Playing is a privilege and I know Setanta lads don’t take it for granted - McDaid 

Anthony McDaid would jump at the chance to line out for Setanta in Saturday’s AIB Ulster Intermediate hurling championship final against Eire Óg of Carrickmore.

The Cross men booked their spot in the final at Owenbeg with a superb 0-13 to 1-11 win over Armagh’s Middletown a fortnight ago. 

“It would be nice alright to be playing again and looking forward to the final,” says Anthony, one of Setanta’s most decorated hurlers and an eight-time SHC winner.

“It would be nice to put on the jersey again. But I’m not sure I would be able to keep up with the young lads! I’m 56 this year, but if I was 20 to 30 years younger I would relish the chance to hurl again and play in an Ulster final.

“It’s a privileged position and I know the lads don’t take it for granted”. 

Anthony played in two Ulster junior finals back in his time but came out on the wrong side of the result on both occasions. 

“I played in the 2007 and 2008 finals and we lost both of them. The Junior championship was new at the time and was not as big and hadn’t the profile it has nowadays. 

“I honestly cannot remember who beat us in those finals. But all I do remember was one of them was a very close game and there was only a point or two in at the finish. 

“We were well beaten in the other. We gave away a few bad goals on the day.”  

In the 2007 final, the club’s first Glen Rovers, Armoy, the Antrim champions, were Setanta’s conquerors. The Antrim champions men 1-9 to 0-11 winners. 

By then he was in the twilight of his career having won the first of his eight senior championships back in 1983. 

“I was 16 when I won my first senior championship and I won my last some 25 years later in 2007. 

“Laurence and Mickey Doherty, Stanley Ewing, Ciaran Doherty, Eamon Farrell, Seamus Cullinane and Declan Doyle were the big players in the senior team when I joined the team.                                                                                                                                                                              

“The 1980s was a very good period for the club, which was only newly formed. They had won two championships 1980 and 1981 before I joined the team and we went on to win six more 1983, ‘84, ‘85,’86,’87 (five in a row)  and 1990.

“We beat Burt in most of those finals though I think we also beat Carndonagh in a couple too. But Burt were the main opposition that time and I think there were a couple of years where we were the only teams in the championship.”

“Anthony was one of the leaders of that great Setanta team,” said current Donegal manager Mickey McCann, also a former Burt player.

“I played both against Anthony with Burt and with him for Donegal and he was a real leader on the field. 

“He was a tough, hard man and if you went into a tackle with him for the ball you knew afterwards. He would never pull back and he was fearless. 

“Anthony is a quiet man off the field and he doesn’t say much on the field either. He prefers to let the hurl and the sliotar do the talking.

“I rated him very highly and I know when I say that I speak for all Burt men that played against him and with him. He was one of the Setanta men we had the height of respect for and always saw him as a tough but fair opponent.”    

Amazingly, after winning eight championships, Setanta went 17 years before next taking the Munster Cup back to the Crossroads. 

McDaid explained: “Burt totally dominated the championship and won 16 in a row before we beat them in 2007 and again in 2008. 

“It was a long spell and it was hard to take given we had been so dominant. But the old team just faded away and there were no young lads coming through. 

“As I recall, we went a good few years before we even got back to a final. Basically, it was a case of underage hurling being neglected and not enough work done with the youth.” 

After the back-to-back successes of 2007 and 2008, Setanta followers had to wait another nine years for the next win in 2017.  

In that final they defeated St Eunan’s in O’Donnell Park. By then Anthony had hung up the boots. He retired after the 2008 Ulster final defeat.

“While I always looked after myself at 41, the body was begging to tell me enough was enough. It was hard to walk away at the time. 

But on reflection, it was the right decision and I have no regrets. I have senior championship medals to show for my career, though I’m not sure where they are.”

Anthony was a talented footballer too with Red Hugh’s who, for a time in the 1980s and early ‘90s, were one of the top senior football teams in Donegal. 

“I played a lot of football too. It meant I was in great shape all year round. We had a decent football team that time too. 

“We got to a couple of county finals but were beaten by good Aodh Ruadh, Ballyshannon (1987) and Killybegs (1991) teams. 

“I liked football too but hurling was my favourite. That 2017 win was the first success for the current team and they won it again in 2019 and in the last two years.

“They are a good side with a good mix of experienced older players like Danny Cullen, Gerard Gilmore, Declan Coulter, Niall Cleary, Michael Donoghue, Kevin Campbel, Bernard Lafferty and Marty Callaghan.

“And they have good young lads coming through from the great work that is being done at underage in recent years. 

“Lads like Ruairi Campbell, Oisin Marley, Dean Harvey and Josh McGee Cronolly are top stuff. 

“Unfortunately I cannot get to the game because I’m away but I will be following the game closely and hopefully they will win.

“It is not going to be easy. Carrickmore are always tough opposition but I feel we have the team to beat them.”