Andy Moran departs inter-county role 'with a heavy heart'

Mayo GAA great Andy Moran has stepped down from his position as manager of the Leitrim senior footballers.

Moran, who was in charge of the Connacht side for three years, guided the county to promotion from Division 4 this year.

The former Mayo forward also took charge of Leitrim's under-20 team where they defeated his native county in this year's Connacht Championship.

In a statement, released by Leitrim GAA, they remarked that their working relationship with Moran has been "tremendous" and the "time and effort that he invested in his players was very much to be admired."

The Leitrim GAA statement concluded: "We wish to earnestly thank Andy for taking on the role three years ago and delivering on his promise to do his utmost to improve our fortunes, which we believe he certainly has done. He departs leaving us in a much improved position. We thank him for all the personal sacrifices of his time he has made on our behalf and we wish him and his family the very best in his future endeavours."

Moran thanked the players, staff, members and sponsors of Leitrim GAA in his outgoing statement - saying: "It’s with a heavy heart that I leave the role but feel it’s the right thing to do at this time. After the team gained promotion to Allianz League Division 3 in 2024, I feel now the Leitrim Senior Footballers are moving to a new phase of their development. What is required in my opinion is someone to commit fully for another three years. My three years with Leitrim have been a complete joy. My hope is that they keep driving on. The future is bright. To everyone involved in Leitrim Football – Thank you."

The Ballaghaderreen man, who won eight Connacht senior titles as an inter-county player, made over 180 appearances for Mayo.