Who is Aidan O'Shea? Mayo GAA star's day job, engagement and All-Ireland curse comments

Mayo All-Star footballer Aidan O’Shea is well-known for his epic football skills and fiending off defenders on the pitch, but who is he in his day-to-day life?

The 33-year-old was born in Mullingar, Co Westmeath but moved to Breaffy, just outside of Castlebar in at a young age. He has been a shining light for Mayo football since his debut in 2009, winning an All-Star in 2013 and another two in 2015 and 2017.

The Breaffy clubman is the only left-footer in the starting Mayo forward line or midfield. He is also father to his 10-year-old daughter Caragh, who too is an avid football fan and player. 

While Aidan is a notable player of dominance for Mayo, he does not take lightly to chatter of the Mayo curse - which he brands ‘disrespectful’. 

The dynamic player previously said: “I just roll my eyes and laugh - that’s definitely not something I spend much time thinking about”, despite Mayo football's history of ‘almosts’ often going against them. 

The alleged curse dates back to 1951, the last time Mayo senior footballers lifted the Sam Maguire cup. Legend has it that a curse was placed on the historic 1951 Mayo team as they celebrated their win but failed to stop while passing a funeral in Foxford.

However, it is not all doom and gloom for O’Shea or his beloved team, who are looking to reach the quarter finals of the All-Ireland Championship this afternoon with victory over great rivals Dublin. 

The footballing legend has had a series of recent highs in his life, including that of his engagement to long-time girlfriend, Kristin McKenzie. 

The two were dating six years before Aidan popped the question in July 2023. The couple are due to wed soon, as they planned to tie the knot within 12 months of their engagement. Time will tell when the wedding bells ring!

He did reveal, however, that the wedding most likely won’t be in Mayo but instead, in football rival county Kerry, as that is where his partner Kristin is from. The two met ‘randomly’ in Dublin in 2017, which Aidan said “something must have gone right” for the couple.

In terms of what Aidan does as a career, he is a senior planning manager at pharmaceutical and research development company, AbbVie.

“I work for a company in Westport and I've been with them for 10 years. They're big into Mayo football and they're very supportive of me there. It can be nice to get out of the office and get on the pitch,” he previously said.

Additionally, Aidan has two brothers Conor and Seamie and a sister, Méadbh. The three brothers played at intercounty level together, with Aidan saying “it's strange not having them in the dressing room anymore”.

“I played with Conor and Seamie for Mayo and we had some great days together, both at club and county level,” he said. 

“We were very lucky and I'm very appreciative that we got to share those times together. It's strange not having them in the dressing room anymore and it has been a transition not experiencing those big days with them.”

Aidan enjoys going to the gym, swimming, relaxing in the sauna and playing golf.