'To win would be brilliant, but the carrot of the Christy Ring is even bigger'

Danny Cullen has lined out for his county 160 times in almost 20 years but few occasions were as surreal as the last time Donegal won the Nickey Rackard Cup.

In November 2020, amid the coronvirus pandemic, the world didn’t know which direction it was turning and an empty Croke Park provided an echoey setting for the final, all on the weekend of the centenary celebrations of the atrocities of Bloody Sunday.

Traditionally, like this weekend with normality restored, the showpiece would take place under a blue sky with roars of encouragement coming from the stands. But that day was different under their face-masked management team and although a touch lonelier, Donegal’s collectiveness shone through the crisp winter afternoon. 

“In Croke Park, in terms of the hurling, it never really matters what time of year it is, the pitch is always class,” Setanta clubman Cullen said this week. “It was an empty stadium but in ways it was special, with the Bloody Sunday anniversary adding to the occasion. The whole family, who would always be at games, were at home watching the stream. The one good thing about all that was there were so many streams. At that time, there wasn’t much happening so anything on live TV got a good audience.”

Goals made the difference for Donegal in what was a record third victory in the competition, following a nightmare start when Mayo were 0-11 to 0-3 in front, thanks mainly to the accuracy of Shane Boland – who ended the game with a personal tally of 0-11, with 0-10 coming from placed balls.

However, Donegal stuck to their task and with Declan Coulter putting over 0-9 and late goals from Davin Flynn, Joe Boyle and Ritchie Ryan sealed a fantastic 3-18 to 0-21 win, with Cullen chipping in three from play.

“We had a very poor start and when things got going. It was a big game, really end to end. It was enjoyable, probably because we won it,” Cullen, who was part of the previous winning teams in 2013 and 2018, as well as the 2006 side that lost to Derry, added. 

Cullen was only 16 when he first lined out for Donegal against Armagh in the National Hurling League in springtime 2004 and is in his 20th season now in the green and gold. 

Although still fully with the shoulder to the wheel, when he steps back for a second the improvements are obvious, with a production line coming into the county panel from a more democratic basis with the club scene evolving. 

On Saturday, Donegal play Wicklow in their fourth and most important date of 2023. The Garden County were comfortable winners in Letterkenny in Division 2B of the National Hurling League, on a scoreline of 2-24 to 1-11. 

With the sides finishing second and third in the table, it meant a meeting again in the semi-finals, where Mickey McCann’s understrength side spectacularly turned the formbook on its head to win 0-17 to 0-16 at Echelon Park in Aughrim, despite losing Ronan McDermott to a second yellow early in the second half. 

Then, just two weeks ago, in a dead-rubber back at O’Donnell Park with both teams having already secured a Nickey Rackard final berth, an experimental Donegal side led by 1-14 to 0-4 coming up to the break before both emptied the bench. Late on, Wicklow midfielder Daniel Staunton’s sideline ended up in the Donegal net to give the visitors a 2-17 to 1-18 victory. 

Danny Cullen's inter-county career stats, courtesy of Seán O'Gallchóir

The winners on Saturday will compete in the Christy Ring next season, an opportunity that was pulled like a rug from underneath the feet of Donegal and Mayo three years ago amid the abnormalities.

“We have a good panel this year, from one to 26, and went to Wicklow missing a lot like myself, Stephen Gillespie, Declan Coulter Bernard Lafferty  - it’s a panel game,” Cullen added. “Everyone is fit and fast with players coming through. Mickey took in Oisin Marley, Ruairí Campbell, Liam McKinney and Conor Gartland, when they were 17 or 18, to the panel. They couldn’t all play but it got them experience of being part of the set-up. 

“Mickey is a fantastic manager, very fair, with a good knack for winning. He has a really good backroom in place with Jamsie Donnelly, Martin McGrath, Anthony Coyle, Gabriel O’Kane, Sean Murphy. Some of these fellas have given up half their lives for Donegal hurling.

“Hurling in the county is in a very good place, with more teams competing and the numbers are good. Teams like St Eunan’s and Buncrana are right up there with Setanta and Burt and you’ve teams involved like Aodh Ruadh and Dungloe. It’s positive for everyone going forward. It’s very different from when I started, as Burt provided the bulk of the team on their own, with a few lads from Setanta.

“The attitude is so positive, with lads coming from Dublin or Belfast to train with us here, there are cars coming from Galway. The increased effort has helped. The training itself is a lot sharper. It’s taken much more seriously. It’s progressing really well and we want to maintain it now. To win would be brilliant, but the carrot of the Christy Ring is even bigger.”