Setanta blues had to be blown away admits Donegal star Michael Donoghue

Michael Donoghue admits that Sentana’s protracted run through Ulster and into the All-Ireland JHC series, as well as the heartbreaking way that ended, had left him feeling drained over the Christmas period. 

London exiles Kilburn Gaels’ stunning ‘smash and grab’ in the last eight of the national competition left a dark cloud hanging over the Donegal and provincial champions that the festive shenanigans struggled to lift.

Candidly, Donoghue reveals that the last thing he felt like doing was immediately picking back up his hurl and going again with Mickey McCann’s county hurlers. Physically and mentally he was spent. And no doubt the other ten Setanta-strong contingent on the Donegal senior set-up probably felt the same.  

But Donoghue admits that stewing and moping around the house wasn’t any kind of means to a positive end. A Galway native, now well settled in Glenties with partner and local girl Alanah McDonnell, he says the lack of hurling talk in and around the area meant he probably moved on that little bit quicker.  

“I’ll be honest with you, there was that drained feeling there. It was such a horrible feeling the way it ended with Setanta. After the Kilburn game I didn’t want to think about hurling for a week or two. 

“To be fair to Mickey and Jamsie O’Donnell, they probably knew we all needed that little bit of space. Fitness wasn’t a worry on their part as we were well up to speed. I went down home for a week or so as well. 

“Even up in Glenties, it was nice just to go about my business. The hurling talk is light there! I was able to rant and rave around the house for a bit but that wee time away from the talk even, you soon shake yourself. And you draw a line under it - you make the decision that it’s time to move on.” 

Donegal have begun their Division 2B campaign in encouraging fashion, recording wins over both Sligo and London. Cross channel trips can be difficult with tricky logistics to be dealt with. But - Donoghue explains - all of that was plain sailing this time out.  

“We headed over on the Saturday, from Belfast. We flew at midday and that just allowed us to get settled in and relax. We’d time to walk around, sit down and have our team dinner together and take our time with our team meeting later on that evening. 

“The game itself, we seemed to be cruising at one point, we were nine to the good. But we allowed them a route back into contention. They hit the last four scores of the first-half and the first two of the second. 

“They really came back at us. Every side has a purple patch and that was theirs. We did something very similar first day out (against Sligo) where we built up a good lead but then let it slip.

“But the most satisfying thing is that after they got their goal to level it, I think there was 68 or 69 minutes on the clock. There was a decent crowd there and the momentum seemed to be with them. But we turned it around and got the win. 

“It would have been a tough journey home had we folded. But, because of the way we won it, everyone was in great form. You didn’t mind that you were slipping in the front door at home well after midnight. You were content in that sense”. 

On Sunday, Donegal go away to Meath who currently sit joint top of the Division 2B pile with McCann’s men. Donoghue insists it’s a clash that will give Donegal a little more insight into just how far down the track they actually are at this time. 

“Meath will be a really tough game. They were up at Joe McDonagh level for a bit there and they were only relegated last year from Division 2A. I feel they will be viewed as the toughest opposition in the tier by everyone else.

“But that’s the challenge for us down in Navan. But because we have the two wins under our belts, we’ll go there with confidence. I feel we’re in a position to give it a real rattle”.