Heimir Hallgrímsson has named John O’Shea as the Assistant Head Coach of the Republic of Ireland Men’s Senior Football team, potentially paving the way for a longer-term succession to the role he filled on an interim basis earlier this year.

The UEFA Nations League campaign begins on Saturday, September 7, against England at the Aviva Stadium before Ireland welcome Greece a few days later on Tuesday, September 10.

Paddy McCarthy also returns to the coaching staff as Assistant Coach and will remain in his existing role at Premier League side Crystal Palace, linking up with the Ireland squad in the international windows.

Hallgrímsson has also appointed compatriot Gudmundur Hreidarsson as an assistant coach who will be responsible for goalkeeping. Hreidarsson has worked with the Ireland Head Coach throughout his coaching career, starting in Iceland at club level before working with the Icelandic national team and with Jamaica.

Damien Doyle, head of athletic performance, will remain in his role, while the team’s performance analyst will be recruited in the coming month.

“I’m delighted to secure the services of John and Paddy for the coaching team and welcome Gudmundur to Ireland,” said Hallgrímsson.

“It was an absolute priority for me to bring John into the staff when I joined the association. I travelled down to Waterford at the first opportunity to sit down with him and discuss the role. It became clear we’re very much aligned in our ideas and what the future should look like, and it’s fantastic he has agreed to be the Assistant Head Coach.”

“Paddy has also agreed to continue his work with the team, and the wealth of experience he brings will continue to be invaluable to the team. Gudmundur has been an important part of my coaching staff throughout my career, and I am delighted he can join me once again in Ireland. Work has already begun, and our focus is fully on the matches against England and Greece in September.”

“Everybody knows the passion and commitment to the Irish national team I have had throughout my playing, and now, coaching career, so it was great when Heimir approached me to be part of his coaching set-up,” added O’Shea.

“Since I sat down with Heimir and talked about the plans for the team and what he saw for me in the set-up, I was delighted to accept the role for the next two campaigns and continue my work with the team ahead of two huge fixtures for the group. It was important to have some continuity for Heimir with the players and myself and Paddy will be able to provide that and support him in the role.”

“It’s great that Heimir has secured John, Paddy and Gudmundur to join the new coaching set-up for the next two campaigns,” said FAI Director of Football Marc Canham.

“It was important for him to be able to have some continuity from the previous interim coaching set-up and important for the players to have that also. We’re delighted we can support Heimir in bringing together such an experienced and high-quality coaching staff, and we also extend a warm welcome to Gudmundur.”

“John first joined the association in a coaching capacity as an assistant coach with the Ireland U-21s team in April 2020 and we’re delighted he continues his coaching development with the association. One of the association’s key aims is the development of Irish coaches and it’s great that John’s involvement with Irish international football continues.”

“The association and I would like to thank all staff that worked with the team during the March and June international windows. They displayed a fantastic professionalism and commitment to the team in their roles.”

 

 

Sport for Business will host its annual Sponsorship Showcase event in Dublin on Thursday morning, October 10th. This is one of many events planned for the remainder of 2024.

Register your interest to attend a Sport for Business event here.

 

The IRFU, GAA, FAI and Sport Ireland Ireland are among the 300 organisations, which include all the leading sports and sponsors, as well as commercial and state agencies, that are members of the Sport for Business community.

Find out more about joining us today.

Check out our upcoming events to discover ways of connecting in person with our membership.