New boss James Daly gets down to business with Donegal ladies senior footballers

The Donegal ladies senior footballers were listening to a new voice Christmas week just over a fortnight after the man that guided their fortunes last season suddenly stepped down.

James Daly from Armagh is the man that addressed the Donegal players for the first time  last Sunday morning after he had been unveiled as the person taking over from the outgoing John McNulty.

In an announcement that nobody saw coming, McNulty had informed Donegal officials that he was stepping away after just one season in the job. 

The Kilcar clubman had been an unsuccessful candidate in the recent General Election in the five-seat Donegal constituency and, after that disappointment, McNulty abruptly departed the Donegal bainisteoir’s bib.  

“Speed was of the essence when John informed us he was stepping down,” said Donegal LGFA chairperson Joanne McKinney. 

“If you asked me at the end of the season and after we retained our senior championship status once more, I would have expected John would be managing Donegal  again in 2025. 

“But when I saw the level of commitment and how gruelling the election campaign was I began to think it was going to be really difficult to continue.

“So I was not surprised when he informed me of his decision for personal reasons. But I have to admit it was not the best news I got that week. 

“With a little over eight weeks until the opening games in the new league season, time was not on our side. We had to get going to find a new man straight away,” she added.

“When no one from inside the county showed any interest in the job we had to begin our search outside the county.

“We had a number of names when we set out and James Daly was the number one on the list. 

“We were impressed with his record and his success at inter-county level with his native Armagh, Fermanagh, and Longford. 

“He had led them all to promotion and he also enjoyed good success with his home club Dromintee and Clann Eireann in Armagh. 

“Karen Guthrie remembered him from his time with Armagh and their many great battles with Donegal. 

“She was very impressed with him and those Armagh teams she played against from a few years back.”

McKinney admits Daly was surprised to be approached for the position in Donegal.

“He felt he had done his time at inter-county management and he was concentrating on working with his home club Dromintee.

“But he agreed to meet us because from his years with Armagh and playing Donegal, he knew the Donegal girls and he admitted he was always impressed by them.

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“When it came down to it, he felt the opportunity to manage Donegal was too good to turn down. 

“We are delighted to get him. He was our number one choice and we are now looking forward to working with him and he is keen to get going. He has been given a two-year term with an annual review”.

Donegal will play in a very competitive eight-team Lidl Division 2 League in 2025 made up of Clare, Cork, Galway, Monaghan, Roscommon, Tipperary and Westmeath. 

They open their campaign away to Clare on Sunday, January 26.

“He met the girls for the first time last Sunday morning at the Deele College ground in Raphoe because the Donegal Training Centre in Convoy is currently closed,” McKinney pointed out. 

“It was the most pleasant morning. They had a good training session and James is keen and the girls are enthusiastic and eager to get down to work because they know they are probably behind in terms of preparation”. 

Meanwhile, former MacCumhaills player and manager Bernard McGeehan has been appointed assistant manager as Donegal officials continue to put a support team together.