Dowd set to become new Roscommon senior football manager

Mark Dowd is set to become the new manager of the Roscommon senior football team.

The Roscommon GAA executive has recommended that Dowd’s name be put forward for ratification at the next meeting of Roscommon County Board to replace Davy Burke, who stepped down in late June after three years at the helm.

The Strokestown native, who is the current manager of the Roscommon Gaels senior footballers, burst on the scene as part of Fergal O’Donnell’s management that led Roscommon to All-Ireland glory in 2006.

He guided the Roscommon U-21 footballers to a memorable Connacht championship triumph in 2015 and went perilously close to going back-to-back against Mayo in the final a year later.

He was also part of the coaching set-up during Roscommon’s Connacht Senior Championship wins in 2010 and 2019.

In 2022, he was part of the Strokestown senior football management team, under John Rogers, that claimed the Fahey Cup.

Ten years previously, he guided Ballaghaderreen to Mayo glory and the Connacht club final against St. Brigid’s.

Dowd has been manager of the Roscommon Gaels senior footballers for the last two seasons, and will be hoping to go one better than last year’s county final defeat against Pádraig Pearses over the coming months.

He will become the first County Roscommon native to take sole management of the county’s flagship football team since Des Newton in 2012.

“We are delighted to welcome Mark Dowd as the incoming manager of the Roscommon senior football team,” said Roscommon GAA Chairperson, Brian Carroll.

“Mark has an outstanding track record at both club and county level, and he brings with him a wealth of knowledge, experience, and passion for Roscommon football. We are confident that his leadership will help drive this team forward and build on the progress of recent years.

“I have had the pleasure of working with Mark on numerous occasions over the last 12 years and I know the Roscommon senior football team is in safe hands going forward. On behalf of Roscommon GAA, I would like to wish Mark every success in the role and assure him of our full support as he begins this exciting new chapter.”

While a statement from Roscommon GAA said that the new manager will confirm his backroom team in due course, there is speculation locally that former county players, John Rogers and Iain Daly, both well-known local coaches/managers, could be part of Dowd's backroom team.

Roscommon GAA concluded by thanking the selection committee for their hard work and diligence in bringing this process to a successful conclusion.

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