Martin Carney would love to be playing in modern game

Martin Carney’s love affair with football will remain timeless and on a week when he very reluctantly will accept a Hall of Fame award in Mayo, he wants to talk about anything other than the award.

Ballyshannon-native Carney will be inducted into the Western People Mayo Sports Stars Hall of Fame at a function in the Breaffy House Resort in Castlebar on Friday night.

His senior intercounty career spanned some 20 years split between Donegal and Mayo. According to Fr Seán Ó Gallchoir’s statistics, he played 77 times for Donegal between Dr McKenna Cup, League and Championship.

His numbers for Mayo are even better, reaching 101 appearances, probably because Mayo would have played more championship matches than Donegal. He played championship in Donegal from 1971 to 1978 and with Mayo from 1979 to 1989.

When asked if he was aware of how many times he played, Carney said he had no idea and bemoaned the fact that during his career the championship was knock-out and many times you were gone after just one game.

“I was involved in the committee which would have pushed for the back-door, but it came too late for my generation.

“It is much better now and players are getting far more games, which is only right.”

Carney was central to Donegal winning their first Ulster senior championship in 1972 and was again on board two years later in 1974.

The Donegal team that won Ulster for first time in 1972 with Martin Carney front left

When he transferred to Mayo after 1978, he would go on to win four Connacht championships, captaining them in 1981.

While he retired after the Mayo All-Ireland final defeat of 1989, his link to football in the county was constant until quite recently.

He managed Mayo at minor and U-21 level to All-Ireland finals and has always had a big input at club level with Castlebar Mitchels.

His transfer from Donegal to Mayo, the home county of his father, was influenced greatly through his work appointment as teacher based in Swinford.

With Donegal he was a dashing half-forward cum midfielder but by the end of his Mayo career he was playing at corner back, a position he says he just loved playing in.

“When I was younger and at college my natural position was around midfield or centre half-back. 

“I would just love to play the game today as it is so well organised. Players get a real chance to express themselves,” says Carney, who points out that back in 1963 he remembered going to the first Ulster final that Donegal were involved in.

“The Donegal minors and seniors had reached the Ulster final and it is hard to believe that the same selectors picked both teams.

“Now you have backroom teams of 22 or 23. And they are needed, such is the way things are organised. I remember recently when the new Cavan backroom team was announced and all the roles. All they were missing was a team barber,” laughs Carney.

“I would love to play the type of football that is being played nowadays.

“But to be fair, back in the day  Donegal played a brand of football that was before its time. They kept passes short. It might have had something to do with the fact that we were on the coast and if you kicked the ball long the wind would take it.”

One of his great memories from his Donegal days came towards the end of it when he played midfield one day beside a tall, gangly lad from the North of the county.

“I had never met him and it might have been the first time ever he was in a Donegal dressing room. That player was Packie Bonner and it was my claim to fame to have played alongside him.

“He was doing his Leaving Cert at the time and I do believe he would have gone on to make a great midfielder. But I think he left for Celtic later that summer. He was in the mould of Sean Ferriter,” says Carney.

In retirement, Carney enjoys catching up with friends from back in time, from school and college. He recalls being part of the St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny team who won the MacLarnon Cup for the first time by a Donegal college. “We were lucky that year in that Hughie McClafferty came back from St Enda’s to the college and he was a big player in that win.”

As for the Hall of Fame award next Friday night, he says: “Listen, I’m honoured to have got the award but I really don’t feel I should be getting it.”

If you add his appearances for Donegal (77) to his appearances for Mayo (101) it makes 178. That number sits very well on the all-time Donegal list with Neil McGee on 195. Michael Murphy is second on the Donegal list with 177; Colm McFadden ended his career with 173.

Carney’s combined total would put him in second place.

When you take into account that Carney was limited to one championship appearance in Donegal in six of his eight championship seasons (1971, 1973, 1975, 1976, 1977 and 1978) there is no doubt that he would be close to the 200 mark in the modern era with back door, Super 8s and All-Ireland Qualifiers, etc.