Only last week it was suggested to me that Mickey Harte might take on the manager’s job again at his club, Errigal Ciaran. Roll on a few days and there he was pictured grinning as he held an Offaly jersey as the new joint-manager of the Faithful County.
The news was not as earth-shattering as his switch to Derry 11 months earlier, but it was definitely another Harte tremor.
In truth, though, it’s no surprise that, even at three score years and ten on this earth, Harte will embark on his 23rd consecutive season in senior inter-county management. Before that he had a decade over Tyrone underage teams, so he’s spent basically half his life on the inter-county scene.
The man himself made clear on BBC GAA coverage recently that his time as an inter-county manager was not finished even after his dramatic departure from the Derry job. He’d been linked with vacancies in Monaghan and, perhaps more realistically, Kildare.
The twist is that he’s been persuaded into a joint role along with the Offaly incumbent Declan Kelly, whose future in the post had been in doubt after disappointing league and championship campaigns.
Mickey has always been the main man – and the likelihood is that he will still be seen as that with Offaly. How that will work out with, and for, Kelly remains to be seen. His local knowledge will be important.
At least Gavin ‘Horse’ Devlin, Harte’s recent assistant with Tyrone, Derry, and Louth, may not be alongside him, given that the Ardboe man has been appointed as Louth’s underage football development co-ordinator.
Co-managers can work, as evidenced in Harte’s own native Tyrone, where Brian Dooher and Feargal Logan succeeded him and proceeded to win the 2021 All-Ireland in their first season in charge.
However, those two had already worked together in winning an U20 All-Ireland for the Red Hands.
Kelly also led Offaly to that trophy in 2021, then stepped up to the senior job at the end of the 2023 season. Unsurprisingly, Kelly drew heavily from that team with the seniors. The Edenderry duo of Lee Pearson and Rory Egan had already marked out places in defence in 2023 and the former was chosen as new county captain by Kelly, who brought the number from that successful U20 side into double figures.
Yet such familiarity brought only contempt in some local quarters when the Faithful endured a humiliating Tailteann Cup campaign, losing all three matches, including a 14-point home hammering by London.
There was intense speculation earlier this summer that Kelly would be ousted amid rumours of many players considering leaving the Offaly panel.
Harte’s aura and achievements should inspire renewed commitment.
One major positive for Harte is that surely the only way is up for Offaly after their struggles this year, and indeed in this century.
Offaly last won Leinster in 1997, and they’ve only been in one provincial football final since then.
The football landscape has changed significantly since then, especially in the eastern province, so lifting the Delaney Cup will not be a serious target – but getting to the final, or close to it, will be.
Before that, the expectation will be of promotion from Division Three, even after only surviving there this year by taking five points from their last three matches.
Harte certainly lifted Louth, albeit from the lower level of Division Four, making it back-to-back promotions in 2022, then in 2023 brought ‘the wee county’ to their first Leinster decider since their infamous 2010 Final defeat by Meath.
His self-belief and determination were amply illustrated when he moved to Derry – shocking not only Louth but the rest of the country, particularly Tyrone.
Clearly things went wrong in Derry in the Championship – but it shouldn’t be overlooked that a fair bit went right too. Harte led them to the Division One title, topping the table with only one defeat, and that was when he fielded an understrength side against Dublin.
A chunk of the hype about Derry being likely All-Ireland winners this year was a consequence of the appointment of Harte.
Harte’s name and fame will obviously bring a spotlight onto Offaly, who are already backed by sponsors Glenisk and golfer Shane Lowry.
The vastly-experienced Mickey Harte will have absolutely no problem being centre of attention. Where Declan Kelly stands in the long-term may be another matter.
