Just over a week has passed since Brian Dowling announced he would no longer be taking charge of the Kilkenny camogie team.
Dowling lead Kilkenny to two All-Ireland senior camogie titles and respective Manager of the Year awards in 2020 and 2022. There was speculation after last year’s All-Ireland success, however, Dowling opted to stay on with the team for another term.
Unfortunately, things did not pan out the way many would have hoped with a one-point defeat to Cork in the quarter-final stages. Days later, Brian was gone.
See also: Two-time All-Ireland winning manager Brian Dowling steps away from Kilkenny senior camogie team
Speaking to KCLR’s camogie podcast Caman Caint, Brian outlined how he knew this year was going to be hit last, win or lose;
“Leaving Croke Park. I probably knew that was the last time I was with the team. I had a good look around the stadium there, just walking off the pitch after the senior match.”
“At the start of the year, deciding this was going to be the last year, whether we won or last. I probably thought about it last year, but it was kind of hard to walk away last year, the way things were going.”
“I felt like I owed it to the girls to stay another year. You know, even though we didn’t win this year, I think things are kind of positive. We have a great bond with the girls and stuff like that. I think you can overstay your welcome sometimes and that’s not the way I wanted it to go.”
This week's Camán Caint podcast with @martinquilty and @ainefahey comes with a feature-length interview with Brian Dowling, recently departed as @kilkennycamogie senior manager following two All-Ireland wins in his term.
— Scoreline.ie (@scorelinesport) July 19, 2023
Grab it now wherever you do your podcast listening. pic.twitter.com/XnS3ipZcUK
All though this year’s term did not go according to plan on the camogie front, Dowling still has had a successful year after helping guide St. Kieran’s College to another All Ireland success.
You can listen back to the full interview with Brian below on Caman Caint: