Michael Fennelly will be the next Offaly senior hurling manager.
The Kilkenny legend will succeed Kevin Martin, and will be given an initial two-year term with the option of a third.
Fennelly won 8 All Ireland titles during his time with the Cats, and only announced his inter-county retirement in December of 2017.
The 34-year old spent this year working as performance coach with the Kildare senior footballers.
Martin resigned in May following the Faithful's horrendous start to the Joe McDonagh Cup. Joachim Kelly took temporary charge of the side, but subsequent defeats to Antrim and Kerry saw Offaly relegated to next year's Christy Ring Cup.
Fennelly will take over a side that are at a low ebb, and that will begin 2020 in Division 2A of the Allianz Hurling League.
The Offaly County Board say their soon-to-be manager is "looking forward to the upcoming Offaly club championship and will use these games as the platform to choose his panel for 2020".
Fennelly's appointment, they say, "is to bring pride and stability back to the Offaly jersey with the support of Michael and his backroom team". The Ballyhale man is due to ratify his backroom team in the coming weeks.
Offaly hope Fennelly's appointment will have a galvanising effect on the county, adding it will "need the support of the players, their families, the clubs and all the people involved in Offaly GAA.".
