Éamonn Fitzmaurice (born 1977) is an Irish former

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

manager Management (or managing) is the administration of organizations, whether businesses, nonprofit organizations, or a government bodies through business administration, nonprofit management, or the political science sub-field of public administra ...

and

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who i ...

. He played at senior level for the Kerry county team and later managed it between 2012 and 2018, during which time he became a member of an exclusive club of people to have won All-Ireland SFC titles as a player and as a manager. He has been involved in 10 All Ireland wins - 1 minor, 2 under 21, 3 senior All Irelands as a player with Kerry, 1 All Ireland club junior with Finuge, 1 All Ireland junior club as coach with Fossa, 1 All Ireland as a selector and 1 All Ireland as a manager with Kerry. Since departing as Kerry manager, he has continued to write his renowned column with the ''

Irish Examiner The ''Irish Examiner'', formerly ''The Cork Examiner'' and then ''The Examiner'', is an Republic of Ireland, Irish national daily newspaper which primarily circulates in the Munster region surrounding its base in Cork (city), Cork, though it is ...

'' and is a co-commentator and analyst on ''

The Sunday Game ''The Sunday Game'' is RTÉ's main Gaelic games television programme. It is shown on RTÉ2 every Sunday during the Football Championship and Hurling Championship seasons. It is one of RTÉ2's longest-running shows, having been on air since 1 ...

'' on

RTÉ (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

Biography

Born in Lixnaw,

County Kerry County Kerry () is a Counties of Ireland, county on the southwest coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. It is bordered by two other countie ...

, Fitzmaurice was introduced to Gaelic football in his youth. He had some success at school level with Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí, while simultaneously experiencing championship successes at underage levels with the Finuge club. An

All-Ireland All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) is a term used to describe organisations and events whose interests extend over the entire island of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Irelan ...

medal winner in the intermediate grade, Fitzmaurice has a unique collection of Kerry novice, junior, intermediate and

senior Senior (shortened as Sr.) means "the elder" in Latin and is often used as a suffix for the elder of two or more people in the same family with the same given name, usually a parent or grandparent. It may also refer to: * Senior (name), a surname ...

medals with the Finuge club and the Feale Rangers divisional side, captaining and inspiring Feale Rangers to the senior county championship in 2007. Finuge won the All Ireland junior championship in 2005, becoming the first team from Kerry to do so with Fitzmaurice playing an inspirational role from centre back. They beat Stewartstown Harps from Tyrone in the final. As a

dual player Dual player or dual star is a term used in Hiberno-English to describe someone who competes in multiple sports — for example, in Victorian Ireland, cricket and hurling. The term today in Gaelic games typically describes a male player who plays ...

he also won three

county championship The County Championship, currently known for sponsorship reasons as the Rothesay County Championship, is the only domestic first-class cricket competition in England and Wales. Established in 1890, it is organised by the England and Wales Cri ...

medals with the Lixnaw senior

hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...

team. He also won a Cork County Championship and a Munster Club

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this sys ...

with UCC as a student in 1999. Fitzmaurice made his debut on the inter-county scene at the age of sixteen when he first linked up with the Kerry minor team. An

medal winner as a non-playing substitute in this grade in 1994, he later won two

medals with the under-21 team in 1996 and 1998. Fitzmaurice made his senior debut during the 1996-97 league against reigning All-Ireland champion

Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...

. He would play a key role for Kerry in defence, predominantly playing at centre half-back during a particularly successful era, and won three

medals, six

Munster Munster ( or ) is the largest of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the south west of the island. In early Ireland, the Kingdom of Munster was one of the kingdoms of Gaelic Ireland ruled by a "king of over-kings" (). Following the Nor ...

medals and two

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions. Fitzmaurice was a member of the

inter-provincial team in 2004 but failed to win a

Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...

medal. Throughout his inter-county career he made 50 championship appearances and 58 appearances in the national football league. Fitzmaurice retired from inter-county Gaelic football on 10 April 2007, still only 29. On retiring, Fitzmaurice wrote a column for the ''

''. He quickly became involved in team management as a selector with the Kerry senior team under Jack O Connor. An All-Ireland winner in this role in 2009, he later had an unsuccessful tenure as manager of the Kerry under-21 team, a role he fulfilled for one season in 2012, as they lost the Munster final to Cork after an extra-time classic. Fitzmaurice was appointed manager of the Kerry senior team on 27 August 2012, becoming the youngest manager in Kerry's history at 35. At the time it was viewed as being handed a poisoned chalice as Kerry had not won a minor All Ireland since 1994 and had won only one Under 21 All Ireland in the 21st Century in 2008. Many of the successful team of the noughties that reached six All Ireland finals in a row had retired or were on the verge of retirement. He led Kerry to eight major honours in six seasons, including one All-Ireland Championship, six Munster Championships and one National League title. He had an overall win percentage of 64% and had a win percentage of 71% in the Championship. He resigned in August 2018, winning his final game against

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...

as Kerry failed to progress to the All-Ireland semi-finals from the inaugural Super 8 group stage. He is credited with keeping Kerry competitive while guiding them through a transitional period as many legends of the game retired (see table below). In August 2022, Fitzmaurice ruled out a return to inter-county management and said he could not see himself managing another county team against Kerry. For the 2021 and 2022 seasons Fitzmaurice was coach to the Adrian Sheehan managed Fossa in Killarney. Fossa were operating at Junior Premier level in Kerry. David and Paudie Clifford play for them. In 2021 they were beaten by near neighbours Listry in the quarterfinals. However 2022 turned out to be a historic year for the club. They were promoted as champions in the county league and won the Junior Premier Championship beating Listry after extra time in the final. They went on to win the Munster and All Ireland junior titles. Fossa beat Stewartstown Harps from Tyrone in the All Ireland Final in Croke Park. He is a member of the Football Review Committee.

Personal life

A teacher of history at the co-educational school Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne in Dingle since 2001, he succeeded the long-serving Pádraig Firtéar as principal in 2018. He has successfully managed at a variety of levels in the school as they continue to overachieve with a school population of just under 400 pupils. He is married to Tina and is the father of two children.

Career statistics

Player

Manager

;Kerry player retirements and championship debuts under Éamonn Fitzmaurice

Honours

Player

;University College Cork *

Munster Senior Club Football Championship The Munster Senior Club Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the AIB Munster GAA Football Senior Club Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition for the champion clubs of each county. It has been organised by the ...

(1): 1999 *

Cork Senior Football Championship The Cork Premier Senior Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the McCarthy Insurance Group Cork Premier Senior Football Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PSFC) is an annual club Gaelic football competition organised by t ...

(1): 1999 *All Ireland Freshers Championship (1): 1996 *Higher Education League - Division 1 (1) : 1996 ;Finuge * Munster Intermediate Club Football Championship (1): 2012 *Kerry Intermediate Football Championship (1): 2012 * All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship (1): 2005 * Munster Junior Club Football Championship (2): 2002, 2004 *Kerry Junior Football Championship (2): 2002, 2004 *Kerry Novice Football Championship (1): 1996 *North Kerry Football Championship (3): 1996, 2001, 2011 ;Lixnaw *

Kerry Senior Hurling Championship The Kerry Senior Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Garvey's SuperValu Senior Hurling Championship) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Kerry GAA, Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1889 ...

(3): 1999, 2005, 2007 ;Feale Rangers *

Kerry Senior Football Championship The Kerry Senior Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as Garvey’s SuperValu Senior Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 18 ...

(1): 2007 *U21 Kerry Kerry Football Championship (2): 1997, 1998 ;Kerry *

All-Ireland Minor Football Championship The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Football Championship is the premier under-17 "knockout" competition in Gaelic football played in Ireland. 2017 was the final year of the minor under 18 football championship as it was replaced by an under ...

(1): 1994 *

All-Ireland Under 21 Football Championship The GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the EirGrid GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association ...

(2): 1996, 1998 *

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...

(3):

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

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

(6):

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

(2):

Coach / Selector

;Kerry *

(1):

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

(1):

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

(1):

;Fossa *

All-Ireland Junior Football Championship The All-Ireland Junior Football Championship is a Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA competition It has historically consisted of two entirely different formats before and after 2021, but has retained the same name. Since 2022, the competition ...

(1):

2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...

*Munster Junior Football Championship (1): 2022 *Kerry Junior Premier Football Championship (1): 2022

Manager

;Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne * Hogan Cup (2): 2014, 2015 * Corn Uí Mhuirí (6): 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019 *O Sullivan Cup (2): 2012, 2018 *Paul McGirr Cup - U16.5 All Ireland (1): 2017 *Russell Cup (3) - 2009, 2010, 2011 * Frewen Cup (2) - 2012, 2017 *Moran Cup (2) - 2011, 2012 *Dunloe Cup (1) - 2011 *Bandon Cup (2) - 2008, 2009 ;Kerry *

(1):

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

*National Football League (1): 2017 *

(6):

2013 2013 was the first year since 1987 to contain four unique digits (a span of 26 years). 2013 was designated as: *International Year of Water Cooperation *International Year of Quinoa Events January * January 5 – 2013 Craig, Alask ...

2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

2017 2017 was designated as the International Year of Sustainable Tourism for Development by the United Nations General Assembly. Events January * January 1 – Istanbul nightclub shooting: A gunman dressed as Santa Claus opens fire at the ...

, 2018 * McGrath Cup (2):

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzmaurice, Eamonn 1977 births Living people Dual players Fingue Gaelic footballers Gaelic football managers Gaelic football selectors Gaelic games administrators Gaelic games commentators Heads of schools in Ireland category:Irish Examiner people Kerry inter-county Gaelic footballers Lixnaw hurlers Munster inter-provincial Gaelic footballers UCC Gaelic footballers Winners of three All-Ireland medals (Gaelic football)