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Dessie Dolan (born 11 July 1979) is an Irish Gaelic football manager who was manager of the senior Westmeath county team between 2022 and 2024.

He played for the Garrycastle club and for the Westmeath county team, as well as international rules football for Ireland. He won a Leinster Senior Football Championship medal with Westmeath in 2004 and was given an All Star at the end of the year. He was his county's highest championship scorer until John Heslin overtook him in the 2022 Tailteann Cup final (for which Dolan was a selector).

Playing career

University

Dolan played football for NUI Galway while studying at the team's parent university. He was unable to play during the 2003 Sigerson Cup winning game as a result of a torn hamstring sustained during the quarter-final.

Inter-county

Dolan has been widely regarded as Westmeath's leading talisman throughout their ascension from GAA minnows to quality opposition. Despite the growth and promise demonstrated in their 1999 U21 All Ireland victory, Westmeath experienced their most successful GAA period of their history between 2001–2008.

Largely due to virtually unmatchable talent in attack, Westmeath forced their way into GAA pundits' heads as upsetters and sometimes favourites. Two Division 2 league titles spearheaded by Dolan's attacking prowess and eventually, in 2004, Championship success in winning a Leinster Senior Football Championship title finally showed the squad's promise.

Westmeath reached three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-finals since the revamped championship system of 2001, with Dolan starring each season (2001, 2004, 2006).

In 2013, Dolan expressed concern about the gulf in class that had opened up between the Dublins and Westmeaths.

In summer of 2014, Dolan announced his retirement from inter-county football following the subsequent exit to Cavan.

Club

At club level Dolan won numerous underage titles and back-to-back senior titles in 2005 and 2006 with club, Garrycastle.

His last competitive game was a Leinster Senior Club Football Championship semi-final defeat to Ballyboden St Enda's in November 2019.

International rules

Dolan was regularly selected for the Ireland international rules football team until the series was suspended in 2006.

Managerial career

Dolan was appointed manager of the Westmeath senior football team on 21 September 2022. Dolan walked in August 2024.

Other interests

In 2017 Dolan and his wife Kelly participated in an episode of Room to Improve, series 10, episode 3, 'Moate'.

Dolan participated in a marketing campaign for Ireland West Airport.

He currently works as a pundit on The Sunday Game.

Honours

Garrycastle

• Leinster Senior Club Football Championship (1): 2011
• Westmeath Senior Football Championship (8): 2001, 2002, 2004, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2014, 2019
• Westmeath Division 1 Leagues (8): 2001, 2002, 2003, 2008, 2009, 2012, 2018, 2019
• Westmeath Intermediate Football Championship (1): 1997

Westmeath

• Leinster Senior Football Championship (1): 2004
• National Football League, Division 2 (3): 2001, 2003, 2008
• All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship (1): 1999
• Leinster Under-21 Football Championship (2): 1999, 2000

Individual

• All Star (1): 2004

References

1. "Heslin moves to top of Westmeath scoring charts". Hogan Stand. 12 July 2022.
2. "Kid stars assets not investments". The Irish Times. 1 May 2004. Archived from the original on 25 November 2018. Across the country, sports scholarships are widely available, from UCC - where Peter Stringer and Frankie Sheehan were recipients - Waterford IT, which had Tipperary All Star Declan Browne, to NUI Galway, who had Westmeath's Dessie Dolan.
3. Foley, Alan (25 August 2012). "Forward motion". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 17 November 2018. Later that year, began his studies in Financial Maths and Economics at NUI Galway, winning the All-Ireland Freshers alongside players like Matthew Clancy from Galway, Clare's Mikey O'Dwyer and Mark O'Connell, John Donoghue of Meath and David O'Shaughnessy, a native of Westmeath... "Winning the Sigerson in Cork wasn't something that might've been expected of us at all," McFadden says. "We had Lorcan and Brendan Colleran, Mattie Clancy again and Michael Meehan, who was unreal. Dessie Dolan pulled his hamstring in the quarter-final and missed out but we took in a lad from Mayo, Michéal Keane, who played as a sweeper and was brilliant. They were a good group."
4. "What a year it was!". Hogan Stand. 20 November 2003. "We then went to NUI Galway and put in another great performance against a team that included Matthew Clancy, Michael Meehan and Brendan Colleran of Galway. They also had Dessie Dolan from Westmeath but Dessie missed most of the campaign through injury. When NUI Galway went on to actually win the Sigerson cup out, it put our performance into context.
5. Boyle, Donnchadh (28 May 2013). "Dolan: Financial clout of big guns creating divide". Irish Independent. Independent News & Media. Retrieved 28 May 2013.
6. "Dessie Dolan Calls Time On Intercounty Career". Irish Independent. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
7. "Dolan Calls Time On County Career". RTÉ Sport. 29 June 2014. Retrieved 1 July 2014.
8. "'He was one of the best humans I ever met' - Michael Darragh Macauley's tribute to late Ballyboden friend". Independent.ie. 24 November 2019.
9. Ryan, Eoin (21 September 2022). "Dessie Dolan confirmed as new Westmeath football manager". RTÉ News. Retrieved 21 September 2022.
10. Lawlor, Damian (9 August 2024). "Dessie Dolan brings time with Westmeath to an end". RTÉ. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
11. "Donegal GAA stars join forces as Ambassadors for Ireland West Airport Knock". Donegal Democrat. Johnston Press. 13 May 2013. Archived from the original on 23 September 2021. Retrieved 13 May 2013.

External links

• https://web.archive.org/web/20120213141318/http://www.garrycastlegaa.com/clubhistory.html

• All Stars Awards winners (football)
• 1979 births
• Living people
• Alumni of the University of Galway
• Broadcasters from County Westmeath
• Donegal Boston Gaelic footballers
• Gaelic football forwards
• Gaelic games commentators
• Garrycastle Gaelic footballers
• Irish international rules football players
• Irish schoolteachers
• University of Galway Gaelic footballers
• Westmeath inter-county Gaelic footballers