'We're probably in a Golden era in our school at the moment' - Turlough Carr

Like they’ve been doing in every other game throughout this school football season, when it mattered most the Abbey Vocational School came up trumps. 

The fact they now stand as the first Donegal side to play in a MacRory Cup final since St Eunan’s College back in 1961 following their 0-12 to 0-10 point win over Donegal Southwest in Ballyshannon on Saturday is really telling. 

The captain for the Letterkenny side 64 years ago was Kilcar’s Ian Hegarty, while in two weeks it will be Four Masters’ Turlough Carr. 

His leadership was never in question, in fact, he was named Man of the Match, with his two second-half scores being the focal point that the supporters will look to as the winning and losing of the game, firing them over at a time when the team containing an amalgamation of five schools across the county were asking serious questions. 

Considering the school is Donegal Town were competing in the Mclarnon competition last season and only won their first Markey Cup in 2016, the significance of this achievement last Saturday wasn’t lost on Carr. 

“It’s a real honour to say that we’re in a MacRory Cup final,” said Carr, still beaming in the aftermath. “We’ve been working hard for this all year.” 

Hard work has been the hallmark of Abbey’s rise this season, and this win encapsulated their spirit.  

Playing into a stiff breeze in the opening half, they dominated possession and picked off scores with clinical precision. By halftime, they had built an impressive 0-7 to 0-3 lead.  

Carr, a driving force around the centre of the field, was quick to acknowledge what the moment meant to the players. 

“It’s great, especially to be the first team to do it from the school in our last year,” he said. “We’ve been playing together as long as I can remember, so to finish our time at school off by saying we’re in this final is brilliant.” 

Their gameplan was centred on breaking the opposition’s defensive line with forwards Kevin Muldoon, Oisin Doherty, and the two Carr brothers Turlough and Tomás proving unstoppable on the ball at pace, and leaving it for their inside forwards Conor McCahill and Eoghan Gallagher to nail over. 

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“We’ve realised that we have the legs, so that running game suits us, and all we’re looking at is to get on the scoreboard early and try and build up a nice lead,” Carr said.  

“So, it doesn’t really matter if we’re playing against a strong wind because we have players who can break through defences.” 

With the wind at their backs in the second half, Abbey maintained their momentum, showcasing maturity beyond their years. 

“Then if you have the wind in your favour in the second half, which we did, you can use it to your advantage and we were able to kick on the scores in the second half,” Carr reflected. 

However, the win was far from straightforward. Donegal Southwest, renowned for their physicality, staged a fightback in the second half, narrowing the gap to just two points at one stage.  

“Donegal Southwest are a very strong team,” he admitted. “We knew what they were going to bring, we knew they’d be physical, and really, it was just about us getting ready for them. 

“I think in the second half, we just needed to stay calm and get our hands on the ball. We were probably kicking it away a bit in the second half but eventually we settled, and when we got our chances and we got our frees, we were able to kick them over.” 

Carr’s own performance epitomised leadership. Operating in a free role for most of the match, he seamlessly transitioned between attack and defence, influencing proceedings at every turn.  

“I love the free role, which is what I’ve been doing all year,” he said. “When the manager tells me that I can do whatever I want, that’s what I like to do. I can go on the attack, I can drop back and help the team if they’re in bother, I can carry the ball forward and set up some scoring opportunities. It’s an ideal position, to be honest.” 

The Abbey are aware of this unique achievement but Carr believes it will take time for the magnitude of their achievement to truly sink in.  

“We know that what we’re doing in terms of getting to these finals, that won’t sink in for a few years in my opinion,” he said. “But we will look back eventually and realise it’s a great achievement.  

“We’re probably in a golden era because we had great players last season that are no longer in the school, but they’ve been replaced by great players that came into the team this season.”