What comes next? Why retired GAA stars endure such mixed emotions. 

Many of the players who announced their inter-county retirements this month will grapple with similar issues.

In attendance at the launch of the EirGrid GAA Football U20 All-Ireland Championship is Cork U20 selector Colm O'Neill. EirGrid, the state-owned company that manages and develops Ireland's electricity grid, have partnered with the GAA since 2015 as sponsors of the U20 GAA Football All-Ireland Championship. Photo by Eóin Noonan/Sportsfile

He won four All-Irelands and earned iconic status as a Kerry player but Paul Galvin would come to realise that with high ambition often comes a considerable toll.

In his recent podcast interview with The Irish Examiner, Galvin acknowledged that the only relationships he'd really cared about while playing for Kerry were not with his family but with his team-mates.