David Walsh would have loved to have had that other five years

Starting his county career at the age of 25 is the only regret David Walsh has after he was officially honoured for his Donegal career at the annual Donegal GAA banquet in the Abbey Hotel on Saturday night.

But it is only a small regret as the modest Naomh Brid player has a nice collection of three Ulster championship medals and a Celtic Cross from the 2012 All-Ireland triumph.

If ever a player was suited to the modern game, it was Walsh, who could play anywhere from the half-back line to the full-forward line and was always so comfortable on the ball.

"I would have been quite late breaking in. I suppose that is one of my biggest regrets. I would have liked a longer period. I was 25 when I broke into the senior panel. It would have been nice to have another five years.

"But then there were many players I played with, Brian Roper, Niall McCready, Barry Monaghan, Damien Diver; all these guys and so many more who never got that ultimate prize of an Ulster medal or an All-Ireland medal so I have to be so grateful for what I ended up with."

Coming from a junior club can sometimes be a drawback and that was probably a factor in Walsh's late arrival, but under Jim McGuinness, like many others, he flourished and you can just see the raw emotion and admiration that he has for the Glenties supremo when talking about his career.

"He tried on a few occasions to get the job. To take that group from where they were in Armagh (2010) to that day in Croke Park. And he told us that there was nobody in the country who would believe us and that it would take us two years to get any recognition. There wasn't a word that Jim said that was not true," said Walsh.

Walsh's involvement in that triumph doubled the number of All-Ireland medals at the club (Matt Gallagher was the first winner in '92) but it didn't look good in the early years.

"The first time I came into the panel was in 2007 under Brian McIver and I made my championship debut in 2008 against Derry."

But the change in fortune for Donegal and Walsh came after a chastening experience in Crossmaglen against Armagh in 2010 and the arrival of Jim McGuinness as manager.

"Massive, massive change. And for us players, before that change we as players thought we were doing the right things, moving in the right direction but we took not just one big step but a million big steps.

"The talent was there and we just needed a big guidance and when Jim (McGuinness) came along it was a massive guidance.

"It was the other side of the coin really. It was life changing. It went from a Tuesday, Thursday and a gym session to almost a seven day a week job. But it got very enjoyabe as the year went on.

"Our biggest thing as players was to win an Ulster and it hadn't been done in 20 years. That was unbelievably the biggest goal for us.

"We spoke in cars going to training, imagine if you win an Ulster and to win it then, was unbelievable."

And apart from the success, you had great craic going to training. "Myself at the time, you had the likes of Brian Roper and Niall McCready from Aodh Ruadh; Barry Monaghan and Karl Lacey, Barry Dunnion from Donegal Town. A great group of lads, you couldn't ask for better. And some of them greats of Donegal football never won an Ulster."

And Walsh keeps returning to those 8-9 months of 2011 which he says "was life-changing for Donegal football.

"You can see the county manager now, county captain and players chatting; an Ulster medal at the minute is a given, they should be going out and winning that. And rightly so; the talent is there," said Walsh, who feels that the Donegal focus is now even higher on the Super 8s and an All-Ireland semi-final.

"The targets are higher and I suppose after 2012 the levels are higher also. Without a shadow of a doubt, with a bit of tweaking here and there, the current Donegal senior team can go and make a big impression in next year's championship."

One of the moments that stands out in David Walsh's career and his commitment to the jersey came in the last seconds of the All-Ireland semi-final against Cork, when he got turned over in midfield and the ball went forward to Colm O'Neill, who blasted over the bar. The final whistle went almost immediately and with everyone around him celebrating Walsh sought out his manager to apologise for losing the ball. Which says so much about the Naomh Brid player.

"I'll never forget that moment. It was one that always sticks out. I suppose at the time I wasn't on for the full game. My role was to empty the tank when I came on and I suppose at that moment I was a wee bit emptied and I should have moved the ball a wee bit quicker. I knew I was wrong and I am that sort of person who holds his hand up," said Walsh. "I just said sorry to Jim, but thankfully it didn't affect the result and we went on to win the big prize."

While success did not come as frequent at club level, Walsh was an important part of a Naomh Brid team in 2006 that won Donegal and went all the way to an Ulster Junior club final, losing out to Greencastle of Tyrone in Casement Park.

And it could have been different but for an injury picked up by Walsh in the run-in to the final which seriously curtailed his participation.

"I think that year was a pinnacle for me. I knuckled down and I had a few trials with the county team before that. I got a taste of the level and I knew I had what it took but I needed to knuckle down big time," said Walsh, who dislocated his shoulder in a work injury days before the final.

"I got it popped in and tried to play through the pain barrier."

But while that didn't work out, Walsh is very happy with his career in the Donegal jersey. "To be honest, from 2007 to 2010 and then from 2011, was a case of the thin and the thick. The turning point came in 2011 and I was very, very fortunate to see both sides of the coin.

"I've made some of the best friends you could make. You could ring them up in the morning if you needed anything.

"It was one of the things that Jim (McGuinness) said when we first met up; the friends we would make for the future. There wasn't a word that he said that wasn't true."

While he played his last game in the All-Ireland Qualifier against Galway in Croke Park in 2015, Walsh is just as busy these days. He is on the road as a rep with MCM and has plenty to keep him busy at home.

"Family life has kicked in and we had a wee girl just over a year ago, so it has been a busy time. I suppose it has distracted a man away from the GAA.

"You miss the football. I suppose overall since the team started winning things in 2011, you miss your friends above all. And that's what makes great teams, great friends."

He has ruled out taking a referee's whistle but would like to return to a role on the sideline in the future.

But for now we should be thankful for the contribution that he has made to his club and county. The Walsh name is synonymous with the GAA in the south of the county and he has carried the mantle with some distinction.