Like most of the Limerick hurling panel, Aaron Gillane doesn’t know any different from having John Kiely as manager. He doesn’t want to know any different either.
The running total of major trophies from the Treaty chief’s 10 seasons in charge is six All-Irelands, seven Munster championships and four National League titles. His rigorous off-season preparations helped to transform a trophyless 2025 into a clean sweep of silverware in 2026.
It had been speculated that 2027 would be a busier year for Kiely, who has a role in preparing for next September’s Ryder Cup at Adare Manor. The Galbally native has clarified he’s a “very small cog” in that operation and it will have no bearing on his ability to continue as Limerick manager.
Such decisions will be made in their own time.
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The morning after the All-Ireland final win over Galway, Gillane spoke about Kiely and his right-hand man Paul Kinnerk, as well as the entire management team. He said they didn’t get “half enough praise” for their input.
Gillane may be in club championship mode now, but asked about the possibility of Kiely and Kinnerk staying on for an 11th season, he says: “It’s very important. There’s a good number of us that have been lucky enough to come into the scene at the same time, and that just happened to be the year that John and Paul came as well.
“For a lot of us, we know no different and we don’t want to know any different either. I’m hoping they stay for as long as they can.”
About this time last year, Kiely was embarking on his marathon root-and-branch review of Limerick’s season, encompassing 63 one-on-one conversations with every member of his panel and backroom team.
He clocked two to three hours per chat and, by the end of that two-month process, he had filled two books with handwritten notes.
“It was a normal chat like this,” Gillane recalls. “What went well? What didn’t go well? What can you improve on? Where can John or the management or any of the backroom team help or assist us?
“It’s all normal, fairly straightforward stuff, but it was definitely a good idea from John to do that. We’d like to think that it stood to us this year.
“He obviously put in a good chunk of hours to get through all that, but to be fair to John and Paul and all the management team, they’re always looking for ways to improve the whole setup.”
They know each other inside out by now. Kiely was also Gillane’s manager for two years at the U21 grade, so the relationship has been running for 12 years.
Their record in finals across that time is outstanding. From U21 into senior level, Kiely’s teams have delivered 19 final triumphs from 20 appearances, with the only defeat in a Munster final penalty shootout last year.
Their latest success, an 11-point demolition of Galway, was chiefly attributed to Kinnerk’s coaching genius. On the biggest occasions, his meticulous planning means they are primed to deliver peak performances.
“A lot of that is down to the work that’s put in throughout the year. To be fair to Paul, he’s definitely the best coach I’ve ever seen in my whole life,” says Gillane.
“He obviously plans the trainings and he times them perfectly leading up to whatever match it is. I’d imagine now that Paul had it timed perfectly to hopefully get to an All-Ireland final and get your best performance there.”
Aaron Gillane was speaking at the launch of Legends 4 Milford Golf Classic. It will feature Limerick hurling legends taking on Munster rugby legends in a Ryder Cup-style golf fundraiser in aid of Milford Care Centre.
