Marc Ó Sé’s appointment as Kerry minor football manager could be viewed as part of the county’s wily succession planning as it’s proven a well-worn path towards obtaining the senior managerial keys to the Kingdom.
Marc is the latest of the Ó Sé brothers to take charge of a Kerry team – Tomás will be at the helm of the county’s under-20s for a fourth successive year in 2026 while Darragh previously managed the under-21s from 2013 to 2015.
However, all of Kerry’s Sam Maguire winning managers stretching as far back as Mick O’Dwyer’s time have had stints managing either the county’s minors or under-20s/21s, in some cases both.
O’Dwyer managed the Kerry under-21s and seniors simultaneously in the mid-70s, landing All-Ireland silverware with both.
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Kerry’s list of triumphant All-Ireland senior football championship winning managers from O’Dwyer onwards reads: Páidí Ó Sé (1997 & 2000), Jack O’Connor (2004, 2006, 2009, 2022, 2025), Pat O’Shea (2007) and Eamonn Fitzmaurice (2014). All of whom managed Kerry at underage level.
Current senior boss O’Connor has had a couple of stints with Kerry underage teams. He managed Kerry to an All-Ireland under-21 title in 1998 and then returned to the juvenile grades between his second and third spells as senior manager.
During that period he managed the Kerry minors to All-Ireland titles in 2014 and 2015, while he added two Munster under-21 crowns in 2017 and 2018.
It would appear that for any ambitious manager carrying aspirations of becoming the Kerry senior football boss, a period down the mines carving out future senior players at minor and under-20 level seems like time well spent.
Confirmation of Marc Ó Sé’s appointment as minor manager, and with Tomás remaining in situ with the under-20s, strengthens the possibility of the of the senior bainisteoir’s bib finding its way back to the family once again, following in the footsteps of their uncle, Páidí.
Tomás has been handed a two-year extension while Marc’s appointment as minor boss is also for two seasons. The under-20 management team includes Mark Fitzgerald, Maurice Horan and Mike Frank Russell, while Marc’s minor set-up is comprised of Niall O’Mahony, Ronan McAuliffe, Noel Kennelly and Cathal Moriarty.
Tomás would be seen as a frontrunner to succeed O’Connor when the time comes, having guided Kerry to three Munster under-20 titles during his three years in charge. The team also contested the All-Ireland under-20 final in 2024, the county’s first appearance in the decider in the grade since 2008.
However, one particular bolter from outside the Kerry underage managerial production line would be Kieran Donaghy. Donaghy has served his apprenticeship largely outside the Kingdom, including a successful spell working with Kieran McGeeney’s Armagh.
Asked earlier this year about taking on the Kerry senior gig in the future, Tomás Ó Sé replied: “No, right now I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t say never, I would never say never but it’s not on my radar.”
Páidí Ó Sé managed his native county to an All-Ireland under-21 title in 1995 and retained the title in 1996, while Ó Sé went on to lead Kerry to Sam Maguire glory in 1997 and 2000.
O’Connor succeeded Ó Sé in late 2003, delivering All-Ireland senior titles in 2004 and 2006.
When O’Connor stepped down in late 2006, he was replaced by Dr Crokes’ Pat O’Shea, who had managed the county’s minors in 2002 and 2003. He guided the seniors to an All-Ireland triumph in his first year at the helm as the Kingdom retained their crown.
O’Shea’s tenure ended after the 2008 campaign and, in a role reversal, he was replaced by the man he had succeeded, O’Connor returning for a second stint. O’Connor added a third Sam Maguire success as manager in 2009 before stepping down after their 2012 campaign.
Fitzmaurice, who had managed the Kerry under-21s in 2012, was appointed senior boss later that same year and would remain in the position for six years, winning the All-Ireland in 2014.
During this period, Kerry dominated at minor level, O’Connor having taken charge to lead the county’s young guns to back-to-back All-Irelands victories.
When O’Connor stepped up to take charge of the under-20s, Peter Keane took the minor reins, continuing their dominance with three successive titles to complete a famous five-in-row.
Keane was seen as the obvious replacement for Fitzmaurice when the Finuge man stepped away, and so it came to pass in October 2018. Keane remained in charge of the senior side for three years, but despite all his success at underage level was unable to deliver a senior title.
O’Connor returned to the senior hot seat in September 2021 and has added two further All-Ireland titles to his CV, most recently in July.
