AIDAN O’Rourke will stay on and take charge of Donegal for the rest of the season, with Paddy Bradley also remaining as assistant.
In a short statement this evening, Donegal county board confirmed that O’Rourke would continue as both interim manager and head coach for their championship campaign.
Paddy Carr had been told by senior players last Tuesday night that the squad had lost confidence in him, leading to an announcement the following day that Carr was vacating the post with immediate effect.
O’Rourke, a 2002 All-Ireland winner with Armagh, had initially been widely expected to stay on but had cast doubt on that with his comments after the team’s heavy last-day defeat in Roscommon on Sunday.
“It’s hard to know where your head would be at,” he said after the game.
“Look, I undertook to coach the team this year and working with Paddy [Carr] at the outset. There was a backroom team built around it. That dynamic has changed this week and there are a lot of moving parts in all of that.
“I suppose the build-up to today and the game, all of that has to be taken into account. To be straight lads, I don’t know where my head would be at at the minute.
“I didn’t focus on anything bar trying to get this game played and try get a performance out of them, which didn’t happen.”
Former Derry Allstar forward Bradley will also remain alongside him.
They have also appointed Antóin McFadden as their new strength and conditioning coach. He had been working with the U20s and will continue to do so alongside his role with the seniors, replacing Mattie Brady.
The decision of O’Rourke and Bradley to stay on offers Donegal some much-needed solidity and continuity ahead of their Ulster Championship opener in Newry against Down in 26 days’ time.
