Former Mayo Under-21 GAA star still vying for honour in Kilkenny

BALLINROBE native Kenneth O’Malley played a starring role in goal for the Mayo Under 21 team in their historic All-Ireland success in 2006.

He has also enjoyed a successful League of Ireland career with Sligo Rovers, a club he joined at just 14 years of age.

Kenneth is still vying for honours and only last May won a Kilkenny intermediate football championship title with his new club, Muckalee. Kenenth lives in Kilkenny with his wife Miriam and children Donnacha and Oisín.

Kenenth explained that the club football scene is quite strong in Kilkenny.

“The club scene is quite strong and the local club I play for is Muckalee, a very small village in north Kilkenny, roughly 20 minutes from Kilkenny city, and 10 minutes from Castlecomer - which would be the nearest town. Muckalee would be in a village similar in size to Glencorrib or Cross in Mayo.

“The hurling club is called St. Martin’s (sister club of Muckalee), and they won an All-Ireland senior hurling club title in 1984, which was a huge achievement. It is surprising that there are two separate clubs within the one for football and hurling.

“Muckalee ladies team won the Junior All-Ireland football title last December and that was a huge achievement, and I think that is the first time ever that any ladies football team in Kilkenny has won an All-Ireland club title.

"One of the ladies coaches is Ronan Ruane, from Castlebar. I also help out with coaching the ladies’ team. I help out with their free-taking and also coaching the goalkeepers as well.”

In 2015, Kenneth decided to move to the Middle East.

“I was in Abu Dhabi for 10 years. My Mayo senior inter-county career finished up in June 2015. Miriam and I decided to move to Abu Dhabi in August 2015. We only intended to spend a year in Abu Dhabi but ended up spending 10 years there.

“Even when we moved to the Middle East there was a GAA influence, as there is a Middle East GAA competition. In Abu Dhabi there is close to 10 adult men’s teams. I moved to an area called Al Ain and there was a GAA club there.

“Every four or five weeks there are competitions in different areas such as Bahran, Muscat, Qatar and its capital Doha, and there are tournaments held in every one of those locations. The GAA scene is very strong in the Middle East.”

The family moved to his wife’s area in Kilkenny last year, which Kenneth says has been great as they are close to family, and the kids are also happy.

O’Malley had originally wanted to play in goal for Muckalee but ended up outfield.

“I originally wanted to play in goals as I am 39 now and the body isn’t what it once was. The club wanted me to play outfield, and I played predominately in the full-forward line, however, I picked up a few injuries along the way.

“On the day of the intermediate county final, I was introduced for the final 20 minutes, and I managed to score a goal, and I was happy to contribute. We are now through to the Leinster Junior Football Championship, and we are awaiting the winners of the Kildare Junior Football Championship - who we will face on October 31.

“We were delighted as a club to have won that intermediate title. The area would be strong in football - similar to those pockets of areas you hear of in Kerry that have strong hurling teams. The club have won the Kilkenny senior football title on 12 occasions and had a great period of success in the early noughties. They suffered relegation to intermediate championship in 2023.

“To win the intermediate title and to get back up to senior was really good for everyone involved in the club and our supporters. St. Martin’s hurling team features some of our players, and they are also in their intermediate championship and the aim for them is to get back up to senior level as well.”

O’Malley finds it hard to believe that 20 years have passed since Mayo’s Under 21 All-Ireland success in 2006.

“It is so hard to believe that it is 20 years ago. I got in touch with a few of that team about a possible reunion and the feedback was a resounding ‘yes’, even though some of the lads were living abroad.

“Last November and December the planning for the reunion really took off. A total of 25 of the Mayo panel from that year managed to make the reunion, and unfortunately a couple of guys who were living abroad couldn’t make it. However, to have 25 out of 29 attend was incredible and it was a memorable occasion.”

O’Malley recalls that 2006 adventure with great fondness.

“My own journey to winning that Under 21 All-Ireland title was pretty unique. I had been with Sligo Rovers since I was 14 and I was totally focused on soccer and made my League of Ireland debut at 15.

“Around 2006 I wasn’t playing football or soccer, and I was rehabbing after surgery, so playing Gaelic football with Mayo wasn’t really on my radar. At that time, the Mayo Under 21 squad was set, however, I received a phone call I think from one of the management team, to tell me that one of the Under 21 goalkeepers had left the panel and this was three weeks out from the Connacht championship.

“I was asked if I would come in as cover, but I felt that I wouldn’t be able to contribute anything. I played a couple of challenge matches for the team and then when the team was named for the championship I was named in goal, and I couldn’t believe it!

“I remember that 2006 championship campaign so well. I was a bit nervous in the first round away to Leitrim as I had played most of my Gaelic football outfield for Ballinrobe. We had to play a very good Galway side in the Connacht final, a side which featured Sean Armstong who also won an Under 21 All-Ireland title with Galway in 2005.

“In the All-Ireland semi-final, we faced a very talented Tyrone team - with some of their players going on to win an All-Ireland senior title in 2008. We eventually won that semi-final by a point or two after extra-time.

“The final against Cork had everything. I remember earlier that year we had played that Cork Under 21 team in a challenge game in Ballinrobe, and they ended up beating us by 20 plus points.

"That Cork team was outstanding - they had the likes of Ken O’Halloran, Patrick Kelly, Daniel Goulding, Alan O’Connor - all good quality players and some of them went on to win an All-Ireland senior title in 2010.

“However, we had a really special group of players, and you could feel and sense that at our reunion in May. We met at the reunion in Westport and there was such a great buzz when you could see former team-mates arriving. That panel from 2006 now has a WhatsApp group and we will stay in contact and please God we will have further reunions over the coming years.”

Having played with his local football club Ballinrobe Town AFC and then going on to play League of Ireland football with Sligo Rovers, O’Malley believes that Mayo FC is a great opportunity for young players in the county to play League of Ireland football.

“It is a great chance for players in Mayo to play League of Ireland football. I was 14 when I joined Sligo Rovers and there were a lot of logistics for me having to travel from Ballinrobe to Sligo and my dad had to drive me to training/matches. For Mayo based players to play for Mayo in a national competition is a really great opportunity.

“We were quite lucky in Ballinrobe and surrounding areas to have myself, Alan Murphy, Harry Murphy, Ciaran Kelly, Gerard Burke and Joey Maloney to have all played League of Ireland football, and we are a unique crew in a way.

"You can only imagine how many more there could have been had there been a Mayo FC back then. Please God it will be a successful journey for all those involved.”