Benny Heron joins Chrissy McKague, Marty Boyle and Luke Barrett in Ciaran Meenagh’s backroom team for the 2026 campaign, which gets under way against Ulster champions Donegal this weekend
It doesn’t seem all that long ago that Derry fans were heading to Clones and Croke Park with Benny Heron masks. They were heady days for the Oak Leafers when they won back-to-back Ulster titles and were edged out by Kerry in the 2023 All-Ireland semi-final.
Heron called time on his playing career in November of that year. Now, a little over two years later, he is back with Derry seniors, this time as part of Ciaran Meenagh’s management team.
He hopes to help revive the fortunes of the county after a winless 2025, but will we see a return of the famous Benny Heron face masks on the terraces?
“I really hope not, I really hope not! No, that was good craic,” said Heron.
“It was good fun. Although I think my daughter is still traumatised from it. There was a video sent through of a busload of Ballinascreen boys and they all had the masks on. So I think she has nightmares about that!
“But, no, it was good craic. It sort of snowballed to great effect with a couple of Ballinascreen fans who sort of grabbed the media’s attention.
“Ah look, when you were playing, you were just blocking that all out and trying to ignore it.
“But you look back on it now, you can take it for what it was. You know it was all a bit of craic and that there was plenty of goodwill behind it.”
Derry begin their season on Sunday with a trip to Letterkenny to face Ulster champions Donegal in the Dr McKenna Cup.
Meenagh returns to the helm after stepping in as interim boss following the departure of Rory Gallagher in 2023. Mickey Harte and his successor Paddy Tally each spent one season with Derry with the Oak Leafers dropping to Division Two for the 2026 campaign.
Heron, who joins Chrissy McKague, Marty Boyle and Luke Barrett in Meenagh’s backroom team, says Derry won’t dwell too much on last season’s disappointments, but knows more will be expected this season.
“I’m sure we’ll probably refer to it at times. But with a full new management team and probably some new players brought in too, I don’t know if we should be dwelling on it too much,” said Heron.
“I think it’s more important that we focus on this year and what we are capable of doing. I’m sure knowing the players that’s involved in that changing room, how seriously they take it, they’ll have taken time to reflect on it themselves.
“I’m sure they don’t need any of us to guide them as to what went wrong for them last year.
“We weren’t involved in the set-up last year so it’s hard to pass judgement on what all went on. But if you just looked at the facts and figures of it, the amount of defeats, it’s well below what that Derry team is capable of.
“That’s going to be the first challenge for us, to try to rectify that and get back into winning habits.
“If we get the best players on the field and playing to their capabilities, we’ve no doubt that that can happen.
“Obviously, I’m sure the players are very disappointed in last year. I’m sure they’ll have reflected on it and will be eager to move forward.”
