WHEN Declan O’Dwyer prepares his Dohenys team to take on O’Donovan Rossa in the county senior A football championship next September, he will line up against a third Skibbereen manager in five seasons.
O’Dwyer, who took over as the Dunmanway team’s manager in 2021, is back for a fifth season at the helm, while O’Donovan Rossa have a new man in the hot seat – Gene Hourihane takes over from Gene O’Donovan who managed the Skibb team for three seasons (2022 to ’24).
When Dohenys beat the Rossas in the 2021 SAFC group stage, O’Dwyer was in opposition to then Skibb boss Martin Bohane, and when the clubs met in the 2022 and ’24 championships it was O’Dwyer v Gene O’Donovan on the sidelines. Now, in 2025, O’Dwyer and Gene Hourihane will be in opposite corners for a game that could decide their championship fate – as it’s the final Group 3 game and both will have already played Bishopstown and Béal Átha’n Ghaorthaidh.
New Skibb boss Hourihane has drafted in former Rossas manager Shane Crowley as head coach. Their target will be to re-energise a group that has failed to get beyond the group stages in the last two campaigns.
Declan O’Dwyer has made one change to his management team as the 2023 beaten finalists have brought Daniel O’Donovan into the set-up to replace Paul Deane who stepped away. Niall Hurley, Tom Murphy and David Mawe are also in the Dohenys backroom team, with Alison Hayes looking after strength and conditioning.
