THERE’S a strong case to be made that Joe Ryan will be the calmest man in Croke Park on Saturday.

Like a lighthouse in a storm, he doesn’t flinch or change his rhythm as the war rages around him. Instead, he is reliable, dependable and consistent – traits that have defined the Ballinascarthy man who has quickly become a firm favourite in his adopted Kilbrittain.

‘On a young team like ours, he’s a brilliant man in charge because he brings a level of calmness that we sometimes need,’ captain Philip Wall says. ‘You’d never see him get flustered and you’d rarely see him even get too animated.’

Like that lighthouse, Ryan’s foundations are anchored deep. His father Jerry is a local hurling legend – the full back on the Carbery team that famously won the 1994 county senior title, and later a Cork senior selector under Denis Walsh, adding two more chapters to an impressive highlights reel.

‘I think dad has either managed or played in a county final at every grade in hurling,’ Joe reflects. ‘The majority of those were losses, and that’s across a 40-year coaching career. Then I come in and win a county and a Munster this season, so I’m very aware of how lucky I am.’

Even now, Joe can lean on his father for advice when needed. Jerry watches Kilbrittain’s games and offers feedback, his experience still guides Joe and his brother Jeremy. Their grandfather, Dinny Ryan, is another notable influence. The passion for the small ball passed down through those generations lit a fire under Joe, one that has helped spark Kilbrittain’s incredible journey to the All-Ireland club junior hurling final.

Preparing for the All-Ireland final are Tomás (left) and Colm Sheehan with Charlie and Gavin Kenny. (Photo: Martin Walsh)

‘I’ll forever be a blow-in!’ Joe quipped to this paper ahead of the county final triumph in October, but his Ballinascarthy roots give him a unique perspective on Kilbrittain’s dream season.

‘I’m in a lucky position where I can take a little step back and see it from that angle,’ he muses.

‘It might make it a little easier for me in terms of pressure and being nervous.’

Joe previously managed his home club Ballinascarthy to Carbery junior A hurling titles – important milestones in his coaching journey – and those experiences, along with a spell managing the Carbery senior hurling team, have shaped the manager he is today.

‘It was different with Bal because it’s my home club – you put internal pressure on yourself and you’re so desperate for them to win that you probably don’t behave as yourself, if that makes sense,’ he explains. This season, however, he admits to feeling far more at ease.

‘It isn’t in my character to be shouting and roaring, or breaking down doors. That’s not me. This season, I feel much more comfortable.

‘I learned a lot from John Considine, and from Vince Hurley when he was involved with Bal, especially in how they spoke to players. My own father is probably the biggest inspiration I have.’

Joe joined John Considine’s Kilbrittain management team as a coach in 2024, feeling it was the ideal way to get involved in the local community. He married a Kilbrittain woman, Lorna, and their daughters, Maggie (6) and Elin (1), are Black and Amber fans too. Home is Harbour View Beach, a short drive from Kilbrittain village. This is home now for Joe.

When Considine stepped aside ahead of the 2025 season, Kilbrittain had an ideal replacement within their ranks. Yet few could have foreseen the campaign that followed. The team that failed to qualify from their Cork premier junior group in 2024 are now kings of Cork and Munster, and one win away from All-Ireland glory.

The players, Joe insists, are the real story.

‘The effort, even in 2024 – and John Considine would say the same – has never lacked,’ the Kilbrittain boss explains.

‘A few things clicked this season, including getting Sean Sexton and Aaron Holland back.

‘The players deserve massive credit. After the county final against Glen Rovers, it would have been easy to be complacent going into Munster, but there was no sense of that at all.

‘Here’s a good example – after the All-Ireland semi-final against Davidstown on December 20th, I was told in no uncertain terms that we were training on St Stephen’s Day morning. That didn’t come from me or the management team – that came from the players.’

Joe offers insight into the group’s driven mentality.

‘In games, we give them a minute or two at half time to talk amongst themselves. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t. We’ll have our two or three points, then lead, and the motivation is coming from the group themselves.’

He adds: ‘I’m at a stage where I don’t want to say much to them because I don’t want to get in the way of it. It has taken on a life of its own.’

Kilbrittain manager Joe Ryan celebrates the All-Ireland semi-final win.

Over Christmas, Joe chatted with a friend, trying to pinpoint the moment when this Kilbrittain train became a juggernaut. Different games prompt different answers – the pressure of the opening group match against Barryroe after a disappointing 2024; the county final against Glen Rovers on the late Oisín Gilligan’s birthday on October 17th; or surviving the battle with Davidstown just days before Christmas.

‘Wins like the county final and the one against Davidstown don’t just happen – they’re years in the making,’ Joe says. ‘From John being involved, Jamie Wall, Vincent O’Brien, Aidan O’Donoghue, to Ross Cashman and Maurice Sexton, who stepped away but helped get the group to this point. So many people have put in huge work with this team.’

Joe acknowledges his fortune in being the man in charge when Kilbrittain hit their stride. Is it luck, or is it destiny – a series of decisions made over time that led to him holding the reins this season?

Like momentum, such moments are hard to define. What is clear is where they have brought Kilbrittain: an All-Ireland club final in Croke Park against Sligo champions Easkey this Saturday (3.15pm). And Joe Ryan’s fingerprints are unmistakable.

‘I like things to be really consistent – the same things happen every day, the same things happen in training, our set-up is the same for training and matches – and that helps the lads feel comfortable,’ he explains.

‘When players arrive, they know exactly what the layout is. They don’t have to think about anything. If something changes, like before the Munster final when we had to alter our warm-up, we make sure they know early and that there’s a structure to it. Timing is everything.’

That consistency will continue this weekend. As in their Munster and All-Ireland outings, Kilbrittain will travel early on match morning, stopping for food three-and-a-half hours before throw-in. Calmness, routine and clarity, designed to bring out the best in Kilbrittain’s trailblazers.

It has worked up to now. One more hurdle remains.