Colm Coyle

Colm Coyle

Personal information
Irish name	Colm Mac Giolla Chomhaill
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Back/ Forward
Born	2 October 1965 (1965-10-02) (age 46) Seaneschalstown, County Meath, Ireland
Club(s)
Years	Club
	Seneschalstown
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County
1982-1997?	Meath
Inter-county titles
Leinster titles	5
All Irelands	3

Colm Coyle (born 02 October 1965), is a former Gaelic football manager and former player from County Meath in the Republic of Ireland. He was the manager of the Meath senior football team from September 2006 to July 2008.

Playing career

Colm won a Leinster Minor Football Championship medal with Meath in 1980. He made his senior debut for Meath in the 1982/83 National League He enjoyed much success play inter-county football in the eighty's & ninety's on the Meath team's managed by Sean Boylan. He was part of the Meath team which won the Leinster Championship in 1986, Meath's first since 1970. Colm then emigrated to America thus being unavailable for Meaths successful Leinster championship defense in 1987. He returned to Ireland prior the All Ireland Semi-final and was a substitute as Meath won their first All Ireland title in 1987 for twenty years. In 1988 when Meath retained the All Ireland Colm played as a Half back in the All Ireland final replay. In 1996 he won his third All Ireland medal. In the final that year his late effort at a point fell short of the goals but after bouncing went over the bar for a point to earn Meath a replay. Early in that replay Colm was sent off for his involvement in melee in which almost all players from both teams were involved. Meath went on to win by two points. For Meath he played at various times in the full back line, half back line, half forward line & full forward line. He played club football for Seneschalstown. During his playing career he has won 3 Senior All Ireland medals (1987, 1988 &1996) as well as 5 Leinster Senior Football Championship medals.

Managerial career

Eamonn Barry became coach of the Meath football team for 2006, as succcessor to the long-time manager Sean Boylan. However, Meath did not perform well in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2006. The County Board accordingly appointed Coyle in his place on 11 September 2006, with Tommy Dowd and Dudley Farrell as selectors. Barry's response was 'I'm not a bit surprised. I've been well aware of the situation for the past couple of months'.^[1]

Coyle's reign started well, as Meath enjoyed success in the Championship. They were knocked out of the Leinster Championship by eventual champions Dublin GAA. However, they went on to reach the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2007 quarter-final through the Qualifiers, and notched up a notable victory over 2003 and 2005 champions Tyrone GAA, who had won the Ulster Senior Football Championship. Cork GAA beat Meath in the semi-final by 1-16 to 0-9 in a game attended by only 38,000 people,^[2] but Coyle's team were regarded as having had a good year overall.

Meath beat Carlow GAA by 20 points in an impressive start to the 2008 championship.^[3] However, they were knocked out of the Leinster Senior Football Championship by Wexford GAA.^[4] An emphatic defeat against Limerick followed, and Coyle resigned. On November 10, 2008 Eamonn O'Brien one of Sean Boylan's selectors was confirmed as the new Meath football boss after a meeting with the county board.^[5]

Notes and references

• [1] Article on Hoganstand.com

1. ^ RTÉ Sport: Coyle confirmed as new Meath manager
2. ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/sports/gaa/2007/0819/1187332179261.html.
3. ^ RTÉ Sport: Meath 1-25 Carlow 0-08
4. ^ RTÉ Sport: Wexford 2-14 Meath 2-13
5. ^ RTÉ Sport: Coyle abdicates from Royal post

Preceded by Eamonn Barry

Meath Senior Football Manager 2007-2008

Succeeded by Eamonn O'Brien

Persondata
Name	Coyle, Colm
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	02 October 1965
Place of birth	County Meath
Date of death
Place of death