Statement on the Passing of John O’ Mahony
July 7th 2024
It is with great sadness that Connacht GAA has learned of the passing of John O’Mahony of Ballaghaderreen GAA Club and Mayo.
John was a former member of the Connacht Council GAA, serving as the Colleges representative on the Council. In addition, he also managed the Connacht interprovincial team.
John was an innovative manager and coach who saw success with many different teams. He managed his school, St Nathy’s College, to an All-Ireland Senior B title in 1999. At just 30 years of age, he successfully managed Mayo to an Under-21 All-Ireland Title in 1983 and led Mayo to the All-Ireland Final in 1989. In 1994, he led Leitrim to their first Connacht title in 67 years. He finally saw All-Ireland senior success with Galway in 1998 and again in 2001.
As a manager, he won Connacht titles in 1988, 1989, and 2009 with Mayo; in 1994 with Leitrim; and in 1998, 2000, 2002, and 2003 with Galway.
John was also a strong advocate of the province outside football and served the people of Mayo as a member of the Dáil from 2007 until 2016 and as a member of Seanad Éireann from 2016 until 2020.
John was a tremendously generous person with his time and often assisted Connacht GAA with our match streaming as a co commentator, most recently in Philly Mc Guinness Park Mohill for the Connacht B Under 20 final with John Lynch . He had an encyclopaedic knowledge of GAA in the province and country.
President of Connacht GAA Vincent Neary said “ I have a long association with John O going back to my school days when he taught me in St Nathy’s and coached me as a footballer.
In later years as a player I often came up against his Ballaghaderreen teams. I’d like to highlight his enormous contribution to the GAA in the province successfully managing three different counties to success a feat unlikely to repeated.
Many of his former players went on to manage teams successfully, in fact all five Connacht counties have had managers who were previously coached by John O. I’d also like to acknowledge his contribution to the council as a Colleges representative.
News of John O’s passing has stunned us all and to his wife Geraldine, his daughters Grainne, Niamh. Rhona, Deirdre and Cliodhna his brothers Fr. Stephen and Fr Dan, and the wider Towey and O Mahony families I’d like to extend the deepest sympathies of Connacht GAA.”
