Donal O'Mahony (born 1974) is an Irish

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 ...

coach, selector and former hurler and

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 ...

er. He is currently a selector with the

Cork senior hurling team The Cork county hurling team represents Cork in hurling and is governed by Cork GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions: the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Cha ...

Early life

O'Mahony was born in

Bishopstown Bishopstown () is a suburb of Cork, located in the south west of the city. It is made-up of the townlands of Ballineaspigbeg and Ballineaspigmore (sometimes spelled Ballinaspigmore), and is located in the civil parish of St. Finbar's in the hi ...

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

. His father, Dan O'Mahony, was a prominent hurler with

Cloughduv Cloghduv or Cloghduff ( ; ) is a village in County Cork, Ireland. As of the 2022 census, it had a population of 440 people. The main industry is agriculture, although it is also a commuter village for Cork City. Cloughduv is part of the Dáil ...

while he played

with Kilmurry.

Playing career

College

O'Mahony first came to prominence as a hurler with St. Finbarr's College in Cork. He played in four consecutive Harty Cup campaigns without success.

University

As a student at

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

, O'Mahony joined the college senior team. In 1996 he was at right wing-forward when University College Cork won the

Fitzgibbon Cup The Fitzgibbon Cup () is the trophy for the premier hurling championship among higher education institutions (universities, colleges and institutes of technology) in Ireland. The Fitzgibbon Cup competition is administered by Comhairle Ard Oideac ...

after a 3-16 to 0-16 defeat of the

University of Limerick University of Limerick (UL) () is a Public university, public research university institution in Limerick, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Founded in 1972, as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in Septemb ...

in the final.

Club

O'Mahony joined the

club at a young age and played in all grades at juvenile and underage levels. After progressing from street league level he won two county championship medals in the under-12 grade, as well as two

Féile na nGael Féile na nGael (; Irish for "Festival of the Gaels") is an annual tournament comprising the sports of hurling, camogie and handball organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association. Its stated aim is to bond communities, forge friendships, prov ...

medals in Cork.To this day , Donal still holds the record for the highest ever scored in a singular féile match of 11-11. In 1992, O'Mahony won Cork Minor Championship, Cork Under-21 Championship and City Junior Championship medals with the respective Bishopstown minor, under-21 and junior teams. On 25 October 1992, O'Mahony was just out of the minor grade when he played in his first hurling championship final at adult level. He scored two points as Bishopstown defeated

Cloyne Cloyne () is a small town located to the southeast of Midleton in eastern County Cork, Ireland. It is also a see city of the Anglican (Church of Ireland) Diocese of Cork, Cloyne and Ross, while also giving its name to a Roman Catholic dioce ...

by 1-09 to 0-09 to win the Cork Intermediate Championship. On 22 October 2006, O'Mahony won a Cork Premier Intermediate Championship medal after being introduced as a substitute in a 0-20 to 1-11 defeat of

Carrigtwohill Carrigtwohill, officially Carrigtohill (), is a town in County Cork, Ireland with a population of 5,568 (2022). It is 12 kilometres east of Cork city centre. It is connected to Cork Suburban Rail and is bypassed by the N25 road. Carrigtwoh ...

in the final.

Inter-county

Minor and under-21

O'Mahony first played for Cork at minor level in 1990. He was a late replacement in goal on the Cork minor hurling team that won the Munster Championship following a 1-09 to 0-09 defeat of

Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...

in the final. After becoming 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 ...

in 1991, O'Mahony won a

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 ...

medal as a non-playing substitute with the Cork minor football team in 1991 after a two-point defeat of Kerry in the final. On 15 September 1991, he was an unused substitute when he won 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 after a 1-09 to 1-07 defeat of Mayo in the final. O'Mahony won a second successive Munster medal, his first on the field of play, in 1992 after a 3-06 to 2-07 victory over Kerry in the final. O'Mahony was still eligible for the minor grade when he replaced Alan Hickey as first-choice goalkeeper on the Cork under-21 hurling team in 1992. He won a

medal the following year after a 1-18 to 3-09 defeat of

Limerick Limerick ( ; ) is a city in western Ireland, in County Limerick. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster and is in the Mid-West Region, Ireland, Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. W ...

in the final.

Senior

O'Mahony made his senior debut for Cork on 14 November 1993, replacing Paul O'Callaghan at half-time in a

National League National League often refers to: *National League (baseball), one of the two baseball leagues constituting Major League Baseball in the United States and Canada *National League (division), the fifth division of the English football (soccer) system ...

game against

Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...

Páirc Uí Chaoimh Páirc Uí Chaoimh ( ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Cork, Ireland. Often referred to simply as "The Park", it is the home of Cork GAA and is located in Ballintemple, near the site of the original Cork Athletic Grounds. In February 2024, follo ...

. He made one other appearance during the league but failed to be included on the Cork panel for the Munster Championship.

Coaching career

In 2015, O'Mahony was added to Kieran Kingston's Cork senior hurling management team. As a goalkeeping coach he worked closely with Anthony Nash and Patrick Collins. On 9 July 2017, O'Mahony was part of the management team that guided Cork to the Munster title following a 1-25 to 1-20 defeat of Clare in the final. Following

John Meyler John Meyler (born 1956) is an Irish hurling manager and former selector, association footballer, Gaelic footballer and hurler who is currently the manager of kilmoyley. He has formerly managed the Kerry, Wexford, Carlow and Cork senior hurling ...

's appointment as manager of the Cork senior hurling team in 2017, O'Mahony was added to the management team as a selector. On 1 July 2018, the new management team helped Cork to a second successive Munster title following a 2-24 to 3-19 defeat of Clare in the final.

Career statistics

Inter-county

Honours

As a player

;University College Cork *

(1): 1996 ;Bishopstown *

Cork Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship The Cork Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork PIHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork GA ...

(1):

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 ...

Cork Intermediate Hurling Championship The Cork Intermediate A Hurling Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Co-Op Superstores Cork Intermediate A Hurling Championship and abbreviated to the Cork IAHC) is an annual hurling competition organised by the Cork County Board ...

(1): 1992 *

City Junior A Football Championship The City Junior A Football Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the EBO Home Rescue City Junior A Football Championship) is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Seandún Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association sin ...

(1): 1992 *

Cork Under-21 Football Championship The Cork Under-21 Football Championship is a Gaelic football competition in County Cork, Ireland for players under the age of 21. Clubs affiliated to Cork board compete to win this championship. All eight of the divisions in Cork organize the ...

(1): 1992 *Cork Minor Football Championship (1): 1992 ;Cork *

Munster Under-21 Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Munster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-c ...

(1):

1993 The United Nations General Assembly, General Assembly of the United Nations designated 1993 as: * International Year for the World's Indigenous People The year 1993 in the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands had only 364 days, since its ...

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):

1991 It was the final year of the Cold War, which had begun in 1947. During the year, the Soviet Union Dissolution of the Soviet Union, collapsed, leaving Post-soviet states, fifteen sovereign republics and the Commonwealth of Independent State ...

Munster Minor Football Championship The Munster Minor Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association since 1928 for the youngest competitors (under-18) in the province of Munster in Ireland. It is ...

(2):

1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...

Munster Minor Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the Electric Ireland Munster GAA Hurling Minor Championship) is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of ...

(1):

1990 Important events of 1990 include the Reunification of Germany and the unification of Yemen, the formal beginning of the Human Genome Project (finished in 2003), the launch of the Hubble Space Telescope, the separation of Namibia from South ...

In management

;Cork *

Munster Senior Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Senior Championship, known simply as the Munster Championship, is an annual Inter county, inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster GAA, Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the h ...

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 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

All-Ireland Under-20 Hurling Championship The GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the oneills.com GAA Hurling Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). ...

2020 The year 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 even ...

2021 Like the year 2020, 2021 was also heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, due to the emergence of multiple Variants of SARS-CoV-2, COVID-19 variants. The major global rollout of COVID-19 vaccines, which began at the end of 2020, continued ...

Munster Under-20 Hurling Championship The Munster GAA Hurling Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Munster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county hurling competition organised by the Munster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest inter-c ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Omahony, Donal 1974 births Living people Bishopstown Gaelic footballers Bishopstown hurlers Cork inter-county hurlers Cork inter-county Gaelic footballers Hurling goalkeepers Hurling selectors Dual players People educated at St Finbarr's College, Farranferris