Karl Lacey and Donegal look to honour Pat Shovelin's memory in unique fashion

Donegal GAA hope to honour the memory of Pat Shovelin with the introduction of a U-19 invitational competition named after the late goalkeeping coach.

Shovelin was a crucial part of Jim McGuinness’s backroom team first time around as the county lifted the All-Ireland title in 2012.

The Ardara clubman passed away back in 2017, aged just 41, having battled bravely against liver cancer.

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From the moment he was diagnosed and, resigned to the fact that time simply wasn’t on his side, Shovelin continued to carry himself in a way that set a real example.

Pat spoke candidly about his illness in between and continued to man the sidelines with Declan Bonner and the Donegal U-21s as they lifted the Ulster title.

That night at the Athletic Grounds in Armagh, Shovelin was called to the stand to help lift the trophy with joint captains Eoghan Bán Gallagher and Tony McCleneghan, proving how popular he also was among that group.

Pat also set about crafting a list, a dream team so to speak, of his favourite XV from a lifetime of watching and loving Gaelic football.

And to a man, in 2019, they made sure Shovelin’s Dream Team came to fruition as they lined out in a special charity match against Donegal’s 2012 heroes in Ardara.

Someone who was close to Shovelin and also took part in that clash was Donegal’s four-time All-Star and former Footballer of the Year, Karl Lacey.

Lacey, now Academy Head with Donegal GAA at their Training base in Convoy, explains that he’s always wanted to do something lasting, to not just honour Shovelin’s contribution to the county, but to also act as a consistent reminder of his place in so many green and gold hearts.

Because of all of that, Donegal GAA will now forward a motion to Annual Congress later this month, looking to get the green light on the U-19 ‘Pat Shovelin Memorial Invite’ Tournament.

“Really, there are two parts to it,” Lacey told DonegalLive. “The main thing is we’ve wanted to do something for quite a while to honour the memory of Pat.

“Pat was so involved at development level, he was even in with the U-21s right up until his final months.

“He had a brilliant way with young people. He could speak to them and he could coach in a way that just resonated.

“Even his core values, the language he used and how he approached training, it set an example for others.

“The whole purpose around our identity in Donegal, our values, he was really big on the importance of all of that. Be a representation of where you’re from.

“He was proud of all of that. He was also proud of the effort people put in and, when it got its reward, he was so happy for each player on an individual basis.

“He had a really rounded and crafted vision on how you coax all of that along - get the best out of people, I mean.

“So much of what came natural to Pat represents what we try to make the Academy about and what we’re trying to achieve there.

“The idea to push for this was there from the beginning, or first time around with the Academy, back in 2021/22. I didn’t give up on it.

“But with Mary Kelly coming on board at executive level in Donegal as secretary, she was a clubmate of Pat’s at Ardara, a friend too, like so many of the rest of us.

“And when you want something done, or need help with something, Mary is a doer. She’s been brilliant with all of that.

“So we’ve got together, looked to ignite that original idea all over again and just sort of helped roadmap how we actually go about getting it across the line”.

Lacey explains that there is a break in the development chain and that the missing link, at 18 and 19, can be bridged by giving some kind of competitive action to that idle cohort.

“We have a pathway there,” he explains. “We look to develop and have games at 14 and 15, and we have the Buncrana Cup at U-16 as well.

“We also have Ulster minor championships for our 17s and 20s. So many people work so hard and invest so much time and effort from 14 on.

“But some of that good work can stagnate or even fall by the wayside at that 18 and 19 age group.

“So we’ve identified that as something we could maybe look to address and, at the same time, naming it after Pat is actually a perfect fit.

“You can take the group in, train them and keep their athletic development going. And the education in terms of nutrition, that can still happen.

“But when there are no games, no end goal to aim for, that leaves a hole. Players like competition and to have a target to work towards.

“The idea or concept would be to hold a competition over the course of a weekend, and that would just help keep them, or continue to make them, feel connected to the Donegal Academy.

“It just keeps that sort of lineage or pathway where you’re not letting them go at 17 and then, two years on, you welcome them back in and suddenly say ‘right, now you’re an U-20’.

“There would be contact, these lads would still be operating within a system but with some purpose behind it in terms of the tournament”

Congress is pencilled in for February 27th at Croke Park and Donegal will present the motion there in the hope it gets the required approval.

Lacey added: “In-house, counties will organise games anyway just to bridge that gap. But it would just be nice to have an official competition, held in Donegal and, at the same time, remember Pat.

“The Pat Shovelin Memorial Invite, where you’d have the big names like the Dublins, Kerrys, Mayos and so on, maybe a representative from each province.

“You’d have two semi-finals and a final over the two days. With so much football already going on, we’d be very conscious of not impeding on any of that.

“It was one idea to maybe look to hold it in October, to coincide with Pat’s passing. Again, if that wasn’t possible, we’d also look at perhaps February or March, before the club leagues get going.

“Again, all that is fluid and if we got the thumbs up, we’d work around anything that might present itself as a potential obstacle.

“As I said, we don’t want to impede on the calendar that is already there. We’ve also spoken to Pat’s wife Chrissie and his sons, Ethan and Tom.

“They were really supportive and on board, and that was another really important part of all of this”