Cúl & The Gang

Donegal’s win over Mayo in the All-Ireland football final was the culmination of a campaign as outstanding as any team could ever hope for. They became the first team in history to win back-to-back Ulster titles having been drawn in the preliminary round on each occasion, and required further victories over Cork and Kerry – two of the best teams in the country – simply to reach the final. Their wins over those sides and, earlier in the campaign, Tyrone, meant they had defeated three counties who between them had claimed eight of the previous nine All-Irelands.

Playing a lethally effective counter-attacking system devised by the brilliant tactical mind of manager Jim McGuinness, Donegal at times looked unbeatable, with the likes of Karl Lacey, Frank McGlynn and Colm McFadden – all of whom have been nominated for ‘Footballer of the Year’ – shining brilliantly. Behind the rock-solid Donegal defence stood goalkeeper Paul Durcan, the 28-year-old from Donegal town. Durcan’s excellent performances – including a vital last minute save against Tyrone – have earned him an All Star nomination.
All of that notwithstanding, Donegal have undoubtedly been the most controversial GAA team in aeons. In the 2011 All-Ireland semi-final against Dublin, they put 14 men behind the ball in one of the most bizarre – and, frankly, awful – matches in living memory. Dublin eventually pulled through by eight points to six, which the Irish Independent’s Eugene McGee noted read “like a scoreline from a century ago.”
Afterwards, Sunday Game panellists Colm O’Rourke and Pat Spillane slated Donegal, whilst Joe Brolly expressed amazement that McGuinness “had the balls to bring a game like that into Croke Park.” Later in the year, there was further controversy when the team’s All Star defender, Kevin Cassidy – who scored a superb match-winning point in extra time during an enthralling quarter final against Kildare – was asked to leave the panel.
Cassidy had contributed to journalist Declan Bogue’s compelling book This Is Our Year, which told the story of the 2011 Ulster championship through several of its protagonists. In it, Cassidy gave an insight into the intensity of Donegal’s approach, and admitted to attempting to get Dublin’s Diarmuid Connolly sent off, as well as verbally targeting opponents.
McGuinness was deeply unhappy with the book and, infamously, refused to participate in the post-All Ireland press conference unless Bogue was removed. Controversy also followed the team’s Late Late Show appearance, with some feeling their time on air was too brief. Donegal councillor Sean McEniff – brother of the county’s only previous All-Ireland winning manager, Brian McEniff – even branded the team’s treatment as “an absolute disgrace” and demanded an apology from RTÉ.
All of this is on the agenda when Hot Press sits down in the Library Bar in Dublin’s Central Hotel to speak with Paul Durcan – an intelligent, friendly and engaging interviewee. He even reveals fascinating titbits about the team, including that Frankie Boyle is a bit of a fan, and Ninja Tune artist Bonobo is an unlikely favourite in the Donegal dressing room.

PAUL NOLAN: How has life been since the win?
PAUL DURCAN: For the four days after, we did a trip around Donegal. We left Dublin on the Monday morning and we had the homecoming in Donegal town – which is my hometown – and then we did a week of travelling around the county and visited every club. It was a hectic week. We were on a bus eight or nine hours a day, and it was tiring, but it was an amazing experience: every town was packed. I think there were 25,000 in Donegal town.
Coming back to the home club with Sam Maguire is the ultimate goal of every player.
It is yeah – we were just chatting about it yesterday at a club game. It still hasn’t really fully sunk in. You’re only realising now how much it means to people. I’m based in Dublin, and when you meet people here from Donegal, that’s when it starts to kick in. It’s been a good experience – and it seems it’s nearly getting better as the days go on.
After you lost the semi-final to Dublin last year, when did you start the ball rolling again?
We went on holiday to Florida for a week last year. I suppose we were back before that, not collectively, but we were doing our own work. I was here in Dublin, training with Philip Greene, the Sligo goalkeeper. We have a guy who trains us over in DCU, Gary Kelly, who’s a goalkeeping coach. You’re not allowed to come back before January technically. I think a lot of teams are going around that. But we started training in January and, in fairness, I think it was time enough. When you get to the ninth month of the year... if you were back last October, that’s a year of training. Leaving it to January was one of the best things we did. Our league form wasn’t great compared to the year before, because of coming back that bit later. But I think it might have stood to us later on in the championship. We didn’t pick up as many injuries and we weren’t as tired looking as the year went on.
What was the training schedule in January?
It was a couple of nights a week and then whatever you’re doing outside of that yourself in the gym. In fairness, Jim’s good enough to myself. I’m up here in Dublin so I only really travelled home for training on the weekends. I trained up here with Gary and Philip and that was enough for the first three months of the year. When the nights are dark and the roads aren’t great, it’s frosty and so on, it’s a long road to Donegal. Then, later on in the year, I would be going home one night a week and the boys would be training Tuesday, Thursday and at the weekends.
Is that the most intense it gets in training?
It would be yeah. It’s regimental nearly – it’s Tuesday, Thursday and maybe once or twice at the weekend, it depends. It isn’t as hectic as people would have thought maybe.
GAA teams have become increasingly ‘professional’ in their approach, and there is a perception that Donegal have ratcheted up the commitment levels even further.
A few people have asked me that – what is the difference? Is it more training? I would say it’s not more training; it’s better, more intense training. When we do train, it is high intensity. Obviously there’s a bit more work in the gym, but collectively there wasn’t anything extra really.
You had a very difficult draw, having to play the preliminary round in Ulster again. How did you feel about that?
It’s kinda funny. Looking back now, winning the Ulster title for the second time, it’s not as good as an All-Ireland, but I’ll tell you, it wasn’t far off. An Ulster title was always a dream I had, and to do it back-to-back was just amazing. When you see how competitive Ulster is... maybe it means a lot more to players up there. That was a brilliant feeling, bringing the cup home the second time.
Looking at the success of Crossmaglen at club level, is there something in the psyche of Ulster teams – an innate toughness – that drives them on?
I know a lot of the Mayo boys from college, and I lived with a guy from Roscommon as well. And they are as intense and focused on football. Crossmaglen are one of the most amazing teams I’ve ever seen – they will probably go down in history as the best club team that’s ever played the game. They’re a different class. It’s always said in Crossmaglen they don’t really have competing sports, whereas a lot of other counties might. Dublin would have soccer and rugby and so on. But what Crossmaglen have done is amazing.
I was at the quarter-final game against Kerry, which was the best match I saw this year. Tactically it was fascinating. What sort of preparation does it take to get your counter-attacking system working as brilliantly as it did?
There’s no lying about it, we put a lot of work into every aspect of it. Maybe last year we got a lot of criticism for being defensive. That was Jim’s plan – to get our defensive work-rate high enough, so that we could then go into forward play, which we did this year. It was a progression from last year, when our defence was amazing. We did concede more this year. That was due to the fact that we attacked more. There was a lot of work done on it in training and it’s not an easy system to play. I’m lucky enough I don’t have to do the running, but the boys are extremely fit and quick.
Watching you play the system, it did cross my mind that if you get it right – which you did all year – it’s almost unbeatable.
The day against Kerry, they missed a lot of chances in the first half. And we were lucky to go in so close to them at half-time. So I don’t think it’s unbeatable, but it is a tough system to break down. The lads have worked very hard at it and it’s something that I enjoy watching as well. I’ve seen teams play like it before – Tyrone were always the perfect example. We played Tyrone in the Ulster Championship and they were probably our toughest game of the year. We learned a lot that day: they set up very defensively and we found it hard to break down.
You made a great last minute save that day, which prevented Tyrone getting a draw.
It was lucky (laughs). It was a good save, but I was lucky that it came off the post too. One of the lads from Tyrone, Colm Cavanagh, was inches away from it and I had to close my eyes when I saw him diving for the ball. In that sense it was lucky, but no, it was a vital save. If that had gone in, it would have gone to a replay, and I doubt another game against them would have helped us. But I think we would have been able to stand up to them again.
Was that game a benchmark for you this year?
In fairness, any time you beat Tyrone it’s an exceptional feat. We know exactly how good they are and they’ve put us to the sword many a time. We’ve always strived to reach their level. That’s the reason they’ve got three All-Irelands.
One of the moments that stands out to me from the Kerry game was in the second half, when Colm McFadden got a ball with three Kerry players converging on him, and still put it over the bar. An unbelievable score.
None of us would be surprised at that, when you see what Colm does in training. It’s crazy what he can do with his left foot. He had an unbelievable year – as many of the lads did. I don’t know exactly how much he scored, but he was the top scorer. Well-deserved too, because he is the prime example of how hard the fellas out the field train.
Going back to the semi-final against Dublin last year, your ultra-defensive set up was hugely controversial. I didn’t enjoy watching it. How did you feel about playing that game?
It wasn’t an easy game! I know we got a lot of criticism, and we were critical ourselves – and Jim was critical of how we played that day. Dublin were an exceptional team last year, and they had put up a benchmark of fitness and power. I don’t know if was it a bit of naïvety on our behalf... we could have pushed forward a few times. Maybe with the lads there was a bit of worry or fear that Dublin, with the forward line they had... Well, I can understand what happened. It doesn’t affect us that we were criticised, but the lads didn’t go out to play like that – it’s the way the game developed. We still were only two points away from an All-Ireland final.
But you lacked any real attacking dimension.
We did always aim to attack more. Maybe we hadn’t worked on it as much, so it wasn’t as natural to us. It was a work in progress. I know it wasn’t a great game, but we were two points from an All-Ireland final. And Colm nearly got a goal that day. Still, it was a very disappointing day.
What level of detail do you go into about the opposition before a match?
I know the lads would be very critical of themselves after games, and that’s not a bad thing, but yeah, you definitely do look at the opposition too. When you’re playing up against Colm Cooper, Kieran Donaghy, and Colm O’Neill, who’s been fantastic all year for Cork... Aidan Walsh for Cork, the way he runs through the middle, you had to have something to try and stop that. And then up against Mayo, Alan Dillon and Kevin McLoughlin are two exceptional players. You have to try and stop them doing what they do, or they will destroy you. So there is that focus on the other team.
There seems to be a lot of mythology around the Donegal team.
I can understand it. It’s the type of person Jim is, he seems to give off that type of persona.
He seems very intense.
That’s it. And people read into that. He’s a very good man-manager and he’s a pleasure to be around. He’s a funny man and he enjoys having the craic with the lads, and that’s important. Anybody I talk to seems to have this thing that he’s nearly the Almighty over us or something! He’s not like people think, but when it comes to football he’s an intense man and that’s the reason he is so good. To have Rory Gallagher beside him – personally I don’t think I’ve seen a brain like it in football. If you ask him the score from a game in 2002 he’ll tell you, and who scored too. He’s a very good man to have with Jim and the two of them are good together.
The perception a few years ago was that the Donegal squad liked a few drinks.
I’ll be honest with you. I’ve always said that I don’t know many lads who don’t have a few. But it wasn’t anything like people thought it was. I enjoy going out for a drink. I always felt like I knew when to stop. During the summer was when we would take a break from it, and there were a lot of lads there who were the same. In fairness, we had a drink after nearly every game this year.
That would surprise a lot of people.
Yeah. Maybe not all the league games because you were playing the week after. If you had a few weeks off after a game, you’d have a few pints. Nothing major. You have to enjoy it as a team and that’s something that maybe brought us together.
There is a story that after a drawn quarter final against Dublin a few years ago, some of the players stayed on in town to go drinking, as the replay wasn’t for a couple of weeks.
I wasn’t on the panel myself – I came in two years afterwards so I don’t know what happened that time.
Had commitment been a problem in Donegal before Jim McGuinness took over?
Ah no, Jesus. There’s no lads I’ve ever played with in Donegal that weren’t committed. I don’t know anyone who doesn’t like to enjoy themselves, but it was never like anybody said, with the partying for days – it wasn’t like that. Don’t get me wrong, we’re not saints, we enjoy a drink, but it was never as bad as people thought.
One story that was going around this year was that you guys were using NFL-style codewords to indicate tactical switches.
People have asked me about it – that Rory comes on to tell us if there is a slight change in tactics, maybe pushing men forward or something. There’s no codewords. I’ve been on teams that have used them. But I think the lads you’re playing against are intelligent enough to suss them out.
What was it like in the dressing-room after you won the final?
It was actually a bit surreal – it wasn’t as noisy as you might have thought. Everyone was kind of in shock and looking forward to seeing their families. I was looking forward to seeing my girlfriend, Edel, and my family and being able to celebrate that night in the Burlington. The best thing about that night was having mum and dad and all my brothers and sisters there.
There was some controversy at the press conference afterwards when Jim McGuinness had the journalist Declan Bogue removed.
I don’t know much about that to be honest. There’s a few skeletons in the closet or whatever. I don’t really listen to it much.
So it’s Jim McGuinness’ thing?
I won’t comment on it. Jim has a problem and if he wants, I’ll stand behind him, you know that way? Like, I’ll do whatever he tells me on the football pitch. I’m my own person outside that. But that’s a decision Jim made and fair play to him for standing his ground.
How did you feel about Kevin Cassidy leaving the panel?
I have a lot of time for Kevin, he’s a good friend. I’ve played with him my whole career for Donegal, apart from this year, so I like the man. He has a lovely wife and two gorgeous children. He’s a good fella. It’s unfortunate what happened, but it’s a decision that was made in the dressing room. We have to stand by it. As a team and as a collective, it’s the way we felt on the whole situation.
You were all together on it?
You have to be together. I would never ignore Kevin now or anything, I’ve still good time for him, but it’s just the way things panned out. It’s unfortunate because he is an exceptional footballer.
Was there a sense that someone had stepped outside the group?
Obviously that’s what it was, and I think it’s well documented what was said. There was a decision that the whole panel made. There’s 45 people on it and it was a tough decision.
I didn’t agree with Jim McGuinness asking Declan Bogue to leave. With regard to the book itself, there was something in it that I’d be interested to hear your views on: the whole issue of ‘sledging’, or verbally targeting players, which seems to have crept in.
To be honest it with you, I don’t think it’s crept in. I’ve experienced it for a long time. It’s part of the game and I don’t think it affects players as much as people might think. Everyone’s used to it. I don’t think there’s any sport it doesn’t happen in. Any sport I’ve played anyway, there’s been verbals in some way. It’s not something we would have focused on in any way. We wouldn’t pick out players on a team, but you have to stand up for yourself. If someone says something to you, you’re going to react and say something back.
I played myself, and really the only time people exchanged words was when there was pushing and shoving. Now it seems there is actual targeting of specific players.
I wouldn’t say you target specific players. You’re only really on the man you’re marking. I suppose I’m not beside anyone for the whole game, but obviously I do hear some things. Boys are big enough to stand up: sticks and stones and all that. It’s not as bad as people are suggesting.
What sort of stuff gets said?
Maybe if someone did something wrong, you might give him a wee jibe. I would never get personal with someone on a pitch, but I’ve had people get personal with me. I’m not gonna react to that, but it’s just the way it is. Believe me, I’ll still shake his hand after.
Even if it got personal?
Ah, sure, it’s all a game. It’s nothing, you know?
The other thing is trying to get guys sent off.
Someone swings a hand at you and maybe some players react. Any time you talk to a player that has done it, they have regretted going down so easy or something. It’s just part of the game and it’s another thing that’s been going on for a long time.
‘Jimmy’s Winning Matches’ by ex-Revs frontman Rory Gallagher became a big hit in the run up to the final. He played at the post-match dinner...
He did, yeah. I think Rory played in every town in Donegal (laughs). For years I worked in a hotel in Donegal town – the Abbey – and I remember him playing when he was with The Revs. In fairness, he’s a great musician and it’s a good oul’ tune.
When did the team first see it?
I think one of the lads threw it up on a projector at a meeting one day. We had a good oul’ laugh at it, you know. Fair play to him. It’s good to see another Donegal man doing well out of it.
Glasgow Celtic manager Neil Lennon was at the final.
I met him briefly at the banquet afterwards, and we met him then at the Late Late Show on the Friday night.
What’s his connection with Donegal?
I don’t know if he has a connection with Donegal. I think he has an All-Ireland minor medal with Armagh. He played a lot of Gaelic when he was younger.
I read him saying that he has a soft spot for Donegal.
There’d be a lot of Donegal people in Glasgow and vice versa. Gweedore has a serious connection to Glasgow. Frankie Boyle was tweeting about Donegal. I think he said at the Ulster final, “If Donegal win today I’m going to buy the 15 lads 15 sheep” or something (laughs). I think he’s a bit of a supporter too. It’s nice to have that sort of interest.
And Daniel O’Donnell of course.
Oh Jesus yeah, fucking hell! We got plenty of tunes from Daniel! We had a good old night there. After, I think the Cork game, we went for a bite to eat up in D2 in the Harcourt Hotel. He came in and played a few songs while we were eating our dinner. It was good craic. He’s good in fairness to him – he’s some operator.
Shay Given also keeps an eye on the Donegal team.
Our goalkeeping coach knows him well, and he’d be in touch with him. In fairness, he said before the game if there was anything he could do to help us out, he would, which was nice. He’s a big Donegal supporter. He’d be an idol of mine, personally. Hopefully we can get over to Villa for a game and get to meet him. He’s an exceptional keeper.
In terms of the aura that surrounded Donegal this year, Joe Brolly said you were the most incredible team he’d ever seen.
I always admired Joe. He was an unbelievable player. I always remember watching him when I was younger, and he broke a lot of Donegal hearts over the years. When you have a man like him saying that, it is a bit mindblowing. He was at a few training sessions too to watch us: the way we were playing interested him. He’s in hospital in London at the moment – he gave his kidney to one of the other boys in his club in Belfast. That’s unreal.
What about the aura?
I don’t know about the aura. We got a few lessons in the National League – down in Kerry we got absolutely destroyed. Coming away from that was kind of a tipping point in our season. They pushed us around and made fools of us nearly that day. We sort of had to look at ourselves after that game and say, “Come here, we need to sort something out.”
Some people were unhappy with the brevity of the team’s Late Late Show appearance. How did the players feel about it?
No one said much. I was up in Dublin anyway so I wasn’t chatting to any of the lads about it afterwards. I suppose it was nice to get on it. People were saying they could have asked Jim a bit more, but the players themselves didn’t look too much into it to be honest.
Will you be back training in January then?
I would say so, yeah. We’ll head off hopefully on a holiday and when we get back from that we’ll have the McKenna Cup and the National League. I’m looking forward to that.
The draw for next year’s championship was the other night, and you got Tyrone.
We have a home draw and fingers crossed we can get it right on our home pitch.