Donegal county football team
The Donegal county football team (/ˌdʌnɪˈɡɔːl, ˌdɒn-/ DUN-ig-AWL, DON-) represents Donegal in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Donegal GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Ulster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
| Sport: | Football | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish: | Dún na nGall | ||
| Nickname(s): | The Tír Chonaill men | ||
| County board: | Donegal GAA | ||
| Manager: | Jim McGuinness | ||
| Captain: | Patrick McBrearty | ||
| Most appearances: | Neil McGee (195) | ||
| Top scorer: | Michael Murphy (500+) | ||
| Home venue(s): | MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey | ||
| Recent competitive record | |||
| Current All-Ireland status: | Ulster (F) in 2022 | ||
| Last championship title: | 2012 | ||
| Current NFL Division: | 1 (4th in 2022) | ||
| Last league title: | 2007 | ||
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Donegal's home ground is MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey. The team's manager is Jim McGuinness.
Donegal was the third Ulster county to win an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC), following Cavan and Down. The team last won the Ulster Senior Championship in 2019, the All-Ireland Senior Championship in 2012 and the National League in 2007.
The team is a major force in the sport. Currently regarded as one of the best teams in the sport, Karl Lacey won the 2012 All Stars Footballer of the Year, Michael Murphy won the 2009 All Stars Young Footballer of the Year and Ryan McHugh won the 2014 All Stars Young Footballer of the Year, while numerous other players have been selected on All Star teams. Donegal players comprised most of the 2012 All Stars Team of the Year, as well as all three nominations for Footballer of the Year, ultimately won by Lacey. In addition, having been invited to assist the Celtic association football club in Scotland, Donegal manager Jim McGuinness became the first Gaelic football inter-county manager to have been offered a role at a professional sports team abroad. McGuinness's services have also been sought by Premier League clubs. In terms of style, "the system" deployed by McGuinness's team was likened to that of the Spanish association football team FC Barcelona.
Donegal is one of only five counties to have defeated Kerry in their first Championship meeting — the others being Down (1960), Derry (1958), Dublin (1893) and Cork (1889). Distances to games involving provincial opponents have been a problem.