Lee Henderson’s fantastic contribution to hurling recognised by MacCumhaill’s

Lee Henderson was honored by his club Sean MacCumhaill’s following a career in which he made 124 inter-county apperances and literally won every honour at the level Donegal was competing in.

His wins included one Lory Meagher Cup and three Nicky Rackard Cup titles. In 13 seasons in the county jersey, Henderson, who was an unerring freetaker, was Donegal’s leading scorer for three seasons and was a two-time Nickey Rackard Cup All-Star award winner.

As captain of Sean MacCumhaill’s Donegal IHC winning team he was presented with a special award of appreciation of his achievements at the club’s presentation night last weekend. He also won a Donegal SHC in 2016.

“I was reared with my grandparents Anne and Noel Henderson in Ard McCool, Stranorlar,” Henderson told DonegalLive. “They were big football people and my grandfather used to take me to club games at MacCumhaills every weekend. I remember one day at a game and Artie Friel - hurling man also from Ard McCool - getting Marty McGonagle to show me how to hold and swing a hurley.

“I was only six at the time and I was immediately hooked. I also went to play football but hurling became my first choice. That was probably influenced by the fact that I enjoyed more success growing up at underage hurling than at football. There was a group of us from Ard McCool that grew up together - Travis Griffin, Paddy Hannigan, Gavin and P J Brown, Garvan Gallagher and Ciaran Matthewson. Ard McCool became something of a hurling stronghold.

“We won championship at all the age groups growing up U-13, U-14, U-16 and Minor right up to senior and there were a few of us on this season’s intermediate team.”

Henderson turns 33 in March and played football up to 2014 before calling time to concentrate on hurling.
“I was 24 at the time on the county senior hurling team and Donegal were going well and I simply didn't have the time to play hurling and football for the club and hurling for the county,” he said.

The late Eamon Campbell, the then Donegal manager, gave Henderson his first start in a senior Donegal jersey in 2008 having brought him into the county U21 squad the season before. Henderson was just 17 when drafted into the U-21 squad having also made his first senior appearance for MacCumhaill’s in 2007 under the then manager Don Brown.

“Jamesie Donnelly, Danny Cullen, Enda McDermott, Mickey McCann, Kevin Campbell and Paddy Hannigan were already on the team when I joined the squad,” Henderson said. It was a case of so near and yet so far in those early years.

Donegal lost Lory Meagher Cups in 2009 and 2010 but fortune favours the brave and they made it third time lucky in 2011 when they beat Tyrone 2-12 to 0-17, with Matthewson top-scoring for Donegal with 2-3. The win over Tyrone heralded a golden era for Donegal and the honours flowed. The Nicky Rackard Championship was won in 2013, 2018 and 2020.

Henderson turned in a man of the match performance as he posted 0-11 in the 3-20 to 3-15 win over Roscommon in 2013.
“I had taken over the free-taking from Kevin Campbell and I remember in that final against Roscommon, I converted a free from 90 yards,” he said. “Of all the scores I scored down the years that one at Croke Park was special.”

Three seasons later, the MacCumhaill’s clubman again lit up the scoreboard with 1-11 in Donegal’s Allianz National Hurling League Division 3 A final win over Roscommon, on Markievicz Park’s lush green sod. Of all his and Donegal triumphs and bid days and big results that 2014 League final win is right up there along with the Lory Meagher and Nickey Rackard Cup successes.

“It was a big result for Donegal,” he added. “It meant we were promoted to Division Two hurling for the first time. I know we were relegated back to Division 3 the following season but it was the first step on the road to the higher level hurling.
“We are back up to Division 2 and have consolidated our position in the last two seasons in the division which is brilliant for Donegal hurling. It will improve the standard of hurling in the county.”

After struggling with injury for a couple of seasons, Henderson finally called time on his playing days with the county at the end of the 2021.

“The start of my trouble was I tore a ligament in my ankle and I struggled to shake it off,” he said. “When I eventually regained a level of fitness I returned to play only to tear it again which meant another stint of rehab. 2021 was a frustrating season. I was struggling to get back to full fitness. I wasn’t making the team and it was hard watching from the dugout.

“So after giving it a lot of thought at the end of the season I decided to call a halt and retire. It was not an easy decision because of the bond you have with the players and the whole team. But I’m happy now it was the right decision.

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