It’s been one hell of a five years.
Mickey Moran’s reign as Slaughtneil manager saw the little rural community located at the foot of the Sperrin Mountains embark on a trail of success like they’d never ever experienced before. Like they’d never even dreamed of before.
The former Mayo, Derry, Donegal, Sligo and Leitrim manager was appointed as the Slaughtneil manager in 2013. Before 2013, the south Derry club had only ever won one Derry championship in their history.
Fast forward five years and they’re one of the most successful, admired and inspiring stories in the GAA. Mickey Moran has been at the centre of all of that.
With less than 300 or so families in the parish, Slaughtneil have never had the biggest pick. Over the last few years, they’ve more than compensated for a lack of numbers with belief, bravery, courage and unity.
Under Moran, the Slaughtneil footballers won four Derry senior football titles in a row. On three of these occasions, they went onto win Ulster and also made it to two All-Ireland finals.
This year, it ended in heartbreak for Slaughtneil. The Derry man obviously felt he had taken his loyal troops as far as he possibly could, with Michael McMullan from DerryNow reporting that Moran decided to step down after a meeting with club officials on Monday night.
He’s bowed out. But on his own sword. Moran is often praised for his man-management and his ability to bring a group of player’s together. That’s exactly what he did with Slaughtneil.
