.jpg) Kenny managing in theUEFA Europa League in 2016 | |||
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | Stephen Kenny[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1971-10-30)30 October 1971 (age 53) | ||
| Place of birth | Dublin, Ireland | ||
| Team information | |||
Current team | St Patrick's Athletic (manager) | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Tallaght United | |||
| Belvedere | |||
| St Patrick's Athletic | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1994 | Home Farm | 4 | (0) |
| 1994–1997 | Tallaght Town | ||
| Managerial career | |||
| 1994–1997 | Tallaght Town (player-manager) | ||
| 1997–1998 | St Patrick's Athletic U21 | ||
| 1998–2001 | Longford Town | ||
| 2001–2004 | Bohemians | ||
| 2004–2006 | Derry City | ||
| 2006–2007 | Dunfermline Athletic | ||
| 2007–2011 | Derry City | ||
| 2012 | Shamrock Rovers | ||
| 2012–2018 | Dundalk | ||
| 2018–2020 | Republic of Ireland U21 | ||
| 2020–2023 | Republic of Ireland | ||
| 2024– | St Patrick's Athletic | ||
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
Stephen Kenny (born 30 October 1971) is an Irish football manager and former player who is the manager ofLeague of Ireland Premier Division sideSt Patrick's Athletic. He has formerly managedLongford Town,Bohemians,Derry City,Dunfermline Athletic,Shamrock Rovers,Dundalk, theRepublic of Ireland U21 side and the seniorRepublic of Ireland national team. He is one of Republic of Ireland's most successful domestic league managers, having won eight trophies with Dundalk.[2]
Kenny grew up inTallaght and lived there for the first 18 years of his life.[3] He attended Our Lady of Loreto Boys National School and Old Bawn Community School.[4] Kenny ran a successful meat-production business in the late 1990s before moving into football management full-time.[5]
During his playing career, Kenny spent two years atBelvedere as a schoolboy before signing forSt Patrick's Athletic. Without making an appearance he then transferred toHome Farm, playing just four games in theLeague of Ireland First Division, making his League of Ireland debut on 13 March 1994. Following time at Home Farm, Kenny had an offer to sign forKilkenny City, before choosing to sign for hometown club Tallaght Town as player-manager. Starting in Senior 1B of theLeinster Senior League, Kenny guided the club to three successive promotions, beforeShamrock Rovers merged with Tallaght Town.[6][7]
Following his time at Tallaght Town, Kenny moved toSt Patrick's Athletic when he took charge of the Dublin side's under-21 squad in theAthletic Union League, guiding the team to a league win.
In the summer of 1998, Kenny became the youngest manager in National League history when he took overLongford Town at the age of 26. He led Longford to huge success during his three-year tenure as they won promotion to the League of Ireland Premier Division for the first time and subsequently reached the2001 FAI Cup Final, qualifying for the2001–02 UEFA Cup.
In December 2001, Kenny left the midlands club and became manager ofBohemians, taking over atDalymount Park. Bohemians were then the champions of the Eircom League, having won the Double the previous season. However, the club was in something of a crisis, with former managerRoddy Collins' successor Pete Mahon struggling after a strong start to the season. Kenny's impact at Bohemians was immediate, as the side steadily moved away from the lower end of the league table. Kenny's squad reached that year's FAI Cup final, which sawDundalk FC seal a close 2–1 victory over Bohemians.
In the 2002–2003 season, Kenny made some changes within the first-team squad and led Bohemians to a Premier Division title win, granting the side qualification for the2003–04 UEFA Champions League first qualifying round. Although Bohemians did not progress to the second qualifying round, Kenny's revitalised squad celebrated a 3–0 win overFC BATE Borisov, the record-holders for the most Belarusian Premier League titles won.
The following season, Bohemians placed second to winnersShelbourne FC in the league, securing the club's place in the2003–04 UEFA Cup first qualifying round. Kenny left Bohemians on 27 July 2004 with a league record of 49 wins in 96 games.
After just three weeks out of the game, Kenny returned to management atDerry City following the departure of Gavin Dykes, taking over from caretaker managerPeter Hutton. His time at the club was hugely successful and he has been credited for turning a team battling against relegation in the 2004 season into one which challenged for the Premier Division title in 2005, finishing runners-up.
Kenny also guided Derry City to their first advancement in European competition in over 40 years, the last seeing Norwegian sideLyn Oslo being knocked out. Derry qualified for the2006–07 UEFA Cup by finishing runners-up in the Premier Division in the 2005 season. On 13 July 2006, Derry overcame two-time winnersIFK Göteborg in the UEFA Cup first qualifying round 2–0 on aggregate. A 79th-minute header fromSean Hargan was enough to give Derry a shock win in the first leg, andStephen O'Flynn ensured a 1–0 home victory from the penalty spot. Kenny was delighted with the win, stating:
They have won theUEFA Cup twice and only a few years ago were in the group stages of theChampions League, so this is a great night for everyone connected with Derry City. We were worthy winners. It is not as if we got a goal and held on. I think we played the better football.[8]
This marked Derry City's first progression in European football since defeating Lyn Oslo more than 40 years ago.[when?]
Derry City were subsequently drawn againstScottish second-level sideGretna in the second qualifying round. On 10 August 2006, Derry claimed a 5–1 away win to gain a considerable advantage going into the home leg. This result is the largest away winning margin for a League of Ireland team in Europe.[9] Following a 2–2 home draw with Gretna in the second leg and a 7–3 win on aggregate, Derry advanced to theUEFA Cup First Round. In the draw, held on 25 August 2006, Derry City were handed a tough tie againstParis Saint-Germain FC. The first leg was played at home atBrandywell Stadium on the evening of 14 September 2006 and ended in a 0–0 draw. The second leg was played atParc des Princes on 28 September. PSG won the second leg 2–0 with goals fromPauleta andEdouard Cisse.
Kenny remained in charge of Derry City until 17 November 2006 for their final league game before moving toDunfermline Athletic. Derry finished second in the league behind Shelbourne, who had a stronger goal difference. Kenny then made a return to Derry City to manage the club for theFAI Cup final win againstSt. Patrick's Athletic.[10]
Kenny's total managerial record at Derry included 112 games managed, 65 games won, 29 games drawn, 18 games lost, 170 goals for, 80 goals against, and 57 clean sheets. His win percentage was 58%. During his time in charge, a total of 32 players represented the club, and 7 players that he managed went on to represent their country at international level.[11]
Kenny was confirmed as the newDunfermline Athletic manager on 10 November 2006[12] and took up his position on 18 November 2006 where he was to watch Dunfermline's game againstDundee United from the stand.[13]
Following his departure from theLeague of Ireland, his contributions during the2006 season were still recognised byeircom / Soccer Writers Association of Ireland (SWAI) who nominated the formerDerry City manager for their 'Personality of the Year' award on 13 December 2006.
In January 2007, Kenny brought inJim O'Brien,Adam Hammill,Bobby Ryan,Jamie Harris andStephen Glass to the club and later recruited releasedFalkirk strikerTam McManus. Kenny and his coaching team led Dunfermline to theScottish Cup Final on 24 April 2007 having defeatedRangers,Hearts, andPartick Thistle, securing a 1–0 win overHibernian in the semi-final replay. The Cup Final ended with a narrow 1–0 loss toCeltic. A 2–1 defeat atInverness Caledonian Thistle coupled withSt Mirren's 3–2 win atMotherwell saw the Fife club relegated to theFirst Division, despite having previously won four league games in a row.
On 4 December 2007, Kenny departed the club and strikerJim McIntyre, injured for much of Kenny's time at the club, took charge as caretaker.[14]
Following his departure fromDunfermline Athletic and the exit ofDerry City managerJohn Robertson, Kenny was strongly linked with a return to theLeague of Ireland club. Kenny was confirmed to have returned to Derry City on 28 December 2007.[15]
In 2008, Derry City won theLeague of Ireland Cup with a confident 6–1 win overWexford Youths. The club ended the season in third place in the league table, securing its entry to the2009–10 UEFA Europa League second qualifying round.
After the club was relegated to theLeague of Ireland First Division in 2009 for entering administration, Kenny stayed on as Derry City manager, winning the 2010 First Division title and guiding the side back to thePremier Division. In 2011, Derry City's return to the Premier Division saw them claim a third-place finish in the league table and a League Cup win with a 1–0 victory overCork City. Kenny left the club on 24 December 2011 to joinShamrock Rovers.
Following the departure of former managerMichael O'Neill, Kenny was confirmed as the new manager ofShamrock Rovers on 27 December 2011.[16] The side ended the2012 League of Ireland Premier Division in fourth place, three points behind closest rivalsSt Patrick's Athletics. Kenny departed the club on 11 September 2012.[17]
In November 2012,Dundalk confirmed Kenny as its new first-team manager. The side mounted an unexpected title challenge inKenny's first season and would finish runners-up, with a defeat to eventual championsSt. Patrick's Athletic ultimately costing them the title. But Kenny kept the nucleus of the new side together for the following season and in 2014, led the club to its first league title since1994–95, landing a place in the2013–14 UEFA Champions League second qualifying round. Dundalk also won 2014'sLeague of Ireland Cup, the club's first League and League Cup Double.
The2015 season saw Dundalk dominate: Kenny's squad clinched another League andFAI Cup Double, winning the title by 11 points and securing the Cup with a victory overCork City in the2015 FAI Cup final.[18] They also won theLeinster Senior Cup, the club's first 'treble' since1966–67. A third league title in a row was sealed with two games to spare in2016.[19]
2016 also saw the club qualify for theChampions League play-off round after they defeatedFH of Iceland,[20] then came from a goal down in the tie to defeatBATE Borisov 3–1 on aggregate.[21] Dundalk drewLegia Warsaw for the play-off, with the first leg played in theAviva Stadium in Dublin in front of a crowd of 30,417.[22] They suffered a 2–0 defeat in the home leg, but shocked Legia in the return leg by taking a 1–0 lead. With Dundalk pushing for the equaliser that would have taken the tie to extra-time, Legia scored on the break and won the tie 3–1 on aggregate.[23] As a result, Dundalk qualified for the group stage of theEuropa League, making them only the second Irish team to have done so. A draw withAZ Alkmaar in the Netherlands,[24] followed by a victory overMaccabi Tel Aviv inTallaght Stadium, were the first points earned by an Irish club in the group stage of European competition.[25]
In 2017, after the European run, Dundalk won the League Cup again and finished second place in the league. The club secured a place in that year's FAI Cup Final, but following a 1–1 draw that took the game to penalties, opponents Cork City ultimately took the Cup. The club's European form had attracted interest from abroad and a consortium of American investors, backed by sports-investorsPEAK6, completed a takeover in January 2018. That year, Kenny's side won another League and Cup Double, the second under Kenny and fourth in the club's history, breaking points-total and goals scored-total records.
In2017, after the European run, Dundalk won theLeague Cup again[26] and finished second place in the league. The club secured a place in that year'sFAI Cup Final, but following a 1–1 draw that took the game to penalties, opponentsCork City ultimately took the Cup. The club's European form had attracted interest from abroad and a consortium of American investors, backed by sports-investors PEAK6, completed a takeover in January 2018.[27]
In2018, Kenny's side won another League and Cup Double, the second under Kenny and fourth in the club's history, breaking points-total and goals scored-total records in the process.[28][29]
On 25 November 2018, Kenny was appointed asRepublic of Ireland U21 manager following the departure ofNoel King.[30]
Kenny's U21s enjoyed a record-breaking 2019, ending the year at the top of their 2021UEFA European Championships qualifying group. The same year, Ireland achieved its highest-ever finish in the prestigiousToulon Tournament (fourth position).[31] Kenny's team secured victories over China[32] and Bahrain[33] and a draw against Mexico in thegroup stage,[34] with a highly competitive semi-final ending in a 2–0 win for Brazil.[35]
On 3 September 2020, Kenny's first game in charge of theRepublic of Ireland's national team againstBulgaria in theUEFA Nations League ended in a 1–1 draw.[36] On 8 October, Ireland lost toSlovakia 4–2 on penalties in theUEFA Euro 2020 play-off semi-final in Bratislava.[37] The Republic of Ireland completed 2020 with a record of 4 draws and 4 defeats. In March 2021, Ireland played two2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, with a loss of 3–2 toSerbia[38] and a 1–0 home defeat at the hands ofLuxembourg.[39]
On 1 September 2021, Ireland ledPortugal 1–0 in their third 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier inEstádio Algarve with two minutes to play in normal time. The side ended up losing 2–1, withCristiano Ronaldo scoring two late goals.[40] Next, Ireland were only able to draw 1-1 at home withAzerbaijan; a late equaliser from Shane Duffy salvaged a point for the Irish against the team ranked 117th in the world.[41]On 9 October 2021, Ireland won 3–0 away to the same country in the reverse fixture[42] and three days later on 12 October, Kenny's squad defeatedQatar 4–0 in a friendly.[43] On 14 November 2021, Ireland completed their qualification campaign for the 2022 FIFA World Cup with a 3–0 win away againstLuxembourg, but still came third, eight points below Portugal.[44]
On 9 March 2022, Kenny signed a new contract with Ireland to remain in charge until afterUEFA Euro 2024.[45] In June 2022, Ireland played four2022–23 UEFA Nations League fixtures. The campaign started with a 1–0 loss away toArmenia, ranked 92nd in the world,[46] followed by a 1–0 loss at home toUkraine,[47] before defeatingScotland 3-0.[48] The win over Scotland was Ireland's first competitive home win in three years and their first competitive win at home to a side ranked above them since the win againstBosnia in theUEFA Euro 2016 qualifying play-offs[49] in November 2015. The last of the four games was a 1–1 draw against Ukraine in Łódź.[50]Ireland finished their participation in2022–23 UEFA Nations League on 27 September 2023 at home to Armenia, withRobbie Brady's penalty in additional time securing a 3-2 win.[51]
On 27 March 2023, Ireland opened theirUEFA Euro 2024 qualifying campaign with a 1–0 loss at home toFrance.[52] In June 2023, they lost 2–1 away toGreece[53] before winning 3–0 at home toGibraltar.[54] On 7 September 2023, the game with France at theParc des Princes ended in a 2–0 loss for Ireland[55] and a 2–1 defeat to the Netherlands followed three days later.[56] Any hopes of qualifying were extinguished on 13 October 2023 with a home 2-0 loss to Greece, still with two games to play.[57] Ireland finished campaign in the fourth place, seven points below Greece with their only points won against Gibraltar.
Kenny's contract with theFootball Association of Ireland was not renewed after his final game on 22 November 2023 a day after a 1-1 draw with New Zealand.[58] Kenny faced criticism from some media commentators during his reign,[59] but he also had support from experienced commentators such as John Giles.[60] The attendances at games remained high and he had strong support from his players throughout his time as manager.[61][62][63] Kenny reflected upon the criticism some months after his departure and said:"We didn't achieve everything we wanted to achieve of course but the public believed it cos they filled the stadiums, there was a sense of optimism that was different. I know we were far from perfect, but we consistently had full houses and fully believed in what we were doing, the players believed in myself as a coach and what we were doing was the right way."[64]
On 16 May 2024, Kenny returned to theLeague of Ireland Premier Division with the club he started his coaching career at, signing a contract until the end of 2029 withSt Patrick's Athletic.[65] After a difficult start, his first league win with the club came on 31 May 2024, a 2–1 win overGalway United atRichmond Park.[66] On 10 June 2024, Kenny announced his former playerBrian Gartland as his assistant coach.[67] On 25 July 2024, Kenny took charge of his first European fixture with the club, beatingVaduz ofLiechtenstein 3–1 in aUEFA Conference League tie atRichmond Park, withJake Mulraney scoring a brace and captainJoe Redmond heading home a third goal.[68] A 2–2 draw away toVaduz[69] then set up a tie withSabah ofAzerbaijan, who Kenny's side beat 1–0 atTallaght Stadium[69] before again winning 1–0 away at theBank Respublika Arena.[70] In theUEFA Conference League Play-Off Round, they facedTurkish sideİstanbul Başakşehir, drawing 0–0 atTallaght Stadium[71] before narrowly being beaten 2–0 in the return leg at theBaşakşehir Fatih Terim Stadium through 2 goals in the last 25 minutes while down to 10 men.[72] Kenny's 1000th game in management (not including club friendlies) came on 27 September 2024, in a 3–0 win away toShamrock Rovers atTallaght Stadium.[73] On 8 October 2024, Kenny claimed his first trophy as Pats manager when his second string side beatSt Mochta's 2–1 in the final of the2023–24 Leinster Senior Cup.[74] With the club in 8th place in the table going into their game on 1 September 2024, Kenny guided his side to a club record equalling 9 consecutive league victories to secure 3rd place at the end of his first season at the club, securingUEFA Conference League football for the following season.[75]
Kenny is married and has four children, two sons and two daughters.[76]His sonEoin Kenny is a professional footballer, having signed his first professional contract on 5 March 2023, with his father's former clubDundalk.[77][78][79] On 14 June 2025, his daughter Caoimhe was namedMiss Ireland for 2026.[80]
| Team | From | To | Record | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | W | D | L | Win % | |||
 Longford Town | 1 July 1998 | 7 December 2001 | 157 | 63 | 54 | 40 | 040.13 |
| Bohemians | 10 December 2001 | 27 July 2004 | 96 | 49 | 18 | 29 | 051.04 |
| Derry City | 19 August 2004 | 10 November 2006 | 112 | 65 | 18 | 29 | 058.04 |
 Dunfermline Athletic | 13 November 2006 | 4 December 2007 | 50 | 15 | 11 | 24 | 030.00 |
| Derry City | 28 December 2007 | 24 December 2011 | 181 | 93 | 49 | 39 | 051.38 |
| Shamrock Rovers | 27 December 2011 | 11 September 2012 | 37 | 19 | 6 | 12 | 051.35 |
| Dundalk | 21 November 2012 | 24 November 2018 | 291 | 191 | 45 | 55 | 065.64 |
| Republic of Ireland U21 | 25 November 2018 | 4 April 2020 | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 058.33 |
| Republic of Ireland | 4 April 2020 | 22 November 2023 | 40 | 11 | 12 | 17 | 027.50 |
| St Patrick's Athletic | 16 May 2024 | Present | 58 | 28 | 15 | 15 | 048.28 |
| Total | 1,034 | 541 | 231 | 262 | 052.32 | ||
Longford Town
Bohemians
Derry City
Dunfermline Athletic
Shamrock Rovers
Dundalk
St Patrick's Athletic
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)