Ronan Sheehan: It is not the glory Cork or Tipp are pursuing but it is real progress for Down

This is a seismic weekend for Down hurling. Promotion and a place in Division 1B is on the line as they take on Laois in Portlaoise on Saturday.

JOY OF SIX: Ronan Sheehan is six years in the Down job, having previously been minor boss and originally asked to assist in assembling a list of
candidates. The dream was always a spot in the top tiers. Picture: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

The gag around Duhallow whenever they played Banteer was a repetitive question. Had the train arrived? If it did it meant the Sheehans were around. If they were in town, they were hurling.

“We never considered ourselves anything other than Banteer people,” says Down hurling manager Ronan Sheehan, the youngest of seven. “Both our parents were teachers, so we spent every summer down there. They were more innocent times. No one objected to us playing.” 

Sheehan has plenty of family in Cork. Referee Conor Lane is his cousin. His parents moved north for work and Down hurling has his heart. Sweet summers of his upbringing were spent pucking in Banteer. He is 51 now and still playing a game he adores in his county.

“I’m playing in goals for the club. Down last year might have been the only county in the country with two senior managers still playing in the club championship. Conor (Lavery) in fairness is a bit younger and in better shape,” he says with a laugh.

This is a seismic weekend for Down. Promotion and a place in Division 1B is on the line as they take on Laois in Portlaoise on Saturday. It is six years since Sheehan found himself in this job, having previously been minor boss and originally asked to assist in assembling a list of candidates. The dream was always a spot in the top tiers.

There was always going to be challenges. There have been nights when they can’t get a field to train. That’s just the way it is. Down have had a multi-million-pound centre of excellence in Ballykinlar in the works for seven-odd years.

The district council is reported to have recently refused to support an application for EU funding as part of the project. Sheehan knows what the hurlers can build with the right base, but he isn’t allowing it take away from his main priority either.

“You’d be surprised how many counties have the same challenges. Down will have a Centre of Excellence and we will have one soon. However, right now, our county secretary Seán Óg McAteer couldn’t do more for us. It is the same situation. I rang him last night because we are appealing Eoghan's (Sands) red card from the Meath match, he said I’ll ring you back because I’m trying to sort a pitch for Conor to train.

“The Burrenbridge problem created a millstone around the neck, which is no fault of the current people, they got us out of that mess. We will get Ballykinlar and it will make a difference. It won’t transform us; we need to continue to evolve and develop the game. But when I entered the job, I knew the constraints. I went in with my eyes open. When I look at the county board, anything we ask for we get.” 

Sheehan is a numbers-cruncher. That is his gig with Lloyds Bank. His passion and profession. Ask about the different standards through the hurling league and he’ll rattle through the average shooting position and accuracy in each championship tier. He freely admits he drives their analysis team mad. They do stress the small stuff. The small stuff matters because in reality, it is so significant.

Consider time. After taking the job, one element that surprised him is how much time an intercounty setup demands. For management and for players. Down can’t let that become an overbearing hindrance on anyone involved. They have to work smarter rather than harder.

“I work in England a couple of days a week with Lloyds Bank, so time constraints are different. Seán Óg was ringing me about the time of our appeal, so I’ll have to log on and find a quiet spot in Bristol airport.

“In the six years I have been doing this, I see how the time demands on players are immense. I know there is a lot of talk about the cost of teams, but the one thing we forget is the amount of time we ask of amateur players. The one thing you can’t give back to anyone is time. You can give them expenses, food, or gear. We don’t do collective gym sessions. All the hurling is on the field, but the gym sessions are themselves.

“If they aren’t doing the gym work you will find out on the pitch. And if they can’t do the gym work themselves, will they really succeed anyway?” 

True development of the teams beyond the top tier will take time. Sheehan consistently proposes that. Dedicated space in the calendar to ensure hurling has a place. With set space, the game can grow from the grassroots, which is the difficulty right now.

Down contended for promotion in 2022 before losing out to Westmeath. They were nearly relegated in 2023. Why? Numbers. Fine margins because of some absent key personnel. Donal Hughes didn’t play last season. Dáithí and Eoghan Sands missed most of the campaign.

“I saw an article with Patrick Horgan where he said Cork have two for every position,” says Sheehan. “The likes of myself won’t have that, we’re picking from 350 adult hurlers in the whole of Down. There would be as many in Sars, Glen and Finbarr’s.

“Kerry are like that. They miss Shane Conway and one or two others; it really hurts them. Carlow are like that. I think that is the beauty and tragedy of middle-tier counties. Really passionate strongholds, but ultimately pushing up a hill because it is simply a numbers game.” 

Tipperary’s Trevor Fletcher is their current coach. Cork’s Diarmuid O'Sullivan is on the ticket. Key cogs.

“Diarmuid is coming up to Newry and Down for 20 years. The likes of Conor Woods, Viper (Stephen Keith), they are in their 30s now and Diarmuid had them as U16s. The first time he was up, himself and Dónal Óg flew up to George Best Airport where we picked them up. This was almost 20 years ago, a lot closer to the ceasefire. It was a different time.

“The two boys were pucking around the car park there, I said, ‘lads I’m not sure if you know where you are, but this wouldn’t be the best territory for that.’ He knows the lay of the land here now. Himself and Trevor Fletcher have made a massive difference.” 

Saturday is not a free shot, but Sheehan believes all the pressure is on Laois. They will feel like they need promotion. Down want it. They will play with freedom and the same fighting spirit that has steered them well over the last few years.

“This group are just great. We couldn’t get out of 2B for ten years. They got them out four or five years ago and have maintained their status ever since. We have maintained our McDonagh Cup status for several years. It is not the glory Cork or Tipp are pursuing but it is real progress for Down. It is something for our young hurlers to aspire to.

“We will keep on building. We will keep trying to grow the game. We know our limitations. We know our hurdles and obstacles. A lot of those are self-inflicted. We happen to live in a county that is more football-originated. That isn’t the GAA or anyone’s fault. It is the nature of it.

“We are just determined to be the best version of ourselves that we can be. Hopefully, if we do that on Saturday, it will get us the right result.”