Hurling & Camogie

Ronan Sheehan - hurling evangelist peaching the joys of the small-ball game

Down senior hurling manager Ronan Sheehan watches from behind the wire against Carlow last Sunday in Ballycran Picture: Philip Walsh.
Down senior hurling manager Ronan Sheehan watches from behind the wire against Carlow last Sunday in Ballycran Picture: Philip Walsh.

As Ronan Sheehan prepares the Down hurlers for their relegation face-off with Kildare on Saturday, he re-traces his life in hurling from Banteer to Kilkeel and Newry. Brendan Crossan reports... 

IF you stick to just talking hurling with Ronan Sheehan, you’d be a fool. Over a carvery lunch in Newry's Canal Court Hotel, the conversation can shoot off in any direction you want. Nothing’s off limits.

We talk politics, history, Celtic, family trees, those untouchable summers down in Banteer, growing up in Kilkeel, a father’s guiding hand and hurling evangelism.

So who is Ronan Sheehan? Where does he start and end?

In no particular order, he works for Lloyds Bank, he’s an Irish Republican with Cork blood coursing through his veins, he’s been manager of the Down senior hurlers for the past five seasons, a fiercely independent thinker, a big supporter of the Gaelic Players’ Association and whose Twitter account would leave you dizzy with historical accounts of the Irish Civil War and Ireland’s patriotic dead.

Living in Newry for over 20 years, Sheehan is well-known in hurling and banking circles.

So, you may ask, why be so visible on social media?

Why not? he says.

“All my opinions are my own,” Sheehan says matter-of-factly.

“Why wouldn’t you engage in debate? At the end of the day, we live in this society, we’re entitled to comment.

“Why wouldn’t I want my children to grow up in a far better society than the one I grew up in? The Good Friday Agreement transformed the context for political debate to take place… I think it is important.

“Why wouldn’t I have an opinion? My opinion certainly isn’t the opinion of the Down County Board and it’s certainly not the opinion of Lloyds Bank, but it is Ronan Sheehan’s opinion.

“I know this is a bit of a cliché but some of my best friends in Lloyds are from a unionist background and they know who I am and what I stand for and I recognise that their viewpoint is just as valid as mine.”

He adds: “There are two narratives on this island for what happened here over the last number of years and we have to respect both those narratives because we aren’t mature enough to write a singular narrative.

“If you look at the terrible events of the Civil War on this island over the last 100 years and we still can’t agree on what the real truth was, how are we going to tell the truth about what happened in the Shankill bombing or what happened in Greysteel or in Ballymurphy?

“But everybody wants to shut down each other’s narrative. I remember the UDR waiting on me coming home from minor training in Kilkeel, so my memory of the UDR and RUC is one of harassment. But go and speak to somebody in Kilkeel from the unionist community and they will say they were protectors. Two narratives. Who’s right and who’s wrong? We’re not mature enough yet.”

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TO get to the bottom of Ronan Sheehan, a good starting point is Banteer, a small village north of Cork where his parents – Jerry and Teresa – lived.

Go back another generation and his grandmother - Kathleen Shine - hailed from Tullylease in the Rebel County.

A member of Cumann na mBan, she couldn't get a job in the Free State because she was anti-Treaty and ended up moving to Keighley in Leeds where she worked as a schoolteacher.

“A lot of the people who were anti-Treaty went to America and, of course, the formative Free State government was happy about that because they were the most revolutionary voices, and the new government wanted to create a conservative state, so these voices were better off getting off-side.

“She was great friends with Terence MacSwiney. I’ve letters at home from him that he wrote to her from Brixton prison when he was on hunger strike. He died in 1920. You can actually see the stamp on the letters – ‘censored’.

“I have her address book which is a who’s who of that time - Liam Lynch, Terence McSwiney, Thomas Malone, who was from Westmeath but became the leader of the East Limerick IRA and was referred to as the ‘most dangerous man in Ireland’ at one stage.

“And yet, my grandmother’s politics were totally different from my grandfather’s.”

Ronan Sheehan's grandmother's address book contained Terence McSwiney's address whom she wrote to while he was incarcerated in Brixton Prison
Ronan Sheehan's grandmother's address book contained Terence McSwiney's address whom she wrote to while he was incarcerated in Brixton Prison

Sheehan’s own mother and father decided to move north for work and settled in Kilkeel where they both became teachers in St Louis Grammar School in the town.

They had seven children – four boys and three girls. Ronan was the youngest.

Although he was born in Kilkeel, Sheehan has Banteer DNA. Every summer they would return there and play for the local hurling club.

“Banteer was always home,” he says, “because we spent our whole summers there. We won a junior divisional championship in 1995 – we hadn’t won one since 1957 - and I captained the U21 team to a championship there too where there were 12 cousins on the team.

“Back then, there were no transfers, they were more innocent days and not one of the clubs in the area objected. As far as they were concerned, the Sheehans were just coming home to play hurling.

“We’ll always regarded ourselves as Cork people and we’ll never lose that. In saying that, Kilkeel was very good to us, despite all of its challenges. The people of Kilkeel, the nationalist community there and the school.

“I went back to the local GAA club recently – An Roicht – and they’re trying to start hurling again. I was down on the main pitch and remember picking the stones off it 30 years ago, you know.

“There’s a fantastic hall, fantastic facilities and it’s a tribute to people like Joe Donnan, Hugh Cahill and John Sloan because they went through very difficult years.”

As a young boy, Sheehan remembers going down to Joe Donnan’s house on Knockchree Avenue to help him clean it after a petrol-bomb attack.

“Joe was a member of the An Riocht GAA club, chairman at the time. Their house was attacked three times; our own house was attacked three times, pipe bombs and petrol bombs.

“So it definitely has an impact on you. You couldn’t have grown up in Kilkeel and been disconnected from the politics that was in and around you.

“I was involved in the residents group at that time and there was a lot of good work being done, reclaiming the town, a town that was for everyone.

“There was a section of our own community that didn’t see us as equals, didn’t want us to be equals; there was a band parade every weekend, you were walking on one side of the street, we were reminded of it daily.”

Kathleen Shine's address book that contained the movers and shakers of the Irish Civil War
Kathleen Shine's address book that contained the movers and shakers of the Irish Civil War

His father was a history teacher at St Louis and became vice-principal and his mother an Irish teacher. Master Sheehan, as he was locally known, was a hurling evangelist.

Where he put down roots, he promoted the small-ball game.

Jerry (short for Jeremiah) Sheehan formed the Mourne hurling team that later came under the umbrella of St Colman’s, Kilkeel which spawned An Roicht GAC.

He coached countless teams and held numerous administrative roles in the GAA: he was chairman of the hurling board, a county board member and a key component in the central hurling committee in Croke Park.

However, his youngest son feels that his father’s biggest contribution was through education.

“Everything he did in school he saw as a contribution to the island, helping others to improve their lot in life. He instilled a social conscience in all of us. The house was full of books.

“No matter what I did – and by God I brought some troubles to our door – that love never failed. He was a man I massively looked up to, not just in terms of hurling and what he did for hurling, but his love for his country in all of the best ways.

“He just loved hurling and there’s no doubt he was evangelical about it because you need to be. He would say to me: ‘Hurling might die, son, but make sure it’s not on your watch.’”

His mother passed away six years ago, his father a year after that. Married to Kate in 2009, they had three children – Tiarna, Oisin and Erin.

Ah, dear Erin. What this world would’ve been…

“The same year we got married, we went up to get our 26-week scan and there was no heartbeat.”

Sitting in a relatively quiet corner of the hotel’s restaurant that’s enjoying a busy afternoon’s trade, Sheehan’s eyes turn to glass.

“One of the hardest things was going up to Daisyhill [hospital] and being handed a wee box…But, what happens is, you think you’re the only person this happens to. And then you read Brendan Cummins’ book and they went through the same thing. It’s more common than you think."

Tiarna is coming 15 and Oisin will be 11 in a few weeks. Erin would have been coming 14.

“We’ve decorations on the tree – the Sheehan family – we’ve had it three or four years and I noticed Oisin out at the tree one day with a marker.

“I asked him what he was doing and he was writing Erin’s name at the top of the star. They still think about her. You often wonder what she would have been like…”

Sheehan’s been involved with Newry Shamrocks for the last 22 years, coaching youngsters, igniting the flame that was passed onto him.

“If you think about it,” Sheehan says, “when you give a kid a hurley and the first time they hit the ball right on the meat in the air and the sloitar almost sings, it is a special feeling.

“All that is, is the call of blood; it’s in their DNA, it’s part of who you are, it’s a game that’s been played on this island for two-and-a-half thousand years…”

He remembers people like Tony Carr, Sean Holywood and Benny McKay, each of them hurling evangelists, sustaining the game in the town.

Now Sheehan is carrying the torch, with his father’s cautionary words echoing still… ‘make sure it’s not on your watch, son’.

He got involved with the county’s hurling development squads and minor teams.

Sheehan and Gerard McGrattan took the county minors and he went in to help Marty Mallon in his last year as Down senior hurling manager.

Never in a month of Sundays did Sheehan consider becoming the next manager – so much so that he agreed to help county secretary Sean Og McAteer draw up a list of possible candidates.

The problem for the county board was that nobody was banging down their door to take the job.

Sean Og and Sean Rooney had a conversation with Sheehan about the possibility of him stepping into the role.

It made sense too because Sheehan had worked with most of the players at underage level and guided the U17s Celtic Challenge team to an All-Ireland in 2017.

He openly admits he suffered a bit from ‘imposter syndrome’. He rang former Cork hurling great Diarmuid O’Sullivan.

“I said to Diarmuid: ‘Listen, I feel a wee bit out of my depth here. Would you come in and give me a hand for a while and do what you can for me?’ And he agreed. Diarmuid has always been a good friend.

“I didn’t really have an issue with being bottom of the list but I’d like to think over time I’ve probably proven it was the right decision – that’s not to say I haven’t made mistakes because I most certainly have.”

Upon his announcement, The Irish News carried a piece with Down’s new hurling manager. Sheehan brought a copy of the article down to the nursing home where his father was shortly before he died.

“I probably felt I owed Down something in terms of playing underage and the opportunities I had,” Sheehan says, who has never claimed a penny of expenses while managing the hurlers.

“My father was very passionate about Down hurling and, you know, like everything else you’re testing yourself: can you be the best version of yourself?”

For the five years Sheehan has been at the helm, the Down hurlers have more than punched their weight. They reached back-to-back Christy Ring finals in 2019 and 2020, finishing runners-up to Meath and Kildare.

He guided them to an NHL Division 2B title and they’re competing in the thinner air of the Joe McDonagh Cup for the past two seasons.

Sheehan is like a father-figure to the Down players.

“There is a small food allowance that the GPA has negotiated with Croke Park. So, every Tuesday night, the players come and get their bag of food. We don’t give them the allowance but the actual food, primarily because half of them might f***ing spend it in the Hatfield! But that’s a different matter!” he laughs.

“But if you look at young Deaghlan Mallon, who is on the fringes of our panel, we’ve a lot of faith in him and we know he’s going to be a very, very good player. The county board provide him with a food allowance.

“That’s the only decent food he’ll be eating in Belfast that week. If he didn’t get that bag of food he’d be eating shit, he’d maybe put on weight and be lost to our squad.

“There are special bags for different players. We’ve got a special bag for Tim Prenter, not because he’s any allergies - he’s just f***ing fussy! You’ve got a generation that has probably never made anything for themselves in their lives.”

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THE Carlow hurlers paid Down a visit in the Joe McDonagh group stages last Sunday afternoon.

The sun is shining down on McKenna Park, Ballycran.

Ronan Sheehan is behind the wire serving a one-match ban. He can't stay still. Diarmuid O'Sullivan is at the forefront of the Down dug-out, cajoling and encouraging.

Carlow are a seasoned outfit and hit their hosts for four first-half goals.

Down, though, put a bit of pride back into the jersey in the second half, leaving the field defeated but with 0-28 on the scoreboard.

It represents hope for their relegation shoot-out with Kildare down in Hawkfield on Saturday.

Given the wretched levels of absenteeism in the squad throughout the year, this Joe McDonagh campaign was always going to be a turbulent one.

After the game, he hands my seven-year-old son a Down jersey from the kitbag. Number 29. It drowns him but he is chuffed with it.

You ask him where does he think he’ll be in three, four, five years’ time.

“I haven’t thought about that,” Sheehan says. “Could I see myself still doing this job? Maybe. If I felt I was still adding value and the players still wanted me, then definitely, yes.

“But, in three years’ time, I definitely know what I will be doing and that is taking the Shamrocks U7s or the U10s or U12s.”

‘Remember, son, not on your watch.’ The words of Jeremiah Sheehan.

A hurling evangelist who bleeds Banteer and Down.

Always moving forward.

Preaching the same, unmistakable Gospel of that place where stitched leather and ash can transport you.

And when the sloitar sings back to a child...

Down's Ronan Sheehan talks to Diarmuid O'Sullivan. The former Cork hurler has been a key asset to the Down hurlers Picture: Philip Walsh.
Down's Ronan Sheehan talks to Diarmuid O'Sullivan. The former Cork hurler has been a key asset to the Down hurlers Picture: Philip Walsh.

Joe McDonagh Cup Round Five: Kildare v Down (Saturday, Hawkfield, 5.30pm)

THEY say things level out across a season. Well, the Down hurlers are still waiting for their first break in what has been a tough Joe McDonagh campaign, writes Brendan Crossan.

On the receiving end of some heavy beatings, even a cursory look at the finer detail of Down’s season and you can see how ravaged their resources have been in the first four games of the middle championship tier.

For Down to stand a chance of survival against seasoned operators such as Laois and Carlow, they need everyone available to them.

And, for the first time this season, manager Ronan Sheehan has got good availability for this evening’s relegation face-off with Kildare – a team they know intimately.

“We’ve played Kildare over the last few seasons and there’s never been a point or two in it between us,” said Sheehan, “and I fully expect that to be the same on Saturday.”

Key attackers Eoghan and Daithi Sands have more minutes in their legs after their respective sabbaticals, while young Finn Turpin is running into good scoring form at wing-forward, hitting five points from play in last Sunday’s defeat to Carlow.

Even though they leaked six goals, Sheehan accentuated the positives from the Carlow game, noting the 28 scores they racked up and the fact that they won the second half against arguably the best team in this year’s McDonagh series.

James Burke is back in the Lilywhites attack while Killian Harrington has been promoted from the bench after his good showing against Laois last weekend.

It’s win-or-bust for both sides in Hawkfield tonight. If the Down defence can break even and keep the goals out, they might just surprise their hosts who have struggled just as much as their visitors to date.

Down and Carlow battle it out in resplendent sunshine Pic Philip Walsh.
Down and Carlow battle it out in resplendent sunshine Pic Philip Walsh.