James Horan (born 1972) is a

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business. Management includes the activities o ...

and former player. He is the two-time former manager of the Mayo county team. Horan led Mayo to consecutive All-Ireland SFC finals during his first spell in charge with a return of two defeats: in

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Donegal Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

and in

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Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

. He also led Mayo to consecutive All-Ireland SFC finals during his second spell in charge, again with a return of two defeats: in

2020 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of events, COVID- ...

by Dublin (the fourth final Mayo had lost to Dublin in eight years) and in

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by Tyrone.

Career

Horan experienced a successful playing career at club level with

Ballintubber Ballintubber, officially Ballintober (), is a village in County Mayo, Ireland, known for Ballintubber Abbey which was founded in 1216. The countryside of Ballintubber is set against the against the backdrop of the Partry Mountains. History Th ...

and at inter-county level with Mayo. He was a key member of the half-forward line on the latter team throughout the 1990s and collected three

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

titles and two All-Star awards in 1996 and 1999. Immediately after retiring from inter-county football, Horan became involved in team management. He was appointed manager of his native club, Ballintubber, in 2007 and guided the team back to the senior ranks and to a senior championship final after three years in charge. Horan was appointed manager of the Mayo senior football team in October 2010 on a three-year term. Mayo lost the

2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 2012 All-Ireland Football Final, the 125th event of its kind and the culmination of the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was played at Croke Park, Dublin, on 23 September 2012. Donegal and Mayo, widely considered "one of the mos ...

. In October 2012 he agreed a new two-year extension to his contract. Mayo qualified for the

2013 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 2013 All-Ireland Football Final, the 126th event of its kind and the culmination of the 2013 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was played between Dublin and Mayo at Croke Park, Dublin on 22 September 2013. Mayo were defeated by Dublin ...

after defeating Tyrone in the semi-final. Mayo lost in the final for the second year in a row, this time to

on a 1–14 to 2–12 scoreline. On 30 August 2014, following a semi-final replay defeat to

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

, Horan resigned as Mayo manager. In his first interview after stepping down, Horan showed his frustration by lashing out at the Mayo County Board. On 4 October 2018, Horan returned as Mayo manager on a four-year term. A 2022 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final exit to Kerry was followed within hours by Horan's resignation as manager.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Horan, James 1972 births Living people Ballintubber Gaelic footballers Connacht inter-provincial Gaelic footballers Gaelic football forwards Gaelic football managers Gaelic games writers and broadcasters Mayo inter-county Gaelic footballers New Zealand Gaelic footballers