Donegal’s Newry haul was their highest ever in championship football - here's the top five

The 2-25, or 31 points all in, on Sunday against Down in Newry was the biggest Donegal have ever managed in championship football. Here’s the top five ...

1 - June 27, 2021 - Ulster SFC preliminary round - Newry - Down 1-12 Donegal 2-25

Still smarting from their shock loss to Cavan in last year's Ulster final, Donegal went to Down for a preliminary round tie having never won a championship match in the Mourne County. There were also fitness concerns over Michael Murphy, the Donegal captain who was nursing a hamstring strain picked up in the Allianz League against Monaghan. Murphy didn’t last the half-hour before being replaced having felt tightness.

However, his replacement Jamie Brennan was immediately in the thick of the action, scoring the opening goal for Declan Bonner’s team and although Down pulled a goal back early in the second half from Caolan Mooney, Patrick McBrearty’s 1-6 ensured Donegal cruised into the quarter-final.

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Neil McGee, Stephen McMenamin; Odhran McFadden-Ferry, Brendan McCole, Ryan McHugh (0-4);  Caolan McGonagle, Michael Langan (0-4, 1f, 45); Ciaran Thompson (0-1), Niall O'Donnell (0-1), Peadar Mogan (0-3); Patrick McBrearty (1-6, 2f), Michael Murphy (0-2, 1f), Hugh McFadden. Subs: Eoin McHugh (0-1) for McCole (25), Jamie Brennan (1-1) for Murphy (29), Ethan O’Donnell (0-1) for Thompson (52), Conor O’Donnell (0-1) for N O’Donnell (56), Paul Brennan for McGee (63).

2 - July 17, 1966 - Ulster SFC semi-final - Dungannon - Donegal 4-17 Fermanagh 1-8

“Donegal scored 4-17 and left two or three more goals behind them,'' said the report in the Democrat. Donegal, playing against the wind at O'Neill Park, Dungannon, led by 2-7 to 0-7 at half-time. The writing was on the wall once captain Michael McLoone ran on to a Des Houlihane quick free to flash to the net and he also got the second first half goal.

The Ballyshannon man would help himself to 4-3 in total and he set up the fifth goal for John Hannigan. The win saw Donegal into an Ulster final, which they lost to Down by two points 1-7 to 0-8 with the game played at Casement Park, Belfast.

Donegal: Seamus Hoare; Fionn Gallagher, Bernard Brady, Paul Kelly; Sean O'Donnell, PJ Flood, Anton Carroll; Declan O'Carroll, Sean Ferriter; Michael McLoone (capt), Frankie McFeely, Mick Griffin; Des Houlihane, John Hannigan, Pauric McShea.

3 - June 10, 2018 - Ulster SFC semi-final - Clones - Donegal 2-22 Down 1-12

Donegal waltzed past Down to set up a meeting with Fermanagh in a novel Ulster final pairing. Despite losing Neil McGee to a straight red card after just 14 minutes, Donegal were in complete control, racking up 1-7 before Down finally got on the scoreboard after 26 minutes. 

In the second half, Donegal posted 1-8 before Down managed a score. Leo McLoone and man of the match Jamie Brennan were the goalscorers, while Michael Murphy struck over 0-5 and Patrick McBrearty 0-6.  It meant Donegal went onto win a ninth Ulster title as overwhelming favourites, with Bonner’s predecessor, Rory Gallagher, in charge of the Fermanagh.

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Paddy McGrath, Neil McGee, Eoghan Ban Gallagher; Caolan Ward (0-1), Paul Brennan (0-2), Frank McGlynn; Hugh McFadden, Michael Murphy (0-5, 3f); Ciaran Thompson (0-1), Ryan McHugh (0-2), Leo McLoone (1-0); Patrick McBrearty (0-6, 3f), Michael Langan, Jamie Brennan (1-3). Subs: Daire Ó Baoill for Langan (44), Odhrán Mac Niallais for McLoone (49), Cian Mulligan for Thompson (49), Stephen McMenamin (0-1) for Gallagher (54), Mark McHugh (0-1) for McGlynn (58), Eamonn Doherty for P Brennan (65).

4 - May 21, 2017 - Ulster SFC quarter-final - Ballybofey - Donegal 3-19 Antrim 1-9

A Jamie Brennan goal three minutes before half-time set Donegal on their way to a comfortable 16-point victory over Antrim in the Ulster SFC quarter-final in Ballybofey. Antrim had been giving Rory Gallagher’s team as good as they got until that point, with Matthew Fitzpatrick missing a goal chance at the other end moments before Brennan goaled to put Rory Gallagher’s team into a 1-7 to 0-6 lead.

After that, there was a challenge match feel as Donegal won at a canter, with Paddy McGrath adding a second goal on 63 minutes and substitute Patrick McBrearty blasting home a third in injury time. Donegal would go on to lose heavily to Tyrone in Ulster and then Galway in the qualifiers to signal the end of Gallagher’s three-year term. 

Donegal: Mark Anthony McGinley; Paddy McGrath (1-0), Neil McGee, Eoghan Ban Gallagher; Martin O’Reilly, Frank McGlynn (0-1), Caolan Ward; Jason McGee, Michael Murphy (0-6, 5f); Michael Carroll, Ciaran Thompson (0-4, 3f), Ryan McHugh; Cian Mulligan, Hugh McFadden (0-1), Jamie Brennan (1-1). Subs: Eoin McHugh for Mulligan (45), Karl Lacey (0-1) for Carroll (50), Patrick McBrearty (1-2, 2f) for Brennan (52), Martin McElhinney for Thompson (57), Mark McHugh (0-1) for Ward (60), Michael Langan (0-2) for McGlynn (64).

5 - May 13, 2018 -  Ulster SFC preliminary round - Ballybofey - Donegal 2-20 Cavan 1-15

Donegal had eight points to spare over Cavan in the Ulster SFC preliminary round tie that was played in Ballybofey on May sunshine. Following an open and reasonably entertaining contest, although one not with the ferocity sometimes labelled at the provincial championship meetings in Ulster, Declan Bonner’s team progressed to take on Derry in the last eight at Celtic Park.

Donegal, at one stage in the first half, outscored  Cavan 1-9 to 1-0 to move from 0-3 to 0-1 behind to 1-10 to 1-3 in front. Cavan’s goal, on 16 minutes was tucked away neatly by Caoimhin O’Reilly, following great approach play from Killian Clark, who cut inside and opened up the whole Donegal defence single-handedly. Ryan McHugh and Cian Mulligan were the Donegal goalscorers as they set off on a road that would see the Anglo-Celt return to the county for the first time in four years.

Donegal: Shaun Patton; Eoghan Ban Gallagher, Neil McGee, Caolan Ward (0-1); Stephen McMenamin, Paul Brennan, Ryan McHugh (1-0); Hugh McFadden, Leo McLoone (0-1); Ciaran Thompson (0-3), Michael Langan (0-3), Frank McGlynn; Patrick McBrearty (0-4), Michael Murphy (0-6, 3f), Jamie Brennan (0-2). Subs Ciaran McGinley for Thompson (52), Eamonn Doherty for McMenamin (58), Cian Mulligan (1-0) for McHugh (59), Mark McHugh for McGlynn (65), Stephen McBrearty for J Brennan (68), Caolan McGonagle for Langan (60).