Aidan O'Shea (Mayo Gaelic footballer)

Aidan O'Shea

Personal information
Irish name	Aodán Ó Sé
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Forward
Born	(1990-06-29) 29 June 1990 (age 34) Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland
Height	1.93 m (6 ft 4 in)
Occupation	Export Manager
Club(s)
Years	Club
2007–	Breaffy
Club titles
Mayo titles	0
Colleges(s)
Years	College
2009–2013	Dublin Institute of Technology
College titles
Sigerson titles	1
Inter-county(ies)*
Years	County	Apps (scores)
2009–	Mayo	91 (13–55)
Inter-county titles
Connacht titles	8
All-Irelands	0
NFL	2
All Stars	2
*Inter County team apps and scores correct as of match played 6 April 2025.

Aidan O'Shea (born 29 June 1990) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Breaffy and the Mayo county team. He is captain of the Breaffy's senior team.

Playing career

O'Shea played for the Mayo minor team during the 2000s.^[1]

He made his senior inter-county debut against New York in 2009 and, since then, has won All Stars and played in numerous All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) finals.

O'Shea played in midfield in two All-Ireland SFC finals, the 2012 decider, which Mayo lost by 0–13 to 2–11 against Donegal and the 2013 decider, which Mayo lost by 1–14 to 2–12 against Dublin.^[2][3][4] In 2013, his man-of-the-match display drove Mayo to victory in a rematch against 2012 conquerors Donegal at the All-Ireland SFC quarter-final stage.^[5] He was afterwards refused entry at one of Dublin's biggest nightclubs.^[6][7] He was awarded the GAA's Player of the Month for August 2013.^[8] O'Shea won an All-Star in 2013.

He is suspected of being concussed up to seven times.^[9] In 2016, Mayo were denied another All-Ireland SFC title by just one point to Dublin after the 2016 All-Ireland SFC final replay on 1 October. Coincidentally, the following year, Mayo lost again against Dublin in the 2017 All-Ireland SFC final by another one-point margin. O'Shea has lost a lot of All-Ireland SFC finals, along with Lee Keegan, in 2012, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2020 and 2021.^[10]

O'Shea played in the first Test for Ireland against Australia in the 2013 International Rules Series, but club commitments ruled him out of the second Test.^[11][12]

Personal life

O'Shea has family connections in County Kerry.^[13] His father Jim O'Shea has managed Breaffy.^[1]

O'Shea had a relationship with Sarah Rowe, the Mayo ladies' Gaelic footballer.^[14][15][16] In the summer of 2023, he got engaged to Kristin McKenzie Vass, and the couple married in Kerry on 9 August 2024.^[13]

Career statistics

As of match played 6 April 2025.

Team	Year	National League			Connacht		All-Ireland		Total
		Division	Apps	Score	Apps	Score	Apps	Score	Apps	Score
Mayo	2009	Division 1	6	2-03	3	2-04	1	1-01	10	5-08
	2010		8	2-04	1	0-00	1	0-00	10	2-04
	2011		5	0-03	3	0-00	2	0-00	10	0-03
	2012		5	0-01	1	0-01	3	0-01	9	0-03
	2013		8	0-04	3	0-01	3	0-01	14	0-06
	2014		7	0-05	3	0-02	3	1-00	13	1-07
	2015		7	1-08	2	3-05	3	1-01	12	5-14
	2016		7	0-04	2	0-01	6	1-03	15	1-08
	2017		2	0-00	2	0-00	8	0-07	12	0-07
	2018		7	1-01	1	0-00	3	0-03	11	1-04
	2019		8	0-02	2	0-00	7	0-01	17	0-03
	2020		7	0-05	3	0-03	2	0-01	12	0-09
	2021	Division 2	2	0-01	3	2-03	2	0-00	7	2-04
	2022	Division 1	8	0-00	1	0-00	3	0-01	12	0-01
	2023		8	1-06	1	0-01	5	0-08	14	1-15
	2024				3	1-02	4	0-02	7	1-04
	2025				1	1-02			1	1-02
Career total			95	7-47	35	9-25	56	4-30	186	20-102

Honours

Dublin Institute of Technology

• Sigerson Cup: 2013

Mayo

• Connacht Senior Football Championship: 2009, 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2020 (c), 2021 (c)
• National Football League: (2) 2019, 2023
• Connacht Under-21 Football Championship: 2009
• Connacht Minor Football Championship: 2009
• FBD League: 2010, 2011, 2012, 2023

Ireland

• International Rules Series: 2013, 2015

References

1. "Deel Rovers do just enough". The Mayo News. 9 September 2008. Breaffy manager Jim O'Shea['s] young team were forced to line without his son (and Mayo minor) Aidan O'Shea because of injury...
2. "Donegal 2-11 0-13 Mayo". BBC Sport. 23 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
3. "Murphy rocket sees Donegal strike gold". Irish Independent. 24 September 2012. Retrieved 4 October 2012.
4. "Dublin 2-12 Mayo 1-14". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 22 September 2013. Retrieved 22 September 2013.
5. "Champions Donegal stunned by Mayo rampage". Irish Independent. 4 August 2013. Retrieved 4 August 2013.
6. "Mayo GAA star Aidan O'Shea 'thanks' Dublin nightclub after he's refused entry". Irish Independent. 5 August 2013. Retrieved 5 August 2013.
7. "'I was always geared to do this' - Aidan O'Shea". Irish Independent. 18 September 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2013.
8. "O'Shea and Kelly win GAA/GPA Player Awards". GAA website. 11 September 2013. Archived from the original on 27 September 2013. Retrieved 15 September 2013.
9. Fogarty, John (14 January 2015). "Aidan O'Shea has suffered up to seven concussions in career". Examiner. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
10. "Mayo 'curse' continues as Tyrone wins All-Ireland football final". ABC News. 12 September 2021. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
11. "Ireland 57-35 Australia". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 19 October 2013. Retrieved 19 October 2013.
12. "Two changes to Ireland panel ahead of second Test". RTÉ Sport. RTÉ. 22 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
13. "Perfect match: Mayo star to tie the knot in Kerry". Hogan Stand. 8 August 2024.
14. "Sarah and Co make their mark". www.mayonews.ie. 29 July 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
15. "'No mens [sic] team would put up with our conditions...They'd go nuts' - Mayo's Sarah Rowe taking a stand against inequality". www.independent.ie. 21 February 2016. Retrieved 10 October 2019.
16. "Rowe's sacrifices earn rich dividend as Girls in Green now focus their attentions on England". www.independent.ie. 17 July 2014. Retrieved 11 October 2019.