‘Cream’ of the crop: Katie Dowds and Donegal aiming for All-Ireland glory

Katie Dowds admits that the manner in which the 2023 intercounty season opened couldn’t be any further removed from the way it’s now closing.

The MacCumhaills girl only turned 17 last week but she and the likes of clubmate Abigail Temple Asokuh were immediately thrust into Maxi Curran’s senior Donegal plans when that campaign first got going back in January.

Seven games further down the line and having suffered just as many losses, Donegal dropped out of Division 1 without a single point after a heavy defeat to Mayo in Letterkenny.

That was late March. At the time Dowds was a fourth year TY student at St Columba’s College in Stranorlar. And as well as that, she was also juggling both her part time work and football commitments.

Dowds works under the shadow of MacCumhaill Park - in fact she couldn't have gotten any closer to the front door of the venue if she tried. And the footfall past Cool Creamery and Coffee Dock’s door means it’s a hub of GAA talk most days of the week.

“I was a Transition Year student this year so that wasn’t too bad,” explains Dowds. “There was still a lot of school work. I’m moving into fifth year now in September. It’s been hectic - it’s a juggle at times.

“To be fair to the management on both sides there, senior and minor, they kept a good eye on things and made sure there weren’t issues like over training or things like that.

“And I’m lucky with work, they’re very accommodating with allowing me the time off if and when I need it.

“It’s great here, it’s really fun and it’s a really good place to work. The talk is constantly GAA as people are obviously heading into or coming from a big match of some description”.

In terms of just how it felt, going into the Ulster SFC on such a lob ebb, Dowds says that she was able to partition the disappointment. For her it was a learning curve, albeit a very steep one. But she didn’t dwell on it.

“We were just in the door so you’re kinda just settling in and trying to learn. I know the results weren’t going well. At the time it was probably harder or more frustrating for the more experienced girls.

“They were the ones that had worked so hard to get Donegal to Division 1 in the first place. I didn’t know what it felt like to be successful at that level, to be winning Ulster titles. They sort of had a standard they were used to. Obviously, losing games isn’t nice.

“But there was just this sort of reassurance every single day, from Maxi and the management, as well as those more experienced girls that we’d get it right when it mattered. I still mark it down as a good experience. There was still plenty of learning in it”.

Donegal at least steadied matters in their provincial championship opener with a hard-fought win over Cavan - their first competitive win of the season. Reigning champions Armagh would then come to Lifford and dish out a 1-15 to 2-4 drubbing to once again dampen enthusiasm.

With both sides fated to meet once again, in the Ulster final a fortnight down the line Donegal were, for obvious reasons, labelled ‘no hopers’.

And Armagh travelled to Owenbeg as overwhelming favourites to make it a hatrick of Ulster wins and all coming at Donegal’s expense.

But with Niamh Hegarty and Tanya Kennedy’s return to the ranks somehow kept under wraps right up until throw-in, Donegal pulled off a spectacular 1-10 to 0-9 victory.

“It was crazy,” Dowds says now looking back. “No one gave us a chance. With Niamh and Tanya coming quietly back into the mix, we just knew that little bit of quality was going to be a massive lift.

“But that sort of extra guidance as well, it took some of the pressure off. It also just gave the thing a real lift. The younger girls, we know how fortunate we are to get a senior Ulster medal in our first season.

“Listening to the other girls’ stories and reading where Donegal ladies have come from in the past, we really are grateful. And the fact that we’d been written off by everyone, it made it even more special.

“When the match was over, the scenes were amazing. You’re kinda taken aback and the emotion there was plain to be seen”.

Donegal exited the All-Ireland series at the quarter-final stages as Dublin overwhelmed them at MacCumhaill Park. But the likes of Dowds and Temple Asokuh didn’t have time to sulk or feel sorry for themselves..

She added: “We were lucky we could just move right into the minors again. We lost to Dublin on the Sunday but you had to switch focus right away to an All-Ireland semi-final on the Wednesday. There was no time to really dwell on it or feel sorry for yourself.

“It was nice to know that county football wasn’t over either”.

Donegal cruised into Saturday’s final following a facile 4-18 to 0-2 over Leitrim in the semi-finals. However, Dowds insists that the squad are more than aware that Waterford are a much different proposition at the weekend.

“We’re well aware of just how good Waterford are. We’ve put in a big two weeks since Leitrim. They have three senior players in their side. And Waterford came to Letterkenny in the senior league and beat us earlier in the season. They’re a really strong county in terms of ladies football.

“We’re under no illusions - this is a serious step up”.