Former Donegal player gets his Dr McKenna Cup medal after 50 years

On 25th May, 1975 Donegal won their fourth Dr McKenna Cup and one panel member, PJ Hoey, had to wait until the last few weeks to get his medal. Donegal defeated Derry in the final by 0-14 to 2-7.

They had earlier defeated Fermanagh after a replay (3-5 to 1-11 in first game and 2-11 to 1-5 in replay) while they conquered Tyrone in the semi-final by 2-14 to 0-9.

Defender PJ Hoey played in the first game against Fermanagh and was a member of the panel throughout that year.

Thanks to the good offices of former Donegal chairman and current Central Council delegate, Fergus McGee, Hoey is now the proud holder of a Dr McKenna Cup medal, even if he had to wait 50 years for it.

“The presentation probably took place later that year but I was probably not there. At that time I was on the road quite a bit with my job with Eircom,” said Hoey this week.

The popular St Eunan’s clubman started his football life with Convoy where he says he was taken to games by his father, who was very involved in the GAA. “That’s where I got my love for it.”

His transfer to live and work in Letterkenny was certainly to the benefit of the St Eunan’s club. Hoey had gone to school in St Eunan’s and enjoyed success with the school winning a Herald Cup in 1969. “The school had won the Mac Larnon the year before. We beat St Pat’s, Armagh in the Herald final. Paddy Moriarty, the famous Armagh player, was on that team.

“We had Mickey Sweeney and Mickey Crossan on our team.”

“I was a day boy. Michael Cullen looked after the Gaelic and he never got the credit he deserved. I remember coming back from games in Ulster and I would have missed the Strabane bus home. Michael would jump into his own car and leave me home in Convoy.”

Hoey would go on to play minor and U-21 for Donegal and feels that they should have done better at U-21. He also played junior for Donegal in the early ‘70s.

“We had a good U-21 team at the time. I remember playing Tyrone in an Ulster U-21 semi-final in Clones and we were five points up with 10 minutes to go. Tyrone brought on a sub, a speed merchant, who scored two goals and we lost by a point.”

“I was in and out of the Donegal senior panel for a few years but my job at the time was with Eircom. I was travelling around the country commissioning new equipment. I was in Killarney, in Tralee, in Killorglin, in Dingle, Bandon. When you were on the road it was impossible to keep up the level of fitness required for county football.”

As a full-back he says laughingly that it would have been difficult to remove Pauric McShea, the No 3 jersey incumbent at the time. “Pauric was one of the best full-backs in the country at the time.”

He won two Senior League titles with St Eunan’s in 1974 and 1986 and a Junior Championship in 1980 when they defeated Ardara in the final. “I remember myself and Joe Winston didn’t play in the senior championship in 1979 so we were eligible to play for the juniors the following year.”

His involvement with St Eunan’s continued after his playing days as he became in the administration side of the club, taking on the role of chairman and he was central to the start of the major changes which are now so evident at O’Donnell Park.

“There were things I wanted to do as regards development. When the land adjacent to the old park came up for sale we went for it,” said Hoey, who paid tribute to the work of his friend from school, Dr James McDaid.

“When he became Minister for Sport, he was good to us and he was good to the whole of the county. I had a good team as well with Noel Cassidy as treasurer and Charlie McAteer as secretary. The amount of correspondence those two went through applying for loans and begging everywhere. Any land that came up we went for it and that’s why we have all that land out there now.”

After doing his time as chairman for four years he says he was getting burned out. He was happy to hand on to the younger generation. “After retirement I did go back for one year but I had no fresh or new ideas.

“They have carried on with the development and they are still going. They are getting lights on the training pitch,” said Hoey.

Asked who would have been his favourite player to play alongside, Hoey singled out Paddy Gallagher of St Eunan’s. “I think he played a few times for Donegal but I don’t think he got the credit. He was a great corner-back. He was a brother of of James and Anthony’s.

“Dodo (Joe Winston) was a fine footballer as well. He was a great freetaker. Mind you, his son Kevin was a great scorer as well. And Kevin’s son is now playing for St Eunan’s as well.”

Hoey is President of the St Eunan’s club at the moment and will serve his second term in 2026. “It’s a two year stint.”

Looking back to his youth, Hoey says he went to see many Donegal games and wonders why the team of the 1960s didn’t win Ulster or an All-Ireland.

As regards the 1975 medal, he said he just happened to mention it to Fergus McGee one time and he chased it up. “I am going to give it to one of my grandkids. I have two grandkids in California and one in Ballybofey. I’m going to give it to one of them,” said Hoey.

1975 McKenna Cup panel

Donegal v Fermanagh (first game)

Noel McCole; PJ Hoey, Danny Kelly, Andy Curran; Louis Walsh, Brendan Dunleavy, Sean McGinley; Michael Lafferty, Paul McGettigan; Phil Kelly, Hugh McClafferty, Michael Carr; Kieran Keeney, Gerard McElwee, Neilly Gallagher. Subs: Joe Winston for P Kelly; Anthony Harkin for McElwee.

Rest of panel:

Donal Monaghan, Pauric McShea, Danny Kelly, Brian McEniff, Anthony Gallagher, Finian Ward, Seamus Bonar, Martin Carney, Martin Griffin, Seamie Granaghan, Gerry Whoriskey, Damien Judge.