Liam McHale (born 1 June 1965) 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 ...

coach and former player (and

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...

player) who played in midfield with the

Mayo county football team The Mayo county football team (;) represents Mayo in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Mayo GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland ...

between 1985 and 1999. He played from the start in four

finals Final, Finals or The Final may refer to: *Final (competition), the last or championship round of a sporting competition, match, game, or other contest which decides a winner for an event ** Another term for playoffs, describing a sequence of cont ...

of the

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

(including one replay), but was never successful in winning the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

Football career

McHale started the

1989 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 1989 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final was a Gaelic football match played at Croke Park on 17 September 1989 to determine the winners of the 1989 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the 103rd season of the All-Ireland Senior ...

, which was won narrowly by Cork. McHale started the

1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 109th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1996 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. It we ...

. It ended in a draw and a replay followed. Meath defeated Mayo, avenging their defeat to the same opposition in the 1951 decider. McHale was sent off, along with Meath's Colm Coyle. He had been man of the match in the drawn game. However, he did win an All Star award later that year. McHale started the

1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the 110th All-Ireland Final and the deciding match of the 1997 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in Ireland. Kerry ...

, in which Mayo was defeated by Kerry.

Basketball career

McHale won two national basketball Cups with his club Ballina (in 1991 and 1996), as well as a Super League title.

Coaching career

McHale was a Gaelic football selector on the Mayo team that reached the 2004 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, which Mayo lost to Kerry. In 2013, McHale was involved in coaching the successful St Brigid's GAA team which won the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship, under manager Kevin McStay. In October 2014, it was announced McHale would join the

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...

backroom team. McHale also served as a selector of the

Roscommon GAA The Roscommon County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael, Coiste Chontae Ros Comáin) or Roscommon GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County ...

squad which won the 2017 Connacht Senior Football Championship. However, his charges were heavily defeated in a
All-Ireland quarter-final replay
against his native Mayo. In December 2019,

Westmeath GAA The Westmeath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Chontae na hIarmhí) or Westmeath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County ...

club

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

confirmed that McHale would be its new senior manager. After

Kevin McStay Kevin McStay (born 9 May 1962) is an Irish Gaelic football manager, commentator, analyst and former player. He has been manager of the senior Mayo county team since 2022. McStay was educated at St Jarlath's College in Tuam during the 1970s, p ...

was appointed as manager of the Mayo senior team in 2022, McStay named him as a coach and selector.

Personal life

McHale now lives in Carrentrilla in

Ballina, County Mayo Ballina ( ; ) is a town in north County Mayo, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It lies at the mouth of the River Moy near Killala Bay, in the Moy valley and Parish of Kilmoremoy, with the Ox Mountains to the east and the Nephin Beg Range, Nephin ...

References

External links

''Hogan Stand'' articleJoe.ie interview
{{DEFAULTSORT:McHale, Liam 1965 births Living people Ballina Stephenites Gaelic footballers Connacht inter-provincial Gaelic footballers Gaelic football coaches Gaelic football managers Gaelic football selectors Irish men's basketball players Mayo inter-county Gaelic footballers People from Ballina, County Mayo