Donegal's NFL triumphs and trials against previous All-Ireland champions

It was a win that in no way changed the course of the season, but at the time, many thought it had set the tone – perhaps Donegal supporters spoke too soon.   

On the opening afternoon of the 2023 National League, Donegal edged past All-Ireland champions Kerry in Ballybofey, with Patrick McBrearty delivering the decisive score in the dying moments – the season ahead under the new management of Paddy Carr and without the likes of Michael Murphy and Neil McGee, all looked bright.   

A 0-13 to 1-9 victory might not have sent shockwaves through the country, but for a Donegal side in transition, it was a reminder of what they could still produce on their day.

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Looking back at Donegal’s record against reigning All-Ireland winners in the league, it’s a mixed bag of famous wins, near misses, and the occasional humbling. But those games, win or lose, have always been a decent barometer of where the county stood in any given era.  

The story begins in 1988 when Donegal clipped the wings of a Meath side still basking in their All-Ireland triumph under manager Seán Boylan. A 0-15 to 1-6 victory that suggested something stirring in the north-west when Tom Conaghan’s side crossed the threshold into Division 1 for the very first time.   

“We played Meath in November that year, just two months after they beat Cork in the All-Ireland final, they were missing a few players, and I think the players that did turn up might have been a bit worse for wear that day . . . shows you the times that were in it,” former player Martin Shovlin told Donegal Live in 2024.  

In terms of skill, pace, and physicality, it was a hardy welcome for the Ulster side to Division 1.  

“Yeah, they were hard, but that’s the way the game was played back then, but the main thing we have to remember is that they were also excellent footballers. Alongside Cork, they were the standard bearers at that time, and that’s why those two teams dominated that era.”

Two years later, they faced a formidable Cork side, narrowly missing out in a 2-10 to 2-14 contest. However, redemption was swift; by 1991, Donegal had turned the tables, besting Cork 1-9 to 1-6.  

For every moment of glory, there were reminders of the distance still to travel. The early 90s were a mixed bag. A famous one-point win over Down in 1994, but also a harrowing 3-16 to 0-7 defeat to Derry the year before. Some scars don’t fade easily.  

The Armagh machine of the early 2000s was another lesson in cold efficiency, their 2-9 to 1-6 win over Donegal in 2003 typical of their iron grips on that era.   

But Donegal have never been ones to cower for long. Just two years later, they edged past Kerry in Ballybofey, a 1-10 to 1-9 triumph that was as much about resilience as it was about talent.  

There was a run in the late 2000s where Donegal seemed to develop a taste for picking off champions. Kerry, twice in succession, fell in 2007 and 2008, the latter victory notable for the kind of suffocating intensity that would become their hallmark in later years. A year on, they repeated the trick against Tyrone, outworking and outmuscling Mickey Harte’s side.

But when Dublin rose, the tide shifted. The defining team of their generation had Donegal’s number more often than not. From 2012 onwards, it was a run of punishing encounters, games where Dublin’s athleticism and precision told.   

Donegal, for all their defensive nous, found themselves overrun more than once, most notably in 2016 when Dublin twice dismantled them in both league and semi-final.  

And yet, even in those losses, Donegal’s defiance remained. A 2-5 to 1-8 battle in 2017, a single-point defeat in 2020. These were nights when they went toe-to-toe with the best and, crucially, refused to blink.  

In more recent years, something has shifted again. Donegal have picked off the champions once more. A league win over Tyrone in 2022, and then the county’s final win over the All-Ireland champions Kerry in 2023 when it looked like that season was going to be a bright one.  

Trailing by six points in the first half, Donegal's prospects appeared dim. The concession of an early goal to Dara Moynihan could have sapped their resolve. Instead, it ignited a resurgence. The team clawed their way back, point by point, setting the stage for Patrick McBrearty's climactic finish.  

In what was then the post-Michael Murphy era, questions loomed about who would step into the breach. McBrearty's performance provided an emphatic answer.  

And so to Ballybofey and MacCumhaill Park this weekend when Jim McGuinness once again reunites with Armagh, this time who carry the tag of All-Ireland champions.   

All-Ireland winner Frank McGlynn had journeyed with Donegal on many of their outings against the champions. For him, it can be looked at in many ways, but he feels what it delivers most is momentum moving forward.  

“I suppose the fact that the season is so short now, the league can be taken as momentum for championship time in the summer,” he said. “It’s an opportunity to challenge yourself against the best.   

“I suppose Donegal can already take serious confidence coming into this game having already beaten Dublin and Kerry this year, I’m not sure of the last time that happened back-to-back, and that’s not even mentioning the players that have to come back into the side.”  

Having already overcome two of the most successful teams in Gaelic football, the Glenfin man feels Donegal will be quietly confident taking on an Armagh who they’ve had the better over in recent times, despite all three games in league and championship last season coming down to the wire.  

“For teams at the moment, it feels that the priority is to get the handle of these new rules and try and develop a gameplan around that. Donegal seem to have a good understanding of that at the minute looking at their last two wins,” McGlynn said.  

“I suppose with the championship not far around the corner, you don’t want to overdo it either. We already have a number of injuries and we lost Michael Langan the last day too which is unfortunate, so it’s about striking that balance of getting a bit of momentum while managing the players for the main goal which is the championship.  

“We know in the long run, it’s all about championship football. Jim and his management all know that but I don’t see them lying down at the same time. Three wins on the bounce would be excellent for the boys and really set a marker down if you can say that they beat Kerry, Dublin, and the All-Ireland champions.  

“This season is new to everyone with the new rules and how teams are going to play and cope, but so far Donegal is managing them well.”  

Dublin and Kerry have been seen to, it’s time to bring in the champions. 

Donegal’s Division 1 League record against the All-Ireland champions  

Played: 23  

Won: 9  

Lost: 13  

Draw: 1 

Winning teams  

1988 – Donegal 0-15 Meath 1-6  

Gary Walsh; John Joe Doherty, John Connors, Cathal Campbell; Donal Reid, Brian Tuohy, Martin Shovlin; Anthony Molloy, Martin Gavigan; Pat Ward, Brian Murray, Tommy Ryan; Martin McHugh, Marty Carlin, Seamus Carr.  

1991 – Donegal 1-9 Cork 1-6 

Gary Walsh; John Joe Doherty, Matt Gallagher, John Cunningham; Donal Reid, Noel Hegarty, Martin Shovlin; Martin Gavigan, Brian Murray; Paddy Hegarty, Declan Bonner, Joyce McMullin; Tommy Ryan, Tony Boyle, Manus Boyle. 

1994 – Donegal 0-8 Down 0-7  

Gary Walsh; Matt Gallagher, Eugene McMenamin, John Joe Doherty; Mark Crossan, John Cunningham, Martin Shovlin; Mark McShane, Brian Murray; Declan Bonner, John Gildea, Paddy Hegarty; John Duffy, Tony Boyle, Manus Boyle. Subs: Eamonn McMenamin for Hegarty; Jim McGuinness for Gildea. 

2005 – Donegal 1-10 Kerry 1-9  

Paul Durcan; Niall McCready, Raymond Sweeney, Eamon McGee; Shane Carr, Barry Monaghan, Kevin Cassidy; Stephen McDermott, Neil Gallagher; Christy Toye, Michael Hegarty, Brian Roper; Colm McFadden, Ryan Bradley, Rory Kavanagh. Subs: Damian Diver for Roper   

2007 – Donegal 1-15 Kerry 0-13  

Paul Durcan; Neil McGee, Paddy Campbell, Karl Lacey; Paddy McConigley, Barry Monaghan, Barry Dunnion; Neil Gallagher, Kevin Cassidy; Rory Kavanagh, Brian Roper, Christy Toye; Colm McFadden, Brendan Devenney, Ciaran Bonner. Subs: Michael Hegarty for Roper; Kevin McMenamin for McFadden; Adrian Sweeney for Toye; Eamon McGee for Monaghan  

2008 – Donegal 1-8 Kerry 1-7 

Paul Durcan; Karl Lacey, Neil McGee, Paddy McDaid; Kevin Cassidy, Eamon McGee, Frank McGlynn; Neil Gallagher, Ciaran Bonner; Christy Toye, David Walsh, Brian Roper; Colm McFadden, Ryan Bradley, Kevin McMenamin. Subs: Kevin Rafferty for Bonner; Gary McFadden for Toye 

2009 – Donegal 0-11 Tyrone 0-8 

Paul Durcan; Johnny Gallagher, Neil McGee, Paddy McDaid; Charlie Byrne, Barry Monaghan, Michael Maguire; Brendan Boyle, Christy Toye; David Walsh, Brian Roper, Rory Kavanagh; Conall Dunne, Stephen Griffin, Michael Doherty. Subs: Eoin Waide for Maguire; Michael Murphy for Griffin; Raymond Sweeney for Monaghan; Ryan Bradley for Boyle; Odhran Doherty for Dunne 

2022 – Donegal 2-10 Tyrone 0-12 

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Caolan Ward, Brendan McCole, Stephen McMenamin; Ryan McHugh, Eoin Bán Gallagher, Odhran McFadden-Ferry; Hugh McFadden, Jason McGee; Shane O’Donnell, Peadar Mogan, Ciaran Thompson; Patrick McBrearty, Conor O’Donnell, Niall O’Donnell. Subs: Jeaic McKelvey for N O’Donnell; Oisin Gallen for McFadden; Ethan O’Donnell for McFadden-Ferry; Dáire Ó Baoill for S O’Donnell  

2023 - Donegal 0-13 Kerry 1-9  

Shaun Patton; Mark Curran, Brendan McCole, Caolan Ward; Caolan McColgan, Stephen McMenamin, Martin O’Reilly; Caolan McGonagle, Jason McGee; Daire Ó Baoill, Hugh McFadden, Johnny McGroddy; Conor O’Donnell, Patrick McBrearty, Jamie Brennan. Subs: Luke McGlynn for McFadden; Jeaic McKelvy for McGroddy