Ciarán Kilkenny took career break to give all for Dublin farewell

For most of the year, only Kilkenny's partner Rebekah and his father John knew it was going to be the eight-time All-Ireland winner's final season in a Dublin jersey

Ciarán Kilkenny: “I feel like I've given absolutely everything I can and I feel like the team and Dublin are in a great place now moving forward." Pic: Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile

Ciarán Kilkenny has revealed he took a career break from teaching to fully commit to what he knew was going to be his 15th and final season as a Dublin senior footballer.

The eight-time All-Ireland SFC winner announced his decision to retire from the scene the day after Dublin lost to Kerry in last month’s All-Ireland SFC semi-final.

Only his partner Rebekah and father John knew about that this season was going to be his last, although he later informed his friend and selector Dean Rock.

Kilkenny smiles that his principal in St Benedict’s National School in Ongar in north-west Dublin wasn’t aware of the full reasons behind his request for a year of absence. He simply felt he had to be able to give his all.

“I gave as much as I could, as hard as I could, for as long as I could. When you get a little bit older and after games, it takes a lot more time for the body to recover, and I just wouldn't be able to recover, or not able to recover as well as I could when I was younger.

“I feel like I've given absolutely everything I can and I feel like the team and Dublin are in a great place now moving forward and you know it's a great opportunity now for me to… I don't know what I'm going to do next.

“Last year I was completing a Masters as well, so I was doing a Masters, I was teaching and I was playing football. I found that that was a busy time. So, I decided also to take a career break from teaching for a year just with the decision that I was making as well to retire from Dublin just to process things, reflect and see what's next for me. So, that's what the plan is and who knows what's around the corner.” 

Dublin’s 2026 championship schedule was intense, eight games in 13 weekends. Kilkenny started all of them. It wouldn’t have been possible if he didn’t make the call he did as he “chased the recovery” after each fixture.

Ciarán Kilkenny was speaking at an event to promote the Aer Lingus College Football Classic between TCU Horned Frogs and University of North Carolina Tar Heels in Aviva Stadium on Saturday, August 29. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster. Pic: Sam Barnes/Sportsfile

“It takes a lot of your body. For me, if you had a game on a Sunday, you’re not getting 100% right until the Thursday or Friday. After the games, it’s just literally recovery, recovery, recovery.

“You don’t have pretty much opportunity to do much in between those games, more so reflecting on the learnings of the previous game and getting as fresh as the next game.” 

Kilkenny was overwhelmed by the amount of messages he received following his retirement statement. Old differences were put aside. “At the start of your career, we would have had massive rivalries in All-Ireland finals against the likes of Mayo, Tyrone, Kerry.

“But as you get a little bit older, you come to realise these players are going through exactly the same thing as you. They're putting exactly the same amount of everything into it, and we have so much in common, and just so much respect for those that I've played against.” 

Kilkenny enjoyed the two inter-county seasons under the new rules. “I think the kick-out battle has become massive in the new rules and has a massive influence on the game. I enjoy the contest and I enjoy fielding or the combative side of the breaking ball.

“I think as a fan and as a supporter, all the games have been high-scoring and every team has any team can beat any team on any day, which everyone can see with both the Tailteann Cup and the Sam Maguire Cup that anyone can beat anyone on their day on these new rules, which is exciting for everyone.” 

For the Mayo people particularly in his Castleknock club, Kilkenny was happy to see the county finally claim the Sam Maguire Cup. Their supporters will hope Kobe McDonald will have a change of heart like Kilkenny and return home soon from Australia, but the six-time All-Star hopes to see him succeed in the AFL.

“I think he's a phenomenal talent. I just think he's such an incredible player and athlete. From an athleticism point of view, you just see him glide by people. He's like a gazelle the way he runs around, and he has so much confidence in himself. He's a great player.

“As a Gaelic football supporter, I'd obviously love to see him play Gaelic football but of course I'd encourage him to take the opportunity and see how it is for himself and see how he likes it. I wish him all the best. He's had an incredible year with Mayo.”