony, there would have been no All-Ireland win.

O’Mahony and Galway again claimed the ultimate prize in 2001, beating Meath. He had a second stint as Mayo manager between 2007 and 2010, winning the Connacht title in 2009.

As a manager, he was innovative and thorough. He embraced video analysis from early on, enlisting Tommie Gorman, the RTÉ broadcaster. Sadly, these two great friends died within a few days of each other. They had spoken recently about future plans after once they got over their illnesses.

O’Mahony introduced psychologists and performance specialists long before these roles became the norm in Gaelic games. He was a mentor, a confidante, a father figure and a friend to generations of footballers at club, school and intercounty levels. Just a fortnight ago, a protege, Pádraic Joyce, one of the key figures in Galway’s 1998 and 2001 wins, masterminded Galway’s surprise disposal of champions Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final. Members of the 1998 and 2001 teams have spoken of an inspirational message O’Mahony put into their WhatsApp group just a few days before he passed away.

[All-Ireland winning manager and former Fine Gael TD John O’Mahony dies aged 71Opens in new window]

Of the seven managers who contested this year’s Connacht SFC, three benefited from his direct guidance: Andy Moran, the Leitrim manager; Mayo boss Kevin McStay; and Joyce.

Though savagely competitive, and a relentless driver of high standards, O’Mahony was a considerate, inclusive and shrewd man who respected colleagues and opponents alike. He rarely forgot a name. People were drawn to him and he rewarded everyone with generosity of time and spirit.

That capacity for building strong relationships, and his thirst for a challenge, drew him to political life. Though his home in Ballaghaderreen conferred no territorial advantage, he contested the 2007 general election for Fine Gael in the Mayo constituency and won a seat. He brought the same diligence to politics that characterised his management career, resulting in his re-election in 2011.

A reshuffle that saw Mayo go from a five- to a four-seater might have dissuaded a lesser individual, but he launched an unsuccessful bid for a Galway West seat in 2016. He was appointed to Seanad Éireann in the aftermath of that election and served until 2020, holding the portfolio as the party’s Seanad spokesperson on transport, tourism and sport.

Former taoiseach Enda Kenny, a close friend and former football adversary, described him as “truly special”, a man “of absolute integrity and trust” who had lived “a life full of achievement”.

O’Mahony straddled all areas of the GAA: he was national Young Referee of the Year in 1987, served for a period as public relations officer of Mayo GAA; held various roles in Ballaghaderreen GAA; and was a member of the Connacht colleges GAA committee for many years. He was also a respected pundit in local and national media outlets, including as a columnist for The Irish Times.

When word filtered out that his remains would travel from Galway, where he died, to Ballaghaderreen on Sunday last, impromptu gatherings formed in towns and villages along the route. Thousands turned out to pay their respects over three days.

O’Mahony married Gerardine Towey and they reared five daughters – Gráinne, Niamh, Rhona, Deirdre and Cliodhna. Gerardine was a constant supportive presence throughout his footballing and political days; she shares his talent for people and all who encountered O’Mahony were aware of the strong influence she had on him. He is also survived by his brothers Fr Dan and Fr Stephen, sons-in-law, grandchildren, extended family, colleagues and friends.