The Kernan legacy

HOW many father and son duos have captained and managed their clubs to championship glory? Joe and Stephen Kernan are part of an extremely unique group.

In fact, they are possibly the only members.

The Kernan name has long been associated with Crossmaglen and Armagh. That legacy has seen a love of Gaelic Football handed down from generation to generation.

The morning of the Armagh county final two weeks ago, the day the Rangers won their 48th county title, Stephen Kernan attended an event honouring the Armagh team that won the All-Ireland Junior Championship title in 1926.

Even 100 years ago, the Kernan name was doing the business on the field. Stephen was there to represent his uncle Jamesy who was an important member of Armagh and Ulster’s first ever All-Ireland winning team.

Jamesy unfortunately lost his life after suffering a fatal injury in a championship game against Cavan two years later at Belturbet, but he left a legacy that has lasted.

Crossmaglen had just won their first five in a row in Armagh, but certainly not their last, when Jamesy passed away. Instead of five individual medals, the players received one medal that represented their historic achievement.

Stephen Kernan’s mum still wears that medal every day on her necklace.

Jamesy’s death took it’s toll on the club. No one kicked a ball for two years, until Stephen’s grandfather fired a ball out into the street one day, and the whole thing started up again.

Jamesy’s nephew, Joe Kernan’s cousin, Frank was on the first ever Armagh Minor All-Ireland winning team in 1949 and played in Armagh’s first ever All-Ireland final in 1953.

Joe Kernan then played and scored two goals in the 1977 All-Ireland final before managing Armagh to Sam Maguire success for the first time in their history in 2002.

Stephen and Aaron collected Celtic Crosses in 2004, helping Armagh win a first All-Ireland U21 title. The pair, along with siblings Tony and Paul, also won an Ulster title together with the Orchard County in 2008.

That’s not to mention the dozens and dozens of medals picked up in the black and amber.

It’s a legacy that has lasted one hundred years.

“It’s no different than the McConville’s and Morgan’s in Crossmaglen,” Stephen Kernan reflected on a century of success.

“Gene Morgan is James’ grandad and Margaret McConville’s brother and he was in the 1953 team as well and James won the All-Ireland minor in ’09 and won All-Ireland clubs.

“Those stories, there’s more than just us and they are to be celebrated because it’s a fantastic legacy to be a part of.”

Following in the footsteps of their father Joe was a clear path to travel and once the Kernan’s hung up the boots and ended their playing days, just like their dad, the brothers have taken straight to coaching and management.

Tony will join John McEntee in the Monaghan dugout next season, having been with him in Inniskeen for the past number of years. Aaron will be back with Meath as they try compete in the top tier of the National League.

Stephen, the oldest of the siblings, was part of the Magherafelt management team that won the Derry championship last weekend and all his focus will turn towards Scotstown in the first round of Ulster.

“Dad is obviously a huge inspiration, as any father,” Stephen continued. “That was his main goal whenever he had kids, you want to be an inspiration for your children and my Dad is no different.

“He is a great inspiration and always was. Mum and Dad have been great with us and fantastic parents and with Dad doing what he did, it made it very realistic for us to feel like we could do something like that.

“Things in our house that are very normal for us are not very normal for other people. To win a Senior Championship is extremely difficult and to do what we were able to do in our generation and follow in Dads footsteps, not many people get to do that.”

The Kernan household has more championship medals than most clubs in the country, and passing on that knowledge was always going to be the next port of call.

“Going into management, we’re going into it to try and help boys get to a stage and make life choices that were normal life choices for us but aren’t the same normal life choices for people that don’t win championships year on year.

“We try to get them to view things differently, to make different decisions whenever maybe all their friends and family members can’t see what we can see.

“That’s not always easy. It’s not always easy on our families either, leaving work at 3.30pm every afternoon to drive two hours to Magherafelt, leaving Claire and five kids at home, it isn’t always easy.

“I do it, Aaron does it, Tony does it, John and Tony (McEntee) do it, Paul Hearty does it, Oisin McConville does it in the hope that the kids that we’re raising and our wives are raising can carry on what we’re doing.”

That great Crossmaglen team of the noughties and tens, a powerhouse of a club, not only achieved so much on the actual playing field, but they’ve carried that mentality into their management careers.

The Kernan’s are there, John McEntee is the Monaghan manager, Tony McEntee is involved with Down. Oisin McConville has led Wicklow back to Sam Maguire football, Paul Hearty is involved with Louth who reached the All-Ireland semi-finals.

For one club in South Armagh, their branches reach even further than just the Orchard County. “We’re just very GAA orientated,” Kernan said of the Crossmaglen coaching connections.

“We love the sport; we loved playing it. All those players had extremely successful careers and when their careers finished, a very natural progression was to go into management and coaching.

“We want to pass on to the next generation everything we learned and hopefully they’ll be able to experience some of the things that we did.

“Being able to help Magherafelt get over the line, whatever input I had, those boys are experiencing something that those Crossmaglen boys were fortunate to have a wee bit more regularly, but we didn’t take any of that success for granted.”

There’s an obvious obsession there. In that family. In that club.

After everything those players achieved with the club and the county, they’re still searching for more. Chasing the next title. Pursing the next step.

“I hope that obsession never leaves me,” Kernan added, reflecting on his playing career and his leap into management and coaching.

“We have such great memories, some unbelievable experiences and even in the lows and the defeats that we had, the ability to share your emotions with men and not have to deal with it on your own, that gives you as great a bond as winning.

“It stands you in good stead for life because there’s many challenges that people face outside of a football pitch and you need to have those relationships and that makes everything a whole lot worthwhile.”

Stephen captained Crossmaglen to their most recent All-Ireland success in 2012 and then managed the club to an Armagh county title in 2022.

Aaron and Tony both captained Cross to championship titles as players. Who knows, in years to come, they might join their father Joe and brother Stephen’s exclusive club.

The Kernan legacy lives on.