After Limerick’s first All-Ireland triumph in nearly half a century, the celebratory tour made its way to Galbally, the birthplace of John Kiely. Holding aloft the Liam MacCarthy Cup with his left hand, he alighted from the bus to a street lined with cheering admirers. The melody of his favourite track, Billy Joel’s Piano Man, floated through the air, courtesy of the PA system.
Upon the stage, Kiely was the last to be introduced. The village residents, his neighbours, clapped and cheered for a full 62 seconds, their loud admiration and fondness crashing over him like waves. Life in a small village does not cater to celebrity nor the lavish showers of adoration typically reserved for opera stars. Secrets are scarce here.
Kiely was already endeared to them, regardless.
Just three days prior, as the team bus exited Croke Park, Kiely took control of the announcement system to share some words that encapsulated both encouragement for the game as well as life lessons.
“Moving forward, we will be evaluated on how we handle this victory and ourselves,” he noted. His aspiration was to remain the same man he was in the years prior, not to be defined solely by this triumphant moment in 2018.
The reality though is that change is inevitable. Therefore, one must ask – who was he, and who is he now?
For a peep into Kiely’s past, one must look back to UCC during the mid-90s. Here during his student years, Kiely built lifelong friendships with Damien Quigley and Gerry Maguire in their shared residence at Minerva Terrace. In fact, when he tied the knot, Maguire stood by his side as best man. “The three of them were the bedrock of the Fitzgibbon team,” recounts Dr Paddy Crowley, the club’s current president and previous selector.
In the group dynamics, Quigley and Maguire enjoyed different standings, as they both had the opportunity to serve as captains for UCC, an opportunity Kiely lacked. According to Crowley, Kiely, a native of Galbally, was primarily a footballer, with hurling being a secondary sport. Despite his reputation for having a fiery temper, he was known to be a formidable athlete and quite lively, often finding himself in the midst of any action or dispute.
During that period, he attracted the attention of Limerick. It was customary back then for Fitzgibbon Cup players involved in intercounty panels to have more flexible training schedules. However, Kiely voluntarily absolved himself of this privilege after Limerick expressed interest in him. Crowley recalls that Kiely would even train with the UCC team at noon before travelling to Limerick for a training session in the evening. Kiely’s endurance was renowned, as Quigley later attested.
His intercounty career never truly soared, however. He never made it to the match-day panel when Limerick reached the All-Ireland final against Offaly in 1994. Two years later, he found himself stuck in the position of #24, no closer to the team. He seemed to have reached an impasse, pushing the boulder up the hill only to find himself trapped behind it.
During the subsequent winter, Kiely was cut from the squad. Mark Foley, the former captain of Limerick, recalls a meeting with Kiely at a funeral in early 1997, during which Kiely expressed his dissatisfaction with his abrupt departure from the squad.
Some aspects of Kiely’s experience likely influenced his conduct as a manager. Both Tom Condon and Paul Browne remember the phone call from Kiely informing them about the end of their intercounty careers. The news was delivered kindly, but firmly and thoroughly. The emotion of the conversation was described as akin to a would-be teenage break-up.
Tom Condon’s final role in the squad was during the All-Ireland final in 2020, during the peak of the pandemic. On this occasion, Condon’s name wasn’t listed in the 26-man player list handed over to the referee. In explaining his decision, Kiely asked Condon to join him for a stroll on the day of the match.
Condon recalls that Kiely had been particularly attuned to the members who were not part of the immediate team or match day group. He emphasised their importance and their continued role, a sentiment that resonated with all the players. Even those not selected for the match would still partake in a training session on the morning of the match, each pushing each other under Kiely’s guidance, reinforcing a sense of unity.
Kiely’s leadership is characterised by his aptitude for forming and managing relationships. This combination is sometimes lacking in other managers. Paul Foley, who has been involved with the Limerick County Board in various forms, vouches for this and describes Kiely centred around empathy, coupled with a strong degree of emotional intelligence.
Barry Hennessey, a long standing Limerick panel member, describes Kiely as a modern management figure, one who does not employ autocratic methods. He appreciates each person outside of their role as a player, and fosters incredible interpersonal relationships. He believes in enhancing individuals to create stronger players. Hennessey highlights the absence of egotism and individualism in the current Limerick team, attributing this to Kiely’s influence.
However, this soft-touch approach is balanced by straightforwardness. Despite the nurturing environment, everyone expects and respects an honest and relatable feedback, sometimes raw and immediate.
Condon agrees with this approach, stating that Kiely is forthright and communicates directly. Kiely isn’t one to sugarcoat things. He’ll look at you directly with an intense gaze as if he sees right through you. Similarly, Hennessey agrees that players value sincerity in feedback rather than being placated by false encouragement. In Hennessey’s word, players can see through any nonsense and he credits Kiely for understanding this aspect thoroughly.
Browne describes him as genuinely caring and always willing to support you through an issue. But he won’t hesitate to constantly challenge you – you’re either working or you’re not. As he advanced to the position of senior manager, Kiely, who had previously supervised the Limerick intermediates and achieved two successful runs with the U-21s, was an apprentice in all his positions and even performed the role of senior selector under John Allen for two seasons.
Browne recalls a steep learning curve in Kiely’s first year (2017) as leadership didn’t seem to take off initially. However, Browne observes that Kiely became more decisive over time. The period from 2017 to 2018 saw a visible increase in his ruthless streak, reflected in his choices about which players to keep or let go.
Intercounty managers are similar to HR directors according to Jim Gavin. As a manager, his responsibility was to assemble the right team. Kiely’s choices in building his core team have been fundamental to every All-Ireland victory. He put together a group of innovators and leaders, with Paul Kinnerk as their coach, Caroline Currid the sports psychologist, and Sean O’Donnell the performance analyst.
Once the team was established, Kiely recognised his role. He was the clear leader but equally shared responsibilities and gave space. He supported whatever the group decided, making it clear that all decisions had been deliberated beforehand. Hennessy notes, “Kiely allows others to lead. This is a hallmark of true leadership.”
Kinner and O’Donnell still remain, while Currid stepped down this season, repeating her 2019 action. The one year in the last six without Limerick as champions. Currid had a marked impact not only on the players but also on Kiely. She acted as his advisor and support system.
Browne commented that Caroline seemed to have worked more closely with John than with any of the players, enhancing his people management skills. Condon chipped in, recalling how she would be the calming influence to John’s fiery temperament.
Over time, Kiely’s fervent devotion to Limerick found diverse avenues of expression. Taking a trip down memory lane, Allen recounted how he had asked Kiely to take up the role of a goalkeeping coach, despite having no previous experience, when he took over 12 years ago. Lacking a formal coach for the goalkeepers then, he pointed Kiely towards some handy online visual guides on YouTube. Regardless of his inexperience, Kiely took on the role with a willingness to serve.
Limerick’s inaugural league match in the Gaelic Grounds against Clare proved a brutal outfield defeat by 14 points. It was during a time when teams did not typically have a video analyst as part of their internal set-up, and Limerick was no different. Despite this, Allen fondly remembered how Kiely stepped up to the plate, making a painstakingly thorough analysis of the match, suggesting improvements wherever necessary. Six months into the tenure, Allen acknowledged that Kiely was perfectly capable of assuming his role.
Everyone around him acknowledged his deep-rooted passion for the jersey, which occasionally manifested in explosive bouts of eruption. Browne narrated an instance from a pre-championship training session. The session was intense; the fervour palpable. Kiely appeared to completely lose his cool that day, earning himself an extended solitary walk around the field.
Browne added in lighter vein that he wouldn’t ever want to cross paths with John. He agreed that John could be quite intimidating at times, attributing a bit of this to his origins in Galbally, known for their eccentric populace. His comments were good-humoured, stemming from his experience of working with the Galbally folks previously.
Throughout the years, disciplinary issues would pop up now and then within the team, and Kiely handled these incidents with due diligence and a sense of integrity. He always confronted these matters privately and never brought them to public attention. Team members were disciplined accordingly, not excluding temporary expulsion from the team, when necessary.
As Condon remarks, Kiely faced these predicaments head-on and dealt with them responsibly, garnering respect from his peers.
His outspoken support for Kyle Hayes in court, as a character witness following Hayes’s conviction for violent disorder, was inevitably going to stir up controversy. Not only the prosecution but also the judge, albeit in a milder tone, called into question some of Kiely’s court statements. More so, every word Kiely spoke was subject to public opinion in the court of public opinion.
In court and subsequent interviews, Kiely emphasized his support for Kyle Hayes as an individual, rather than his actions. His stand was not unexpected to the team and his close associates. Kiely is known for his loyalty and could not abandon his player in such a trying time. This reminded many of what Quigley had said about Kiely in 2018, after the All-Ireland.
Quigley noted that Kiely had always been there for those in his care, first as a teacher and principal, and also as a parent. Kiely embodies a paternal figure, underpinned by strong loyalty, a reflection of his parents, Breda and Tom, who are regarded as protective and fiercely loyal individuals. These traits make Kiely an admirable figure, be it in leading a team or just being a steadfast friend.
Kiely’s genuineness as both a person and manager resonates with those around him. No one is left second-guessing his intentions or thoughts. As Browne puts it, “He’s not one to spin tales or put up a front”. Kiely is a straight shooter, originating from Galbally, a family man whose love for Limerick is unfeigned. His grounded approach has remained steadfast throughout the years.
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