The 11 Counties That Have Appointed New GAA Managers For 2026 Season

Considering the time commitment required to become an inter-county GAA manager, it is perhaps no surprise that we see a major turnover of coaches after the end of each season.

The 2025 campaign was no different, with quite a few counties having to go in search of new faces ahead of next year. In all, 11 teams have already appointed new bosses.

Fermanagh are the only one of the 32 counties who have yet to confirm their manager for 2026, although it seems as though Declan Bonner is in prime position for that role.

With that in mind, here are the new GAA managers set to lead new teams into next season.

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After Dessie Farrell confirmed his departure, Dublin would move quickly to secure the appointment of former player Ger Brennan.

Brennan had performed brilliantly as Louth manager over the last couple of seasons, leading them to their first provincial title in 68 years earlier this summer.

Andy Moran was ultimately selected as the next Mayo manager after a thorough interview process. The likes of Tony Mcentee and Oisín McConville were linked as potential outside appointments, although Mayo would ultimately opt from someone within the county.

Moran won plenty of plaudits for his time as Leitrim manager, before impressing as an attack coach with Monaghan in 2025.

Having managed Westmeath in 2025, Dermot McCabe would opt to return to his native Cavan ahead of next season after being offered the manager's role.

He was previously joint manager of Gowna as they claimed back-to-back Cavan senior titles in 2022 and 2023.

Sligo have opted for joint managers in 2026, with former players Eamonn O'Hara and Dessie Sloyan set to join forces.

O'Hara has an impressive managerial CV at club level, winning county titles in both Sligo and Leitrim. Sloyan has previously won an U20 Connacht title with the county, also spending time as a coach with Longford in recent years.

Having looked to Tyrone to appoint their last two senior football managers, Derry did so once again this time around by bringing in Ciarán Meenagh to replace Paddy Tally.

Meenagh spent the last couple of seasons as a coach with Down. However, he has strong links with Derry, having previously worked with the side from 2019-2023. That included a spell as interim manager in 2023, during which they would win an Ulster title.

Another Tyrone native, Gavin Devlin was previously part of the Louth setup under Mickey Harte during his time in the Leinster county.

He would take on the role as underage football co-ordinator in Louth earlier this year, before being appointed as senior manager in light of Ger Brennan's departure.

Roscommon broke a lengthy streak of appointing outside managers when they opted for Mark Dowd to replace the outgoing Davy Burke.

Dowd previously experienced success at underage level with the county, managing them to a Connacht U21 title in 2015. He has has also been part of the Rossies senior setup on a number of occasions over the last 15 years or so.

Mark McHugh was part of the Westmeath coaching team in 2025, taking his first step into inter-county management after the departure of Dermot McCabe to Cavan.

The Donegal native also has coaching experience with Donegal Ladies and Roscommon in recent years.

Ephie Fitzgerald made a shock return to Waterford in recent weeks, having previously managed the county from 2022-2023.

The news of his appointment caught many off guard, with few suggestions that he was in line for a return to Deise.

After Peter Keane opted to leave his post as Clare manager after just one season, the county would go on to quickly appoint Paul Madden as his successor.

The Ennis native has a strong track record in club management in the county, leading Éire Og to three Clare senior titles during his time in charge.

Andy McEntee would step aside from his role as Antrim boss earlier this year, having spent three years in charge of the team.

He has been replaced by Mark Doran, who is currently the manager of Derry club Slaughtneil. A Down native, Doran has also spent time as a coach with his native county and Roscommon in recent years.