This article needs additional citations for verification .(May 2020) |
Sport: | Football | ||
---|---|---|---|
Irish: | Doire [1] | ||
Nickname(s): | The Oak Leafers | ||
County board: | Derry GAA | ||
Manager: | Mickey Harte | ||
Captain: | Conor Glass | ||
Home venue(s): | Celtic Park, Derry [1] Owenbeg, Dungiven [1] | ||
Recent competitive record | |||
Current All-Ireland status: | Ulster (W) in 2023 | ||
Last championship title: | 1993 | ||
Current NFL Division: | 1 | ||
Last league title: | 2008 | ||
|
The Derry county football team represents Derry GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football. [2] 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.
Derry's home ground is Celtic Park. The team's manager is Rory Gallagher.
The team last won the Ulster Senior Championship in 2022, the All-Ireland Senior Championship in 1993 and the National League in 2008.
In 1947, Derry won the National Football League. The group leaders were invited to play in the League semi-finals because heavy snow had disrupted the competition. Francie Niblock scored one of the finest goals in League history in Croke Park as Derry beat Clare.
In 1958, the county won its first Ulster Senior Football Championship (SFC) and secured a surprise victory in that year's All-Ireland semi-final, beating Kerry thanks to a Sean O'Connell goal three minutes from the end. In the final, Derry scored a goal ten minutes into the second half through Owen Gribben, but Dublin secured victory with goals scored by Paddy Farnan and Johnny Joyce.
In 1965, the Derry minor team won the All-Ireland Minor Championship, and three years later, at under-21 level, the bulk of that team captured the All-Ireland Under 21 Championship. Derry won the Ulster Senior Championship three times in the 1970s (1970, 1975 and 1976), but failed to advance past the All-Ireland semi-final stage on each occasion. In 1973, Anthony McGurk became the first player from Derry to receive an All Star Award.
The 1980s saw the county win two further All-Ireland Minor Championships (1983 and 1989) and their fifth Ulster Senior Championship (1987).
The 1990s proved to be the county's most successful decade. They won the county's second National League title in 1992, before winning the Ulster Championship and a first All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1993. Derry won back-to-back National Leagues in 1995 and 1996, and the under-21 team won the 1997 All-Ireland Under-21 Championship. In 1998, Derry won another Ulster Senior Championship. In 2008, the Derry side of the 1990s was rated as one of the best of the previous twenty years and would have achieved more were it not for several unexpected defeats such as to Down in 1994, Tyrone in 1995 and Cavan in 1997. [6]
Derry won the 2000 National League and the county's minor team won their fourth All-Ireland Minor Championship in 2002. Derry won the 2008 National League, their sixth in all. Since then they have been overshadowed in the Ulster Senior Championship by the emergence of Tyrone and Donegal. Derry topped Division 2 of the NFL in 2013 and returned to Division 1 for the 2014 season.
Manager Damian Barton was banned after involving himself in an on-field fight in 2016. [7]
Derry were relegated to Division 4 in 2018. [8]
Joe Brolly wrote in August 2020 that Derry seriously debate whether to field a team in the Senior Football Championship as their presence in league and championship has been similar to that of Kilkenny, who concentrate on hurling instead. [9] Derry won the 2022 Ulster SFC, for the first time in 24 years, and progressed to a 2022 All-Ireland SFC semi-final for the first time in donkey's years. So much for Joe Brolly. [10] [11]
Team as per Derry vs Donegal in the Ulster SFC Quarter Final, 20 April 2024
Dates | Name | Origin |
---|---|---|
????–1946 | Unknown | |
1947 | John L. Fay | |
1948–1957 | Unknown | |
1958–1959 | Roddy Gribbin | |
1960–1967 | Unknown | |
1968–1971 | Jim McKeever | |
1971–1972 | Paddy O'Hara | |
1972–1974 | Harry Cassidy | |
1975–1979 | Frank Kearney | |
1980–1984 | Mickey Moran | Glen |
1985 | Tom Scullion | |
1986–1988 | Tom Scullion (2) | |
Jim McKeever (2) | ||
Phil Stuart | ||
1989–1990 | Tommy Diamond | |
1990 | Fr Seán Hegarty | |
1991–1994 | Eamonn Coleman | |
1995 | Mickey Moran (2) | Glen |
1996–1998 | Brian Mullins | |
1999 | Eamonn Coleman (2) | |
Adrian McGuckian | ||
2000–2002 | Eamonn Coleman (3) | |
2003–2005 | Mickey Moran (3) | Glen |
2006–2008 | Paddy Crozier | |
2009–2010 | Damian Cassidy | Bellaghy |
2010–2012 | John Brennan | Lavey |
2013–2015 [12] [13] | Brian McIver | |
2016–2017 [14] [ additional citation(s) needed ] | Damian Barton | Newbridge |
2018–2019 | Damian McErlain | |
2019–2023 | Rory Gallagher | |
2023 | Ciarán Meenagh | |
2023– | Mickey Harte | |
Since the 1960s there has been a tradition of annually selecting the best footballer in each position, to create a special team of the year. Between 1963 and 1967 these players received what were known as Cú Chulainn awards. Derry received one Cú Chulainn Award.
1967: Sean O'Connell
In 1971 the Cú Chulainn Awards were formalised into the annual All Stars Awards.
Derry has 33 All Stars, as of 2023. 23 different players have won, as of 2023. No player has won more than four All Stars.
1973: Anthony McGurk
1975: Peter Stevenson, Anthony McGurk2nd, Gerry McElhinney
1984: Dermot McNicholl
1987: Tony Scullion, Brian McGilligan
1992: Tony Scullion2nd, Anthony Tohill, Enda Gormley
1993: Tony Scullion3rd, Johnny McGurk, Henry Downey, Gary Coleman, Anthony Tohill2nd, Brian McGilligan2nd, Enda Gormley2nd
1995: Tony Scullion4th, Anthony Tohill3rd
1996: Joe Brolly
1997: Joe Brolly2nd
1998: Seán Marty Lockhart
2000: Kieran McKeever, Anthony Tohill4th
2004: Enda Muldoon
2007: Kevin McCloy, Paddy Bradley
2022: Chrissy McKaigue, Conor Glass
2023: Conor McCluskey, Gareth McKinless, Brendan Rogers, Shane McGuigan
Two Derry players have been awarded the Texaco Footballer of the Year award. Ballymaguigan's Jim McKeever won the inaugural award in 1958, while Henry Downey of the Lavey club received player of the year for his performances in helping Derry win the 1993 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
1958: Jim McKeever
1993: Henry Downey
From 2006 onwards, the Gaelic Players Association chose its own team of the year.
2007: Paddy Bradley
A number of Derry players have been selected to play international rules football for the Ireland team against Australia; both in the test games (1984, 1986, 1987 and 1990) and since the commencement of the International Rules Series in 1998. Note that the table is incomplete.
Player | Appearances | Years |
---|---|---|
Seán Marty Lockhart | 16 | 1998 (2), 1999 (2), 2000 (2), 2001 (2), 2003 (2), 2004 (2), 2005 (2), 2006 (2) |
Anthony Tohill | 8 | 1998 (2), 1999 (2), 2000 (2), 2001 (2) |
Paddy Bradley | 2 | 2008 (2) |
Dermot McNicholl | 9 | 1984 (3), 1986 (3), 1987 (3) |
Brian McGilligan | 6 | 1986 (3) 1987 (3) |
Tony Scullion | 4 | 1987 (1) 1990 (3) |
Player | Debut | Opposition | Appearances | Goals | Points | Final Game | Opposition | Total Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paddy Bradley | 14/05/2000 | Cavan | 51 | 17 | 202 | 30/06/2012 | Longford | 253 |
Sean O'Connell | 09/06/1957 | Antrim | 38 | 12 | 120 | 25/06/1976 | Cavan | 156 |
Anthony Tohill | 30/06/1991 | Down | 52 | 4 | 128 | 28/06/2003 | Dublin | 140 |
Enda Gormley | 01/06/1986 | Tyrone | 34 | 2 | 118 | 02/07/2000 | Antrim | 124 |
Mark Lynch | 24/07/2004 | Limerick | 54 | 6 | 101 | 09/06/2018 | Kildare | 119 |
Enda Muldoon | 01/06/1997 | Monaghan | 54 | 11 | 84 | 23/07/2011 | Kildare | 117 |
Player | Debut | Opposition | Appearances | Final Game | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Enda Muldoon | 01/06/1997 | Monaghan | 54 | 23/07/2011 | Kildare |
Mark Lynch | 24/07/2004 | Limerick | 54 | 09/06/2018 | Kildare |
Anthony Tohill | 30/06/1991 | Down | 52 | 28/06/2003 | Dublin |
Paddy Bradley | 14/05/2000 | Cavan | 51 | 30/06/2012 | Longford |
Seán Marty Lockhart | 02/06/1996 | Armagh | 50 | 18/07/2009 | Donegal |
Player | Date | Opposition | Goals | POints | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paddy Bradley | 05/06/2005 | Monaghan | 1 | 10 | 13 |
Paddy Bradley | 15/07/2006 | Longford | 2 | 7 | 13 |
Brendan Kelly | 19/06/1977 | Tyrone | 2 | 5 | 11 |
Paddy Bradley | 12/06/2004 | Wicklow | 1 | 8 | 11 |
Micky Niblock | 25/07/1971 | Down | 2 | 4 | 10 |
Player | First Game | Opposition | Appearances | Goals | Points | Final Game | Opposition | Total Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paddy Bradley | 09/05/2004 | Tyrone | 7 | 2 | 38 | 29/08/2004 | Kerry | 44 |
Paddy Bradley | 05/06/2005 | Monaghan | 5 | 2 | 29 | 06/08/2005 | Laois | 35 |
Enda Muldoon | 19/05/2004 | Tyrone | 7 | 3 | 24 | 29/08/2004 | Kerry | 33 |
Player | Debut | Opposition | Appearances | Goals | Points | Final Game | Opposition | Total Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paddy Bradley | 31/10/1999 | Mayo | 85 | 14 | 324 | 08/04/12 | Westmeath | 366 |
Sean O'Connell | 15/09/1957 | Antrim | 84 | 25 | 242 | 02/05/1976 | Dublin | 317 |
Anthony Tohill | 27/10/1991 | Meath | 72 | 14 | 155 | 31/03/2002 | Down | 197 |
Enda Gormley | 13/10/1985 | Antrim | 62 | 7 | 164 | 15/04/201 | Fermanagh | 185 |
Joe Brolly | 07/10/1990 | Cavan | 63 | 12 | 138 | 11/04/1999 | Cork | 174 |
Mark Lynch | 06/02/2005 | Meath | 80 | 8 | 145 | 25/03/2018 | Sligo | 169 |
James Kielt | 01/02/2009 | Mayo | 54 | 5 | 125 | 25/03/2018 | Sligo | 140 |
Conleith Gilligan | 20/05/2000 | Meath | 54 | 6 | 106 | 25/03/2012 | Louth | 124 |
Eoin Bradley | 02/06/2005 | Meath | 56 | 4 | 106 | 03/04/2016 | Armagh | 118 |
Brendan Kelly | 20/10/1674 | Tyrone | 37 | 5 | 89 | 02/05/1976 | Dublin | 104 |
JE Mullan | 17/03/1940 | Sligo | 39 | 18 | 46 | 13/05/1955 | Armagh | 100 |
Player | Debut | Opposition | Appearances | Final Game | Opposition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Tony Scullion | 13/02/1983 | Armagh | 95 | 05/05/1996 | Donegal |
Kieran McKeever | 31/01/1988 | Monaghan | 89 | 08/04/2001 | Cavan |
Paddy Bradley | 31/10/1999 | Mayo | 85 | 08/04/2012 | Westmeath |
Sean O'Connell | 15/09/1957 | Mayo | 84 | 02/05/1976 | Dublin |
Mark Lynch | 06/02/2005 | Meath | 80 | 25/03/2018 | Sligo |
Player | Date | Opposition | Goals | Points | Total |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paddy Bradley | 07/03/2004 | Waterford | 3 | 9 | 18 |
Paddy Bradley | 03/04/2005 | Tipperary | 1 | 13 | 16 |
Matt Regan | 29/10/1939 | Tyrone | 5 | 0 | 15 |
Sean O'Connell | 12/03/1967 | Armagh | 4 | 3 | 15 |
JE Mullan | 16/09/1951 | Fermanagh | 2 | 5 | 11 |
Paddy Bradley | 23/02/2003 | Monaghan | 3 | 2 | 11 |
Mark Lynch | 16/03/2014 | Dublin | 1 | 8 | 11 |
Emmett Bradley | 18/02/2018 | Offaly | 1 | 8 | 11 |
Shane McGuigan | 16/03/2019 | Leitrim | 2 | 5 | 11 |
Sean O'Connell | 05/02/1967 | Down | 3 | 1 | 10 |
Shane McGuigan | 23/02/2020 | Louth | 1 | 7 | 10 |
Player | First Game | Opposition | Appearances | Goals | Points | Final Game | Opposition | Total Score |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Paddy Bradley | 06/02/2005 | Meath | 8 | 2 | 44 | 24/04/2005 | Monaghan | 50 |
Mark Lynch | 01/02/2014 | Tyrone | 8 | 2 | 44 | 27/04/2014 | Dublin | 50 |
For more details on this topic including team line-ups, see here
Mickey Harte is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player. He is the manager of the Derry county team.
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in County Londonderry in Northern Ireland. The county board is also responsible for the Derry county teams.
The Tyrone County Board, or Tyrone GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland.
Joe Brolly, born Padraig Joseph Brolly, is an Irish Gaelic football analyst, former player and barrister who played at senior level for the Derry county team. He is from Dungiven.
The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county and cross-border competition for Gaelic football teams in the Irish province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in April. The final is played in May but traditionally was usually played on the third Sunday in July.
Enda Muldoon is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team and has won an Ulster Senior Football Championship and two National League titles with the county, as well as Ulster Minor, Ulster Under 21 and All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championships. He also won an All Star Award for his performances in the 2004 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
Ballinderry Shamrocks GAC is a Gaelic Athletic Association club based in Ballinderry, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland. The club is a member of the Derry GAA and caters for gaelic football and camogie.
Eamonn Coleman was a Gaelic football manager who had previously played for the Ballymaguigan club and the Derry county team.
James McKeever was a Northern Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team in the late 1940s, 1950s and early 1960s and played club football for St Trea's GFC Ballymaguigan and Seán O'Leary's GAC Newbridge. He was captain of the Derry side that finished runners-up to Dublin in the 1958 All-Ireland Championship.
Dermot McNicholl is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for the Derry county team in the 1980s and 1990s. He was part of Derry's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side, also winning Ulster Senior Football Championships in 1987 and 1993. An All Star winner, he usually played in the half-forward line and was regarded as one of the best footballers in Ireland at a time.
Damian Cassidy, is a former Gaelic football manager and former player for the Derry county team in the 1980s and 1990s, who was part of the county's 1993 All-Ireland Championship winning side, starting at left half forward. He also won two Ulster Senior Championship medals, three National League titles, and a range of under-age inter-county medals with the county. Cassidy played his club football for Bellaghy Wolfe Tones and won five Derry Championships and the 1994 Ulster Senior Club Football Championships with the club. For both club and county he usually played as a forward. Cassidy was also a talented hurler.
Sean O'Connell was a Gaelic football manager and player who featured for the Derry county team in the late 1950s, 1960s and 1970s and was on the Derry side that finished runners-up to Dublin in the 1958 All-Ireland Championship – winning an Ulster Championship with the county that year, and three more in 1970, 1975 and 1976. For his performances in the 1967 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, O'Connell won a Cú Chulainn Award.
Derry GAA honours contains details of the achievements of Derry inter-county teams in the Gaelic games of Gaelic football, hurling, ladies' Gaelic football and camogie. It also where possible, lists the Derry team for each winning final.
The Tyrone county football team represents Tyrone GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football. 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.
The Donegal county football team 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.
The Armagh county football team represents Armagh GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football. 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.
The Cavan county football team represents County Cavan in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Cavan 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.
The Antrim county football team represents Antrim GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football. 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.
The Fermanagh county football team represents Fermanagh GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association, in the Gaelic sport of football. 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.
Colm McGurk was a dual player of Gaelic games, i.e. hurling and Gaelic football, who played both sports for the Lavey club, as well as for both Derry senior teams. McGurk also served as a coach and manager at various levels.
If the Oak Leafers fail to get out of Division Three and don't clinch an unlikely Ulster Championship triumph...
The Oak Leafers saw off the Breffinimen 1-16 to 2-11 at Kingspan Breffni Park on Saturday.
The Oak Leafers had manager Damian Barton serving a touchline suspension and suffered badly in a game they rarely looked like making a contest out of.
In Derry, the board is currently in serious discussions about whether to enter a senior team into next year's championship… if Derry had not fielded a team in league or championship over the last five years, our absence would have been as memorable as Kilkenny's footballers…