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Dessie Farrell

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Dessie Farrell
Personal information
Sport Gaelic football
Position Forward
Born Dublin, Ireland
Height 5 ft 10.5 in (1.79 m)
Club(s)
Years Club
1980–2009
 Na Fianna
Inter-county(ies)**
Years County Apps (scores)
1990–2005
 Dublin 44 (3–58)
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles 6
All-Irelands 1
All Stars 1
**Inter County team apps and scores correct as of (00:03, 6 September 2006 (UTC)).
Inter-county management
Years Team
2011–2012
2012–2018[1]
2019– 		Dublin minor
Dublin under-21
Dublin

Dessie Farrell is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former player. He has been manager of the Dublin county team since 2019.

A former All Star Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for Dublin county team for nearly 15 years, he retired from county football in 2005 and spent another four years playing with his club Na Fianna. Having won an All-Ireland with Dublin in 1995, Farrell went on to captain his county, winning six Leinster championships, a National League title and three county championships with his club. He managed the Dublin minor football team in 2011 and 2012 and was named manager of the Na Fianna senior team in 2018.[1] He was confirmed as Dublin senior football team manager on 12 December 2019, succeeding Jim Gavin on a three-year contract.

Outside playing and coaching, Farrell served as chief executive and founder member of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA), the official representative body for inter-county footballers and hurlers.

Playing career

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Farrell made his senior championship debut for Dublin against Offaly on 31 May[2][page needed] 1992 in Tullamore and went on to appear in the 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. This was a particularly difficult game for Farrell,[3] as the opponent was Donegal and Farrell has family roots in Donegal, his "second home".[4] Noel Hegarty, whom he knew well, marked him in that game.[5] A talented minor footballer who reached an All-Ireland MFC final in 1988, Farrell was called onto the senior panel in 1990 but suffered a serious setback when he ruptured his cruciate knee ligament in a club game and missed Dublin's four-game series against Meath in 1991. However, having returned to action, he had an illustrious career for Dublin at senior level, winning an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) title, six Leinster Senior Football Championship (SFC) medals, a National Football League (NFL) title and, also, captaining the side for three years. He scored a total of 67 (3–58) points for Dublin in championship football. A high point of Farrell's playing career was his performance against Meath in the 1995 Leinster final, when Dublin defeated archrival Meath by ten points. Dublin advanced to win a first All-Ireland SFC title since 1983, with Farrell once again prominent in the final, when he scored four points.

Farrell won an All-Star, at centre-forward, for his role in Dublin's All-Ireland SFC win in 1995. He won six Leinster SFC medals with Dublin, which he received in 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 2002 and 2005, as well as a Leinster MFC and an NFL title.[6] As a Dublin senior footballer he played under seven different management teams: Gerry McCaul, Paddy Cullen, Pat O'Neill, Mickey Whelan, Tommy Carr, Tommy Lyons and Paul 'Pillar' Caffrey.

As well as representing Dublin football at minor, under-21 and senior levels, Farrell also captained the Dublin under-21 hurlers in 1992. He was educated at St. Vincent's C.B.S., Glasnevin.

A detailed account of his playing career is recorded in his autobiography, which was released on 30 November 2005, the same night Farrell announced his official retirement from inter-county football. The book, titled Dessie Tangled Up In Blue, was co-written with Seán Potts. Farrell was named on the 2006 Dublin Bus/Evening Herald Blue Star football XV as a substitute.[7]

Gaelic Players Association

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Dessie Farrell was the chief executive of the Gaelic Players Association (GPA), the representative body for Ireland's leading GAA players from 2003 until 2016. A founder member in 1999, Farrell has been a driving force in the development of the organisation which now has over 2,300 current playing members and a growing past player membership. In November 2000, the GPA's first annual general meeting took place in Killarney, County Kerry, where Farrell was elected as chairman. At the same inaugural event, former Kerry footballer Séamus Moynihan was elected Secretary, former Clare hurler Jamesie O'Connor was elected president and Ciarán McArdle was elected treasurer. Appointed CEO in 2003, Farrell oversaw the rapid growth of the organisation and helped negotiate Government funding for players in 2007. He was the players representative on the GAA's Central Council for five years and was also the lead negotiator in the GPA team which reached a formal agreement with the GAA in 2009; the GPA was ratified as the official representative body for county players at GAA Congress 2010. A long-term comprehensive agreement between both bodies was reached in November 2010 which now provides annual funding for the GPA's Player Development Programme designed to assist amateur county players with their off-field careers.

Farrell stepped down as CEO of the GPA in December 2016.[8]

Coaching and management

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Dessie Farrell managed Dublin to the 2020 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.

After retiring from county football in 2005, Farrell was appointed as lead coach for a Dublin Football Development Squad.[citation needed]

He took his first coaching session in 2007.[9]

He became minor Football manager in 2011. After winning the Leinster championship, he led his team to an All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final in his first year where they lost narrowly to Tipperary in an eventful game. He later managed the Dublin minors to an All-Ireland MFC title, defeating Meath in the final at Croke Park in September 2012. He left his position as minor manager after that game and was ratified as under-21 team manager in November 2012. In farrell's second year in charge, Dublin won the 2014 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship, defeating Roscommon at O'Connor Park in Tullamore. Farrell later managed Dublin to a second victory in that competition, defeating Galway in the 2017 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship final.[10]

Farrell also worked as a performance coach for the Dublin senior hurling team under the management of Mattie Kenny.[11]

In December 2019, the Dublin GAA county committee appointed Farrell as manager of the Dublin senior county footballers for a three-year term, succeeding Jim Gavin. The appointment was announced at Parnell Park during the 2019 annual convention.[11]

Suspension

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On 1 April 2021, amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Ireland, the Irish Independent published photographs of a coach-led group of Dublin team members, including All Stars Footballer of the Year Brian Fenton, whom it reported had gathered at Innisfails GAA club before 7am on the previous morning. The session occurred around 12 hours after the GAA sent a note to each club and county, warning that any club or county team ignoring the collective training ban could risk putting the GAA's intentions to return to action "in serious jeopardy".[12] That evening, after investigating the accuracy of the report, Dublin GAA suspended Farrell for 12 weeks with immediate effect.[13][14] The incident provoked much public commentary from politicians and sportspeople.[15][16][17][18][19][20][21] Former Dublin camogie team manager Frank Browne called for Farrell's resignation as Dublin manager for the "arrogance" of his team's behaviour, adding: "I think it's a cop out to say they're amateur players. We're all amateur players involved in the GAA, we all know right from wrong and it was wrong".[22]

Hockey

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Farrell played hockey for the Ireland U21 international squad.[23] He continued to play throughout his Dublin GAA career,[2][page needed] including for St Brendan's Phoenix Park hockey club.[24]

Personal life

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Farrell's mother Anne (née Carr) came from Crove between Glengesh and Meenaneary in County Donegal.[25] He is a first cousin of Séamus Coleman, whose aunt is Farrell's mother.[4][26]

He is a trained psychiatric nurse.[27][28]

References

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  1. ^ a b "Dessie Farrell takes over as new Na Fianna senior manager". independent.ie. 12 December 2018. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  2. ^ a b Farrell, Dessie; Potts, Sean (2005). Tangled up in Blue (autobiography). ISBN 1860591981.
  3. ^ Nolan, Pat (22 February 2020). "Dessie Farrell's Donegal roots explained by former Tir Chonaill star Manus Boyle: Farrell has roots in Crove, near the village of Carrick in Donegal". Irish Mirror.
  4. ^ a b Roche, Frank (22 February 2020). "Tangled up in green and gold — Dessie Farrell and the Donegal connection: Dublin manager Farrell, a cousin of soccer international Seamus Coleman, pits his wits against a county that is his second home". Irish Independent.
  5. ^ McNulty, Chris (13 March 2021). "Dessie Farrell on his 'soul place' in south west Donegal". Donegal Daily.
  6. ^ "1995_Football". Archived from the original on 11 March 2007. Retrieved 17 October 2006.
  7. ^ "News".
  8. ^ "Dessie Farrell to step down as GPA chief executive". RTÉ. 29 September 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2017.
  9. ^ "Dessie Farrell: the making of a Dublin manager". The42.ie. 19 December 2020. Archived from the original on 25 January 2021. Retrieved 1 February 2021. Behind the scenes, though, Farrell was developing a coaching addiction, taking his first training session in 2007, working with Ciaran Kilkenny, Jack McCaffrey in Dublin's development squads, progressing to become the county minor manager, later their Under 21 boss.
  10. ^ "A third All-Ireland U21 title in six years for Dublin after final win over Galway". 29 April 2017. Archived from the original on 4 December 2019. Retrieved 4 December 2019.
  11. ^ a b McKeon, Conor (12 December 2019). "Dessie Farrell appointed to succeed Jim Gavin as Dublin manager on three-year term". Irish Independent.
  12. ^ "Dublin GAA stars broke rules on Covid gatherings with early morning training". Irish Independent. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Dessie Farrell suspended for 12 weeks by Dublin county board". RTÉ. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Dessie Farrell: Dublin manager suspended for breach of training guidelines". BBC. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 8 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  15. ^ "Jack Chambers: Dublin training breach 'clearly unacceptable'". RTÉ. 1 April 2021. Archived from the original on 1 April 2021. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  16. ^ "Dillon calls for 'full investigation' into Dublin players' restrictions breach". Hogan Stand. 2 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  17. ^ "[Seán] Kelly 'gobsmacked' by Dublin players' training breach". Hogan Stand. 2 April 2021. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  18. ^ Moloney, Eoghan (2 April 2021). "'You'd want to be really tough on this' — Enda Kenny says suspension of Dessie Farrell is of no 'great impact'". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  19. ^ Murray, Eavan (2 April 2021). "'It baffles me… I'm saying that as someone who suffered with Covid' — GAA legend Seán Boylan on Dubs' secret training". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  20. ^ O'Rourke, Colm (3 April 2021). "Turns out the Dublin boys aren't so clever after all". Sunday Independent. Archived from the original on 3 April 2021. Retrieved 3 April 2021.
  21. ^ "I just didn't think they would get themselves into a situation like that'". Hogan Stand. 5 April 2021. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021. Speaking to RTE's Sunday Sport, Cooper said… he had thought it was an April Fools' joke when he heard about it first… 'had [they] that much to gain when we knew that the green light was being given to the GAA in a couple of weeks' time to get going. For a team like Dublin that are so professional in everything… I think it's probably tarnished a bit of their reputation…' "Colm Cooper: Dublin made a 'poor decision' to train together before GAA return date". RTÉ. 4 April 2021. Archived from the original on 5 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  22. ^ "Browne hits out at Dublin 'arrogance', calls for Farrell to step down". Hogan Stand. 4 April 2021. Archived from the original on 4 April 2021. Retrieved 4 April 2021.
  23. ^ "Dessie Farrell - The New Dublin Boss". dublingaa.ie. 13 December 2019. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  24. ^ Medcalf, David (16 November 2002). "Men's Hockey". independent.ie. Retrieved 30 July 2023.
  25. ^ McGinley, Martin (20 February 2020). "Now for sport: Full circle". Donegal News. p. 16.
  26. ^ Kelly, Niall (31 October 2012). "From 2000: Dublin's Dessie Farrell and his 11-year-old cousin, Seamus Coleman". The42.ie. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 24 March 2020.
  27. ^ Hancock, Ciarán (6 October 2016). "Blue yonder beckons for GPA chief and former Dublin star Dessie Farrell". The Irish Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2016. Retrieved 4 February 2021. Farrell's diplomatic response to Brolly's remark suggests he could be a politician in his next career. It might also be the product of his training as a psychiatric nurse.
  28. ^ "Shane Carthy: 'I owe Dessie Farrell my life' as he opens up on depression". Pundit Arena. 30 January 2021. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021. Retrieved 4 February 2021. 'I confided in him because Dessie had previous with depression. He was also previously a psychiatric nurse so I trusted in him'.
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dessie Farrell.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Dublin Senior Football Captain
1998–2001 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Dublin Senior Football Manager
2019– 		Succeeded by
Incumbent
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