"I see what success means and how happy it's made people"

It has been an amazing year for Carlow captain, Mikey Bambrick. When the previous manager, Shane Curran, stepped aside it was the Old Leighlin man who spoke on behalf of the squad as the national media probed. He represented the players well during those troubled times.

When the 2025 intercounty season ended he turned his attentions to the club and played a huge part as Old Leighlin emerged as Carlow champions.

Then it was back to Carlow. After a worrying few games in the O’Byrne Cup and Shield competitions where his form had dropped, he dug deep and played a major part at the business end of the league culminating when he lifted the National Football League Division 4 trophy in Croke Park.

So how do you compare success at club with the intercounty achievements?

“It is a difficult comparison. For the club you are doing it for your close friends and your family. Older people who have been there for years and you are bringing success back to them,” says Mikey.

“Carlow is on a different scale. People who you haven’t met coming up saying how proud they are. It means a lot. Especially when we came back to the Town Hall, people were celebrating. I suppose it is then I see what success means and how happy it's made people. It is great to know you are a part of it,” he added.

They say you are only as good as your last game? Sunday's Leinster championship game against Wicklow comes 15 days after the day that Carlow created footballing history. Speaking at the launch of the Leinster senior football championship in Kilashee Hotel four days after the league title win was a reminder that life moves on quickly and that other tests lie ahead.

“We are over the celebration part now and are getting ready for the championship. I was chatting to the lads. They are looking forward to going back training and getting into preparation mode,” noted Bambrick.

If the Carlow captain has had a year to remember then that has been facilitated by the manager and his backroom team.

Murphy managed Old Leighlin to two senior football championship titles in 2010 and 2011. Bambrick would not have been aware of the influence the former Éire Óg player was having on the Old Leighlin club. Now he sees it up close hand.

“I would never have known him. I knew he had been the Old Leighlin manager and what he had achieved. I wouldn’t have known how he operates.

“The way Joe operates every game is as important as the last. We are setting goals down the line but every game we play we treat it as do or die. The first game against Meath last year and have no illusions, we wanted to win that game. They beat us well in the end,” Bambrick recalls.

Murphy is not a sole operator. Bambrick says he has surrounded himself with coaching talent who an equal input.

“It is brilliant. We had Barry Hayes (in Old Leighlin) for a few years. I had Mick Kehoe at underage. I haven’t had Chris Bolger before but training is deadly. I suppose all those boys together sum up a very good management team. If one of them wasn’t there, it might not be the same. All of them together make a great atmosphere. Lads are playing with confidence.” 

Much has been made of the all Carlow coaching team. Bambrick acknowledges this but says most of the backroom team had the foresight to go outside the county and bring back what they learned elsewhere.

“Joe went off and managed Naas. Barry had success with Baltinglass. The other two lads the same. I would say they brought back their talents from other counties. It is not as if they were solely looking for Carlow people. Maybe that was the case but I see them as a successful management team whether they were or weren’t.

“When you heard the final whistle (at Croke Park), and see the emotion on James Clarke’s face. Barry, Joe, Chris. It means more that they were doing it for their own county. It was a great moment to see it at the final whistle.” 

And now Carlow will be looking to repeat their league success by dumping their neighbours out of the Leinster championship.

In 2023 a late Jonah Dunne point in Aughrim saw Carlow beat Wicklow in the championship. A year later in Parnell Park, Wicklow avenged that defeat when beating Carlow by three points in the Tailteann Cup.

“It has always been nip and tuck. Even this year there was only a few points in it. They have always been tight games. I don’t know what the percentage is but I would imagine it is close. In recent years anyway,” says Bambrick who is looking for the team to embark on another big challenge.

“It is two weeks since the Longford game. It is a lot of time in GAA. Two weeks off without a competitive game is a long time but you can reset and go at it again. No matter where you are in the league, everyone resets and goes at it again.”