Pat Roe is a former

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 player. He played at senior level for the Laois county team and later managed three county teams:

Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2016 census, it had a combined urban and rural population of 24,272. The River Barrow flows through the town and forms the historic bounda ...

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

and

Offaly County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in hono ...

Playing career

Roe played for the

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

from the mid-1980s until the 1990s primarily as a defender but also in midfield. During that period he was widely regarded as one of the top players in the country in his position. He also played on the county senior hurling team for some time. In 1982, he was full back on the Laois team that captured the

Leinster U21 Football Championship The Leinster GAA Football Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Leinster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highes ...

and in 1991, he played on the Laois team beaten by Meath in the final of the

Leinster Senior Football Championship The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA ...

. He began his club football career with

Portlaoise Portlaoise ( ), or Port Laoise (), is the county town of County Laois, Ireland. It is located in the Midland Region, Ireland, South Midlands in the province of Leinster. The 2016 census shows that the town's population increased by 9.5% to 22,050 ...

with whom he won minor and under 21 honours but it with his second club The Heath that Roe played a starring role in 1993 when they won a memorable

Laois Senior Football Championship The Laois Senior Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Portarlington are the title holders ...

title. The previous year he picked up a

Laois Senior Hurling Championship The Laois Senior Hurling Championship is an annual hurling competition contested by top-tier Laois GAA clubs. The Laois GAA, Laois County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association has organised it since 1888. Clough–Ballacolla GAA, Clough–Bal ...

medal with his hurling club,

Clonad Clonad GAA is a Gaelic Athletic Association hurling club in County Laois, Ireland which fields teams from Under-10 right up to adult level. While Clonad GAA club has successfully fielded underage and adult Gaelic football teams in the past, f ...

Managerial career

A PE and English teacher at St Fergal's College in

Rathdowney Rathdowney or Rathdowny () is a town in southwest County Laois, Ireland. It lies some 32 km southwest of Portlaoise in the Irish Midlands, at the point where the R433 regional road from Abbeyleix to Templemore is crossed by the R435 fro ...

, Roe began his managerial career in The Heath in 1991 while still playing.

Crettyard Crettyard () is a hamlet in County Laois, Ireland. It is situated on the border with County Kilkenny, near Newtown, at the junction of the N78 national primary route and the R431 regional road. Education Schools serving the area include New ...

obtained his services in 1996. After his senior inter-county playing career ended, Roe continued to play at club level while also having spells as manager with

(2001–2002),

(2003–2005) and

(2007–2008). While he was Wexford manager a request for payment attributed to Roe appeared in the minutes of a Wexford County Board meeting. Roe, it was alleged in the minutes, had asked for a €5,000 bonus if Wexford won its 2005 National Football League final against

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

, whilst €3,000 would suffice in the event of a loss. Roe resigned as Wexford manager when the team's 2005 campaign ended and later said that he had lost his appetite for management due to "pressure increases". Roe stated: "I don't know how the likes of

Mick O'Dwyer Michael O'Dwyer (born 9 June 1936) is an Irish retired Gaelic football manager and former player. He most famously managed the senior Kerry county team between 1974 and 1989, during which time he became the county's longest-serving manager an ...

and

Seán Boylan Seán Boylan (born 12 December 1949) is an Irish former Gaelic football manager from Dunboyne, County Meath. He retired from his position as manager of the senior Meath county team on the evening of 31 August 2005 after twenty-three years in ch ...

do it year after year, but I just couldn't".

References

External links

''Laois Nationalist'' article
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Dual players Gaelic football managers Irish schoolteachers Laois inter-county Gaelic footballers Laois inter-county hurlers Clonad hurlers The Heath Gaelic footballers {{Laois-hurling-bio-stub