Who is Martin O’Neill, and how did a boy from a small County Londonderry town end up withtwo European Cups and a seat in the Celtic dugout at 74? Martin O’Neill is a Northern Irish footballmanager and former midfielder, born in Kilrea on 1 March 1952, who now manages Celtic.You probably have a few more questions. How old is he, who’s his wife, and what was that hospital stay in August about?
Is he really worth millions, and what did he actually win?This guide answers all of it, with details checked against club statements and major news reports. The short version: two European Cups with Nottingham Forest, seven trophies in his first Celtic spell, a Euro 2016 run with the Republic of Ireland, and a domestic double at 74.
Martin O’Neill Quick Bio
Here are the key facts in one place.
They come from club announcements, official records and major news outlets.
| Detail | Info |
| Full name | Martin Hugh Michael O’Neill |
| Born | 1 March 1952, Kilrea, County Londonderry |
| Age | 74 |
| Nationality | Northern Irish |
| Height | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Playing position | Midfielder |
| Current role | Celtic manager (one-year deal with a one-year option, signed 11 June 2026) |
| Wife | Geraldine (married 1979) |
| Children | Two daughters |
| Northern Ireland record | 64 caps, 8 goals |
| Honours | MBE (1983), OBE (2004) |
Martin O’Neill’s Early Life and Family
O’Neill grew up in Kilrea, County Londonderry, as the sixth of nine children.
He has four brothers and four sisters, so the house was rarely quiet.
Sport ran through the family.
His father was a founding member of the local GAA club, Pádraig Pearse’s Kilrea, and his brothers Gerry and Leo played for Derry in the 1958 Ulster champion side that reached the All-Ireland final.
O’Neill once said his mother was an O’Kane from Swatragh and his father had a Donegal background.
Their first names aren’t widely published, so we won’t guess.
Education and Law Studies
He boarded at St Columb’s College in Derry, then moved to St Malachy’s College in Belfast.
He played Gaelic football at both schools.
A 1970 story shows how fast soccer was taking over.
Because he also played soccer, which broke the GAA’s old ban on foreign sports, the Antrim board refused to host the MacRory Cup final at Casement Park, so organisers moved it to County Tyrone and St Malachy’s won.
He then started a law degree at Queen’s University Belfast.
He left in 1971 to sign for Nottingham Forest and never finished it, though he still follows criminology, especially the 1961 James Hanratty case.
Nationality, Religion and Accent
O’Neill is Northern Irish, born in County Londonderry.
He captained Northern Ireland as a player and later managed the Republic of Ireland, and in a 2008 RTÉ lecture he spoke about what it means to be Irish.
He’s Catholic, and profiles often call him the first Catholic to captain Northern Ireland.
His accent is still Northern Irish after decades in England and Scotland.
Martin O’Neill’s Wife and Children
O’Neill married Geraldine in 1979, after the couple met as teenagers in 1967.
They have two daughters, and the family keeps a low profile.
In May 2005, he resigned as Celtic manager to care for Geraldine, who had lymphoma.
He stayed out of football for 15 months before returning with Aston Villa in August 2006.
Geraldine was at Celtic Park for his farewell match in December 2025.
His daughters’ names aren’t widely published, and that privacy is worth respecting.
Martin O’Neill’s Playing Career
O’Neill was a clever, hard-running midfielder who played more than 540 games in all competitions between 1971 and 1985.
His peak years came at Nottingham Forest under Brian Clough.
Distillery and the Move to England
He started with Rosario in Belfast, then joined Distillery in the Irish League.
In 1971, he scored twice in a 3-0 Irish Cup final win over Derry City.
That cup win sent Distillery into the European Cup Winners’ Cup, where he scored against Barcelona in a 3-1 home defeat.
A Forest scout noticed him, and he signed in October 1971.
He scored on his league debut, a 4-1 win over West Bromwich Albion on 13 November 1971.
European Success with Nottingham Forest
Everything changed when Brian Clough arrived in January 1975.
Forest won promotion in 1977, then claimed the First Division title and the League Cup in 1978.
Two European Cups followed in 1979 and 1980.
O’Neill was on the bench for the 1979 final win over Malmö after an injury, but he played in the 1980 win over Hamburg.
He made 285 league appearances for Forest and scored 48 goals.
Spells at Norwich City, Manchester City and Notts County followed, and a cruciate ligament injury ended his career in 1985.
Northern Ireland and the World Cup
O’Neill made his senior Northern Ireland debut against the Soviet Union on 13 October 1971.
He won 64 caps and scored eight goals.
He captained the side at the 1982 World Cup in Spain.
Northern Ireland beat the hosts in Valencia and reached the second group stage.
He also won the British Home Championship twice as a player, in 1980 and 1984.
Martin O’Neill’s Management Career
His managerial story starts far from the spotlight, at non-league Grantham Town in 1987.
From there he climbed through every level of English football, then moved into Scotland and international management.
Wycombe and Leicester City
He took over Wycombe Wanderers in February 1990.
Wycombe won the FA Trophy in 1991 and 1993, took the 1992-93 Conference title and entered the Football League for the first time.
A second straight promotion came in 1994 with a 4-2 play-off final win over Preston North End.
He left for Norwich City in 1995 but quit that December after a transfer row with the chairman over striker Dean Windass.
At Leicester City, he won promotion through the play-offs in 1996.
Leicester then lifted the League Cup in 1997 and 2000, and fans held up “Don’t Go Martin” posters in October 1998 when Leeds were linked with him.
Celtic’s Treble and European Final
His first Old Firm game in August 2000 ended in a 6-2 Celtic win over Rangers.
By the end of that first season, he’d won a domestic treble, the club’s first since 1968-69.
Celtic reached the 2003 UEFA Cup final in Seville and lost 3-2 after extra time to José Mourinho’s Porto.
It was the club’s first European final since 1970, and his side knocked out Liverpool on the way.
In 2003-04, Celtic won 25 league games in a row, a British record.
He left in 2005 with a 75.5% win rate, three league titles, three Scottish Cups and a League Cup.
Aston Villa, Sunderland and Ireland
At Aston Villa, O’Neill finished sixth in the Premier League three seasons running and reached the 2010 League Cup final, which Villa lost 2-1 to Manchester United.
He resigned on 9 August 2010, five days before the new season, reportedly over transfer funds.
He then managed boyhood club Sunderland from December 2011 until his sacking in March 2013.
Sunderland finished 13th in his first season.
As Republic of Ireland boss from 2013, with Roy Keane as his assistant, he took the team to Euro 2016.
Ireland beat Italy 1-0 to reach the last 16, then lost to France, and a 5-1 defeat to Denmark in the 2018 World Cup play-off began the end of his reign.
He left by mutual consent in November 2018, and a short 2019 spell back at Nottingham Forest ended in a June sacking.
Celtic Return and Latest Developments
When Brendan Rodgers resigned in October 2025, O’Neill came back as interim manager.
He won seven of his first eight games, including a 4-0 win over Falkirk and a 3-1 win at Feyenoord, then left on 3 December when Wilfried Nancy was appointed.
Nancy lasted just 33 days, and O’Neill returned on 5 January 2026.
He turned a six-point gap into the Scottish Premiership title with a 3-1 win over Hearts on the final day, then beat Dunfermline 3-1 in the Scottish Cup final at Hampden Park.
Celtic made it permanent on 11 June 2026 with a one-year contract and a one-year option.
The 2026-27 season began with a win over Dundee, and Celtic won 2-1 at Hibernian on 25 October before a midweek game against Dundee United.
Health and Recent Absence
On 5 August 2026, Celtic confirmed O’Neill had undergone a small procedure in hospital after speculation.
He stayed overnight, went home, and missed the 9 August trip to Kilmarnock.
Assistant Shaun Maloney took charge, and Celtic won 5-1 with a first-half hat-trick from Kasper Hogh.
O’Neill still spoke to the players at the team hotel before the game.
The club hasn’t shared further details and asked for privacy for him and his family.
He’s since been back at work, preparing the team for fixtures like the Dundee United game.
Martin O’Neill’s Net Worth and Income
No reliable source has published a verified net worth for O’Neill.
Estimate sites vary a lot, and one lists $1 million to $5 million for 2023 without showing any method.
Here’s what we do know: his salary as Ireland manager was reported at around €1.9 million.
Celtic haven’t disclosed his current terms, so any exact figure is a guess.
Companies and Commercial Activities
No publicly confirmed company directorships or business empire are tied to him.
His income comes mostly from football and media work.
- Management contracts at Celtic, Aston Villa, Sunderland, Ireland and other clubs
- TV analysis for BBC and ITV at World Cups, Euros and Champions League games
- Podcasting on The Football Authorities with Clive Tyldesley since June 2024
- Book sales from his 2022 memoir
- Speaking appearances, including a 2008 RTÉ lecture series talk
Books, Honours and Lasting Legacy
His memoir, On Days Like These, came out in November 2022 and looks back on one of the most varied careers in British and Irish football.
Alex Montgomery and Simon Moss have also written biographies about him.
He received an MBE in 1983 and an OBE in 2004.
Norwich City fans voted him into their Hall of Fame in 2002, and he shared the 2015 Philips Sports Manager of the Year award with Northern Ireland boss Michael O’Neill.
| Level | Major honours |
| Player | First Division 1977-78; League Cup 1977-78 and 1978-79; European Cup 1979 and 1980; European Super Cup 1979; British Home Championship 1980 and 1984 |
| Wycombe | FA Trophy 1991 and 1993; Conference title 1992-93 |
| Leicester | League Cup 1997 and 2000 |
| Celtic (2000 to 2005) | Three league titles, three Scottish Cups, one League Cup |
| Celtic (2025-26) | Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup |
A Career Across Different Levels
O’Neill has managed in non-league, the Football League, the Premier League, the Scottish Premiership and international football.
That range is rare, and the numbers show where he does best.
| Club | Games | Wins | Win rate |
| Wycombe Wanderers | 290 | 160 | 55.2% |
| Norwich City | 27 | 12 | 44.4% |
| Leicester City | 222 | 85 | 38.3% |
| Celtic (2000 to 2005) | 282 | 213 | 75.5% |
| Aston Villa | 190 | 80 | 42.1% |
| Sunderland | 66 | 21 | 31.8% |
| Republic of Ireland | 55 | 19 | 34.5% |
| Nottingham Forest | 19 | 8 | 42.1% |
| Celtic (interim, 2025) | 8 | 7 | 87.5% |
| Celtic (2026 to date) | 39 | 28 | 71.8% |
| Total | 1,198 | 633 | 52.8% |
Figures as of 20 September 2026.
Celtic stands out, and his first spell there still carries the highest win rate of any manager in the club’s history.
Conclusion
Martin O’Neill’s story runs from a Kilrea childhood and a half-finished law degree to two European Cups, a World Cup captaincy and, at 74, another Celtic double. It’s one of the most varied careers in British and Irish football.The next chapter is the 2026-27 season, with a one-year option waiting in the background.
Watch how Celtic handle the title defence and whether he stays for a further year.Which O’Neill era is your favourite: Forest, Celtic, Villa or Ireland? Drop your answer in the comments, and share this guide with a football-mad friend.
FAQs
Who is Martin O’Neill?
Martin O’Neill is a Northern Irish football manager and former midfielder from Kilrea who won two European Cups with Nottingham Forest and now manages Celtic.
How old is Martin O’Neill?
He’s 74, born on 1 March 1952, and he turns 75 on 1 March 2027.
Who are Martin O’Neill’s parents?
His mother was an O’Kane from Swatragh, and his father had Donegal roots and helped found Kilrea GAA club.
Their first names aren’t widely published.
Is Martin O’Neill married?
Yes, he married Geraldine in 1979, and they have two daughters.
Does Martin O’Neill have siblings?
Yes, he has four brothers and four sisters and is the sixth of nine children.
