Mickey Graham

Mickey Graham
Personal information
Irish name Micheál Ó Greacháin
Sport Gaelic football
Position Full Forward
Born (1975-07-28) 28 July 1975 (age 49)
Height 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Occupation Sales Rep
Club(s)
Years Club
 Cavan Gaels
Club titles
Cavan titles 5
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
1995–2003
 Cavan
Inter-county titles
Ulster titles 1

Michael Graham (born 28 July 1975)[1] is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He has been the manager of the Leitrim senior football team since 2024. He managed the Cavan senior football team from 2018 to 2023, winning the Ulster Senior Football Championship in 2020. He previously played for Cavan and was part of the team that won the Ulster Championship in 1997.

Playing career

Club

A native of Cavan town, Graham joined the Cavan Gaels club at a young age. Graham played in his first county final in 1998 against Mullahoran. A goal in each half gave Mullahoran the title.[2]

Graham was captain as Cavan Gaels lost the 2000 final to Gowna, but the Gaels came back to beat the same opposition in the 2001 as Graham captained the club to their first title in 23 years.[3] The teams met once again in the 2002 final, with Gowna coming out comfortably on top.[4]

Cavan Gaels were back in the final in 2003, facing Mullahoran. Graham scored 1–1 and was named man of the match as the Gaels regained the title.[5] The Gaels faced Mullahoran again in the 2004 decider. Graham scored 1–2 and received the man of the match award as Cavan Gaels claimed another championship.[6] Graham scored a point in the 2005 final as the Gaels claimed their third championship title in succession.[7]

After relinquishing their crown to Mullahoran in the 2006 final,[8] Graham played in his last county final in 2007. Cavan Gaels got the better of Gowna, giving Graham his fifth championship medal.[9]

Inter-county

In 1996, Graham was on the Cavan under-21 team that claimed the Ulster championship and reached the All-Ireland final. On 8 September, Graham started the All-Ireland final against Kerry, scoring 1–1 as Cavan suffered a four-point loss.[10]

At this stage Graham had joined the senior squad. Cavan faced Derry in the 1997 Ulster Final, and Graham started the game on the bench. Graham came on in the second half as Cavan claim their first Ulster championship in 28 years by a single point.[11]

Cavan reached the Ulster final again in 2001, where they faced Tyrone.[12] Graham was brought on as a substitute in the second half, and a strong finish from Tyrone meant they came out winners on a 1–13 to 1–11 scoreline.[13]

In 2002, Cavan reached the final of the National Football League, Graham scoring 2–1 in the semi-final win over Roscommon.[14] Graham started the final against Tyrone, with Cavan falling to a nine-point loss.[15]

Coaching and managerial career

Club

Graham's first managerial job came at Butlersbridge, leading them to the Cavan Junior Football Championship in 2004. He also managed Drumalee to the Cavan Intermediate Football Championship in 2006.[16]

Ahead of the 2016 season, Graham was appointed as manager of Longford club Mullinalaghta St Columba's. He led Mullinalaghta to their first county title in 66 years in 2016.[17] He followed this up by winning championships again in 2017[18] and 2018.[19] In 2018, Graham managed Mullinalaghta to the Leinster Club final, the first Longford club to reach that stage.[20] Mullinalaghta caused a large upset by beating Dublin champions Kilmacud Crokes to become Leinster champions.[21] At this stage, Graham had been announced as the next Cavan manager, but continued with Mullinalaghta until their championship ended.[22] Graham's last game with Mullinalaghta was the All-Ireland semi-final loss to Dr Crokes in February 2019.[23]

Cavan

Graham was announced as the manager of the Cavan senior football team on 21 August 2018, succeeding Mattie McGleenan.[24]

Graham's first National League campaign as manager ended in relegation from the top flight after defeat to Dublin.[25] The same year, Graham led Cavan to their first Ulster final since 2001.[26] Cavan lost the final by five points to Donegal.[27]

In 2020, Cavan suffered a second successive relegation after a loss to Roscommon on the final day.[28] Graham went on to manage Cavan to a second consecutive Ulster final.[29] Cavan then claimed their first Ulster title since 1997, beating Donegal in the final.[30]

Cavan's poor league form under Graham continued in 2021, ending with relegation to Division 4 after a defeat to Wicklow.[31] Cavan's reign as Ulster champions was brought to an end by Tyrone in the first round.[32]

In 2022, Graham led Cavan to promotion from Division 4 at the first time of asking,[33] and also won the league final by beating Tipperary.[34] After exiting the Ulster championship to Donegal,[35] Graham managed Cavan to the inaugural final of the Tailteann Cup against Westmeath.[36] Westmeath were winners by a four-point margin.[37] On 8 August 2022, it was confirmed that Graham would remain manager of Cavan for another 2 years.[38]

Graham managed Cavan to their second consecutive promotion in 2023,[39] and Cavan also claimed their second consecutive league title with a win over Fermanagh in the final.[40] On 10 July 2023, Graham stepped down as Cavan manager after five seasons of managing the team.[41]

Leitrim

On 18 September 2023, it was announced that Graham had joined the Leitrim management team under manager Andy Moran.[42] In Graham's first season with the team, Leitrim were promoted to Division 3 of the National League.[43] After Moran stepped down at the end of the 2024 season,[44] Graham was announced to succeed him as manager on a three-year term.[45]

Honours

Player

Cavan

Cavan Gaels

Manager

Cavan

Mullinalaghta St Columba's

Drumalee

Butlersbridge

References

  1. ^ "Graham Mickey". Hogan Stand. 22 August 1997. Retrieved 7 January 2023.
  2. ^ "Mullahoran back on the glory trail". Irish Independent. 7 September 1998. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  3. ^ "Powerful Gaels blow Gowna away". Irish Independent. 1 October 2001. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  4. ^ "Cavan SFC Final". Irish Independent. 30 September 2002. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  5. ^ "Gaels finish stronger". The Irish Times. 22 September 2003. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  6. ^ "Graham goal drives Gaels". The Irish Times. 4 October 2004. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  7. ^ Keys, Colm (10 October 2005). "King's dominance drives Gaels to third straight title". Irish Independent. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  8. ^ "Mullahoran come good". The Irish Times. 2 October 2006. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
  9. ^ Gaffney, Eamonn (10 October 2007). "Cavan senior football championship final". The Anglo-Celt. Retrieved 25 October 2021.
  10. ^ Loughran, Neil (9 September 2017). "Back in the day - September 9, 1996: Cavan's bid for All-Ireland U21 glory thwarted by Kingdom". The Irish News. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  11. ^ Humphries, Tom (21 July 1997). "Cavan end wilderness years". The Irish Times. Retrieved 10 August 2022.
  12. ^ "Cavan advance to Ulster decider". RTÉ. 24 June 2001.
  13. ^ Foley, Cliona (9 July 2001). "Tyrone triumph in thriller as battling Cavan falter at finish". Irish Independent. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  14. ^ "Cavan charge into decider". The Irish Times. 15 April 2002. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  15. ^ Moran, Sean (29 April 2002). "Tyrone's superiority is total". The Irish Times. Retrieved 11 August 2022.
  16. ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (22 August 2022). "In Profile: Mickey Graham knows nothing else but Gaelic football". The Irish News. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  17. ^ "Longford SFC final: McElligott goal the difference as Mul' end long wait". Hogan Stand. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2016.
  18. ^ Kelly, Liam (9 October 2017). "Brady leads charge for Mullinalaghta". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  19. ^ McKenna, Conor (14 October 2018). "Mullinalaghta cruise to three-in-a-row against Abbeylara". RTÉ. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  20. ^ McKenna, Conor (25 November 2018). "Mullinalaghta make history with stroll past 12-man Éire Óg". RTÉ. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  21. ^ O'Brien, Kevin (9 December 2018). "Mullinalaghta pull off seismic shock and stun Kilmacud in Leinster football final". The42.ie. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  22. ^ Barry, Brian (4 December 2018). "Mickey Graham more than just a manager in Mullinalaghta". Sky Sports. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  23. ^ Kane, Conor (16 February 2019). "Experience tells as Dr Crokes pull away from Mullinalaghta". The Irish Times. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  24. ^ O'Brien, Kevin (21 August 2018). "Cavan appoint former county player as new senior football boss". The42.ie. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
    "Michael Graham Appointed Senior Manager". Cavan GAA. 21 August 2018. Retrieved 11 March 2021.
  25. ^ "Dublin win to condemn Cavan to the drop". RTÉ. 24 March 2019. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  26. ^ Bogue, Declan (9 June 2019). "Cavan end 18-year wait for Ulster final after pulsating replay win over Armagh". The42.ie. Retrieved 11 February 2021.
  27. ^ Bogue, Declan (23 June 2019). "Clinical Donegal dispatch Cavan to go back-to-back in Ulster". The42.ie. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  28. ^ Duffy, Emma (24 October 2020). "Smith brothers lead Roscommon to Division 2 crown once again as Cavan dramatically relegated". The42.ie. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  29. ^ Mooney, Francis (15 November 2020). "Cavan overturn ten-point deficit to reach Ulster final". RTÉ. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  30. ^ Mooney, Francis (22 November 2020). "Cavan shock Donegal to claim Ulster title". RTÉ. Retrieved 21 January 2021.
  31. ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (12 June 2021). "Cavan sink to the basement after Wicklow loss". The Anglo-Celt. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  32. ^ Mooney, Francis (10 July 2021). "Tyrone ease to victory in Ulster to dethrone Cavan". RTÉ. Retrieved 7 April 2023.
  33. ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (27 March 2022). "Cavan march into final & clinch promotion in style". RTÉ. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  34. ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (2 April 2022). "Cavan crowned Division 4 champions after edging out Tipperary". RTÉ. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
  35. ^ Keys, Colm (8 May 2022). "Donegal strike late to see off Cavan and book place in Ulster final". Irish Independent. Retrieved 8 May 2022.
  36. ^ McCoy, Niall (7 July 2022). "Mickey Graham hoping to firm up Cavan foundations with Tailteann Cup success". RTÉ. Retrieved 28 August 2022.
  37. ^ O'Brien, Kevin (9 July 2022). "Westmeath crowned inaugural Tailteann Cup champions after late flurry against Cavan". The42.ie. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  38. ^ O'Brien, Kevin (8 August 2022). "Mickey Graham agrees to stay on as Cavan boss for two more years". The42.ie. Retrieved 17 August 2022.
  39. ^ Fitzpatrick, Paul (18 March 2023). "Cavan go down - but still go up!". The Anglo-Celt. Retrieved 27 March 2023.
  40. ^ Keane, Paul (1 April 2023). "Cavan secure Fermanagh revenge and back-to-back league crowns". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 1 April 2023.
  41. ^ McKeon, Conor (10 July 2023). "Mickey Graham steps down as Cavan football manager after five seasons in charge". Irish Independent. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
  42. ^ Lawlor, Damian (18 September 2023). "Huge coup for Leitrim as Graham joins backroom team". RTÉ. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  43. ^ Leddy, PJ (24 March 2024). "Leitrim seal promotion to Division 3 with victory over Tipperary". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 29 March 2024.
  44. ^ Keys, Colm (4 July 2024). "Andy Moran steps down as Leitrim football manager after three years in charge". Irish Independent. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  45. ^ Donovan, Shane (6 August 2024). "Mickey Graham set to take Leitrim reins". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Cavan Senior Football Manager
2018–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leitrim Senior Football Manager
2024– 		Succeeded by
Incumbent