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Alan Mangan
Alan Mangan (born June 1979)[1] is a dual player of Gaelic games, a hurling coach, manager, selector and former Gaelic footballer. He played football and hurling for Westmeath. Playing careerClubMangan first played hurling for Castletown Geoghegan as a 16-year-old, at which age he played as a goalkeeper in a Westmeath Senior Hurling Championship final.[1] He won three Westmeath SHC medals while playing with his club, the first in 2004, adding another in 2013.[1] Mangan also played football for the St Malachy's club.[1] Inter-countyMangan played senior inter-county hurling for Westmeath for two years: 1999 and 2000.[1] His inter-county football debut for Westmeath, limited to substitute appearances, was as part of the team that won the 1999 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship and retained the Leinster Under-21 Football Championship the following year, under the management of Luke Dempsey.[1] Then Mangan featured for the county junior team, twice scoring five points from play, with both games against Offaly.[1] Westmeath's junior team manager Ned Moore contacted Dempsey (who had by then been promoted to the position of senior team manager) and convinced him to call Mangan into his panel.[1] Mangan arrived onto the senior panel the following year.[1] Mangan's first senior game for Westmeath was against All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title holder Galway at Cusack Park.[1] He was put into the team in place of established corner-forward Ger Heavin and assigned to mark Tomás Mannion.[1] Dempsey used Mangan as a substitute against Meath in a draw and then a replay in the 2003 championship before starting him against Monaghan, in what would be Dempsey's last game as manager.[1] Páidí Ó Sé succeeded Dempsey as manager.[1] Ó Sé left Mangan out for the first 2004 O'Byrne Cup but started him in the second game of the competition, against Kildare.[1] Mangan scored three points against Kildare.[1] He started every game for Westmeath after that (O'Byrne, league and championship) until he injured his knee in 2009.[1] Mangan was one of those who won the 2004 Leinster Senior Football Championship Final.[2][3] Ó Sé made a memorable comparison between Mangan and a loaf of bread after Darren Rooney of Laois knocked him over the sideline during the drawn game between the teams.[1] Mangan then scored four points from play in Westmeath's next game.[1] Post-playing careerMangan was a selector when Michael Ryan managed the Westmeath hurlers.[1] He ran unsuccessfully as a candidate for the Labour Party in the Longford–Westmeath constituency at the 2020 Irish general election, with the intention of replacing the retiring Willie Penrose.[4][5] Mangan was coaxed into running, as Penrose was a family friend, though Mangan's mother advised him against.[1] He cancelled a holiday that he had paid for in New York when the election was suddenly called.[1] Due to his involvement in that election he also refused various coaching and management offers that he received in early 2020.[1] Mangan then joined the Westmeath senior hurlers in a coaching capacity later in 2020.[6] As of 2022, he was managing the Castletown Geoghegan hurlers.[1] Personal lifeMangan is married to Corinne and is a father of four.[1] He is from the village of Castletown Geoghegan.[5] He inherited his nickname ("Budda") from his father and is known throughout Westmeath by it.[1] Only Dessie Dolan and the Westmeath hurling manager Michael Ryan ever refer to him as "Alan".[1] References
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