It's 25 years since Galway defeated Kildare to win their first GAA All-Ireland senior football title since 1966. Tribesmen players went on to win seven All-Star awards that year. There were also five winners from Kildare and one each from Derry, Meath and Tipperary.
We've taken a look at where those players are now in their sporting and professional lives.
Goalkeeper
Martin McNamara (Galway) - All-Star 1998
The Corofin man retired from inter-county football in 2001.
"To be honest, it's more a question of not going back to inter-county football than quitting it," McNamara told the Irish Independent regarding his decision.
"The time has come to bow out. I'm not as fit as I would like so I feel there is no point going back at this stage."
18 January 2020; Galway Goalkeeping coach Martin McNamara warms up goalkeeper Conor Gleeson before the Connacht FBD League Final between Roscommon and Galway at Dr. Hyde Park in Roscommon. Photo by Ray Ryan/Sportsfile
He was a selector under Kerryman Tomás Ó Flatharta during his time as Galway manager between 2010 and 2011, and was also the goalkeeping coach for current Tribesmen manager Pádraic Joyce in 2020 and 2021.
Last week he was named as the goalkeeping coach in new Galway minor manager Neil McHugh's backroom team.
Full-back line
Brian Lacey (Kildare) - All-Star 1998
Before lining out for the Lilywhites, Lacey - one of the game's best man markers during his career - played with his native Tipperary. He transferred to Kildare in 1998 where he won his All-Star and two Leinster titles. He later transferred back to Tipperary and won the Tommy Murphy Cup - a predecessor to the Tailteann Cup - in 2005.
Lacey has been part of several inter-county football management teams including Limerick, Tipperary, and the Kildare U20s. He also has an analysis role in Glenn Ryan's current Kildare backroom team.
He is the brother of former international rugby referee John Lacey and also the managing director of Pension Structures.
28 April 2022; Kildare manager Brian Flanagan, right, and Kildare selector Brian Lacey celebrate after the EirGrid Leinster GAA Football U20 Championship Final match between Dublin and Kildare at MW Hire O'Moore Park in Portlaoise, Laois. Photo by Ben McShane/Sportsfile
Sean Marty Lockhart (Derry) - All-Star
After a 15-year career with Derry, the tenacious defender retired from inter-county action in the summer of 2010.
He was joint-manager along with Martin McConnell when St Patrick's College Maghera won the 2013 Hogan Cup with victory over the Colm O'Rourke-managed St Patrick's Navan. That was a Maghera side featuring future Derry All-Star Conor Glass.
Lockhart is a PE teacher.
18 March 2013; St Patrick's College joint managers Sean Martin Lockhart and Martin McConnell celebrate with the cup after the game. Danske Bank MacRory Cup Final, St Patrick's College, Maghera v St Paul's High School, Bessbrook, The Athletic Grounds, Armagh. Picture credit: Oliver McVeigh / SPORTSFILE
Tomás Mannion (Galway) - All-Star 1998
The Monivea-Abbey man, who won All-Irelands in 1998 and 2001, stepped away from inter-county football ahead of the 2003 season.
In the early noughties, while still playing for Galway and working on his farm, Mannion began coaching rugby in Galway primary and secondary schools.
;Half-back line
John Finn (Kildare) - All-Star 1998
The Clane man has become involved in athletics. He the chairperson of Clane Athletic Club.
Kildare cross country squad session this morning.Im guest coach under the watchful eye of John Finn( GAA all star 98 ;-) @irishathletics
— David Matthews (@DavidMatthews2) August 30, 2014
During his football career, Finn was a helicopter pilot in the Air Corps.
Glenn Ryan (Kildare) - All-Star 1997, 1998
Next season will be Ryan's third as Kildare senior manager. This season saw Kildare exit the championship at the All-Ireland preliminary quarter-final stage following defeat to Monaghan. Ryan said after the game that referee Jerome Henry was "out of his depth" and was subsequently hit with a lengthy ban for his comments.
15 years ago, he led the Kildare U21s to an All-Ireland final where they lost to Kerry and the also the Longford footballers for five seasons.
He is a director of the construction industry company O'Neill & Brennan.
18 June 2023; Kildare manager Glenn Ryan celebrates with supporters after the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 3 match between Roscommon and Kildare at Glenisk O'Connor Park in Tullamore, Offaly. Photo by Daire Brennan/Sportsfile
Seán Óg de Paor (Galway) - All-Star 1998, 2001
The two-time All-Ireland winner retired from inter-county football in 2005. He had suffered a cruciate knee ligament injury the previous year while playing for his club An Cheathrú Rua.
De Paor was a selector, along with Martin McNamara, under manager Tomás Ó Flatharta in 2011.
He is a teacher and has worked with TG4 on their coverage of club and inter-county football.
Midfield
John McDermott (Meath) - All-Star 1996, 1998, 1999
The midfielder won All-Irelands with Meath in 1996 and 1999, the latter as captain. He announced his retirement in May 2001, saying "the time has now come for some of the younger players to take over the midfield jersey for Meath" but was persuaded to return a month later for a championship which saw Meath reach the All-Ireland final.
24 July 2022; Trevor Giles, right, and John McDermott of the 1996 Meath All-Ireland winning team as the Jubilee teams are introduced to the crowd before the GAA All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final match between Kerry and Galway at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
"John McDermott is an institution in Meath football and he was such a massive man on the field and in everything he did that he is going to be virtually impossible to replace," Sean Boylan told the Irish Independent after McDermott's permanent inter-county retirement the follow February.
"John was a big man in more ways that one and when you needed to win valuable ball in midfield he would never let you down."
Kevin Walsh (Galway) - All-Star 1998, 2001, 2003
The midfielder has had a varied sporting and professional career since he retired from the inter-county game after the 2004 season.
He was a garda for much of his Galway career but subsequently moved into the finance industry. Three years ago, he co-founded the online coaching platform GrowCoach.
2 July 2023; Cork manager John Cleary, right, and his selector Kevin Walsh leave the pitch after their side's defeat in the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final match between Derry and Cork at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile
Walsh managed the Sligo footballers from 2008 to 2013 and then his native Galway for four seasons before being replaced by Padraic Joyce after the 2019 championship.
Last season, he was a coach in Cork manager John Cleary's backroom team.
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Michael Donnellan (Galway) - All-Star 1998, 2000, 2001
Wishing the great Michael Donnellan a happy 46th birthday.
The perfect point, the perfect commentary. 🎈pic.twitter.com/bcNRkkkYW0
— Balls.ie (@ballsdotie) February 28, 2023
A two-time All-Ireland winner, three-time All-Star and 2001 Footballer of the Year. Donnellan packed plenty into a nine-year Galway career that ended in 2006.
His solo run during the 1998 All-Ireland final, which concluded with him setting up a point for Seán Óg de Paor, was voted the Top GAA moment of the television age in 2003.
In 2005, he transferred from his home club Dunmore Machales to Salthill-Knocknacarra where he won an All-Ireland senior club title the following year.
30 July 2023; Michael Donnellan of the 1998 All-Ireland winning Galway jubilee team who were honoured before the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match between Dublin and Kerry at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Ramsey Cardy/Sportsfile
Ja Fallon (Galway) - All-Star 1995, 1998
The Tuam Stars man - a two-time All-Ireland winner and 1998 Footballer of the Year - was another who retired from inter-county football only to later make a comeback. Fallon initially hung up his Galway boots in 2003, 12 years after joining the senior panel.
"He was our Keith Wood," Galway manager John O'Mahony told the Irish Independent.
"Ja meant as much to this Galway football team as Keith did to the Irish rugby team."
What a catch from Ja Fallon!! pic.twitter.com/OwZhiuFRVJ
— St.Brendan’s GAA (@brendans_gaa) July 21, 2022
He was named as a selector by new Galway manager Peter Ford for the following season but left that role in 2006 to rejoin the panel as a player. Fallon retired permanently the following year.
Fallon was recently named as a member of new Galway U20 manager Derek Savage's backroom team.
Dermot Earley Jr (Kildare) - All-Star 1998, 1999
Aged 34, Earley was forced into retirement in May 2013 due to a back injury. He had planned for that to be his last season.
The Sarsfields man became CEO of the GPA in 2017. He was succeeded by Paul Flynn the following year.
Early was a selector in Glenn Ryan's Kildare backroom team for the 2022 and 2023 seasons but he left that role in August as he has taken up a position with the United Nations in Brussels.
He is a member of the Irish Defence Forces.
Remembering a great man today, the 13th anniversary of his passing. Introduced him to his granddaughter a few weeks ago. Can’t wait to tell her all about him. pic.twitter.com/6ePhOHvXL0
— Dermot Earley (@dermotearley) June 23, 2023
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Karl O'Dwyer (Kildare) - All-Star 1998
O'Dwyer, who also played three championship games for his native Kerry, retired from inter-county football in 2002. He switched to Kildare ahead of the 1998 season, a year after the beginning of his father Micko's second stint as the Lilywhites' manager.
"At the end of that year, Páidí (Ó Sé) sent me a lovely letter after getting the All-Star, saying that I had a good year and all that kind of stuff," O'Dwyer told the Irish Examiner in 2015.
"And I still have it. Páidí obviously wanted to win for Kerry but he was a decent man.
"In fairness to him, there was a lot of good talent coming through and I was 27 or 28 at the time. He was proven right winning an All-Ireland in 1997 so you can’t argue with that but I’d have loved to have had a shot at it.
"But if I got in with Kerry I probably would never have played with Kildare. So I certainly don’t hold any grudges."
He was a selector with the Kildare senior team in 2019 and 2020 during Cian O'Neill's time as manager. O'Dwyer has also managed extensively at club level, including leading St Mary's to the Wicklow SFC title in 2011 and Old Leighlin to the Carlow senior title in 2013. This season he managed Laois side Stradbally.
He is a secondary school teacher.
16 July 2017; Former Kildare Footballer Karl O'Dwyer, left, with his father and former Kildare manager Mick O'Dwyer, right, ahead of the Leinster GAA Football Senior Championship Final match between Dublin and Kildare at Croke Park in Dublin. Photo by Seb Daly/Sportsfile
Pádraic Joyce (Galway) - All-Star 1998, 2000, 2001
Joyce has been Galway senior manager since succeeding former Tribesmen teammate Kevin Walsh following the 2019 season. He led Galway to the 2022 All-Ireland final which they lost to Kerry.
Joyce retired from inter-county football in 2012.
He is the managing director of the construction industry recruitment company PJ Personnel.
Declan Browne (Tipperary) - All-Star 1998, 2003
The two-time All-Star retired from inter-county football in 2007, aged just 29. "The old hunger isn't there any more and I always said that when you don't enjoy putting the boots in the bag to go to training any more, it's time to pack it in," he told the Irish Times.
Browne had led the county to the Tommy Murphy Cup two years beforehand a title he won along with fellow 1998 All-Star Brian Lacey.
The Moyle Rovers man managed the Tipperary U21s in 2017. He was a selector with the county's senior team during David Power's time as manager.
Browne also managed Graigue-Ballycallan to the 2018 Kilkenny Intermediate Hurling Championship title and that season's Leinster title. They lost to Cork and Munster champions Charleville in the All-Ireland semi-final.
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