Mulligan relishes chance to continue St Brigid's success story

By Kevin Egan

Even the most casual of GAA supporters, the ones who might have talked about the 2026 season being ‘over’ once Mayo beat Kerry in Croke Park, know very well who St Brigid’s are, and what they’ve achieved. That’s what playing in two of the last three All-Ireland club finals will do for you.

So when a man who has spent his adult life on training pitches and in dressing rooms with elite teams gets a call from the Kiltoom club, that’s not one that they’re going to screen.

“When St Brigid’s call, you take note. I was delighted to be even thought about in those circles,” is how Damien Mulligan described the initial contact.

“When we sat down and had our initial conversation, obviously from seeing the run they had last year and the group of players they had, I’m really excited to be involved with these guys.”

Taking a job like this comes with expectations and outside scrutiny, a caveat that Mulligan was acutely aware of, even before he committed to the role.

“Every person is entitled to their own opinion. We can only look at the opinion of the group we have and the group of players we have ourselves, our own functions, our own standards and our own direction. And the conversation started very, very early about what that direction was, and that was to get to a county final. We’ve worked very hard throughout the year to put ourselves in that position,” said Mulligan as his charges prepare to face Pádraig Pearses in next Sunday's final (2pm).

Mulligan won an All-Ireland club title as a player with Crossmolina Deel Rovers in 2001, lining out at centre-back for their 0-16 to 1-12 win over Nemo Rangers of Cork. He managed Belmullet to a Mayo intermediate title in 2018 and, in 2021, led them to their first senior final in 40 years, where they lost to Knockmore. He was added to Kevin McStay’s Mayo coaching ticket in 2022.

This all-round experience invited the obvious, if mischievous question about the contrasts and similarities between club football in Mayo and Roscommon.

“On any given day club football in Roscommon, anybody can beat anybody, from what I’ve seen so far, it is competitive, and so from that perspective, club football in Roscommon is strong, and I’ve seen it the first time this season. And so it should be strong, Roscommon are the current Connacht champions, so you’d expect club football in Roscommon to be strong,” was his diplomatic but reasonable answer.

“Club football everywhere is the same. It’s fellas, local fellas, brothers, cousins, fellas who grew up together, wanting to win games. Junior, intermediate, senior, it’s all the same. It’s what makes our clubs so special. That and the local rivalry, it’s fantastic, and club football in Roscommon is probably similar to Mayo.”

And when the competition is competitive it's natural that the man leading the team into battle is too.

“I think there’s not many people involved at GAA that aren’t competitive! I would deem myself a competitive person, I’m all in. I always have been in the way I played the game myself, and in my management throughout the years.

"I believe that’s the only way you can be. So, from a competitive perspective, I’d like to think that some of that will bleed down into the players, that they see that. But look, you need to be that way, you cannot be coming in and doing a 50 per cent job. You need to do it to the best of your ability, otherwise you’re letting the players down.”

After two great performances against Roscommon Gaels and Strokestown, many around the county are asking if St Brigid’s are still on the up, or if this is the Kiltoom powerhouse club at their peak.

Mulligan takes a different approach in his response, saying that they strive for excellence during every session and match, and will continue to do so, that there is no such thing as peaking.

“Every training session, every gym session, if you go out and ask yourself the question before and after a session, did I give my best version of tonight? And if the answer to that is yes, even though we may have made mistakes, or something might have happened, we can ask no more.”