Off the Post: Ádh Mór Fear Mór as Dobhar Neil McGee

Our greatest gunfighter has handed in his weapons. For, the one and only Neil McGee of Gaoth Dobhair and Tír Chonaill has stepped off the inter county stage at the age of 37.

And he owes us nothing. A total of 194 times he pulled on the green and gold jersey that he loved almost as much as life, and he wore it with honour and pride.

For many generations Gaoth Dobhair has provided Donegal with great defenders-we had the Coyle's, Gallaghers in the 40s and 50s and then we had Anton Carrol. But none of them could ever match Neil McGee and in this writer's view he was the greatest ever full-back this county has produced.

From the day Brian McEniff gave him his debut in the Dr McKenna Cup in 2005 he commanded the square like a Roman gladiator. He was and is as hard as Errigal granite, a Gaeltacht Colossus who could fear into fancy dan forwards the length and breadth of the land.

And then there was that enigmatic almost demonic smile and when you saw it you knew that an interesting short sharp burst of verbal volleyball between McGee and whoever was unlucky enough to be marking him was about to begin.

Like big brother Eamon he could talk the talk (well maybe not quite as much as Eamon, as few could) but more importantly he could walk the walk. Neil played and more than held his own with Ireland's best and he was well worth those three All Stars which he won in 2011, 2012 and 2014.

He also represented his country with distinction in the Compromise Rules Series in 2011, 2013 and 2014. He won a NFL medal with Donegal in 2007, an All-Ireland medal in 2012, runner-up in 2014 and five Ulster Championship medals in 2011, 2012, 2014, 2018 and 2019 as well as NFL Division Two titles in 2011 and 2019.

And he won three county championship medals with Gaoth Dobhair in 2002 and 2006 and most memorably in 2018 when his club also won an historic Ulster club title. And who could ever forget that seminal moment in Ballybofey in 2014, when Stephnen O'Neill had a rare rush of blood to the head and actually tried to shoulder McGee.

McGee just stood his ground and O'Neill hopped off him like one of those pin balls that were so popular in cafes in the 1970s. Like all great gladiators he grew even taller in the heat of battle.

But he was also a very good footballer, with great positional sense, and for a big man had the feet of a dancer who could change direction in a heartbeat. And who could ever forget those surging runs the length of the field when he linked up in attacks for his county and Gaoth Dobhair. As recently as three weeks ago he hit two points for Gaoth Dobhair against Aodh Ruadh. For a big man he had a relatively low centre of gravity. And he also embodied Roy Keasne's mantra of preparation.

McGee went above and beyond the pain to make his natural strong physique into a potential weapon of mass destruction. His dedicated gym work meant there was nobody better prepared to play the game he loved.

'Neil McGee will be remembered as a legend of Donegal football'

The story of the Gaoth Dobhair and Donegal 'legend' Neil McGee, who this week retired from inter-county action, as told by those who played with him, managed and watched on

Although soft spoken he was very articulate with a natural droll turn of phrase, and unlike some ‘stars’ he was never too precious about taking calls and talking about things that others might shy away from. But he never gave away any trade secrets and had and has a great positive attitude.

Socially he is the very best of company and he certainly enjoyed those heady nights of victory and was at the centre of the craic. But it never interfered with his total dedication to being the very best he could be, and it was sad to see him going off injured for Gaoth Dobhair in last weekend's semi-final.
But, at 36- he will be 37 in November - his body was telling him to call time with the county. His back had been giving him big bother.

But typical McGee-he is now hell bent on giving everything he can to Gaoth Dobhair to make up for lost time. He has been paid quite a few tributes including this one from a man who won an All-Ireland medal for Donegal wearing the No 3 jersey.

“He has been a fabulous player, won an All-Ireland, played for Ireland and for Ulster, won three All Stars and has been around for such a long time-18 years since making his debut in 2005,” said Donegal’s other All-Ireland winning full-back, Matt Gallagher, who played in 1992.

“A fantastic player and he played for Donegal 195 times and once he got established and made himself an integral part of the team, he became a leader and it did not matter who he was marking, he always put in a big performance, feared nobody and is a really good fellow as well and a great example to young lads.

“Three All Stars is a fantastic achievement, and he will be a big loss but was not as fit as he would have liked as injuries took their toll with his back. Eventually your body will tell you when it's time to give up”.

“Himself, Eamon and Paddy McGrath formed a very formidable full-back-line for Donegal for a long time. From 2011-2017, they marked all the top forwards and more than held their own. They were a great basis for those Donegal teams. There will be quite a few forwards who will be happy that he is no longer around. Himself and Eamon were really tough guys.

“Neil was always in great shape, but he is not finished, and he will be around for Gaoth Dobhair. And it is great that he has been invited into the Academy for the young lads. That is what we should be doing. A lot of young lads would have grown up watching heroes like Neil McGee and that is great for young lad's confidence. That is going in the right direction. He has had a fabulous career and he does not owe his county anything.”

Gan amhras!