Liam Kearns coached a Louth GAA club in 2010 and plotted the Reds’ downfall on quite a few occasions in charge of others

Participation in the old RTÉ series Celebrity Bainisteoir is best forgotten about Roche considering Kilconly of Galway tallied a cricket score on the evening of their competition quarter-final duel in 2010.

There were upsides to involvement in it, though. The place got a lick of paint and the players got new polo shirts, some of which are still worn around the grounds to this day. Most likely under a heavy coat, however.

Over the course of the preparation for the game, in which millionaire and Dragons’ Den star Gavin Duffy took the Roche reins, both Ciarán Whelan and the late Liam Kearns descended on Rathduff to put the locals through their paces. 

Both giant-like figures, Whelan’s greatest contribution was perhaps in sitting, rather robustly, a member of Emmets’ backline on his behind with a shoulder when showcasing a particular skill. On the day of the game, Kearns stood on the sideline, giving his insight into what was happening as the match progressed. It was all contained within the footage subsequently released on the national airwaves. Some houses in the Faughart parish still haven’t renewed their TV licence…

I was in my early teens at this stage and so didn’t cross paths with Kearns all that much when he was up our way, although by the time he had taken charge of Tipperary, and they began to develop an unlikely rivalry with a Louth team under the watch of Colin Kelly, I was working as a scribe locally and felt it necessary to get the views of opposing managers before matches with the Reds.

Getting the contact details for these men is never an issue, unlike getting them to talk or go on record. Kearns was fine, however. He got me to ring his landline and so I still have both his mobile and house phone numbers on my contacts’ list. 

He was very nice about it all, although not nice enough to give Louth any leeway when the Wee men met his Tipp juggernaut in the 2017 Division 3 final at Croke Park, or the following year when they dismantled Pete McGrath’s men in Thurles – and not for the first time either. 

Liam’s sudden passing has served as a blow to the wider GAA family given the depth in which he was steeped in the organisation, across many counties.

As manager of Offaly up until his death, there was a very real possibility that he would be plotting Louth’s downfall again in the months ahead considering the pair are on the same side of the Leinster Championship draw.

May he rest in peace.