Glenbeigh/ Glencar name Kirby as senior team manager
JUST over a month after winning their fourth Mid Kerry senior title in eight years, Glenbeigh/Glencar have moved quickly to appoint a successor to Aidan O’Shea, with William Kirby taking his first steps into major management. Kirby featured in Kerry’s All-Ireland successes of 1997 and 2004 along with Austin Stacks’ 2014 County and Munster Club Championship winning side in the latter part of his playing career.
The club’s announcement on social media Sunday night comes in the wake of Stephen Stack being confirmed as the new manager of Killarney Legion last month with the manager of the aforementioned County Championship winning side returning to management for the first time since stepping down from the Tralee side at the end of 2016.
Elsewhere in East Kerry a number of other appointments have been confirmed as Eamon Spillane will be replacing Rathmore native Denis Reen at Glenflesk in 2019. Spillane was in charge of the Ballinacurra team that lost to Kilgarvan in the Knockaderry Tournament Final on Sunday, but he is returning to his native parish in the New Year.
Despite still being involved in East Kerry’s O’Donoghue Cup at time of print, Gneeveguilla will have a new manager in 2019 with Kilcummin’s Sean O’Leary replacing namesake Sean Óg at the Division Four County League winners next year. O’Leary was involved with the Rathmore/ Kilcummin side that won the County U-21 Championship in 2012. O’Leary managed his native club’s senior side for three years between 2013 and 2015 before being involved as a selector in the East Kerry Minor County Championship winning side this year.
Meanwhile, Dr Crokes will play Mullinalaghta of Longford in the All-Ireland Club SFC semi-final on February 16 after they beat Kilmacud Crokes of Dublin in last Sunday’s Leinster Final.
Kilcummin will play former All-Ireland Junior Club winners, Two Mile House of Kildare, in the All-Ireland Intermediate semi-final on January 19 after their win in the Leinster Intermediate Final, while Dundalk Young Irelands of Louth will be Beaufort’s opponents in the All-Ireland Junior semi-final, also on January 19.