Andy Moran Makes Sensational Return To Club Football Two Years After Retirement

Mayo legend Andy Moran is once again back in the green and white of Ballaghaderreen, having re-laced his boots and called quits on his three-year retirement.

Having enjoyed a stellar 15-year stint with the Mayo senior footballers, Moran called time on his intercounty career in 2019. While he would line out for the club for three more years, 2022 would see one of the county's greatest ever servants hang up his boots completely when he retired from club action.

After two years out of the fold however, Moran's club career came roaring back to life this month, when the Mayo legend would once again don the green and white of his boyhood club. First came the East Mayo Junior Final, last weekend, when the 41-year-old returned to action and got his first taste of the sport's new rules.

That was just the entrée, though. A week later, Moran came off the bench wearing number 19, as his side sailed to victory over Aghamore in the county's Division Two League final. Making no mistakes re-adjusting to life as a senior footballer, Moran would claim two points as Ballaghaderreen outscored Aghamore 2-15 to 0-20 to claim silverware by the slimmest of margins.

While his duties coaching Monaghan may have precluded him from an earlier return to training, his time on the coaching circuit with Monaghan and Leitrim clearly haven't seen the full forward take a backward step with the ball in his hand.

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It was a fruitful day not just for Moran, but also for his old intercounty partner in crime, Aidan O'Shea, who also claimed victory in the Division 1 showpiece. O'Shea's Breaffy GAA were taken right to the brink by Crossmolina Deel Rovers, with just a single point separating the sides after extra-time.

Speaking after the top-flight final, a delighted O'Shea was visibly proud to have lifted the trophy named after Breaffy's David Gavin, who tragically drowned in Canada in 2017.

It was a pretty mad game now, pretty helterskelter, more than we would've liked I think...but yeah we're delighted to get over the line.

Crossmolina are a great side, intermediate All-Ireland Champions and then throw in all them young lads that are coming through they're gonna be a really good team for a couple of years.

I'm just delighted for the group, we haven't won a Division One for a while and a bit of silverware here in McHale Park. It's all the sweeter when its a trophy named after our own clubman David Gavin, so to be up there lifting the trophy with Michael and Angela and Ciara is a really really nice moment and one that's well overdue.

Mayo and Breaffy Gaa stalwart Aidan O’Shea told https://t.co/B9VRYXbimO after their hard fought victory over Crossmolina Deel Rovers in the Mayo GAA AbbVie Division 1 football league final, that winning the David Gavin Cup this year was very important to this group of players… pic.twitter.com/5w2JuiylaY

— Mayo GAA (@MayoGAA) July 19, 2025

While their time competing All-Ireland finals may now be a distant memory, the always dangerous duo remain no strangers to McHale Park, where both men claimed silverware over the weekend.