Double All-Ireland-winning Galway footballer Paul Clancy dies aged 49

RIP: Galway legend Paul Clancy, who was died aged 49. Pic: Harry Murphy/Sportsfile

Paul Clancy, Galway’s two-time All-Ireland-winning footballer, has passed away at the age of 49 following an extended illness.

The Maigh Cuilinn clubman died on Monday. Galway GAA confirmed the sad news in a social media post on Tuesday.

“It is with immense sadness that we heard about the sad and untimely passing of our former double All-Ireland Senior Football winning player, Paul Clancy. Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam.” 

Clancy claimed Celtic Crosses with his county in 1998 and 2001. He was a used substitute in the ’98 win over Kildare and was wing-forward in the ’01 victory against Meath.

He won five Connacht medals – 1998, 2000, ’02, ’03, 05 – as well as an All-Ireland intermediate with Maigh Cuilinn in 2008 having won the corresponding county and provincial titles the previous year.

Clancy managed his club’s senior team along with his late brother-in-law and former Roscommon footballer Don Connellan who passed away last August at the age of 51.

Clancy also served as chairman of his club from 2019 to ’23 during which time they won their first-ever senior county title in 2020 and a county-provincial double two years later.

He was a selector to Laois manager Justin McNulty. He previously managed Westmeath club Garrycastle.