13The following year, Tyrone retained their title. In
1958, Derry won it – also a first – and went all the
way to an All-Ireland final, which they lost to Dublin.
And then, in 1959, came Down. They claimed
the Anglo-Celt Cup for the first time when they
hammered Cavan in the provincial final. A year
later, they were All-Ireland champions and in
1961, they retained Sam.
Donegal’s rise, however, took longer. The county
were unmapped in GAA terms and didn’t reach
a first Ulster final until 1963, when they lost to
Down in Breffni Park.
“One mistake we made,” said Seamus Hoare, the
legendary Donegal and Ulster goalkeeper of that
era, “was we went out to watch the minor fi l I
was very hot and the heat sapped our ener
Cavan All-Ireland winner and future Tánaiste
Wilson, who taught in Letterkenny, once rela
conversation with a local official named Hug
“I wonder,” asked Hugh, “will we ever make
senior football?”
“Oh, your time will come,” assured Wilson.
“I don’t know, John,” replied a gloomy Daly,
“I think the Queen of England will be in Cro
Park before Donegal win an All-Ireland in it
Little did Daly know... Both, though, took ti
Maybe it was only natural that progress wo
take longer in a geographically vast county
Donegal. Their breakthrough did not arrive
1972, when they defeated Tyrone to earn t
of Ulster champions for the first time.
Two years later, they repeated the trick and
in 1983 and 1990 before Sam famously wa
the hills in 1992.
It is incredible to consider where Donega
football came from, then, and where it n
resides. Prior to 2011, the county had wo
five Ulster titles in its history.
Since, captained by Michael Murphy, they have
doubled their tally and their most recent win
was one of the most impressive yet.Declan Bonner’s side are now being spoken
about as the likeliest challengers to Dublin’s
five in-a-row quest and it’s easy to see why.And the bad news for the rest of their province
is that they aren’t going anywhere.To paraphrase the old Val Doonican joke, it may
have taken them a few decades to become
an overnight success but with their youthful
squad, solid structures, large population and
passionate support, Donegal are very much
here to stay.DONEGAL TALISMAN
MICHAEL MURPHY