Kilcar winning minors of 1998 have Reunion to celebrate 25th anniversary

Kilcar 1998 Minor Reunion caption. Back: Aaron Hegarty, Barry Doherty, Paul Hegarty, Conor McShane, Ciaran Cunningham, Cormac Hughes, Christopher Carr, Jason Shovlin, Gerard McBrearty, Gabriel Gillespie, Ronan Bonner, Declan McBrearty, Peter Hegarty, Colm Carr, Daniel Gillespie, Alan Erskine, Neilly Byrne, Maurice Hegarty. Front: Paddy Sweeney, Michael Molloy, Gary Reilly, Aodhan Hegarty, Dara Byrne, Stephen O’Donnell, Patrick Gallagher, Gareth O’Donnell.

The Kilcar minor team of 1998 re-lived their championship success on Saturday night last with a night of celebration in Kilcar House.

It was a significant success for a team that did not contain one county minor that year, but they defied the odds by overcoming all and sundry before defeating Four Masters after a replay in the old Fintra in front of a massive attendance.

On Saturday night after refreshments and the Rugby World Cup final, one of the team members, Paul Hegarty, took on the role of MC and chronicled the journey, never missing the opportunity to praise and admonish the participants in equal measure. The panel members that joined rival clubs came in for special mention.

There was an entertaining question and answer session with Gerard McBrearty and Christopher Carr while presentations were made to the management team of Ian Hegarty, Neilly Byrne, Alan Erskine, Peter Hegarty, Paddy Sweeney and physio Maurice Hegarty.

Speaking afterwards the team captain, Darragh Byrne, remembered the excitement around the time of the final.

“Memories are a bit vague at this stage, 25 years ago. Time doesn’t be long going in. I just remember the build up to it more than anything, the excitement in the town.

“We’d never really been in one before that. We had when the club was joined to Killybegs and Naomh Columba but Kilcar on their own hadn’t.

“The fact that Four Masters had three county men and we had none. That was my main memory of it,” said Byrne.

“We were underdogs all year. The final was kinda even before ourselves and Four Masters, but leading up to that we met Ardara and St Eunan’s, we were underdogs.”

The campaign didn’t get off to a great start with Kilcar getting a trouncing in Ardara (3-16 to 1-10) and their future in the competition centred on their final divisional game against Naomh Columba in Glen.

“Glen had three county players but we never really let that bother us. We knew we were strong as a team.

“The game in Glen was a massive game. If we didn’t win in there we were gone, after the massive beating we got in Ardara.

The Kilcar team of 1998

“It was a massive game, made more because we were at school with them, friends with them. We were mad to beat them and they were mad to beat us as well. And the fact that we were going into Glen to play the game was a bit of an advantage to Naomh Columba.

“It was a massive turning point and it gave us belief that we could beat teams that were of that calibre.”

They overcame Naomh Columba by 2-4 to 1-4 and then overturned Ardara in the divisional final by 2-12 to 1-6. They needed a replay to overcome Glenfin in a fiery encounter in Ballintra where the Ballyshannon Gardai had to be called to settle matters after a game where referee Hugh Sweeney was allegedly assaulted.

The semi-final saw them overcome St Eunan’s and against Four Masters, it again took two games. The first game ended Kilcar 0-9, Four Masters 1-6 and the replay will always be remembered for four goals scored by Blackrock College Leaving Cert student, Aaron Hegarty. And they were all needed. Three of them came in the first half to put Kilcar seemingly on their way to an easy win, but Four Masters came back to within a point before Hegarty’s fourth goal sealed the win (4-3 to 0-11).

“We didn’t have the individual stars or county panellists but we knew that 1 to 20 was strong and as strong as any club as any team out there,” said captain Byrne.

One of the stories of the team was that Conor McShane (later to star as a defender) was a reluctant ‘keeper. And he was the victim of some jibes on the night from the MC.

“Conor went on strike a bit because he didn’t want to play in goals. And looking back he was a very good player to have in goals,” said Byrne.

“He was like a seventh defender. He was an outfield player. He wasn’t too impressed being in goal and the odd game if we were winning he would take a dander out the field. And a couple of opposition teams nearly took that as he was taking a hand of them.

“There were a few who gave him a reminder as we would have done ourselves if it was the other way around.”

As for Aaron Hegarty’s performance in the final replay. “It was unbelievable, four goals, 12 points. For one player to get. That’s the way Aaron is, he wouldn’t want to be the standout. He is very much a team player and always was. We owe him that final, in the replay.

“I think we were nine points up at half-time. We didn’t feel the game was over. Four Masters were a good team. They came back at us the first day because we were well up at half-time (in that game too). We were expecting a comeback. It wasn’t that we were complacent. They started getting a few scores and they built momentum and we found it very, very difficult to stop it. Until Aaron stepped up with goal number four, which was really the killer.

“It was down to a point and it was touch and go before that fourth goal.”

Four goal hero of final Aaron Hegarty with manager Ian Hegarty

Byrne remembers the big crowds that followed the team. “The old field in Fintra was a great field. It was a great place for watching a game. But the support we had all that year from the whole parish and the club, and in fairness to Four Masters they had big support too, and it packed out Fintra for those two games.”

Thanks to Declan Gallagher and Martin McLaughlin there was plenty of old footage and photographs which were on display on the night.

“Looking back now, you can appreciate that stuff. It was massive for the club at the time.

“When I was growing up we were always playing in the B competition. We won an U-14 county championship but it was B. We were always in B competitions until the year before (1997) at minor when we got to the semi-final. Ardara, who went on to win it, beat us by a point. We only lost a few players from that team, Michael Hegarty, Paul McNulty, David Rafferty, Gavin O’Donnell and Keith Cunningham.

“That was good motivation after losing the previous year. The heartbreak of losing to Ardara up in Donegal Town I’d say spurred that team on the following year.

“It meant a lot to the club to finally get over the line,” said Byrne.

The Kilcar management team in 1998. Back, l to r, Darragh Byrne (capt), Paddy Sweeny, Peter Hegarty and Maurice Hegarty
Front, l to r, Neilly Byrne, Ian Hegarty and Alan Erskine.

Kilcar’s 1998 Minor Championship Journey

29 June  Kilcar 2-12, Dungloe 1-4

13 July  Ardara 3-16, Kilcar 1-10

16 July Kilcar 2-14, Na Rossa 0-11

20 July Killybegs 1-10, Kilcar 2-19

27 July Kilcar 7-13, Naomh Conaill 1-3

14 August Naomh Columba 1-4, Kilcar 2-4

Div Final 24 August: Kilcar 2-12, Ardara 1-6

Quarter-final: 31 August: Kilcar 1-7, Glenfin 1-7

Replay: 20 Sept: Kilcar 4-12, Glenfin 0-7

Semi-final: 26 Sept:  Kilcar 2-9, St Eunan’s 0-10

Final, 25 Oct: Kilcar 0-9, Four Masters 1-6

Final replay, 8 Nov: Kilcar 4-3, Four Masters 0-11

Ulster Minor Club, 21 Nov:  Sean Stinson’s 0-9, Kilcar 0-8

DONEGAL CO FINAL TEAMS

Kilcar: Conor McShane; Ciaran Cunningham, Daniel Gillespie, Patrick Gallagher; Gabriel Gillespie, Stephen O’Donnell, James Cunningham; Christopher Carr, Darragh Byrne (0-1); Declan McBrearty (0-1), Paul Hegarty, Ciaran Bonner; Gerard McBrearty, Aaron Hegarty (4-0), Gary O’Reilly (0-1).

Rest of panel: Ronan Bonner, Derek McDowell, Jason Shovlin, Gareth O’Donnell, Cormac Hughes, Michael Molloy, Barry Doherty, Colm Carr, Diarmaid Byrne.

Four Masters: Conor Healan; Enda Brogan, Kevin Callaghan, Damien Cassidy; Barry Dunnion (0-2), Gareth Britton, Patrick Gillespie; Ciaran Cassidy, Marcus Monaghan (0-1); Darren Kelly, Rory McGowan, James Doherty (0-1); Martin Gildea (0-3,2f), Peadar Espey (0-4,4f), Ronan Sweeney. Subs: Barry Williamson for D Kelly (41); Martin Travers for R Sweeney (56).

Rest of panel: Shane Browne, Rory Colhoun, Kevin Molloy, Lorcan O’Toole, Wayland McGarrigle, Daniel Gallagher, Corney Gildea, Daniel Sweeney.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

The Kilcar team of ‘98 are scattered throughout the country with two members in England.

Here’s the full list

Conor McShane is in Donegal Town

Ciaran Bonner is in Navan

Daniel Gillespie is in Donegal Town

Patrick Gallagher is in Inver

Gabriel Gillespie is in Edenderry, Offaly

Stephen O’Donnell Kilcar

James Cunningham Kilcar

Christopher Carr Moville

Darragh Byrne Cambridge, England

Ronan Bonner Dublin

Paul Hegarty Kilcar

Aaron Hegarty Dublin

Gerard McBrearty Donegal Town

Ciaran Cunningham Dunkineely

Gary Reilly Kilcar

Derek McDowell Mountcharles

Jason Shovlin Kilcar

Gareth O’Donnell Kilcar

Cormac Hughes Dublin

Michael Molloy Liverpool, England

Barry Doherty Kilcar 

Declan McBrearty Dublin

Colm Carr Kilcar

Diarmuid Byrne Dublin.