Seán Doherty (Gaelic Footballer)
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Seán Doherty (born 1946) is a 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. He played football with his local club
Ballyboden Wanderers Wanderers (Irish: ''Fánaithe Bhaile Baodáin'') are a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Ballyboden, Dublin, Ireland. The men's first team won the Dublin Junior Football Championship, Dublin Junior Two Football Championship in 2020. ...
, Ballyboden St Enda's and St Anne's and was a senior member of the Dublin county team throughout the 1970s. Doherty
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
ed Dublin to the All-Ireland SFC title in 1974. He later served as joint-manager of the team with Gerry McCaul and Tony Hempenstall for one season in 1989.


Early life

Doherty was born in Wicklow.


Playing career


Club

Doherty played his club football with a selection of clubs throughout the 1960s and 1970s; however, it was with
Ballyboden Wanderers Wanderers (Irish: ''Fánaithe Bhaile Baodáin'') are a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Ballyboden, Dublin, Ireland. The men's first team won the Dublin Junior Football Championship, Dublin Junior Two Football Championship in 2020. ...
/ Ballyboden St Enda's that he had his greatest successes. He first came to prominence with
Ballyboden Wanderers Wanderers (Irish: ''Fánaithe Bhaile Baodáin'') are a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Ballyboden, Dublin, Ireland. The men's first team won the Dublin Junior Football Championship, Dublin Junior Two Football Championship in 2020. ...
when he captained the 1968
Dublin Junior Football championship The Dublin Junior Football 1 Championship is the Junior Gaelic Athletic Association Gaelic football competition of Dublin. The winners of the Junior championship go on to qualify for the Dublin Intermediate Football Championship. The winners will ...
winning team. The following season
Ballyboden Wanderers Wanderers (Irish: ''Fánaithe Bhaile Baodáin'') are a Gaelic Athletic Association club located in Ballyboden, Dublin, Ireland. The men's first team won the Dublin Junior Football Championship, Dublin Junior Two Football Championship in 2020. ...
joined forces with Rathfarnham St Enda's to become Ballyboden St Enda's. He went on to play in the county intermediate championship in the 1970s. In 1971 he won his 1st Intermediate championship, before adding a 2nd to his collection three years later in 1974. In later years Doherty served as player-manager with
Tallaght Tallaght ( ; , ) is a southwestern outer suburb of Dublin, Ireland. The central village area was the site of a monastic settlement from at least the 8th century, which became one of medieval Ireland's more important monastic centres. Up to th ...
-based club St Anne's.


Inter-county

Doherty first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a senior member of the Dublin county team in the early 1970s. It was the beginning of a resurgence for 'the Dubs' who had been in the doldrums for much of the previous decade. In 1974 Doherty was captain when he played in his first Leinster final in the senior grade. Archrivals
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 ...
set out to stop 'the Dubs' claiming a first provincial title since 1965. A new look Dublin under the stewardship of Kevin Heffernan made no mistake in securing a 1-14 to 1-9 victory. It was Doherty's first
Leinster Leinster ( ; or ) is one of the four provinces of Ireland, in the southeast of Ireland. The modern province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige, which existed during Gaelic Ireland. Following the 12th-century ...
winners' medal in the senior grade. Dublin later surprisingly defeated All-Ireland title-holders
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 * ...
in the semi-final, thus booking a place in the All-Ireland final 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 ...
. The men from the west, who had been beaten in two of the previous three championship deciders, took a 1-4 to 0-5 lead at half-time, however, the real turning point of the game came in the 52nd minute. Galway were awarded a penalty which
Liam Sammon Liam Sammon (born 1946 in Galway) is an Irish former Gaelic football manager, coach, writer and former player. He played football with his local clubs Father Griffins and Salthill–Knocknacarra and was a member of the senior Galway county t ...
stepped up to take. Goalkeeper
Paddy Cullen Patrick Cullen (18 October 1944 – 6 February 2025) was an Irish Gaelic football manager and player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Dublin county team spanned thirteen years from 1966 to 1979. Career Born in St ...
made no mistake and saved the shot. 'The Dub's' later went on to take the lead as Galway collapsed. A 0-14 to 1-6 score line resulted in a first
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 ...
winners' medal for Doherty and a first for Dublin in eleven years. He capped off the year by collecting his only
All-Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
award. Dublin proved that their success in 1974 was not a flash-in-the-pan by retaining the Leinster title in 1975 after an enormous 3-13 to 0-8 defeat of
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 ...
.''The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games'' p. 142 Doherty's side were the red-hot favourites going into the All-Ireland final against the youngest Kerry teams of all-time. On a rain-soaked day John Egan and substitute Ger O'Driscoll scored two goals for Kerry and 'the Dubs' were ambushed by 2-12 to 0-11. It was a bitter defeat for a Dublin team that had expected so much. Dublin continued their dominance in 1976. After securing the
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 ...
title 'the Dubs' dominated the provincial championship once again. A narrow 2-8 to 1-9 defeat of Meath gave Doherty a third consecutive Leinster winners' medal. Once again it was Kerry who provided the opposition, as one of the great rivalries of football entered a new chapter. Both sides were hoping for success, however, new 'Dub' Kevin Moran was causing havoc with the Kerry defence. Immediately after the game started he careered through the Kerry half-back and full-back lines, however, his shot at goal went wide. This set the pace for the rest of the match.
John McCarthy John McCarthy may refer to: Government * John George MacCarthy (1829–1892), Member of Parliament for Mallow constituency, 1874–1880 * John McCarthy (Irish politician) (1862–1893), Member of Parliament for the Mid Tipperary constituency, ...
finished a five-man move to score Dublin's first goal of the day. A converted penalty by
Jimmy Keaveney James Keaveney (born 12 February 1945) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer. His league and championship career at senior level with the Dublin county team spanned sixteen seasons from 1964 to 1980. Keaveney is widely regarded as one of Dublin ...
was followed by a third goal from
Brian Mullins Brian Mullins (27 September 1954 – 30 September 2022) was an Irish Gaelic football manager and player. He played football with his local club St Vincent's and was a senior member of the Dublin county team from 1974 until 1985. Mullins late ...
. A 3-8 to 0-10 score line gave Dublin the title and gave Doherty a second All-Ireland winners' medal. The 1977 Leinster final was a replay of the previous year with the result being the same. Meath provided some stiff opposition but fell short, eventually losing the game by 1-9 to 0-8. It was Doherty's fourth consecutive Leinster title. Dublin later took on Kerry for the third consecutive year, however, this time it was in the All-Ireland semi-final. In one of the greatest games of football ever-played 'the Dubs' triumphed and booked a final apot against
Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...
. An eight-goal thriller ensued, with Jimmy Keaveney scored the first of the day after just ninety seconds. He ended the day with a record 2-6 from play. Bobby Doyle soon followed with the first of his two goals while John McCarthy got a fifth. Armagh were awarded two penalties, however, the northerners spurned some golden goal-scoring opportunities. A huge 5-12 to 3-6 victory gave Dublin a second consecutive title and gave Doherty a third All-Ireland winners' medal in four years.''The GAA Book of Lists'' p. 404 1978 saw Doherty add a second National League title to his collection.''The Complete Handbook of Gaelic Games'' p. 179 A fifth consecutive Leinster winners' medal soon followed as Dublin accounted for Kildare. The eleven point victory in this game made Doherty's side the favourites to secure a remarkable third All-Ireland title in-a-row. While the game should have been an historic occasion, a rout ensued. The game is chiefly remembered for
Mikey Sheehy Michael Sheehy (born 28 July 1954) is an Irish Gaelic football selector and former player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned fifteen seasons from 1973 to 1988. Born in Tralee, County Kerry, ...
's sensational goal. A free was awarded and the Kerry forward lobbed the ball over the head of
Paddy Cullen Patrick Cullen (18 October 1944 – 6 February 2025) was an Irish Gaelic football manager and player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Dublin county team spanned thirteen years from 1966 to 1979. Career Born in St ...
, who was caught off his line arguing with the referee. New full-forward
Eoin Liston Eoin "Bomber" Liston (born 16 October 1957 in Ballybunion, County Kerry) is an Irish former sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Beale, his divisional side Shannon Rangers and at senior level for the Kerry county team be ...
entered the record books as he scored a hat-trick of goals.
Pat Spillane Patrick Gerard Spillane (born 1 December 1955), better known as Pat Spillane, is an Irish former Gaelic football pundit and player. His league and championship career at senior level with the Kerry county team spanned seventeen years from 197 ...
played all over the field, including goalkeeper after
Charlie Nelligan Charlie Nelligan (born 1957 in Castleisland, County Kerry) is an Irish former sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Castleisland Desmonds and at senior level for the Kerry county team between 1974 and 1991. He also played ...
was sent off. At the full-time whistle Kerry were the winners by 5-11 to 0-9. Doherty retired from inter-county football following this defeat.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Doherty, Sean 1947 births Living people All-Ireland–winning captains (football) All Stars Awards winners (football) Ballyboden Wanderers Gaelic footballers Ballyboden St Enda's Gaelic footballers Dublin inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic football managers Gaelic games players from County Wicklow St Anne's (Dublin) Gaelic footballers 20th-century Irish sportsmen