Michael Murphy ready to contribute as much or as little as Donegal ask of him

Michael Murphy says no guarantees or promises have been made to him as he again gets ready to commit to the Donegal cause in 2026. 

Jim McGuinness managed to convince his 2012 All-Ireland winning captain to return to the fold once again last term, after he’d initially decided to call it a day back at the tail end of 2022. 

READ NEXT: Donegal to learn their Ulster SFC fate by way of live draw on Thursday night 

Donegal came up just short in the 2024 All-Ireland semi-final as Galway fell over the line. And with Armagh taking down the Tribesmen in the subsequent decider - a team Donegal disposed off in the Ulster final; many wondered just what might have been had Murphy been available to be sprung.

McGuinness again made his approach at the tail end of 2024 but, this time, Murphy relented, coming back into the fold in spectacular fashion. 

His reintroduction against Armagh last February, in the league, was memorable for a variety of reasons. 

Not only did he light up Ballybofey with a classy cameo, he also reduced Orchard captain Aidan Forker, the man who lifted Sam, to a comical ram-type character that, when all else failed, resorted to dunting the Donegal talisman with his head.

And, in a way, to see the All-Ireland champions and their leader come unhinged in that manner, it had to have shifted some sort of psychological pendulum back Donegal’s way ahead of the much more serious business of the Ulster SFC. 

Armagh had Sam but Donegal now had Murphy once more and when the chips were down just three short months later in Clones, McGuinness’ side again had Armagh’s number. 

When news of that retirement U-turn initially broke,  many expected the Glenswilly native to be used in an impact-type role, sprung late in games like that Galway All-Ireland semi-final, to see could he drag his side over the line. 

But Murphy exceeded even the wildest of expectations as he earned another All-Star award and a Footballer of the Year nomination. 

Now, as he prepares to ease himself back into that old late November routine, he explains how some lively and energetic new faces to the fold are having a reinvigorating impact on the more experienced players within the group. 

“Finnbarr Roarty, he was only a baby when I made my debut. From the outside looking in, supporters probably think those young lads look to the older fellas for learning or some type of guidance. 

“But I can tell you, this year, I was looking down at those younger lads and learning so much as well. It really has been inspiring. 

“To see them going out, the lack of fear in someone like Finnbarr, it just lifts you in the process. Ciaran Moore, Shane O’Donnell, Conor O’Donnell, Michael Langan, I could go through the lot. 

“They are an incredible group of lads to be in and around. 

“Jim and the management team will drive that once more in 2026. You all know how proud a Donegal man, Jim is. 

“Every day we go out we go out to represent Donegal and the people of Donegal”.

Speaking at the guest of honour at the Donegal Association Dinner Gala in London, Murphy says the hurt from their decider loss to the Kingdom still lingers but that it’s now almost time to start looking forward once more. 

“We had a decent enough year,” he explained. “Looking back on it, from this time last year, I didn’t think I’d be back with Donegal again. 

“Like any sports person, they’ll inevitably say the pain of the negatives hits harder than the positives. 

“But over the course of the year, that journey as Donegal people we all went on; it wasn’t a bad season. It’s just that bump at the very end. 

“The pain of the All-Ireland final loss to Kerry still lingers there. It was a tough one to take and a bitter pill to swallow.

“The Monday after the Ulster final was amazing. The Monday after the All-Ireland final, you wouldn’t wish it on anyone.   

“As a team… and I mean up in Convoy on a winter’s night or running out in a big championship game; you do all that together. 

“You enjoy the wins together and you suffer collectively as well when it doesn’t quite work out. The following we had all year was simply mind-blowing. 

“We played eleven championship games and the crowds just got bigger and bigger. Even in defeat to Kerry, the crowd that showed up in Pettigo and especially Donegal Town on the Monday night to welcome us home. I still get shivers thinking about that.

“They shared that pain with us and it really meant a huge deal”. 

In terms of what he can offer in 2026, Murphy says he’ll approach the new campaign the exact same way he brokered the last one. 

“You’re a cog in the wheel, you look to do your best. If I can do that next season for two minutes in a game, ten minutes or, maybe no game minutes at all but just on the training field, I’ll do my best to just help push the thing on.

“It’s late November, going into December and it’s that time of year again, pre-season. I’m looking forward to it”.