Kilmeena's Jack Carney continues to deliver for Mayo
Mayo's Jack Carney pictured ahead of the All-Ireland SFC Final.
Click here to listen to the full interview with Mayo's Jack Carney.
By Cian O'Connell
"I'm from such a small area with such a big footballing heart, with a huge passion for sport and Gaelic Football," Jack Carney explains about Kilmeena, who have embarked on a remarkable rise through the Mayo ranks.
From Junior to Senior, Kilmeena continue to be inspired by Carney, who is also flourishing on the inter-county stage for Mayo.
Carney, though, is delighted about Kilmeena's own adventure. "The journey over the past four or five years has been amazing," Carney reflects.
"I'm so lucky to be a part of it and they're very loyal supporters of mine. They'd back me through anything. I'm very lucky to have that support behind me.
"I've needed it over the past few years with some tough results, but it's always great to go back there, to really just enjoy representing them, and I hope I make them proud."
Mayo's recent form bodes well. Meath, Cork, and Louth have been beaten in knockout Championship matches ensuring an All-Ireland SFC Final looms against Kerry on Sunday. "It has been an incredible few weeks, the last three or four games have been really exciting, and I've no doubt the next game will be the same," Carney says.
"I think it has been really up and down, but I think we've won maybe seven out of our last 10 games. So, that is pretty consistent in many ways, bar the performance against Roscommon. I think we've learned a lot since then.
"Any season is going to be up and down, it's never going to be too linear as we saw in the Championship this year. That's to be expected from now on in the next while."
Mayo'sJack Carney in All-Ireland SFC Semi-Final action against Louth at Croke Park. Photo by Stephen McCarthy/Sportsfile
With experienced and youthful players in the panel, Carney, who made his debut in 2021, is thoroughly enjoying the 2026 campaign. "I'm there in the middle, it's great to learn off the lads above you and get that freedom and excitement from the younger lads below you," he says.
"I'm very grateful to be there in the middle, and to be beside them lads on the pitch.
"You gain confidence from that momentum. It's not just momentum, winning games. There is momentum within games, too.
"It's a season where if that momentum is with you, it's a great season, when it's against you, it's very hard for it to stop.
"Thankfully, it's behind us at the moment with the few good results. Hopefully, we can carry that on with us."
Participating in high profile matches at GAA headquarters matters deeply to Mayo supporters. "We've starved them of that Croke Park experience, unfortunately, for the last four or five years," Carney says.
"It's great to see them back there at Croke Park, that's what they deserve.
"It's great they've days out, and even the game here (in Castlebar) against Meath, incredible weather, an exciting game, and the new rules lend to that. We're really enjoying it and we're really grateful for their support."
