after retiring as a player, donoghue served as a selector with the galway under-21 team, with whom he won all-ireland championships in 2005 and 2007. he subsequently turned to management with his home club clarinbridge and steered the team to the all-ireland club championship in 2011. an unsuccessful spell as turloughmore manager was followed by a two-year tenure as statistician with the tipperary senior hurling team. donoghue was appointed manager of the galway senior team in december 2015. in his second season in charge he guided the team to a clean sweep of all-ireland, leinster championship and national league titles.