UL Graduates feature prominently in the weekend’s men’s Gaelic football championships
While the final did not see the result they would have wanted, congratulations on an outstanding season to the Limerick football team, and in particular the two MSc Applied Sports Coaching graduates who were part of their coaching team.
Evan Talty has the role of Skill Acquisition Coach while Pa Ranahan has a Player Development Coach role. If you are not familiar with these two roles, in future seasons you will be. An excellent overview of the Limerick coaching organization was provided by Maurice Brosnan in the Irish Examiner at the weekend: https://www.irishexaminer.com/sport/gaa/arid-41668364.html. In short, and to quote Brosnan’s article: “[Head Coach] Cahill takes care of the macro; skill acquisition coach Evan Talty looks after the meso, and personal development coach Pa Ranahan covers the micro”. That is, Cahill leads on strategy, Talty leads the design of sessions to maximise the transfer of learning from practice to the pitch, and Ranahan – to quote Brosnan’s article again: “His role is to make individuals better. Review games, identify gaps, and hone in on them.”
A case study in coach collaboration, the description of the Limerick coaches’ working together echoed April’s Coaching Conversations Public Lecture in association with the Sport & Human Performance Research Centre featuring Dr Edward Hall. Keep an eye on PESS social media feeds for details of future Coaching Conversations.
You can learn more about Evan’s experience on the MSc in Applied Sports Coaching in this Alumni Spotlight.
Congratulations also to graduate Luke Barrett who is a member of the Donegal coaching ticket which booked their place in the All Ireland final against Kerry in two weeks time with a superb display against Meath. Luke’s research project as part of the MSc focused on developing skill within the context of a games-based approach and was published this year in the International Journal of Sport Science & Coaching.
You can read more about Luke’s experience on the MSc in Applied Sports Coaching in this Alumni Spotlight.
Where can I read more about the MSc in Applied Sports Coaching?
A course overview is available here, or search the PESS Blog for Applied Sports Coaching where you will find insights such as the guest speakers you may meet, examples of the content covered, and what it means to research your coaching practice. You can also explore these FAQs.
The student perspective:
What is the deadline for applications?
The deadline for late applications for the September 2025 start is July 28th, subject to places remaining on the programme.
If you are interested in the programme or require further information please contact:
Dr Philip Kearney PhD
Course Director – MSc Applied Sports Coaching
Department of Physical Education and Sport Sciences
University of Limerick
Limerick.
Ireland
Tel: 00-353-61202844
Email: ASC@ul.ie
Dr Phil Kearney is the Course Director of the MSc Applied Sports Coaching within the PESS Department here at the University of Limerick. View Phil’s profile: https://pure.ul.ie/en/persons/philip-kearney
PESS News & Information 