By John Harrington

Former Cork hurling manager, Kieran Kingston, believes life has become easier for both him and his son Shane now that he is no longer in charge of the team.

Kingston managed Cork for two spells from 2015 until 2017 and then from 2019 until 2022 and admits the father-son dynamic made it a pressurised situation for both of them.

“There's no question it's easier for both now,” he says. “When you're involved as a manager and you’ve a son playing – and I could never say this publicly before - it is difficult on him to be fair.

“Firstly it's difficult on him because he knew when I was going in as manager the first time - even though he made his debut quite young with Mark Coleman - he always knew the rules of engagement so to speak were, 'You have to be performing at the level above the rest. I'm not going to favour you - and if it's a 50-50 call, you're not getting it.'”

“He knew that, even when I was going back in. Sometimes that works for him, sometimes it doesn't. Sometimes it works for me, sometimes it doesn't. It's more pressure on him, no doubt about that. And it’s more pressure on you as well because obviously the team has to come first, Cork hurling has to come first - everything else is second and he knows that.

“At the same time, part of you is taking it personally if it doesn't go well for him. He’s your son - of course you want him to play. If it's your kids and they're playing a game you want them to go well. You have to keep that over here and compartmentalise that. And I'd like to think I did that well. Certainly one thing I was never accused of was nepotism!

“I think it's better for him now. He has matured, he's a man now, he is not a child any more. He's established himself at this stage now so I think the freedom is better now for him with Pat (Ryan) and the lads.”

Kingston admits it took him a while to “readjust” to watching Cork from the stand instead of the sideline this year, and was gutted by their agonising failure to progress from the Munster SHC after being competitive in every match they played.

“So disappointed for Cork hurling, for Shane, for the management team, Pat and the lads,” he says. “Because they had a brilliant year. The character the team showed was really strong. They were within a puck of a ball of putting Limerick out. Who knows what would have happened after that?

“Then your reward for playing so well and being so competitive in all of the games is not getting out of Munster. That's really hard to take. I know how disappointed my house was and how he was, being so close and yet so far away.

“Then you're going back and starting again and it's a level playing field again. You must do it all over again.”

Cork have now gone 18 years without winning an All-Ireland senior hurling title which must be difficult to credit for Lee-siders.

“It is, yeah,” says Kingston. “Like, being so close and yet so far away. And I was there myself, lost a final and, like, with Jimmy when we were there in 2013, lost a replay. A point up in injury time.

“So I've been there twice, so close but it doesn't matter, you're still so far away. Of course when we won the Munster championship in 2014 we hadn't won it in eight years and it was a huge occasion and fantastic occasion, the last match in the old Pairc Ui Chaoimh.

“And then 2017 when we won it as manager, the fact that we had such a young team and brought through so, so many young players, it was a great occasion as well. But now, Munster championships in Cork, we've had three of them in that period, since 2006, now it's an All-Ireland (we want).

“And in particular when you see that we've had an All-Ireland minor win, we've contested five of the last six All-Ireland U-20s or U-21 finals and next year's U-20 are really, really strong as well. They were a minor team that won the All-Ireland. So that's six out of seven U-20s/U-21 teams that have been either victorious or really competitive, or being in a final, assuming that next year Cork can go on.

“So that gives you a great base, or a combination of those players together, between the young and the not so young or not so old either, like, you'd have to think that that collective of players would have to be really, really competitive and hopefully successful in the not too short and not too distant future.”

Kingston is part of the Ireland management team for Saturday’s Hurling-Shinty International against Scotland and has enjoyed the opportunity to work with players from 14 different counties.

“It does give you an opportunity to manage a group with the lads that I know and interact with players from other counties that you wouldn't get the opportunity to do.

“Really lovely lads but I would only have known them as the enemy, trying to negate their influence. For 70 minutes they are the enemy – and then you meet them and say, “Jeez, they’re really nice lads.” So there was that opportunity to meet lads from other counties, engage with them, see them up close, communicate with them, socialise with them - I like that.

“To be part of an Irish set up, irrespective of the short window that it is, is still different. It is an honour to be asked and represent your country, at any level, in any sport.”

Saturday, October 21

Hurling-Shinty International

Ireland v Scotland, Páirc Esler, Newry, 2.45pm. (TG4 YouTube channel)