Login
Login

Damien Comer

{{Short description|Galway Gaelic footballer}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}}

{{Use Hiberno-English|date=June 2020}}

{{Infobox GAA player

| image =

| name = Damien Comer

| irish = Damien Ó Ciaragáin

| nickname =

| occupation = Secondary school teacher

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1994|1|11|df=yes}}

| birth_place = Galway, Ireland

| height = {{height|m=1.83}}

| sport = Gaelic football

| code = Football

| county = Galway

| province = Connacht

| club = Annaghdown

| clyears = 2012–

| clposition = Full Forward

| clapps(points) =

| clcounty =

| clprovince =

| clallireland =

| counties = Galway

| icyears = 2014–

| icposition = Full Forward

| icapps(points) = 37 (11-48)

| icprovince = 3

| icallireland =

| nfl = 1 (Div.2)

| allstars = 1

| clupdate =

| icupdate = 23 April 2023

}}

Damien Comer (born 11 January 1994) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Annaghdown and at senior level for the Galway county team.

Early life and playing career

Comer is a former pupil of St Jarlath's College in Tuam, and also a graduate of NUI Galway, with whom he reached the 2018 Sigerson Cup final.{{cite news|first=John|last=Fallon|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0214/940812-nui-galway-reach-first-sigerson-final-in-15-years/|title=NUI Galway reach first Sigerson final in 15 years|publisher=RTÉ|date=14 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180215032439/https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0214/940812-nui-galway-reach-first-sigerson-final-in-15-years/|archive-date=15 February 2018}}

Comer did not play for Galway at minor level.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/damien-comers-return-a-huge-addition-togalways-arsenal-40483920.html|title=Damien Comer's return a huge addition to Galway's arsenal|work=Sunday Independent|date=30 May 2021|quote=It was during [Alan] Mulholland's time as manager, immediately before Kevin Walsh, that Comer was introduced to the senior inter-county set-up. He was a late bloomer, not having made the county minor squad and also not involved in the St Jarlath's Hogan Cup final side of 2011... [Mulholland:] 'He wasn't in the system from an early age. So Alan [Flynn] brought him into that under 21 team in 2013. That was his first taste of football at county level'.}}

He was a member of the Galway team that won the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship in 2013.{{cite web| url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2013/0504/390430-galway-under/ | publisher=RTÉ | title=Tribesmen claim All-Ireland Under 21 crown | date=5 May 2013 | access-date=23 July 2016}} He made his senior championship debut when he came on as a substitute against London in the 2014 Connacht SFC.{{cite web| url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/football/2014/0525/619556-galway-cruise-past-exile-challenge/ | publisher=RTÉ | title=Galway cruise past Exile challenge | date=26 May 2014 | access-date=23 July 2016}} Comer was part of the Galway team that won the 2016 Connacht SFC. He started all of the team's games as the county won its first Connacht SFC title since 2008.{{cite web| url=http://hoganstand.com/Football/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=256813 | work=Hoganstand.com | title=Wait for a Connacht title 'far too long', says O'Donnell | date=18 June 2016 | access-date=23 July 2016}}{{cite web| url=http://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2016/0718/803082-galway-finally-going-places-says-former-captain/ | publisher=RTÉ | title=Galway finally going places, says former captain Ray Silke | date=19 July 2016 | access-date=23 July 2016}}

{{Expand section|with=the eight years from 2017 until 2024. He played in two All-Ireland finals in that time and neither are even mentioned|date=June 2025}}

Comer was introduced as a late substitute in Galway's 2025 Connacht SFC semi-final victory against Roscommon. He sustained an injury before the Connacht SFC final and did not feature in the matchday 26 until just before the second round robin game against Derry.{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2025/0601/1516184-comer-returns-as-late-addition-to-galway-squad-in-derry/|title=Damien Comer returns as late addition to Galway squad in Derry|publisher=RTÉ|date=1 June 2025}}

Personal life

Comer completed a Bachelor of Science in anatomy and a master's degree in Teacher Education and Professional Development between 2016 and 2018.{{cite news|url=https://www.rsvplive.ie/news/celebs/galway-football-star-damien-comer-27421229|title=Galway football star Damien Comer: Relationship with girlfriend Megan and life as teacher|publisher=RSVPLive.ie|first=Shauna|last=Bannon Ward|date=9 July 2022|access-date=10 July 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://www.the42.ie/cian-oneill-damien-comer-mikey-sheehy-demands-and-job-choices-3803210-Jan2018/|title='A full-time job' - Demands on players and career choices to facilitate inter-county life|publisher=The 42|first=Emma|last=Duffy|date=18 January 2018|access-date=10 July 2022}}

He is a science and maths teacher at Coláiste Bhaile Chláir in Claregalway; during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, he spoke about the difficulty of teaching from home.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/comer-our-game-expanding-but-defensive-roots-wont-be-dug-up-38218435.html|title=Comer: Our game expanding but defensive roots won't be dug up|publisher=Irish Independent|first=Colm|last=Keys|date=14 June 2019|access-date=10 July 2022}}{{cite tweet|author=Damien Comer|user=DamoComer|title=This teaching from home is not as easy as it seems! Yes they are 2 pool ques holding up my surface device 🙈 #remoteteaching #TeachingOnline #Microsoftteams #videocall @ClaregalwayColl @CbcTeaching|number=1240244908503568384|date=18 March 2020|accessdate=10 July 2022}} His Galway teammate Paul Conroy also teaches at the same school.

Comer is in a long-term relationship with his girlfriend Megan Glynn.

Career statistics

: As of match played 23 April 2023

class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"

! rowspan="2" |Team

! rowspan="2" |Year

! colspan="3" |National League

! colspan="2" |Connacht

! colspan="2" |All-Ireland

! colspan="2" |Total

Division

!Apps

!Score

!Apps

!Score

!Apps

!Score

!Apps

!Score

rowspan="10" |Galway

|2014

| rowspan="4" |Division 2

|2

|0–0

|3

|0–1

|2

|0–2

|7

|0–3

2015

|5

|1–7

|3

|2–6

|3

|1–3

|11

|4–16

2016

|7

|4–10

|3

|0–5

|1

|1–0

|11

|5–15

2017

|3

|1–2

|2

|0–4

|2

|0–1

|7

|17

2018

| rowspan="4" |Division 1

|7

|1–14

|3

|2–6

|4

|1–6

|14

|4–26

2019

|0

|0–0

|0

|0–0

|1

|0–0

|1

|0–0

2020

|6

|0–6

|1

|0–0

| colspan="2" | -

|7

|0–6

2021

|2

|0–2

|2

|1–1

| colspan="2" | -

|4

|1–3

2022

| rowspan="1" |Division 2

|6

4–1130–432–5126–20
2023

| rowspan="1" |Division 1

|4

0–411–451–8
colspan="3" |Career total

!42

!11–56

!21

!6–31

!16

!5–17

!79

!22–104

Honours

;Annaghdown

;Galway

;Individual

  • All Star (1): 2022{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/kerry-lead-way-as-11-rookie-all-stars-signal-the-changing-landscape-42098004.html|title=Kerry lead way as 11 rookie All Stars signal the changing landscape|work=Irish Independent|first=Frank|last=Roche|date=27 October 2022}}

References

{{reflist}}

External links

  • [https://web.archive.org/web/20160723225652/http://connachtgaa.ie/damien-comer/ Connacht GAA profile]
  • [https://twitter.com/DamoComer?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor Twitter account]
  • [https://www.instagram.com/damo_comer/ Instagram account]

{{s-start}}

{{succession box

|title = Galway Senior Football Captain

|before = Gary O'Donnell

|after = Shane Walsh

|years = 2018–2020

}}

{{s-end}}

{{Navboxes

|title=Galway panels

|bg=maroon

|fg=white

|list1=

{{Galway Under 21 Football Team 2013}}

{{Galway Football Team 2022}}

}}

{{Navboxes

|title=Awards

|bg=gold

|fg=black

|list1=

{{2018 GAA Rising Stars Football Team}}

{{2022 All Stars}}

}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Comer, Damien}}

Category:1994 births

Category:Living people

Category:All Stars Awards winners (football)

Category:Alumni of the University of Galway

Category:Gaelic football forwards

Category:Galway inter-county Gaelic footballers

Category:University of Galway Gaelic footballers

Category:People educated at St Jarlath's College