Donegal All-Ireland Winner Joins Andy Moran's Growing Mayo Coaching Team

Andy Moran has added All-Ireland-winning oomph to his ever-growing Mayo backroom team for 2026, according to reports in Donegal.

Moran will take charge of his native Mayo for the first time next year, and will have a big task at hand to return the Westerners to contention for Sam Maguire.

The Green and Red have been on a steady decline for several years - a slide that began shortly after Moran's retirement as a player at the end of the 2019 season.

Moran has received a boost this week with confirmation that three veterans who sat out the 2025 season will return to the fold next year. The Irish Examiner reported earlier this week that Cillian O'Connor, Rob Hennelly and James Carr will all don the green and red jersey once again in 2026.

An intriguing report from Donegal suggests that goalkeeper Hennelly may be working with a new coach, with Donegal's 2012 All-Ireland-winning shot stopper Paul Durcan set to join Andy Moran's backroom team.

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Donegal Live revealed on Thursday evening that two-time All-Star goalkeeper Paul Durcan will be part of the Mayo coaching team for 2026.

Durcan, part of the team that brought Sam Maguire back to Donegal in 2012, will join Andy Moran's team as goalkeeping coach.

He follows head coach Paddy Tally, and coach-selector Colm Boyle in joining the ever-growing Mayo backroom team for the year ahead.

Durcan and Moran have been friends for decades, having played together on the Sligo IT team that won the Sigerson Cup in 2005. Durcan saved penalties in both the semi-final and final of that victorious campaign.

Sligo was also the destination for Durcan's first coaching job, as he served as goalkeeping coach under Tony McEntee in the early 2020s.

He brings All-Ireland-winning pedigree to Andy Moran's ticket, and Moran will hope that Durcan can inspire some similarly brilliant performances from Mayo's goalkeepers as he delivered during Donegal's triumphant 2012 season.