Paul Conroy inspired generations of Galway footballers, says Liam Sammon

Liam Sammon says Paul Conroy inspired ‘several generations’ of players in Galway – leading by example on and off the field.

Conroy, 37, announced his intercounty retirement on Wednesday, bringing an end to a Galway senior career that spanned 19 seasons.

Sammon was the man who handed Conroy his senior debut, calling the St James’ clubman up to the Galway squad in 2008.

The versatile midfielder had captained Galway to an All-Ireland minor title the previous year, when the young Tribesmen beat Derry in the decider.

Sammon, a teacher by profession, had coached Conroy with St Mary’s College and so was aware of the teenager’s ability before most. He had no hesitation introducing him to senior intercounty football and handed Conroy his championship stripes in a Connacht quarter-final against Roscommon in May 2008.

Conroy scored 0-6 in that win over Roscommon at Pearse Stadium and two months later he helped the Tribesmen beat Mayo to win the first of his seven Connacht senior football titles.

The 2024 All Star midfielder also went on to captain Galway and played in two All-Ireland finals.

Sammon, an All-Ireland winner with Galway as a player in 1966, managed his county’s senior footballers in 2008-09 and was not surprised to see Conroy construct a long and impactful intercounty career.

“Paul has given so much to Galway football, influencing several generations of upcoming young players,” said Sammon. “He has shown himself to be both a leader on and off the field.”

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The personal high point of Conroy’s career arrived in the twilight of his days in maroon when he was named Footballer of the Year in 2024.

Conroy was 35 at the time, making him the oldest outfield player to win the accolade. On receiving the award, Sammon was one of the people he namechecked.

“When I finished up in school, he was the manager of the Galway seniors at the time,” recalled Conroy. “I remember him ringing me, asking me to come in. That is very special for any player when you get called up to a senior team.

“I was very young at the time, but it is something I look back on fondly. I learned an awful lot at the time off Liam, any player that ever played under him, they will tell you how good of a coach he is.”

Conroy is one of only three Galway players to have been named Footballer of the Year – following in the footsteps of Ja Fallon (1998) and Declan Meehan (2001).

His retirement now leaves just three active players who have won the Footballer of the Year award – Mayo’s Ryan O’Donoghue (2026), Kerry’s David Clifford (2022, 2023, 2025) and Tyrone’s Kieran McGeary (2021).

McGeary took a break at the start of this season to travel before returning for the latter stages of Tyrone’s league campaign.

All of the other recent winners – including Brian Fenton (2018, 2020), Stephen Cluxton (2019) and Andy Moran (2017) – have since stepped away from playing intercounty football.

Cluxton is currently part of Ger Brennan’s Dublin management team, while Moran managed his native county to All-Ireland glory last July.

Conroy’s career was not without adversity and his playing days were in doubt when he suffered a double leg break in an All-Ireland SFC clash against Kerry in July 2018.

He required a wheelchair to get around in the weeks afterwards and did not return to work as a teacher until the following January. He didn’t play for Galway again until 2020.

Off the field, he has always been an enthusiastic promoter of the Irish language and previously filled the role of Irish language ambassador for the GAA.

His decision to step away will leave a leadership void in a Galway squad with ambitions of winning an All-Ireland title.

Conroy’s retirement also sees one of Galway’s best two-point shooters depart the stage. New Galway manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice was a key figure on the committee that introduced the two-point scoring arc.

Conroy returned late to the Galway squad this season, only making his first appearance as a sub in their round four league fixture against Roscommon in February.

But he started all five of Galway’s championship games, scoring a total of 15 points, including five two-pointers. His last appearance was in the All-Ireland quarter-final defeat to Dublin at Croke Park in June.

Galway GAA stated: “Paul has been an outstanding servant to Galway football and one of the country’s finest players over the past two decades.

“His individual achievements culminated in being named an All Star and GAA/GPA Footballer of the Year in 2024.

“To captain Galway to an All-Ireland minor title in 2007 and be recognised as Footballer of the Year 17 years later is a remarkable achievement and reflects the standards he maintained throughout his career.”

[ ‘I wrestled with it a lot’: Galway manager Éamonn Fitzmaurice on potentially facing KerryOpens in new window ]