Dublin GAA appoint Ger Brennan as senior football manager

NEW MANAGER: Dublin GAA have appointed Ger Brennan as their senior football manager. Pic: Dublin GAA

Three months after leading Louth to their first Leinster SFC title in 68 years, Ger Brennan has been appointed as the new Dublin senior football manager.

The St Vincent’s man, who left the Louth role in early July after two years in charge, has been given a three-year term.

Brennan, 45, replaces Dessie Farrell who stepped down after six seasons in charge following June’s All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Tyrone. Brennan’s management team will be confirmed at a later date.

Brennan won two All-Ireland senior medals as a player – 2011 and ’13 – before retiring from the inter-county game in 2015. He captained St Vincent’s to an All-Ireland senior club title in 2014 and had been part of the team that won the 2008 crown.

Brennan claimed five Leinster SFC medals.

The statement issued on the Dublin website on Friday afternoon opened: “The Dublin County Board are delighted to confirm that Ger Brennan has been appointed as manager of the Dublin senior football team for a three-year term.

“The St Vincent’s clubman enjoyed a hugely successful playing career, winning All-Ireland titles with Dublin under both Pat Gilroy in 2011 and Jim Gavin in 2013.” 

Confirming the news, Dublin chairman Ken O’Sullivan said: “Ger has achieved the highest honours as a player with Dublin and he has our full support in leading the Dublin Senior Football panel in pursuit of further honours in the coming years. We wish Ger, his team and the panel the very best and look forward to the 2026 season”.

Brennan is the first man to manage Dublin having previously taken charge of another county team since Tommy Lyons in 2001 – Mayo native Lyons had guided Offaly to a provincial senior champions in 1998.

Prior to succeeding Mickey Harte in Louth, he had coached Carlow in 2020 where he assisted manager Niall Carew. He has also managed the likes of Bray Emmets and Moorefield.

Brennan has been the Gaelic games executive in UCD since 2015. In Belfield, he succeeded his late club-mate, former Dublin selector Dave Billings. He follows fellow St Vincent’s men Pat Gilroy and Kevin Heffernan in taking the reins of the county.

Brennan’s decision to leave Louth soon after Farrell’s departure from the Dublin role fuelled speculation that he was going to replace him. However, Declan Darcy had also been linked with the role having served as Jim Gavin’s assistant manager in a glittering era, which yielded six All-Irelands in seven seasons, five of them coming in consecutive years.