Gilroy's de-stresser now his stresser

Pat Gilroy speaking at yesterday's press conference at Parnell Park when he was introduced as the new Dublin senior football manager.
Photograph: Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile

DAY THREE of the Pat Gilroy story and a conclusion to the introductory chapter of the new era. An accomplished businessman with a decent playing pedigree and with one of the most respected GAA (not to mention soccer) coaches on the ticket in Mickey Whelan, the new Dublin manager played a fairly straight bat yesterday as we journalists were granted a rare visit to the upper corridors of Parnell Park.

Not even when the unveiling ceremony got into its QA rhythm could we unearth any pearls of wit from the man who follows the four-year tenure of Paul Caffrey. They are unquestionably different personalities but that doesn't mean Gilroy is going to be a media darling. Savvy? Yes. But darling? No. The early days of Tommy Lyons are a fading memory.

Eventually, matters got around to the pressure and sometimes ridiculously high expectations placed upon the Dublin manager but Gilroy's response provided the only hint of colour from a black-and-white media briefing.

"My stress reliever is football and activities around football, so we'll see how it works out this time," said the 36-year-old who gets his daily stress quotient as managing director of Dalkia Ireland.

The county board chairman, Gerry Harrington, appealed for patience from the press corps.

"Pat has exhibited his commitment and ability to succeed, both as a businessman (he was also a recent candidate to replace Liam Mulvihill as GAA director general) and as a player. These traits were never more evident than when Gilroy led his club, St Vincent's, to victory in the All-Ireland club championship in 2008.

"All four (Gilroy contemporaries Paul Nugent of Thomas Davis and Paddy O'Donoghue of Kilmacud Crokes have been named as selectors with Whelan) are committed to building on the solid legacy they have inherited from their predecessors and to working with and developing a panel of players capable of attaining the highest honours.

"We thank them for undertaking a huge voluntary challenge and accepting this high-profile appointment.

"We ask you people and our supporters to support them by giving them a fair opportunity to settle into their new roles and to bring their individual and collective skills set to the field of play."

Gilroy's replies were short and to the point, the primary goal identified as taking Dublin a step further than the regimes of Whelan, Tommy Carr, Lyons and Caffrey by getting back playing September football.

The possible return of Jason Sherlock was sidestepped but an immediate challenge will be that of adding fresh talent to an already settled group.

Whelan's inclusion compensates for the obvious inexperience of this management team but it was pointed out that Dr Pat O'Neill came in without any previous experience and brought the county its last All-Ireland, in 1995 - a year that hangs heavily around the neck of Dublin football.

"I think unfortunately for Dublin we have Pat O'Neill and Kevin Heffernan, who have experience at the top level of winning All-Irelands; unfortunately for the rest of us we don't have All-Ireland-winning experience," said Gilroy.

"I would say since I was 19 I've been involved in business, in management and in management in sport. I've trained and played under a lot of very good coaches and managers and I think I will be able to bring that to the party. In addition to that I have a very experienced team around me."

Either way, he was chosen by a sub-committee of O'Neill, Heffernan and Robbie Kelleher. Heffernan, the godfather of Dublin football, is Gilroy's actual godfather, having been a close friend of his late father, Jack, who also played for Dublin.

Once questions dried up, the Dublin secretary John Costello, Harrington and Gilroy hastily exited stage left but before they disappeared through a door marked "Private", Gilroy politely declined any one-on-one interviews with television, radio and Sunday newspaper reporters.

Sure, there was very little to add about what lies ahead. The stakes are well known as this stage.

Gilroy's work officially begins at the county semi-finals on Monday evening, and the external focus will soften as winter advances.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times