Pete McGrath

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Petar McGrath
Personal information
SportGaelic football
BornCounty Down, Northern Ireland
OccupationTeacher
Club management
Years Club
Rostrevor
Inter-county management
Years Team
1989-2002
2014-2017
Down
Fermanagh
Inter-county titles
County League Province All-Ireland
Down 1 6 3

Pete McGrath (born 6 June 1953) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former manager of the Down senior football team.

Professional career[edit]

McGrath was employed for many years as a physical education teacher at St Colman's College, Newry.[1] He retired from this position in 2006.[2]

Management career[edit]

In 1987 McGrath was in charge of the Down team that won the All-Ireland Minor Football Championship.[1] He managed the Down senior team between 1989 and 2002,[3] and was at the helm when Down won the Ulster and All Ireland Senior Championships in 1991 and 1994.[4] He managed the Ireland team in the International Rules Series in 2004[5] and 2005.[2]

McGrath managed the Down under 21 team to the All Ireland final in 2009,[6] before stepping down in October 2009.[7]

McGrath has had spells in club management with Cooley Kickhams,[8] An Riocht,[9] and Bryansford.[10] He also coached the Gaelic football teams at St Colman's College, guiding them to five Hogan Cup wins between 1975 and 1998 with Ray Morgan.[11]

In October 2010, he returned to county management after being named as the Down minor manager on a three-year term, his second time in charge of the team.[1][12]

He took manager of the Fermanagh Senior Football team as his second term as manager there after taking the post in 2014. He has taken Fermanagh to the All Ireland Quarter Finals in 2015 and earlier that year gained promotion to Division Two of the Allianz Football League.[citation needed]

He managed the Louth senior football team in 2018 but resigned after ten months into a two-year term following a shock Championship defeat to Leitrim.[13]

He is managed his native club St Bronagh's, Rostrevor for three years having taken over for the 2019 season - the club's centenary year. Now he has taken charge of the club's minor (u17) side for 2022.

Honours[edit]

Player
  • 1 Down Senior Football Championship 1976
  • 1 All-Ireland Freshers 1973 (c)
Manager

Ireland

Ulster

Down

Club

  • 1 Down Senior League Football Division 1 2007
  • 1 Louth League Division 1 2004
  • 1 Down Under-21 Football Championship 2012
  • 1 Ulster U21 Championship 2013 (with Bryansford)

School

  • 4 Hogan Cup 1986, 1988, 1993, 1998 (with Ray Morgan)
  • 6 McCrory Cup 1978, 1979, 1981,1988 1993 1998 (with Ray Morgan)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c "Down boss McGrath bids to repeat success of '87". Belfast Telegraph. 28 December 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  2. ^ a b "The Mentors". Celebrity Bainisteoir. RTÉ Television. March 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  3. ^ "Dream team for Down?". BBC Sport. 10 June 2002. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  4. ^ "McGrath expresses interest in Down return". RTÉ Sport. 30 July 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  5. ^ "Pete McGrath confirmed as Ireland Rules boss". BreakingNews.ie. 30 March 2004. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  6. ^ "Cork 1-13 2-9 Down". BBC Sport. 4 May 2009. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  7. ^ "McGrath resigns as Down U21 boss". BBC Sport. 28 October 2009. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  8. ^ "McGrath gets Cooley job". Argus.ie. 12 December 2003. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  9. ^ "All Ireland Football Championship: This is Down's biggest test yet, says Pete McGrath". Belfast Telegraph. 26 August 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  10. ^ "Down Senior Football Championship: Bryansford breeze to replay success". Belfast Telegraph. 30 September 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  11. ^ "A football education". Irish Examiner. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2011.
  12. ^ "Pete McGrath appointed Down minor manager". BBC Sport. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 18 January 2011.
  13. ^ "Pete McGrath steps down as Louth football manager". Irish Examiner. 5 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
Sporting positions
Preceded by Down Senior Football manager
1989-2002
Succeeded by