Making an early mark


2023 Ethan Doherty DYNAMIC Derry half-forward Ethan Doherty scooped last year’s Young Footballer of the Year award following an impressive showing all season with the Oakleafers. Doherty, who made his championship debut in 2020, has developed into a mainstay of the Derry team and made a particularly big impact in their run to last year’s […]


Casting the net: How the Buncrana Cup fed into Donegal’s consistency


Sunday will be Donegal’s 11th Ulster final in 14 seasons. Michael McMullan spoke with All-Ireland winning captain Michael Murphy and former county chairman John McConnell to look into the foundations. DONEGAL didn’t place their long-term succession planning on the crest of the 1992 All-Ireland wave. John McConnell has the benefit of hindsight when outlining why they […]


Ulster’s most recent All-Stars


It’s All-Star season, and Shaun Casey has sifted through the records to identify the most recent football All-Stars for Ulster’s nine counties Antrim: Andy McCallin ANDY McCallin is Antrim’s first and to date only All-Star and he earned the gong way back in 1971, at corner-forward. McCallin was a dual star for both the Saffrons […]


KEVIN CASSIDY: It’s heating up in Donegal


I touched a few weeks back on the different club championship models each county has and what may be the best. You just had to look at the drama in last weekend’s Tyrone Senior Football Championship to get a feeling of the excitement that surrounds that particular championship. Yes, a once off knockout game may […]


JOE BROLLY: Heeeeere’s Jimmy


JUST when you thought it was safe, he’s back. Like Freddie Kruger appearing at the window. Or Jack Nicholson at the door with an axe, grinning, those dark eyes flashing. “Heeeeere’s Jimmy.” Having engineered the most extraordinary coup in the history of Gaelic football in 2012, then the greatest ambush in living memory (the 2014 All-Ireland […]


McGuinness will chase Murphy


THE club championship swung into action here last weekend with most games going as we thought they would. The big four, if you want to call them that, of St Eunan’s, Gaoth Dobhair, Glenties and Kilcar all won with Kilcar struggling a little bit early on but they got the job done in the end. […]


ONES TO WATCH


Antrim Portglenone THEY have knocked and knocked on the door in recent seasons, but Portglenone have never made it as far as a county final. Niall McKeever and his cousin John, the latter now as manager, were part of the teams of the noughties that danced with St Gall’s on three final days without getting […]


Donegal on the hunt for new manager


By Niall Gartland THE Donegal County Board have set the wheels in motion for the appointment of a new senior intercounty manager and a number of names both inside and outside the county have been linked to the post. A five-man interview panel has been assembled with a view to finding a new manager, and […]


Murphy doesn’t expect rash of Tyrone retirements


By Niall Gartland DONEGAL legend Michael Murphy expects at least some of Tyrone’s elder statesmen to return for the 2024 season following Saturday’s disappointing championship exit at the hands of Kerry. Murphy, who hung up the boots at intercounty level last November at the age of 33, thinks that the raft of young talent coming […]


Glenswilly not getting carried away says Bonner


By Michael McMullan GLENSWILLY are keeping their feet on the ground ahead of the upcoming Donegal Senior Championship insists manager Pauric Bonner. Now in his fourth season at the helm, Bonner – who has Cookstown man Ciaran Sharkey in his management team – is content with the rebuilding phase that saw an influx of youth […]