Harte – Errigal are ready

ERRIGAL Ciaran and Ballinderry. It has had more sub-plots than a M. Night Shyamalan production. Davy Harte says Errigal are ready for the challenge in a wide-ranging interview.

Ronan Scott: So what’s the mood in Errigal ahead of the Ulster Club series?
Davy Harte: At the minute, from our own point of view, I would say that Errigal Ciaran are in bonus territory, this year anyway. Our goal at the start of the year was very much to win the O’Neill Cup. It hadn’t been in the parish for six years, which was a long time. There have been a lot of championship games in which we have failed to deliver.
To be honest there was a certain amount of relief as well as the satisfaction this year that comes with winning. This year was very much about earning a bit of respect in our own county. We are delighted that we have achieved that so to enter into the Ulster Club campaign is obviously a step up in class as you are coming up against some recognised Ulster Club Championship teams with great pedigree. We know we are up against it.

RS: Would it be fair to say you were you relieved to win the Tyrone title?
DH: I suppose within our club there is a good history associated with it. It started back in 1993, whenever Errigal won back-to-back titles in 1993, 94, and went on to win an Ulster Club title so you had players on that team who were some of the best players who had ever come through the club. Obviously in Peter and Pascal [Canavan] and Eoin Gormley you had players who were well known throughout Ireland for their obvious skill and ability.
In 2006 we still had some of those players still playing on the team. It was great to play along with them in terms of experience. What you picked up from them was invaluable. But this team was very much a new team and there was no links to the older team so that is where the relief comes from. You were able to prove to your parish and your county that you were able to do it on your own. Creating our own history….

The full story is in the current issue of Gaelic Life, published on Thursday October 25. Buy your copy now in your local newsagent, or you can purchase the online version – for only 90p