From Coolera to Harlequins - Sean Taylor hitting targets that is stuff of dreams

Sligo and Connacht club champions Coolera-Strandhill will break new ground on Sunday January 5th when they take on Cuala of Dublin in the All-Ireland club semi-final and their full-back Sean Taylor is having a year to remember.

The former Aodh Ruadh and Donegal minor player is not performing at the highest level as their full-back but since August of this year, Taylor has been employed by one of the best known rugby clubs in the world, Harlequins, as their Academy strength and conditioning coach.

Still only 25 years of age, Taylor has packed more into his short career than most sportsmen do in a lifetime. When you consider that he was only 15 when he first took up Gaelic football so that he would be able to play with his friends, his story is one of massive achievement as a sportsman and also in his chosen work career.

After winning an Intermediate Championship with Aodh Ruadh, work as a strength and conditioning coach took him to Sligo and he joined the Coolera-Strandhill club. He won a Sligo county senior medal in 2023 and was named Player of the Year by the club, but they have gone one better in 2024, retaining their county title and against the odds went on to defeat Ballina Stephenites and Padraig Pearses (Roscommon) to take a first ever Connacht title.

Sean Taylor has been an ever present despite the fact that he took up a dream employment in August, just as the club league season in Sligo ended. Joining Harlequins and continuing to play for Coolera-Strandhill was a challenge of a different kind.

“I’m actually working in London for Harlequins and travelling back and forth for games.

“I work with their Academy/Schools. I work with Gordon’s School and I’m their lead strength and conditioning there and do work with the Academy as well,” said Taylor, who is presently at home for Christmas which makes preparing for the All-Ireland semi-final a little easier.

Prior to his big career breakthrough Taylor says he was “keeping a number of plates in the air”. He was involved with the Sligo U-20s and clubs like Killybegs and Ardara and also with Sligo Grammar School, who have been successful in the college rugby world in the last few years.

Sean agrees that the work with Sligo Grammar School was a factor in getting the Harlequins gig and also through some networking with people in London.

“I was told this opportunity was coming up and if I’d be interested. So I applied for it and when I got the job I said I would try to transition and get into the professional side of things. Hopefully it will be a great opportunity.

“I was doing my own online stuff, working out of a gym in Sligo. And then I was doing strength and conditioning for a couple of clubs, Killybegs and then down to Ardara. I was also working with Sligo U-20s and Sligo Grammar School.

“So I had a few small plates flying so I decided to take all the plates off and put on one big one.”

Sean Taylor (with trophy) with some of the other coaching staff after Gordon's School were crowned national champions

And even in his short time at Harlequins the team that Sean has been working with has achieved success.

“They have a great set-up. My role since August was looking after their college athletes. The team I was working with, Gordon’s School, have just been crowned national champions, the best in England. We won that a couple of weeks ago so that was very rewarding.

“And we’re coming into the new Academy season now which is January to mid-February. It’s interesting, different culture, very professional. Everyone has been very welcoming.

“It’s funny when I chat to them about me going home for games and training, they think I’m absolutely mad, but they also love it.

“Because it shows them how dedicated I am to what I do. They have been very, very good in allowing me an hour or two off so that I can get a flight or whatever.

“I have been travelling back 17 or 18 times since August for training and games. Sometimes I haven’t been able to celebrate the success. Even after the county final I had to fly back,” said Taylor, who says he has flown from all airports.”

The networking that takes place between sports people is also to the fore when it comes to Sean being able to continue his Gaelic training while in London.

“I played all through the league, missing just one game in the league all year. I’ve been training with Tirconaill Gaels (since I went to London). There was a connection with our club captain in Coolera, Peter Laffey, is a nephew of Seamus Carr.

“I got  involved with them and there are a couple of Donegal natives in there and a couple of Sligo natives as well.  So it was very welcoming training with them during the week and flying back at weekends,” said Taylor, who is happy to be home now for a few weeks.

He is very positive about how Coolera-Strandhill approached the 2024 season but they wouldn’t have been targeting anything but the retention of their Sligo senior title.

“That would have been the target for our management team of John McPartland, Con O’Meara and Barry Doyle. “The first thing was ‘let’s put this thing back to back. Let’s put it in the club’s history’. The club hadn’t done it before. I think that was our main goal.

“People talk about football across the provinces but competitiveness within counties has shot through the roof as well. There were a few teams that could have won Sligo this year, ourselves St Molaise, Shamrock Gaels were there too; Tourlestrane are always there or there about.

“It was really good to get through two games against St Molaise (Gaels, Grange, Cliffoney). It was the same last year, it was a really tough battle for 50 or 60 minutes. Maybe the rub of the green on some occasions might have helped.

“It mightn’t have been the prettiest of football at times but attacking wins you games, defence wins you titles. We had to live by that.

“St Molaise put us up to the sword and we did really well,” said Taylor.

“Then when we got out we wanted to do ourselves justice. We felt we came up short in the Connacht championship last year, suffering at the hands of a very good St Brigid’s side, who probably deserved to be in an All-Ireland final.

“We felt we owed it to ourselves and to our supporters that we had to give it a good go.

“We didn’t fear anyone. We did fear Brigids last year and they capitalised on that. We came in against Ballina (Stephenites) after watching them play the London champions and we felt these boys are beatable.

“I think when you get into the Connacht championship, everyone is good, so you have to play good. It’s not about luck anymore.

“Coming into the Connacht final was unknown territory for anyone in the club. We had never won a Connacht  before so it was a matter of letting your hair down, but controlled hair down

“Pearses came in with the intent that they were going to do it and they were going to win an All-Ireland club this year until the first five minutes of the game and then they realised it was going to be a battle.

“Look, we went to extra-time a couple of times before we played them, so we probably had it in the tank when they didn’t.  The games we had in the bank probably did us a favour.

“It was good to get over the line. There were a scary couple of moments coming near the end when you didn’t think the dream was going to come through.

“Then it did and instead of excitement, it was more relief, cause you had put all the hard work in.”

And through it all Taylor in the No 3 position was pivotal to Coolera’s success.

Sean Taylor in action for Aodh Ruadh against Buncrana Picture: Thomas Gallagher

“My job this year was taking out that target man inside the full-forward line and trying to stop that source. You have to know who you are marking and how they play and can you cut off the opportunity of them getting the ball first.

“So it comes down to that bit of teamwork. Myself and the back six, Conor (McDonagh) was super good; Ross O’Carroll has been a great addition in front of men; he knows how to read the game.

“Evan Regan (Ballina Stephenites) only scored a point from play; Paul Carey (Padraig Pearses) didn’t score anything from play or even a point from a free, so that was a positive. My job was to nullify that threat and thank God in the last couple of games I’ve done that.

“But it is no credit to myself, it’s credit to all up the field. Sometimes if there’s pressure up the field, it makes my job a little easier.”

In the All-Ireland final there will be another big challenge for Taylor as he is likely to be charged with looking after Dublin All-Star Con O’Callaghan.

A county minor goalkeeper in a side that included Oisin Gallen, Aaron Deeney, Aaron Doherty and Keelan McGroddy, Taylor has transitioned to be a top class full-back and is not ruling anything in or out about returning to county football but feels being outside the country would not work.

“No, definitely not. Obviously I’m in London now and it would take an awful lot to come home. If it (opportunity) did come, I’d have the conversation about it but at the minute I’m happy enough where I am. My career is still growing and main priority is getting Coolera-Strandhill into an All-Ireland Club final and putting Coolera back on the back and also trying to keep on top of my work,” said Taylor, who laughed and said that he could now play for three counties - Donegal, Sligo or London.

“We’ll see,” says Taylor.

“I’m really enjoying my football at the minute and I have to thank those who trusted me with  the full-back position.”

His career so far is an amazing story. National School was at Rockfield NS, Ballyshannon and from there to Coláiste Cholmcille. He is grateful to those in Ballyshannon where he learned his trade “under James O’Donnell and Barry Ward.”

His outfield career started in Ballyshannon where at senior level Peter Boyle had the No 1 shirt and Taylor was happy to transition outfield. It was  the same when he joined Coolera-Strandhill as they already had two ‘keepers. Taylor has learned quickly in the past 10 years.

“To be honest I wasn’t even playing Gaelic (at underage). I didn’t play Gaelic until I was about 15. I was playing soccer and a couple of my friends asked me to play Gaelic in Coláiste Cholmcille (Ballyshannon).

“So I rocked up one day at the park and they had no goalkeeper and Jim Kane asked if there was anyone wanted to go in goal. So I  thought it was the perfect opportunity to get in with the boys and I was there for a few seasons.

“It paid off and I got in with the Donegal minors and was then playing senior and Peter Boyle was there.”

The transition to full-back has worked a treat, both at Aodh Ruadh and now at Coolera-Strandhill.

“I suppose I had a big enough frame and was fast enough, so it stuck. I have developed my own training around the role

“Obviously, it is working as I was named Coolera Player of the Year last year and ever since that I have been striving to keep that standard. When you do that you’re driving on standards or yourself and for everyone else.”

On the career front, things have also been working for Sean Taylor, who is driving himself to even greater things.

“My plan now is to network myself as best I can and educate myself as much as I can over the next couple of years. Learn how professionals train and work and get into that networking environment so that if an opportunity comes up, my name is in the pot before I even apply. I want to build my career around my work ethic and try and push that on,” said Taylor, who added he would always be interested in a return to Ireland to work.

“It is a long way from starting off in Bryan McGuinness’s gym and I have to be thankful to all those people who have helped me along the way,” says Taylor.