Éamonn Fitzmaurice

Éamonn Fitzmaurice is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He was manager of the Kerry senior team between 2012 and 2018 and is a member of an exclusive club having won All-Ireland senior titles as a player and as a manager.[1]

Éamonn Fitzmaurice
Personal information
Irish name Éamonn Mac Muiris
Sport Gaelic football
Position Centre-back
Born 1977
Lixnaw, County Kerry, Ireland
Height 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Occupation Secondary school Principal
Club(s)
Years Club
 Finuge
Lixnaw
Feale Rangers
University College Cork
Club titles
  Football Hurling
Kerry titles 3 1
Munster titles 1 0
Inter-county(ies)
Years County Apps (scores)
1996-2007
 Kerry 105 (1-18)
Inter-county titles
Munster titles 9 + 6 (manager)
All-Irelands 5 + 1 (manager)
NFL 3 + 1 (manager)

Biography

Born in Lixnaw, County Kerry, Fitzmaurice was introduced to Gaelic football in his youth. He enjoyed some success at schools' level with Gaelcholáiste Chiarraí while simultaneously enjoying championship successes at underage levels with the Finuge club. An All-Ireland medal winner in the intermediate grade, Fitzmaurice has a unique collection of Kerry novice, junior, intermediate and senior medals with the Finuge club and the Feale Rangers divisional side, captaining Feale Rangers to the senior county championship in 2007.[2] As a dual player he also won three county championship medals with the Lixnaw senior hurling team. He also won a Cork County Championship and a Munster Club Championship 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 All-Ireland medal winner as a non-playing substitute in this grade in 1994, he later won two All-Ireland medals with the under-21 team in 1996 and 1998. Fitzmaurice made his senior debut during the 1996-97 league against All Ireland Champions Meath. He went on to play a key role for Kerry in defence predominantly playing at Centre Half Back during a hugely successful era, and won three All-Ireland medals, six Munster medals and two National Football League medals. He was an All-Ireland runner-up on two occasions.

Fitzmaurice was a member of the Munster inter-provincial team in 2004 but failed to win a Railway Cup medal. Throughout his inter-county career he made 48 championship appearances. Fitzmaurice retired from inter-county Gaelic football on 10 April 2007, still only 29.[3]

On retiring, Fitzmaurice wrote a column for the Irish Examiner. 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 enjoyed 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.[4][5][6] 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.[7] 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 as Kerry failed to progress to the All-Ireland semi-finals from the inaugural Super 8 group stage.[8] He is credited with keeping Kerry competitive while guiding them through a transitional period as many legends of the game retired (see table below).

A teacher of history at the co-educational school Pobalscoil Chorca Dhuibhne in Dingle since 2001, he succeeded the long-serving Pádraig Firtear as principal in 2018.[9] He has successfully managed at a variety of levels in the school as they continue to overachieve with a school population of under 400 pupils.

He is married to Tina and has two children Faye and Rian.

Career statistics

Player
Team Year National League Championship Total
DivisionAppsScoreAppsScoreAppsScore
Kerry 1997 Division 1 20-0000-0020-00
1998 30-0230-0060-02
1999 Division 2 50-0100-0050-01
2000 Division 1A 60-0060-02120-02
2001 50-0060-00110-00
2002 80-0190-01170-01
2003 30-0040-0070-00
2004 80-0070-00150-00
2005 40-0160-01100-02
2006 90-0670-03160-09
2007 40-0000-0040-00
Total 570-11480-071050-18

Manager
As of Match played August 2018.
Team From To McGrath Cup League Munster All-Ireland Total
GWDLGWDLGWDLGWDLGWDLWin %
Kerry 27 August 2012 4 August 2018 10703452631614131017935865572464%



Kerry Retirements and Championship debuts under Éamonn Fitzmaurice

Year Debuts Retired (At end of season)
2013 Johnny Buckley, Paul Geaney, Mikey Geaney, Mark Griffin, Jack Sherwood, Fionn Fitzgerald Tomás Ó Sé, Paul Galvin, Eoin Brosnan
2014 Brian Kelly, Paul Murphy, Stephen O Brien, Jonathon Lyne, Pa Kilkenny Declan O Sullivan
2015 Kieran O Leary
2016 Brian Ó Beaglaoich, Tadhg Morley, Tony Brosnan Colm Cooper, Marc Ó Sé, Aidan O Mahony,
2017 Kevin McCarthy, Tom O Sullivan, Jack Barry, Jack Savage Bryan Sheehan
2018 David Clifford, Jason Foley, Seán O Shea, Shane Murphy, Gavin White, Micheál Burns, Ronan Shanahan, Gavin Crowley Kieran Donaghy, Donnchadh Walsh, Anthony Maher, Darran O Sullivan


Honours

Player
University College Cork
Finuge
Lixnaw
Feale Rangers
Kerry

Roghnóir
Kerry

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

References
  1. Duggan, Keith (22 August 2015). "Eamonn Fitzmaurice proves a pragmatic keeper of the flame". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  2. "It's Captain Galvin for Kerry as Feale land title". Irish Independent. 25 November 2012.
  3. "Kingdom rocked by Fitzmaurice retirement". Hogan Stand. 10 April 2007. Retrieved 28 April 2016.
  4. "Fitzmaurice takes Kerry Senior Football role". Irish Examiner. 27 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  5. "Newly appointed Kerry senior football manager Eamonn Fitzmaurice understands scale of new role". RTÉ Sport. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  6. "Eamon Fitzmaurice is named as new Kerry football manager". BBC Sport. 28 August 2012. Retrieved 28 August 2012.
  7. "Quiet man with common touch draws strength from adversity". Irish Independent. 23 September 2014. Retrieved 23 September 2014.
  8. "'There was a negative atmosphere' - Fitzmaurice steps down as Kerry manager". RTÉ. 4 August 2018. Retrieved 4 August 2018.
  9. O'Mahony, John (12 June 2018). "Eamonn takes over as school principal". Killarney Today. Archived from the original on 5 September 2018. Retrieved 12 June 2018.
Achievements
Preceded by
Jim Gavin
(Dublin)		 All-Ireland Senior Football Final
winning manager
2014		 Succeeded by
Jim Gavin
(Dublin)
Sporting positions
Preceded by
John Kennedy		 Kerry Under-21 Football Manager
2011-2012		 Succeeded by
Darragh Ó Sé
Preceded by
Jack O'Connor		 Kerry Senior Football Manager
2012-2018		 Succeeded by
Peter Keane
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