Vocational School team of 1985 to be honoured at half-time on Saturday evening

Back-to-back Ulster champions Donegal open their All-Ireland Senior Championship campaign against Tyrone on Saturday night as one of the favourites for All-Ireland glory.

Such are the dizzy heights Donegal football has scaled to in recent times. But it was not always like that.

Donegal’s first All-Ireland success came in 1982 when Tom Conaghan guided the county’s U-21 footballers to the Promised Land and an All-Ireland title.

Two years later, P J McGowan was the man at the helm when Donegal Vocational Schools captured the All-Ireland Vocational Schools crown. Donegal defeated Longford in that 1984 final on Croke Park’s hallowed sod.

And the former county player and Sean MacCumhaill's clubman was still calling the shots when Donegal claimed a second VS All-Ireland title in 1985.

Once again Donegal were back in Croke Park, this time against Cork in that final.

The 1980s and ‘90s was a golden time in Donegal Vocational Schools football. In the 12 year period between 1984 and 1996, Donegal won eight Ulster championships and were All-Ireland champions on four occasions.

It is widely acknowledged that success at Vocational Schools level was the launching pad for where Donegal finds itself today, one of the leading powers in Gaelic football.

On the 40th anniversary of that second All-Ireland success, Donegal county board are going to mark the occasion by honouring the team of 1985 at half-time in Saturday night’s big clash in Sean MacCumhaill Park.

Former Donegal chairman Sean Kelly now retired, was a young teacher in St Columba’s, Stranorlar back in 1985, is one of the organisers of Saturday’s re-union.

“I’m on the periphery really. Eugene McMenamin, he was the full-back on the team, rang me about it and the players are basically organising the event themselves. Eugene and Aodh McCormack are the main organisers,” said the former chairman.

“I’m delighted the county board are marking the occasion by honouring the team.

The 1985 squad at training in Ballybofey prior to the final 

“I was a mentor. P J McGowan was the manager and had been the manager the year before too when Donegal won the first All- Ireland. I was not involved in ‘84.

“Barry Campbell, Manus Brennan and Anthony Harkin were the other members of the management team. Edmund Brennan gave a hand too. Edmund used to give us a run down on the opposition before every game.

“They were a very talented bunch of players and most of them went on to play for the county at one level or another.

“John Joe Doherty, John Ban Gallagher and Luke Gavigan went on two years later to be central figures in Donegal’s All-Ireland U-21 success of 1987.

“And of course John Joe was a member of the history making 1992 All-Ireland winning team. Luke Gavigan was also on the 1984 team.

John Ban Gallagher’s son, Eoghan Ban, is part of the current Donegal squad, as is Dáire Ó Baoill, whose father, Brendan, was on the ‘85 VS side.

“We beat Tyrone in Ulster in Ballybofey. That was a big win because Tyrone were the benchmark in Vocational Schools football back then.

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“And we beat Cork in the All-Ireland final in Croke Park. That was a big occasion. Back then the final was played in Croke Park as a curtain raiser to the National Football League final.

“Monaghan and Armagh were in the league final and there was a huge Ulster crowd and by the time the game was over the place was packed.

“And being an Ulster team both sets of supporters were supporting Donegal.

“It was a good team, a very well organised management team under manager P J McGowan and a very supportive officer board of the Vocational Board.

“The late Danny O’Brien from Buncrana was the chairman and Dessie Griffin from Ballybofey was the secretary and Frank Dooley, Stranorlar Vocational School also helped out on the administration side of things.

“Those men did trojan work in the promotion and development of the game at Vocational level in the county. “

The team of 1985 was:

Joe Boyle (Rosses CS); Niall Muldoon (Abbey VS), Eugene McMenamin (St Columba’s, Stranorlar), Brendan Ó Baoill (Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair); John Joe Doherty (Carrick VS); Graham McAllister (St Columba’s, Stranorlar), Donal Ó Donnabháin (Carrick VS); John Ban Gallagher (St Catherine’s VS, Killybegs), Roger McShane (Carrick VS); Michael McGarvey (Pobalscoil Ghaoth Dobhair), Stephen Boyle (Abbey VS), Sean Paul Barrett (Milford VS); Frank Ward (St Columba’s, Stranorlar), Luke Gavigan (St Columba’s, Glenties).

Subs: Gerard Faulkner (Carndonagh VS); John Connors (No Rossa VS); John Gerard McGettigan (Loreto, Milford); Gavin O'Rourke (Killybegs VS); Sean O'Driscoll (Abbey VS); Ruairi Muldoon (Abbey VS); Louis Browne (St Columba's, Stranorlar); Aodh McCormack (Loreto, Milford); Shane O'Brien (Buncrana VS).