Darragh Ó Sé (born 5 March 1975 in Ard an Bhóthair, Ventry, County Kerry) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer. He plays with his local club, An Ghaeltacht, and was a member at senior level of the Kerry county team from 1997 until he announced his retirement in early 2010. Ó Sé has made 81 championship appearances, scoring one goal and 31 points. He also appeared for Kerry in 95 National Football League games scoring one goal and 26 points. He is regarded as one of the greatest midfielders of all time. His younger brothers Tomás and Marc are also Gaelic footballers who have represented Kerry at the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship
Playing career Club Ó Sé played his club football with his local club called an Ghaeltacht and enjoyed a great deal of success during his career. He made his debut with the club's senior team in 1992 and was an ever-present fixture at midfield.
In 2000 an Ghaeltacht reached the final of the county senior championship for the very first time. Ó Sé's side were the red-hot favourites going into the match; however, all did not go as planned as Dr. Croke's took charge. A hard-fought 1–4 to 0–6 score line resulted in defeat for an Ghaeltacht.
In 2001 an Ghaeltacht were out to atone for this defeat. The team regrouped well and reached a second consecutive county final. Tralee-based club Austin Stack's provided the opposition on this occasion; however, Ó Sé's side were well prepared. A conclusive 1–13 to 0–10 victory gave Ó Sé a county winners' medal.
An Ghaeltacht surrendered their club title in 2002; however, the following year Ó Sé's side were back in the county championship decider. Laune Rangers were the opponents on this occasion, however, the game ended in a 0–10 apiece draw. The replay a fortnight later was a much more conclusive affair. A 0–12 to 2–4 score line gave an Ghaeltacht the victory and gave Ó Cinnéide a second county winners' medal in three years. This victory allowed the club to represent Kerry in the provincial club championship. A successful campaign saw Ó Sé's side reach the provincial final against St. Senan's of Clare. A close game developed, however, the Kerrymen held on in the end to secure a 1–8 to 1–6 victory, giving Ó Sé a Munster club winners' medal. An Ghaeltacht continued their march in the All-Ireland series and lined out on St. Patrick's Day 2004 in the All-Ireland club championship final. Caltra, a club from County Galway, provided the opposition and an exciting game developed. Dara Ó Cinnéide faced the heartbreak of missing a goal in the dying seconds as an Ghaeltacht lost out by just a single point – 0–13 to 0–12.
The following few years saw Ó Sé enjoy little success with the club after the victories of the earlier parts of the decade.
Minor & under-21 Ó Sé first came to prominence on the inter-county scene as a member of the Kerry minor football team in the early 1990s. He first lined out with his native county in that grade in 1993, however, Kerry were knocked out of the provincial championship at a very early stage.
Ó Sé subsequently joined the Kerry under-21 team in 1994. While it was an unsuccessful year for the team in that grade, Ó Sé's nailed down his position at midfield and the following year lined out in his first Munster under-21 final. Opponents Waterford were inflicted with a 1–21 to 2–5 trouncing, giving Ó Sé a Munster winners' medal in the under-21 grade. Kerry later qualified to play Mayo in the All-Ireland final. After the highs of the Munster final victory, Kerry were held to a draw and a replay was required. That game was also a close affair, however, Kerry's goal-scoring ability proved the key. A 3–10 to 1–12 score line saw Kerry claim the victory and gave Ó Sé an All-Ireland winners' medal with the Kerry under-21 team.
In 1996 Ó Sé was in his final year as a member of the Kerry under-21 team. A second Munster winners' medal was secured after an absolute trouncing of Clare in the provincial decider. The 3–14 to 0–6 victory put Kerry on the All-Ireland trail once again. Cavan provided the opposition in the subsequent All-Ireland decider, however, that game was far from a rout. Kerry had the upper hand for much of the game and went on to win by 1–17 to 2–10. It was Ó Sé's second All-Ireland winners' medal in the under-21 grade.
College He played for Dublin Institute of Technology, with whom he won a Trench Cup in 1995.
Senior By this stage Ó Sé was also a member of the Kerry senior football team. He made his senior debut in a National Football League game against Donegal in the 1993–94 season. Ó Sé later made his championship debut against Limerick; however, Kerry were defeated on that occasion.
In 1995 Ó Sé played in his first senior Munster final against archrivals Cork. Expectations were high that 'the Kingdom' could defeat 'the Rebels' and break back into the big time after a three-year period in the wilderness. The game was a disappointing one for Ó Sé as his side lost by 0–15 to 1–9.
In 1996 Ó Sé's uncle Páidí took over as manager, and Kerry's fortunes improved. Cork provided the opposition once again in that year's provincial final, however, on this occasion Kerry were a different team. A 0–14 to 0–11 victory gave Ó Sé his first Munster winners' medal in the senior grade and kick-started the Kerry football revival. Kerry's next assignment was an All-Ireland semi-final meeting with Mayo. In spite of claiming the provincial title, Kerry were still not the finished article. Ó Sé's side were eventually defeated by 2–13 to 1–10.
1997 saw Kerry through down an early marker with regard to their All-Ireland ambitions. The team reached the final of the National League that year with Cork providing the opposition in Páirc Uí Chaoimh. A 3–7 to 1–8 victory gave Ó Sé a winners' medal in Gaelic football's secondary competition. Later that summer Kerry reached the Munster final once again. Clare provided the opposition on this occasion; however, in spite of shocking the Kerry men five years earlier, there was no shock this time. A 1–13 to 0–11 victory saw Ó Sé add a second Munster winners' medal to his collection. A subsequent defeat of Cavan saw Kerry qualify for their first All-Ireland final in eleven years. Mayo, the defeated finalists of the previous year, provided the opposition. The westerners went on a scoring spree during the match, capturing 1–2 inside two minutes. Maurice Fitzgerald was the start player for Kerry. He scored nine points throughout the game while Mayo froze and were held scoreless for the last twenty minutes. A 0–13 to 1–7 score line gave Kerry the title and gave Ó Sé an All-Ireland winners' medal. Furthermore, Ó Sé had now started to stamp his authority as a quality midfielder and over the next 10 years would become one of the country's best.
Kerry continued their march again in 1998 with a Munster final showdown with Tipperary. For the third year in succession 'the Kingdom' proved the provincial masters, and a 0–17 to 1–10 win gave Ó Sé a third Munster title. Kerry were the favourites to retain their All-Ireland title; however, a narrow 0–13 to 1–9 defeat by a Mick O'Dwyer-managed Kildare in the semi-final brought an end to their All-Ireland quest.
In 1999 Kerry were attempting to secure a fourth provincial title in succession. Cork put an end to this dream with a 2–10 to 2–4 win over their great rivals in the Munster final. With that Kerry were dumped out of the championship.
After a low point the previous year, Kerry were back in the provincial decider again in 2000. Ó Sé lined out in his sixth Munster final, his second with Clare as opposition. In a disappointing match as regards a contest, Kerry walloped 'the Banner men' by 3–15 to 0–8. It was Ó Sé's fourth Munster medal. Kerry had firmly established their All-Ireland contender credentials, however, the All-Ireland series proved difficult. Ó Sé's side drew with Armagh in the semi-final, while the replay proved just as tense. Both sides finished level after seventy minutes once again and it took a period of extra-time to find a winner. Kerry narrowly emerged from that game as the 2–15 to 1–15 winners and booked a place in the Millennium All-Ireland final. Galway provided the opposition in what was their second championship decider appearance in three years. In a game to forget both sides missed easy chances and seemed apprehensive about taking a lead. Galway trailed by seven points at one stage, but clawed their way back to secure a 0–14 apiece draw. The replay was a much more conclusive affair. Galway worked the ball the length of the field to Declan Meehan who scored a goal to give the westerners a boost. A disputed free with seventeen minutes left in the game gave Kerry a lead which they would not relinquish. At the full-time whistle Kerry were the champions by 0–17 to 1–10. It was Ó Cinnéide's second All-Ireland winners' medal, while his performances also earned him an All-Star.
Kerry swept through the provincial series with ease again in 2001. A 0–19 to 1–13 defeat of Cork gave Ó Sé a fifth Munster winners' medal and gave Kerry a boost in their All-Ireland ambitions. In a new innovation called the All-Ireland qualifiers series, Kerry's provincial victory allowed them to advance to the All-Ireland quarter-final. An exciting draw and a replay with Dublin at Semple Stadium gave Ó Sé's side the right to advance to an All-Ireland semi-final showdown with Meath. There was some controversy leading up to the game with new squad member Eoin Brosnan getting the captaincy before the game, despite not yet having established himself as a regular. There was also great debate about the refusal to start the legendary Maurice Fitzgerald. Nonetheless, the public were expecting a classic. In one of the lowest points ever for Kerry football, Ó Sé's side were beaten by 'the Royals' on a score line of 2–14 to 0–5.
In 2002 Kerry faced more controversy. The team were forced to play a replay of their Munster semi-final against Cork only a few of days after the funeral of the brother of team manager Páidí Ó Sé and father of team members Darragh, Tomás and Marc Ó Sé. Cork took full advantage and Kerry embarked on a qualifier campaign which saw them account for Wicklow, Fermanagh and Kildare before they trounced reigning champions Galway in the All-Ireland quarter-final before stuffing archrivals Cork in a unique all-Munster All-Ireland semi-final. The subsequent All-Ireland decider pitted Kerry against Armagh in one of the great finals of recent years. The first-half saw everything going Kerry's way while Armagh floundered. The Ulster men lost John McEntee to concussion while Oisín McConville missed a penalty just before the interval. As it stood Armagh trailed by four points at half-time while Ó Sé gave an inspirational performance. A different Armagh team emerged in the second-half. McConville compensated for his earlier miss by scoring a key goal in the 55th minute. Kerry froze after this and failed to score for the rest of the match as Armagh went on to narrowly win their first All-Ireland by 1–12 to 0–14. In spite of this defeat Ó Sé picked up a second All Star.