Mac's View: Late Sean O'Donnell was one of the all-time greats in Donegal

I was at the funeral of Sean O’Donnell on Tuesday and there was plenty of reminiscing about his great career as a member of the Donegal senior team in the 1950s and 1960s.

I remember the day he made his championship debut for Donegal against Monaghan in Bundoran in 1955. I was young at the time and one of the memories is of a Joe Carroll ‘50’ going all the way to the Cavan net. Also a Cavan man Austin Briody, who was living in Donegal Town, was playing for Donegal and he got busted and was carried off with blood coming from him. I was just a young lad sitting inside the fence.


Late Sean O'Donnell

Then in 1956 and ‘57 Sean O’Donnell was playing right half-forward for Ulster and I was in Macartan’s in Monaghan and it was great to have a Donegal man on the Ulster team.

Those were my early memories of O’Donnell and when I came into the Donegal team in 1961 he would have been an established player. He had made his way back to half-back by then and in that role he was ahead of his time. He was a great man to carry the ball and take a score.

He also was the Acting Town Clerk in Bundoran on several occasions as he worked all his life with Donegal County Council after his Leaving Cert. He went to school in Multyfarnham in Westmeath and later transferred to Gormanston. I believe he won Colleges titles in Leinster and played for the Leinster Colleges side because at that time colleges played provincial games. His last game was against Down in 1968 in the Ulster semi-final; we had beaten Armagh in the first game.

I would have played against him at club level too. Sean had won senior championships with a very useful Dungloe side in the 1950s and they had a great rivalry with Gaoth Dobhair. I also played against him in a county final in 1970 when St Joseph’s beat Rosses Rovers. He would have been centre half-forward that day and I would have been at centre half-back.

He was a great athlete but he was also a great man to socialise and he enjoyed a bit of craic. Later he got involved with MacCumhaill’s and would have managed them before going on to manage the Donegal senior team. He was manager of the Donegal team that reached the Ulster final in 1979 and I remember him asking me to organise a group of players to play Donegal in a challenge game before that final.

Sean would have been regarded as one of the all time greats of Donegal football, a wonderful athlete, a wonderful footballer and a joy to watch. There was plenty of football talk at the funeral on Tuesday and among those present was PJ Flood, over from London.

Sean would be regarded as one of the all time greats, wonderful athlete, wonderful 

DONEGAL SFC

The senior championship in Donegal is tipping along nicely with three rounds now complete, apart from one match postponed at the weekend. Dungloe are showing that they are prepared to go back again and win it.

Gaoth Dobhair are also showing well while St Eunan’s, who I would have fancied to win it, are not setting the world alight. Still if they put their best foot forward I still think it is theirs to lose.

MacCumhaill’s are a side that have come on powerfully. I watched their game against Glenswilly on TV and they looked strong. I was impressed with Marty O’Reilly, who seems to be playing his best football in a few years.

Glenties are not sparking as they should be but their leading man, Ciaran Thompson, is a big loss. Still, they will be involved in the business end. And Kilcar will not be easy to beat either. I think it might be a wee bit early for Four Masters yet.

There is still a lot of football to be played yet and the games on Sunday week will be very important.

The Intermediate championship is also tipping along nicely. There are three or four big teams as usual. Naomh Padraig, Muff are one of the surprise contenders but I saw them against Bundoran and they are a good team and a big team. Naomh Columba won’t be easy to beat and Bundoran are back on track with a couple of wins but they have suffered two big blows with Ryan Walsh and Niall Carr out with cruciate injuries. However, Ciaran McCaughey is doing a good job with them. Buncrana and Malin will be in the mix too.

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I was glad to see Pettigo getting a first win in the junior championship at the weekend as it is not easy for those small clubs, but they seem to have the numbers this year.

Finally  this week, best wishes to great GAA stalwart Connie McMahon, who is recuperating in the Sheil Hospital, Ballyshannon and I was able to visit him this week.

Brian McEniff was in conversation with Peter Campbell