The Inishowen link to Mayo's All-Ireland winner and golden boy Kobe McDonald
Kobe McDonald has been a revelation for Mayo in 2026 and played a huge part in their long-awaited All-Ireland triumph on Sunday in Croke Park.
Andy Moran’s men ended the ‘curse’ as they won the Sam Maguire for the first time in 75 years by defeating Kerry by 1-20 to 1-17, having lost the previous eleven finals.
And a huge part of that was the impact of Kobe McDonald, who has Donegal roots.
The Crossmolina Deel Rovers man is a son of former Mayo county star and 2004 All-Star winner Ciarán McDonald.
Ciarán McDonald togged out for Urris as a teenager, due to his father Danny being from the area.
Danny has never lost his strong links to home, and he and his wife Margaret are regular visitors to their home in Urris.
In November 2025, McDonald signed with St. Kilda as a Category B rookie. His arrival in Australia was delayed until after he completed his Leaving Certificate, and was put further on hold as Mayo went deep into the All-Ireland competition.
The 18-year-old scored three points in the final and will be a strong contender for Young Player of the Year for 2026.