In Other Changes to the Cork Set-up, Ronan Curran Has Stepped Away As a Selector and Gerry Hussey Will Not Return As Performance Coach

Cian O'Neill has been appointed as head coach of the Cork hurling management team for the coming season, marking his first involvement with an intercounty hurling side since 2011. O'Neill, who stepped down as coach to the Kerry footballers after last month's All-Ireland final, is based in Cork and previously coached the Cork footballers. He began his intercounty career with the Limerick footballers under Mickey Ned O'Sullivan in 2006, giving him 21 seasons of unbroken involvement with intercounty teams. O'Neill was the strength and conditioning coach when Tipperary won the 2010 All-Ireland, and stayed on for another year at the players' request after Liam Sheedy and his management team stepped down.

He also spent four years with the University of Limerick (UL) Fitzgibbon Cup team, a season with Toomevara in Tipperary, and a stint with Newtownshandrum, the home club of Cork manager Ben O'Connor. During his time with Newtownshandrum, they won the 2009 Munster championship before losing the All-Ireland semi-final to Ballyhale Shamrocks. In other changes to the Cork set-up, Ronan Curran has stepped away as a selector and Gerry Hussey will not return as performance coach.

Curran told Echolive.ie: "I suppose with any senior intercounty season, plenty of challenges were encountered during the year. This year was no different and the hardest part for me was the alignment of thoughts to overcome these challenges. Everyone on the management team wants the same thing but there are so many different ways of getting there.

I want the best for Cork, so I thought it was in the best interest of Cork if I stepped away from the set-up. Over the last 20 years, it has not been unusual for coaches with a football background to play a big role with intercounty hurling teams. Paul Kinnerk, a former intercounty footballer, has been Limerick's coach for each of their six All-Irelands under John Kiely, and Michael Dempsey, a former Laois footballer and coach, spent 15 years as a hugely influential part of Brian Cody's management team in Kilkenny.

For most of his career, O'Neill has been involved with All-Ireland contenders. During his four years as manager of his native Kildare and his two years as Cork football coach during the pandemic, both teams were off the pace, but he has been involved in nine All-Ireland finals, four of them on the winning side. His last two All-Ireland successes were with Kerry, in 2014 with Éamonn Fitzmaurice and in 2025 with Jack O'Connor." Kerry have probably won a lot of matches over the years they didn't deserve to win, but they always found a way, O'Neill previously said.