McShea's Say: The Donegal SFC has yet to ignite

Back in 1914  at Easter Congress the GAA passed a motion saying “That future All-Ireland SFC finals be played in Croke Park on fixed Sundays each year, one on the first Sunday in September and the other on the fourth Sunday in September”. 

Apart from the Cavan v Kerry final of 1947, which was played at the Polo Grounds in New York I do not believe there was any great diversion from that famous motion - until this year. After two games in the Donegal SFC, it is fair to say that this campaign has not caught fire. 

It is much more like a league format and that may be a factor regarding the pretty tepid football that has taken place so far, but the incentive for players to gain a place on the county team in an All-Ireland semi-final or final is no more and is I believe a factor in the quality on offer so far in the games to date.

Matt Gallagher makes calls on final weekend of Donegal IFC group stages

Donegal's 1992 All-Ireland winning full-back Matt Gallagher looks through the movers and shakers of the IFC, where the eight quarter-finalists will be known come Saturday evening

Another factor is the imbalance in the standard of many of the teams involved and this has led to many one-sided games, which will not result in the weaker teams improving or making the required progress to compete at this level. 

I was in Ballyshannon for the Aodh Ruadh against Bundoran game last Sunday week and I watched St. Eunan’s beat Bundoran last Sunday. The game in Ballyshannon was a very disappointing affair, with an abundance of lateral football, and very little creativity. 

In this encounter the player in possession - rather than looking up and seeking a teammate in an attacking role tended to look behind him - before playing the ball back into his own half of the pitch.

It was a mirror image of the Donegal against Derry Ulster final, which resulted in many Donegal loyal followers voting with their feet and not travelling to see Donegal play Armagh in their final match in this year’s championship. 

St Eunan’s looked a very impressive outfit in beating an understrength Bundoran side on Sunday. They are a physically strong team, playing an attractive brand of football, and on this form, it will take a very good side to relieve them of the Dr Maguire Cup. 

Again, in Ardara on Saturday last, Aodh Ruadh had a struggle to win, as lateral football was again the order of the day, and without the accurate place kicking of Diarmuid McInerney the Ernesiders could have had problems. 

Kilcar are going well, and so are Naomh Conaill, while Gaoth Dobhair against MacCumhaill’s should be a good game this weekend. Killybegs, with Barry Mc Gowan and Manus Boyle at the helm alongside Shane Molloy and Antoine O’Hara, will be dangerous. 

They are a young team with potential and I like the idea of Hugh McFadden at the edge of the square - it’s a place where I believe he could do a good job for the new county manager, whoever that may be.

Excellent English 

It was wonderful to see Mark English run  a superb race in winning his bronze medal in the European Championship 800 metres final in Munich on Sunday night. It took two world champions to beat him such was the excellence of his performance, and he can now look ahead to next year’s World Championships and the Olympics in Paris in 2024.

To see Mark with his Irish flag was very special. You don’t want Ireland to be exalted above all others, you just want it to be exalted to the same levels.

Sport can do that better than anything else. Sport has far more effect on the way we see and understand other nations than trade or cultural exchange or tourism. Indeed, pick any nation in the world, and name its leading politicians, its leading artists, or its leading sports people.

Most people would be unaware of the Portuguese prime minister's name - for example - but a very large number could tell you Cristiano Ronaldo is still with Manchester United. 

And for a small nation like Ireland, a place in the hearts and minds of the world is most easily obtained by means of sport. 

Most especially when there is a world class athlete like Mark English to carry the flag. These events are much more than a feast of human endeavour, but to see the athlete’s parade with flags and see someone win a medal and stand for the national anthem is a unique achievement. Mark English made his country proud.

The late Ray Sheerin

Last week my brother-in-law Ray Sheerin died. Ray played with Donegal and St Josephs winning five county championship medals, he also won an All-Ireland under 21 medal with his native Roscommon. 

The support that his family received from the GAA clubs in Ballyshannon and Bundoran was simply exceptional. No organisation has a better ability to lend such support to a bereaved family than the Gaelic Athletic Association and this wonderful loyalty and support is consistent throughout every one of the 32 counties. This is an outstanding feature of the GAA, one I hope will never change.