Malahide’s Journey Back From Relegation Begins With Kenny Appointment

Malahide’s bid to bounce back from their recent relegation has already started with the appointment of the experienced Andy Kenny as their new head coach.

Competing in Energia All-Ireland League Men’s Division 2B since their promotion in 2019, Malahide endured a difficult 2024/25 campaign and finished bottom of the table, a full 19 points behind both Sligo and Skerries.

A coaching change will see former player Kenny return to the Estuary Road-based club, with assistant/forwards coach Ken Knaggs, and player-coach Ollie Brown, who joins from Clontarf, also announced as part of their new senior Men’s coaching team.

Having qualified for the All-Ireland League for the first time in 2017, a Brendan Guilfoyle-coached Malahide made further history two years later with promotion to Division 2B via the play-offs.

The following season they were on course for another promotion – sitting top of the table after 14 rounds – when Covid-19 forced the cancellation of the league. Sixth was their highest finish during Ray Monaghan’s recent reign.

As Malahide turn to another former Old Belvedere head coach in Kenny, he said: “I grew up in Malahide originally, and I actually played my mini rugby here when the club was at the back of Malahide Castle, back in those days.

“I played through schools and then when I came back after school, I played a couple of years here in my early 20s. But unfortunately I had to retire as a player in those early 20s through injury.

“I started coaching when I was in college, and I’ve been coaching ever since. I’ve been coaching for 30-plus years. So the opportunity to come back to my home club was just too good an opportunity to miss.”

Kenny’s coaching CV includes working with a number of teams in the Leinster Schools Senior Cup, he was forwards coach with the Leinster Women’s team for two years, and was head coach of Old Belvedere Men in Division 1B between 2018 and 2020.

The school teacher, who had a four-year coaching spell with Suttonians Men most recently, explained: “I’ve coached everything from minis to youths to the schools, Senior Cup rugby, Leinster League, Under-20s, AIL.

“Coached SCT in Belvedere, winning the Cup in 2005 with Cian Healy and Ian Keatley and others of that quality. St. Michael’s, Castleknock, I’ve coached the Old Belvedere first team in the AIL, and Suttonians in the Leinster League. So I’ve been through quite a few clubs.

“I’m particularly interested in that coaching and that development end of it, and seeing players become better players. That is what drives me as a coach, and I’m hoping to bring that to Malahide.”

Following a tough year for the club’s senior squad on the pitch, Malahide RFC Chairperson Aidan Brophy believes they can turn a corner in Division 2C where they will come up against Monkstown and newly-promoted Bective Rangers in some mouth-watering Dublin derbies.

Midleton, who were just a point away from winning the title last month, will face stiff competition from Malahide and others next season, with Brophy saying: “Andy is a first class coach and this club is going places. We want to make sure this relegation is a one-year only thing.”

Incoming coach Kenny is optimistic about the team’s immediate future, acknowledging the calibre of player in this past season’s group – including top scorers David O’Halloran (125 points) and Daniel Hayes (11 tries) – and Malahide’s emerging talent at age-grade level.

“We want to re-establish a winning culture. Malahide has had a winning culture in the past, and has plateaued or fallen a little bit recently. We want to rebuild that.

“But the important part of rebuilding that is to rebuild it in a sustainable way, with ideally players who have come through the system from Malahide youths, or that have a connection to the club.

“It’s going to be a homegrown rebuild, starting with young players, with the senior players that we have. We’ve got quality in the squad as it is, and we want to supplement that with, like I said, young enthusiastic players who want to come in and make Malahide a better club and be part of this community,” he added.