Seán Boylan
Encyclopedia
Seán Boylan is a former football
manager from Dunboyne
, County Meath
, Ireland
. He retired from his position as manager of the Meath GAA
Senior Football team on the evening of 31 August 2005 after twenty-three years in charge. During his time with Meath, he managed the team to four All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
s (1987, 1988, 1996, 1999), three National Football League
titles, and eight Leinster Senior Football Championship
s.
In recognition of his services to Meath GAA and his services to Meath as a county, Boylan was conferred as Freeman of the County of Meath - the first (and only) person ever to be bestowed with the title - on 23 April 2006. He was entered into the GAA Hall of Fame for his services to Meath football at a ceremony after Meath's Leinster Minor Football Championship victory over Offaly
victory in Croke Park on
July 16, 2006.
in Co. Meath during the Irish War of Independence
.
Like another Meath football icon, Colm O'Rourke
, Boylan has strong Leitrim
connections as his late mother hailed from near the small village of Cloone
near Mohill
.
against Australia
in two games in Pearse Stadium
, Salthill, Galway
and Croke Park
, Dublin in October, 2006. Australia won the series by 30 points but the game was overshadowed by violent incidents in the first quarter of the second test match, including a serious injury sustained by Graham Geraghty
. He also admitted that he brought his players off at the end of the first quarter in protest and did not want them to return, later saying "I said I'd do it. Only the players themselves changed my mind. They said they wanted to go out and give it a go, they wanted to play football."
Boylan coached the international side again in 2008. Ireland won on an aggregate score of 102-97.
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
manager from Dunboyne
Dunboyne
Dunboyne is a town in County Meath in Ireland. For the most part, it is a dormitory town for the city of Dublin.-Location:Dunboyne is centred on the crossroads formed by the R156 regional road and the old Maynooth Road ....
, County Meath
County Meath
County Meath is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Mide . Meath County Council is the local authority for the county...
, Ireland
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
. He retired from his position as manager of the Meath GAA
Meath GAA
The Meath County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Meath GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Meath, as well as for Meath inter-county teams.- Pre-1960s :...
Senior Football team on the evening of 31 August 2005 after twenty-three years in charge. During his time with Meath, he managed the team to four All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
s (1987, 1988, 1996, 1999), three National Football League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
titles, and eight Leinster Senior Football Championship
Leinster Senior Football Championship
The GAA Leinster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Leinster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Leinster Council and are played during the summer months. The competition involves the counties of...
s.
In recognition of his services to Meath GAA and his services to Meath as a county, Boylan was conferred as Freeman of the County of Meath - the first (and only) person ever to be bestowed with the title - on 23 April 2006. He was entered into the GAA Hall of Fame for his services to Meath football at a ceremony after Meath's Leinster Minor Football Championship victory over Offaly
Offaly GAA
The Offaly County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Offaly GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Offaly...
victory in Croke Park on
July 16, 2006.
Family and background
Boylan's late father, also called Seán, was a leader of the Irish independence movement in the early twentieth century, being a prominent member of the IRAIrish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
in Co. Meath during the Irish War of Independence
Irish War of Independence
The Irish War of Independence , Anglo-Irish War, Black and Tan War, or Tan War was a guerrilla war mounted by the Irish Republican Army against the British government and its forces in Ireland. It began in January 1919, following the Irish Republic's declaration of independence. Both sides agreed...
.
Like another Meath football icon, Colm O'Rourke
Colm O'Rourke
Colm O'Rourke is a retired inter-county Irish Gaelic footballer for County Meath in Ireland, a columnist with the Sunday Independent and a panellist on The Sunday Game on RTÉ Television....
, Boylan has strong Leitrim
County Leitrim
County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is located in the West Region and is also part of the province of Connacht. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county...
connections as his late mother hailed from near the small village of Cloone
Cloone
Cloone is a village in County Leitrim, Ireland. The village is located in the south of the county, just off the R201 regional road. It is a neighbouring town of Mohill.Its name is an Anglicised version of the Irish-language word cluain, meaning meadow....
near Mohill
Mohill
Mohill is a town in County Leitrim, Ireland. The town is located in the south of the county, north of the midlands of Ireland. The town of Carrick-on-Shannon is approximately 16 km away....
.
Managerial Roll of Honour with Meath
- 1983 - O'Byrne CupO'Byrne CupThe O'Byrne Cup is a Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster GAA. The competition is named after Matt O'Byrne, a former Wicklow GAA club officer. Participants include the twelve county teams and four colleges. The O'Byrne Cup 2011 champions are Kildare, who beat Louth in the final by...
- 1984 - Centenary Cup
- 1986 - Leinster SFC
- 1987 - Leinster SFC, All-Ireland SFC
- 1988 - Leinster SFC, All-Ireland SFC, NFL
- 1990 - Leinster SFC, NFL
- 1991 - Leinster SFC
- 1994 - NFL
- 1996 - Leinster SFC, All-Ireland SFC
- 1999 - Leinster SFC, All-Ireland SFC
- 2001 - Leinster SFC
International Rules
Boylan coached the Ireland team in the 2006 International Rules Series2006 International Rules series
The 2006 International Rules series is the 9th annual International Rules Series and the 15th time that a test series of international rules football has been played between Ireland and Australia....
against Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
in two games in Pearse Stadium
Pearse Stadium
Pearse Stadium is the principal Gaelic Athletic Association stadium, in County Galway, Ireland. The stadium opened on June 16, 1957, as 16,000 people came to watch Galway beat Tipperary in hurling, and Kerry in football, and to watch Bishop Michael Browne bless the facility.The stadium was opened...
, Salthill, Galway
Galway
Galway or City of Galway is a city in County Galway, Republic of Ireland. It is the sixth largest and the fastest-growing city in Ireland. It is also the third largest city within the Republic and the only city in the Province of Connacht. Located on the west coast of Ireland, it sits on the...
and Croke Park
Croke Park
Croke Park in Dublin is the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association , Ireland's biggest sporting organisation...
, Dublin in October, 2006. Australia won the series by 30 points but the game was overshadowed by violent incidents in the first quarter of the second test match, including a serious injury sustained by Graham Geraghty
Graham Geraghty (footballer)
Graham Geraghty , is a Gaelic football player for the Meath senior football team.-Football career:Geraghty achieved numerous honours during his playing career with the Meath football team. He received GAA All Stars Awards in 1994 and 1999. He won three Leinster Senior Football Championship medals...
. He also admitted that he brought his players off at the end of the first quarter in protest and did not want them to return, later saying "I said I'd do it. Only the players themselves changed my mind. They said they wanted to go out and give it a go, they wanted to play football."
Boylan coached the international side again in 2008. Ireland won on an aggregate score of 102-97.