“Just because a strategy works in research doesn’t mean it will be adopted easily by athletes or teams.” – Paul Kerrigan

A member of the Cork Senior Football panel for 13 years, winning an All-Ireland senior medal in 2010, Paul Kerrigan now combines his teaching career with coaching Gaelic Football in his school. 

A graduate of the MSc in Applied Sport & Exercise Psychology, Paul discusses his sporting background, interest in sports psychology and how he now integrates this in his coaching and career. 

Exposure to Elite Environments

“From a very young age, I would have always been down in the Nemo Rangers GAA club in Cork City. I would have been watching my father coach many teams within the club, and this would have started my affinity for Gaelic football, and it has become a central part of my life since”, Paul outlines. “I was lucky in that I made county underage squads from a young age, which eventually led me to playing senior football with Cork for 13 years. For two of those years, I had the huge honor of being captain.

Being involved in intercounty sport provides the opportunity to meet and collaborate with professionals from a variety of backgrounds, be it psychology, nutrition, analysis, or S&C, and I always tried to lean on their advice and expertise to make personal improvements.” 

He found the sports psychology elements of particular benefit, especially during difficult periods. 

“I found the area gave me long-lasting benefits for performance, wellbeing, and mental health. One example would have been in the middle of my career. I would have been out of the team for a period and struggling both inside and outside of sport. I found working with our sports psychologist during that period strengthened my belief in the importance of mental preparation and psychology in sports. Furthermore, this work helped me greatly outside of sports as well.”

Utilising Sports Psychology Skills

Paul leaned on this expertise when playing in numerous high-pressure matches throughout his career. 

“My strategy to manage pressure would start long before any game. I like to have a fairly set routine coming up to a game, that includes a consistent nutrition and hydration plan, visualisation work, and injury prevention routine. In the game, I would have focused on regulating my body and emotions. I would do this through breathing exercises and positive self-talk mainly. This would have also helped me re-focus during games.”

Does he feel that there was enough of an emphasis placed on sports psychology throughout his playing days? 

“No. I always found that this was the area that was cut back on if there were changes to be made within a setup. Sports psychology is not for everyone, which is very reasonable. But I always found that if it didn’t immediately benefit the group then it was cast aside. Very often the benefits from sports psychology are intangible and cannot be easily measured.”

Crossover with Coaching and Teaching

Having started teaching 14 years ago, Paul has coaches Gaelic Football for 10 years with the 16-18 year olds. He also finds the crossover from his sports psychology studies to the classroom and field very beneficial. 

“There’s a huge crossover between sports psychology principles and effective learning in the classroom. It can help with managing stress and anxiety. Be it in sport, school or work life there can be pressure to perform, injuries/illness, and external expectations, all of which can all take it’s toll on your mental health. Psychological techniques like mindfulness, breathing exercises, and reframing help manage stress. Sports psychology can help with recovering from failure and setbacks. Resilience can be developed through strategies like self-talk, visualisation, and goal setting. An example of positive self-talk could be “Reset. Refocus. Go again.” 

Studying Sports Psychology

Paul’s previous exposure to sports psychology practices piqued his interest in gaining further knowledge in the area. 

“I had previously heard about Setanta from a few former teammates who studied there, and they all gave it positive reviews. I began by researching the MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology, and I was hugely impressed by the quality of lectures in the course. I then asked a couple of sports psychologists I previously worked with, and they were also very complementary about the standards of the course and people involved. The way each module was delivered was also a huge factor in my decision, as it offered huge flexibility, which was essential for me with work, sport and a young family at home. Setanta also has links with the Gaelic Players Association, who were a massive help to me in completing this Masters.”

He outlined a number of aspects of the programme that he found most beneficial. 

“Having previously worked with sports psychologists to develop psychological skills like visualisation, breathing exercises and self-talk, I was eager to learn more about this area. So, I found the Psychological Skills Training module extremely interesting and practical. I thoroughly enjoyed the research aspect of the Masters, especially when it came to the module assignments and thesis. I found this whole process really rewarding. Finally, I discovered that reflection is a huge part of sports psychology. The Reflective Practice module opened my eyes to how important it is and how I was lacking effective reflection in both sports and work life. It is so important for continuous improvement, and it is something I bring to my work life now regularly.“

Evolving Understanding

“At the start, I viewed sports psychology primarily as a way of improving performance, for things like goal setting, visualisation, and confidence-building. However, throughout the MSc, I gained a greater appreciation for the need to balance mental health support alongside performance psychology and for the broader psychological challenges sports people face. Such as, athletic identity and the struggles athletes experience in transitions like injury, deselection and retirement, all scenarios I face myself, as well as the risk of exercise dependence and how it can impact well-being. My thesis on the use of Psychological Skills Training in GAA players reinforced the importance of tailoring interventions to the sport’s unique culture. It also showed me the gap between theory and practice, and just because a strategy works in research doesn’t mean it will be adopted easily by athletes or teams. I also became more aware of how different athletes respond to psychological interventions, what works for one may not work for another. Factors like personality, motivation, and external pressures all shape their psychological experiences.”

Learn more about the MSc in Applied Sport and Exercise Psychology here.