Eamon O’Shea not part of Micheál Donoghue’s Galway set-up for 2026

Connacht Rugby's Barry O’Brien will take over as the Tribe's S&C coach. 

Eamon O’Shea, who is set to step back from his Galway role, at an Irish Examiner subscriber event before this year's All-Ireland hurling final. Picture Chani Anderson.

Two-time All-Ireland SHC winning coach Eamon O’Shea won’t be part of Micheál Donoghue’s Galway set-up for the upcoming season.

O’Shea’s departure is one of a number of changes in Donoghue’s backroom team for 2026.

Connacht Rugby senior athletic performance coach Barry O’Brien is set to take over the strength and conditioning brief from former Ireland rugby international Jonny O’Connor.

Galway-based O’Shea, who coached Tipperary in their 2010 and ’19 All-Ireland successes, had also been part of Henry Shefflin’s Galway management team in 2024. Before leading Galway to the Liam MacCarthy Cup in 2017, Donoghue had previously been an analyst for O’Shea when he was Tipperary manager between 2013 and ’15.

O’Connor was Galway’s lead athletic development coach since the end of 2023 when he replaced Lukasz Kirszenstein, the former Tipperary S&C coach who then joined the Clare group.

Galway reached this year’s Leinster final where they lost to Kilkenny before they were knocked out of the championship by Tipperary in an All-Ireland quarter-final.

Meanwhile, All-Ireland SFC runners-up Donegal are joining winners Kerry in getting their team holiday out of the way early. Jim McGuinness’s men will enjoy a trip to Mexico where Kerry will also be going following their first stop in Nashville, Tennessee later this month.

Kerry had originally looked at visiting Puerto Rico but will go to Cancun for the second part of their trip before returning in early November. Both Donegal and Kerry along with the hurling finalists Tipperary and Cork receive €150,000 towards their holiday from the GAA.