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Irish Times
11 hours ago
- Sport
- Irish Times
Dean Rock: Jim McGuinness wants people to think it's Donegal against the world
It felt like Jim McGuinness had ripped some pages from the Alex Ferguson playbook last Sunday - the chapter on 'us against the world'. The Donegal manager was apparently frustrated by the scheduling of Dr Hyde Park to host his team's All-Ireland round-robin match against Mayo . His remarks to that effect caused something of a dispute between Donegal and the GAA's Central Competitions Control Committee . But sweep away that thin veneer and maybe it was more about engineering a sense of Donegal against the world. Or the world against Donegal. Take your pick. It was about galvanising the squad, galvanising the county. It was more about what's to come rather than what has already taken place. READ MORE McGuinness doesn't strike me as somebody who expresses such sentiments without having first walked through the consequences in his head. It's all part of a plan and a strategy. McGuinness remarked: 'You're 38 minutes from Mayo's training ground. We're 3½ hours from Inishowen. It's not fair. If I don't say it, who's going to say it?' Having travel distances at hand showed this was a message McGuinness had pre-cooked and was keen to express. It wasn't really about the venue. It was about creating a siege mentality. Additionally, it was used as a deflection tactic because Donegal's level of performance probably wasn't where he would have wanted it to be last Sunday. The Mayo match rounded off a slightly disappointing group stage for Donegal. They never really reproduced the levels they showed in the Ulster final. Donegal players form a huddle before last Sunday's match against Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Donegal would have targeted finishing top of their group, so the last few weeks haven't panned out as McGuinness and his management team would have liked. The preliminary quarter-final is a game they could have done without. So, it was an opportune time to rally the county behind a cause, stir up a 'them versus us' mentality. Ultimately, it creates a fuss around an issue that is not going to have any material impact on whether Donegal win the All-Ireland or not. Should they beat Louth in Ballybofey on Sunday, then Donegal will play the rest of their championship games at Croke Park. Moaning about a venue at this stage is incidental. However, it does allow the Donegal squad and their supporters to unite behind a perceived sense of unfairness and use it as a motivational tool for the weeks ahead. In that regard, McGuinness had nothing to lose by shaking a few trees in his post-match interview last Sunday. At this stage of the championship, teams will use whatever they can to gain an edge. If you should be beating a team by 20 points and you don't beat them by 20 points, then that's probably a sign of complacency or a lack of humility For years, it was thrown at Dublin about playing all our championship games in Croke Park. When we were asked about it, the message from the players and management was consistent – we are happy to play anywhere; we don't decide on venues. And we were happy to play outside of Croke Park. That wasn't just a throwaway comment. Looking back now, some of my fondest memories were going to play down the country. Those away trips were great for team-bonding and encouraging camaraderie. I would have liked to play in more of the grounds around the country. Donegal manager Jim McGuinness looks on from the sideline during last weekend's match against Mayo, which his team won by a point. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho But we were aware of the narrative out there around us playing in Croke Park. When our success reached a certain level during that era, everybody outside of Dublin wanted us to be beaten, which is understandable. We certainly used that as a motivating factor. It wasn't a central tenet of our preparations, but I think we kind of fed off that as a group. We got a huge amount of confidence during that period because the group was so tight-knit. The dressingroom became a sacred place – when we were in there, it felt like it was us against everybody else, and that worked for us. It wasn't about going out to prove people wrong – it was more about showing the opposition absolute respect. You do that by beating them by as much as possible. If you should be beating a team by 20 points and you don't beat them by 20 points, then that's probably a sign of complacency or a lack of humility because you are not doing what you should be doing. And I think there might have been an element of that in the comments by McGuinness last week. Donegal need to rediscover their form from earlier in the championship, because in the defeat to Tyrone and for parts of last week's win over Mayo, they weren't doing what they should have been doing in terms of putting the opposition away. Instead, that result hung in the balance right until the last kick of the ball. Donegal's Ciarán Moore celebrates scoring the late winning point against Mayo. Photograph: James Crombie/Inpho Given how the second half panned out, Donegal could quite easily have ended up losing and found themselves finishing third in the group and now facing the prospect of a trip to Killarney this weekend. So, while McGuinness will be pleased by the character and ruthlessness they showed to win the game, it wasn't as convincing a victory for Donegal as they probably would have liked. Instead, it was another draining 70 minutes for a team that has played more games than most in this year's championship. Sunday's preliminary quarter-final will be Donegal's eighth outing having already played Derry, Monaghan, Down, Armagh, Tyrone, Cavan and Mayo. Only Meath have played as many matches as Donegal – and the Royals have avoided the prelims. So, perhaps McGuinness just felt now was the right time to spark a little fire. You cannot keep the 'us against the world' psychology going for six months but it's something that can be helpful in a shorter window. There are just five weeks until the All-Ireland final, so McGuinness probably reasoned that leaning into it now would pull the group nice and tight for the journey ahead. There is probably a bit of pressure on the group as well because the expectation levels have increased – Donegal are fancied by many to win the All-Ireland. Patrick McBrearty and Michael Murphy celebrate in the dressingroom after Donegal beat Armagh in the Ulster SFC final in May. Photograph: Ben Brady/Inpho McGuinness delivered Sam Maguire in year two during his first term in charge and so parallels will be drawn between 2012 and 2025. One key difference is that for this group, 2025 looks like their best shot at winning the All-Ireland. Donegal made it back to an All-Ireland final two years after the 2012 triumph, but I wouldn't be as convinced this group will still be as competitive two seasons from now as they currently are. Michael Murphy, for one, is unlikely to be still togging out for the county. Will McGuinness still be there? Key players like Patrick McBrearty and Ryan McHugh have spent well over a decade in the trenches. I think it's pretty much now for this Donegal team. The players know this team's window for success will not be open forever. That all adds to the pressure. And with the team not performing as well as they should, maybe that's why this 'us against them' messaging emerged from the Donegal camp last weekend. Because, let's be honest, Donegal are not exactly the most loathed team in the country. Far from it, I would have thought. They are expected to beat Louth on Sunday and I believe that is exactly what will happen, but Ger Brennan's Leinster champions have nothing to lose and I'd expect them to bring a decent performance. Donegal's Oisín Gallen signs autographs after the game against Cavan at the start of June. Photo: Lorraine O'Sullivan/Inpho Beyond that, Donegal will need more from the likes of McBrearty and Oisín Gallen in supporting Michael Murphy up top. Gallen, for me, is the key. He was exceptional last year, won an All Star and brought that real x-factor quality to his play, but I don't think he has got back to those high standards this season. All it takes for a player of his ability to find his mojo again is one good game. If he can deliver a big performance against Louth, then Donegal will travel to Croke Park as a much more formidable outfit. Either way, the Ulster champions are likely to be among the last eight when the quarter-finals take centre stage next weekend. Because the racket last Sunday about venues wasn't really about Dr Hyde Park, it was about benefiting Donegal when they get to Croke Park.
BreakingNews.ie
11-05-2025
- BreakingNews.ie
Second teenager dies following swimming incident off Donegal coast
A second young man has died following a swimming tragedy off Co Donegal yesterday. It follows an incident off the Inishowen Peninsula yesterday afternoon that sparked a huge search and rescue mission. Advertisement Three young men aged between 16 and 19 years old got into difficulty off the Inishowen town of Buncrana at around 4pm. The alert was raised by a passer-by which sparked a massive sea operation involving both volunteers and members of the emergency services. One of the men managed to swim to shore while another was later plucked from the water but a third could not be found. The body of the third man was recovered from the water between an area known as Ned's Point and Fahan around 9pm last night. Advertisement The second man taken from the sea by rescuers and rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital. However, he has since passed away overnight despite the best efforts of medics to save his life. A third man is understood to be in a comfortable condition in hospital. Two RNLI lifeboats were assisted by teams from Mulroy and Greencastle coastguard units with further help by up to a dozen local yachts. The multi-agency search included the Rescue 118 helicopter from Sligo along with the RNLI lifeboat from Buncrana and a number of local yachts. Prayers were said at local masses this morning for three young men and their families. Local county councillor Jack Murray said there were no words to describe how the community in Buncrana felt following the tragedy. He praised the work of local volunteers as well as all of the emergency services who assisted in the search and rescue operation. He said 'Our emergency services have once again demonstrated courage and professionalism in unthinkable circumstances. "We have been hit with so many tragedies and horrendous events in this area. Each time the emergency services are called upon, they stand up without fail.'
Irish Times
11-05-2025
- Irish Times
Second teenager dies after incident while swimming off Donegal coast
A second teenager has died following a swimming incident in Co Donegal on Saturday. A search and rescue mission was mounted off the Inishowen Peninsula on Saturday afternoon when three teenagers aged between 16 and 19 got into difficulty in the sea at about 4pm. The alert was raised by a passer-by, sparking a sea rescue operation involving both volunteers and members of the emergency services. One of the teenagers managed to swim to shore while another was later taken from the water. READ MORE The third young man could not be found. His body was later recovered from the water between an area known as Ned's Point and Fahan at about 9pm on Saturday night. The second teenager taken from the sea by rescuers and rushed to Letterkenny University Hospital where he was later pronounced dead. A third man is understood to be in hospital. Two RNLI lifeboats were assisted by teams from Mulroy and Greencastle coastguard units with further help by up to a dozen local yachts. The multi-agency search included the Rescue 118 helicopter from Sligo along with the RNLI lifeboat from Buncrana and a number of local yachts. Prayers were said at local masses this morning for three young men and their families. Local county councillor Jack Murray said there were no words to describe how the community in Buncrana felt following the tragedy. He praised the work of local volunteers as well as all of the emergency services who assisted in the search and rescue operation. He said 'Our emergency services have once again demonstrated courage and professionalism in unthinkable circumstances. 'We have been hit with so many tragedies and horrendous events in this area. Each time the emergency services are called upon, they stand up without fail.'
Irish Examiner
03-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Irish Examiner
Book review: Irish slow-burn mystery grips
In her Inishowen mysteries, Andrea Carter used a slow pace and Agatha Christie flourishes to investigate a series of polite murders in rural Donegal. Very elegant they were too, but in this, her first standalone novel, she moves closer to home. Ms Carter grew up in Ballyfin, Co Laois, and the Slieve Bloom mountains form an atmospheric backdrop to this eerie tale of trauma and absence. Legal executive Allie Garvey lives in Dublin with her boyfriend Rory O'Riordan, a documentary-maker some 12 years her senior. He's been down in Galway shooting a film, and Allie is perplexed when he fails to return home. After an anxious couple of days, she phones the police and a missing persons file is opened. Rory was caught on CCTV using a toll in Ballinasloe, but thereafter vanished without a trace, leaving Allie and his family to fear the worst. She's trying to digest this news when a Polish couple arrive at her apartment claiming Rory had leased it out to them. She then finds out from Rory's solicitor that he has bought a rundown cottage in the Slieve Blooms: Evicted from her home and seeing no alternative, Allie moves to Co Laois. Raven Cottage has been vacant for several years, the previous tenants having left in a hurry. Locals say it's haunted, and Allie is initially spooked by a tribe of ravens that watch her from the trees. At night time, she wakes at all hours convinced she's not alone, and is intrigued when she discovers that a supposed spirit medium called Eliza Dunne lived there in the 1890s. In the local town, she befriends a cafe owner called Maggie, who turns out to be Eliza Dunne's great great granddaughter. At the cottage, meanwhile, nocturnal happenings intensify, and then Allie is hit by another blow: Rory's car is found submerged off the end of a Mayo pier, and there's a body inside. There Came a Tapping is told from two points of view, Allie's narration interrupted now and then by the more measured perspective of investigating Garda Suzanne Phelan, who quickly realises that Allie may not be a reliable witness. She drinks wine in the afternoons, lives on her nerves, and is haunted by a car accident which killed her parents when she was in her teens. Might Allie have killed Rory, Suzanne's partner Dave — a tubby misogynist — wonders aloud? It seems unlikely: Rory was having money problems, and may not have been the perfect boyfriend he seemed. Andrea Carter fleshes out her plot with supernatural elements and a kind of mystery within a mystery concerning Eliza Dunne, whose disappearance may also have been suspicious. Her primary ambition here is to take us inside the mind of a woman short on confidence and plagued by misplaced guilt. She does so reasonably well, and through the clumsy but well-intentioned interventions of her sister Olivia, we discover that Allie has endured a subtly controlling relationship. The supernatural elements are nicely handled, leaving Allie's experiences open to interpretation — in fact I think I wanted more of them. But the plot sags a little in the middle, as Allie frets and not a lot happens. Descriptive evocations of natural surroundings can greatly enhance dramatic tension, but here they are perhaps too perfunctory, and while a dramatic late plot twist is well concealed, I'm not entirely sure I bought it. Still, Allie is an engaging protagonist, and the book's slow mystery kept me engaged until the very end.
