Carlow appoint Allen and O’Mahony to advisory roles for senior teams

Former All-Ireland winning managers John Allen and John O’Mahony are due to take up advisory roles with Carlow GAA next season.

Allen steered Cork to the All-Ireland senior hurling crown in 2005 and led Limerick to the Munster title last year. Carlow County Board approached him last week to act as an advisor to new senior hurling boss Pat English.

A son of former county board chairman Jim English, an All-Ireland SHC winner with Wexford, he has played an active part in underage hurling developments in recent seasons and managed the county’s U21s for the past two years. He takes over from John Meyler, who stepped down last June.

O’Mahony, the Mayoman who led Galway to All-Ireland senior football triumphs in 1998 and 2001, will take up a role on the senior football team, advising incoming manager Turlough O’Brien.

O’Mahony had previously been approached about the senior job before the county appointed former Meath captain Liam Hayes to the role in the mid 2000s. He will help O’Brien who was the coach this year under Anthony Rainbow.

Both Allen and O’Mahony, appointed last night, will be advising and providing feedback for both managers.

Meanwhile Kerry selector and coach Cian O’Neill has revealed at least half a dozen Mayo players sent him best wishes before Sunday’s All-Ireland final.

The Kildare native left as Mayo coach after their 2012 All-Ireland final defeat to Donegal, citing travel constraints, before joining up with Kerry a month later.

Sunday was O’Neill’s second All-Ireland success, in his fifth All-Ireland final, having worked with Tipperary’s hurlers between 2008 and 2011.

Mayo captain Andy Moran, Alan Dillon, Keith Higgins, Colm Boyle, Mickey Conroy and Enda Varley all sent text messages to O’Neill prior tothe Kingdom’s clash with Donegal.

James Horan’s selector Tom Prendergast also got in touch. O’Neill appreciated the messages all the more after their extra-time replay defeat to Kerry in the Gaelic Grounds last month.

“Tom has been a huge bedrock of the Mayo set-up for the last four years. Obviously the focus is always on James, the manager. But Tom has put so much into it,” said O’Neill.

“Straight up, he said ‘it’s not easy’. For someone to respect you and say it’s not easy, it’s a sign of the man you know. They’re a great bunch the Mayo guys. I couldn’t say enough about them.”

The joint team of Noel Connelly and Pat Holmes were confirmed as Horan’s replacements on Saturday.