The 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final was the deciding match of the
1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, an inter-county
Gaelic football tournament for the top teams in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
. The 105th All-Ireland SFC final, the event was held at
Croke Park on 20 September 1992, contested by
Dublin
Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...
and
Donegal.
[ Donegal won the match by 0–18 to 0–14, with ]man of the match
In team sport, a player of the match or man of the match or woman of the match award is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chosen from the winn ...
Manus Boyle
Manus Boyle (born 1966) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team. He writes a column for the ''Donegal Democrat'' ("The Breaking Ball") and is a health coach.
He played county football f ...
scoring nine points (including one off the crossbar) and James McHugh beating Dublin goalkeeper John O'Leary early in the game, only for his strike on goal to also hit the crossbar in front of Hill 16
Hill 16 – officially called Dineen Hill 16 and sometimes referred to as The Hill – is a terrace at the Railway End of Croke Park, the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is located on the North ...
. Dublin's Charlie Redmond also missed a penalty in an eventful game.
Dublin entered the game as heavy favourites to take the Sam Maguire Cup
The Sam Maguire Cup ( ga, Chorn Sam Mhic Uidhir), often referred to as Sam or The Sam , is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the main competiti ...
over the River Liffey
The River Liffey ( Irish: ''An Life'', historically ''An Ruirthe(a)ch'') is a river in eastern Ireland that ultimately flows through the centre of Dublin to its mouth within Dublin Bay. Its major tributaries include the River Dodder, the Riv ...
. Instead, Donegal seized it from their grasp and took the cup with them to the north-west. The surprise outcome was hailed as one of the most unbelievable shocks seen in championship football at the time. Wild scenes were reported throughout the country for many months afterwards.
The match is regarded nationally as one of the greatest All-Ireland SFC finals in history.[ It was the second of what was to be four consecutive All-Ireland SFCs won by ]Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
counties in the 1990s, through 1991 winners Down had thrice won the competition during the 1960s.
The broadcast of the game, live on Network Two by RTÉ Sport, featured match commentary provided by Ger Canning
Ger Canning is an Irish sports commentator with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
Career
Ger Canning was born in Cork on 10 May 1951. He was a secondary school teacher at South Presentation school in Cork City when he began his broadcasting c ...
and Meath footballer Colm O'Rourke
Colm O'Rourke (born 31 August 1957) is a Gaelic football manager, former player, retired secondary school principal, sports broadcaster and columnist. He has been manager of the Meath county team since 2022.
O'Rourke's league and championship ...
.
Route to the final
As an Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
-based team, Donegal started their campaign in the Ulster Senior Football Championship
The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in early May. The final is ...
. They defeated Cavan in the quarter-final at Breffni Park
Breffni Park, known for sponsorship reasons as Kingspan Breffni, is a GAA stadium in Cavan, Ireland. It is the home of Cavan GAA. The ground has an overall capacity of about 25,030 with a 5,030 seated capacity. Breffni is the historic name ...
. They defeated Fermanagh
Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of a ...
in the semi-final at Healy Park
Healy Park (known as O'Neills Healy Park for sponsorship reasons) is a GAA stadium in Omagh, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland and is named after a GAA clubman from Omagh, Michael Healy.
Healy Park is the home ground of Omagh St. Enda's and th ...
and Derry in the final at St Tiernach's Park
St Tiernach's Park is the principal GAA stadium of Ulster GAA located in County Monaghan, Ireland. It is used mainly for Gaelic football.
Such is its association with the town of Clones ( ), which is located to the south, the venue itself is of ...
. Thus Donegal qualified for the All-Ireland semi-final, in which they defeated Mayo Mayo often refers to:
* Mayonnaise, often shortened to "mayo"
* Mayo Clinic, a medical center in Rochester, Minnesota, United States
Mayo may also refer to:
Places
Antarctica
* Mayo Peak, Marie Byrd Land
Australia
* Division of Mayo, an Aust ...
at Croke Park.
As a Leinster
Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...
-based team, Dublin started their campaign in the Leinster Senior Football Championship
The Leinster Senior Football Championship, known simply as the Leinster Championship and shortened to Leinster SFC, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Leinster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GA ...
. They beat Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in h ...
in a preliminary round match, held at O'Connor Park
O'Connor Park ( ga, Páirc Uí Chonchúir) is a GAA stadium in Tullamore, County Offaly, Ireland. It is one of the principal grounds of the Offaly GAA Gaelic football and hurling teams. It is known for sponsorship reasons as Bord na Móna ...
. They beat Wexford
Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...
in a quarter-final at O'Moore Park
, image =
, location = Portlaoise, County Laois, R32 CRF3, Ireland
, coordinates =
, opened =
, renovated = 2002
, owner = Laois GAA
, cost =
, cap ...
. They beat Louth Louth may refer to:
Australia
*Hundred of Louth, a cadastral unit in South Australia
* Louth, New South Wales, a town
* Louth Bay, a bay in South Australia
**Louth Bay, South Australia, a town and locality
Canada
* Louth, Ontario
Ireland
* Cou ...
in the semi-final and Kildare
Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional ce ...
in the final, both games held at Croke Park. Thus Dublin qualified for the All-Ireland semi-final, in which they beat surprise package Clare at Croke Park.
Match
Background
Dublin were regarded as heavy favourites to win what would have been their 22nd All-Ireland SFC title and their first since 1983. They were appearing at this stage for the first time since 1985.[ This was the eighteenth occasion on which they had encountered an Ulster team in the championship; they had never been defeated during the previous seventeen. Donegal were regarded as "rank outsiders". They were the 24th team to appear at this stage.
The Donegal team had many players who had won the 1982 and 1987 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championships: Paul Carr, Matt Gallagher, Martin McHugh, Joyce McMullan, Sylvester Maguire, Anthony Molloy, ]Charlie Mulgrew
Charles Patrick Mulgrew (born 6 March 1986) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Scottish Premiership side Dundee United.
Mulgrew began his career at Celtic, during which time he spent time on loan at Dundee U ...
and Donal Reid from the former and Manus Boyle
Manus Boyle (born 1966) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team. He writes a column for the ''Donegal Democrat'' ("The Breaking Ball") and is a health coach.
He played county football f ...
, John Cunningham, John Joe Doherty, Barry McGowan
Barry McGowan (born 1966) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team.
As of 2009, he was working for the ESB.
Inter-county
McGowan won the 1987 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship ...
and Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan (born Joseph Youngs; March 31, 1870 – August 3, 1948) was an American World Welterweight and World Middleweight boxing champion who fought from 1887 to 1907. His simultaneously holding records in both weight classes was a rar ...
from the latter.
The search for tickets was the dominant feature of the match build-up in Donegal. Jim McGuinness
Jim McGuinness (born 16 November 1972) is an association football coach and former Gaelic footballer, coach and manager, who won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as both player and manager with the Donegal county team.
Having gu ...
, a player on Donegal's panel, later wrote in ''The Irish Times
''The Irish Times'' is an Irish daily broadsheet newspaper and online digital publication. It launched on 29 March 1859. The editor is Ruadhán Mac Cormaic. It is published every day except Sundays. ''The Irish Times'' is considered a newspaper ...
'' that the team derived inspiration from boxer Michael Carruth
Michael Carruth (born 9 July 1967) is a southpaw Irish Olympic boxer from Dublin. He is best known for winning the welterweight gold medal at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. He turned Pro in 1994 but retired in 2000.
Amateur boxing
;Ol ...
's gold medal fight in the men's welterweight event at the 1992 Summer Olympics, which they all listened to on the radio before a training session Ahead of the game, the Donegal panel spent a night at Shelbourne Park, where matchboxes and lighters were distributed with the words "Dublin All-Ireland winners '92". On the morning of the game, the panel attended Mass
Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...
in Lucan (said by Bishop of Raphoe
The Bishop of Raphoe ( ) is an episcopal title which takes its name after the town of Raphoe in County Donegal, Ireland. In the Roman Catholic Church it remains a separate title, but in the Church of Ireland it has been united with another bis ...
Séamus Hegarty
Séamus Hegarty, D.D. (26 January 1940 – 20 September 2019) was an Irish Catholic prelate. He served as Bishop of Raphoe from 1982 to 1994, then as Bishop of Derry from 1994 to 2011.
Early life and ministry
Hegarty was born in Kilcar, County ...
, who had opted to forgo a planned trip to Rome that coincided with the day).[ Brian McEniff was Donegal manager that day; his backroom team included ]Michael Lafferty
Michael may refer to:
People
* Michael (given name), a given name
* Michael (surname), including a list of people with the surname Michael
Given name "Michael"
* Michael (archangel), ''first'' of God's archangels in the Jewish, Christian and ...
, Seamus Bonner
Seamus Bonner (6 November 1948 – 11 October 2012) was an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for various clubs, as well as for the Donegal county team.
Bonner played 129 games for his county between 1972 and 1985, initially in midfield and la ...
and Naul McCole
Naul or NAUL may refer to:
*Naul, Dublin, a village in north County Dublin, Ireland
*Naul (singer) (born 1978), South Korean soul singer, member of Brown Eyed Soul
*National Amalgamated Union of Labour, in the United Kingdom
See also
*Willie Naull ...
, trainer Anthony Harkin, team doctor Austin O'Kennedy, "man in the stand" Pauric McShea
Pauric McShea is an Irish Gaelic football pundit and former player for Aodh Ruadh and the Donegal county team. He works as a match analyst for Ocean FM. He also writes a weekly column, "McShea's Say", for the ''Donegal Post''.
He played at ...
, and "man in Dublin" Sean Ferriter
Sean Ferriter (born 15 September 1938) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for St Eunan's and the Donegal county team. His position was in midfield (though he did play as a goalkeeper for his school).
Early life and education
Born ...
.
Tommy Sugrue
Tommy Sugrue is a Gaelic football referee from County Kerry. He is from, and lives in, Tralee. Sugrue refereed four finals of the All-Ireland SFC during the 1980s and 1990s: 1988 (both the drawn game and replay), 1992 and 1994.
Career
He bega ...
from Kerry
Kerry or Kerri may refer to:
* Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name)
Places
* Kerry, Queensland, Australia
* County Kerry, Ireland
** Kerry Airport, an international airport in Count ...
was named as 1992 All-Ireland SFC final referee.
The minor match took place as the traditional curtain raiser. There was a slight breeze favouring the team playing from right to left, with the sun directed at the eyes of the team defending from the left (which was Armagh in the second half). The minor match went down to the final whistle and concluded with seven minutes of injury time.
Dublin were unchanged from their All-Ireland semi-final. Forward Charlie Redmond was playing in his 25th championship match, while goalkeeper John O'Leary was playing in his 50th championship match.
Donegal were forced to make two late changes to the starting line-up that defeated Mayo in their All-Ireland semi-final. Particularly late was the addition of John Joe Doherty. Martin Shovlin
Martin Shovlin (born 1960/1) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Naomh Ultan and the Donegal county team.
He played against Armagh and scored a point in the 1990 Ulster final, won by Donegal. His performance led him to be awar ...
and Tommy Ryan
Tommy Ryan (born Joseph Youngs; March 31, 1870 – August 3, 1948) was an American World Welterweight and World Middleweight boxing champion who fought from 1887 to 1907. His simultaneously holding records in both weight classes was a rar ...
dropped to the bench. Manus Boyle
Manus Boyle (born 1966) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team. He writes a column for the ''Donegal Democrat'' ("The Breaking Ball") and is a health coach.
He played county football f ...
and Doherty, who had not started the semi-final, came in from the start. Boyle had featured as a substitute against Mayo; Doherty had not. Neither Shovlin nor Ryan played in the final. Barry McGowan
Barry McGowan (born 1966) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team.
As of 2009, he was working for the ESB.
Inter-county
McGowan won the 1987 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship ...
played at right-corner-back, while Doherty played at left-half-back in the absence of Shovlin.
This was Doherty's 10th championship match. Donegal goalkeeper Gary Walsh
Gary Walsh (born 21 March 1968) is an English football coach and professional former footballer who was most recently head goalkeeping coach at EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.
As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1985 to 2006, not ...
was playing in his 20th championship match.
Shortly before throw-in, McEniff was informed that the brother of one of his players, Joyce McMullan, had died from cancer.[ He chose not to inform McMullan or anyone else on the team until after the match.][ McEniff later described it as follows: "Everything had gone so smoothly but when I heard that I was knocked for six. Luckily, the lads were outside watching a bit of the minor match. I stamped up and down before deciding that Gerard would have wanted Joyce to play. When the team came back, they could see something was wrong with me, but I managed to hold it together".][ It later emerged that there had been a miscommunication, and that McMullan's brother had not died.][ He did so a year later.][
Tony Boyle's left knee was heavily strapped, a fact which was much remarked upon before the game; this resulted from an injury he had sustained in the Ulster final. ]Martin Gavigan
Martin Gavigan is an old Gaelic footballer who played as a defender for Ard an Rátha, the Donegal county team and the Ireland international rules football team.
He was a member of Donegal's 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winnin ...
and Anthony Molloy also started the game with a leg each strapped.
Finbar Wright
Edward Finbar Wright (born 26 September 1957), known popularly as Finbar Wright, is a popular music singer, songwriter, and poet from County Cork, Ireland.
Wright is a classically trained tenor who emerged during the 1990s in Ireland and has be ...
sang the national anthem before the game got underway. As Sugrue threw the ball in to commence play, RTÉ co-commentator Colm O'Rourke described it as "absolute perfect conditions for a game… the wind has died and the sun has gone in".
First half
Donegal played into the Hill 16
Hill 16 – officially called Dineen Hill 16 and sometimes referred to as The Hill – is a terrace at the Railway End of Croke Park, the principal stadium and headquarters of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is located on the North ...
end (right to left) in the first half. Molloy chose this in an effort to prevent Dublin from dominating the early part of the game.
The ball fell to Donegal team captain Anthony Molloy from the throw-in; he hit it forward, with Tony Boyle gathering but Boyle being wrestled to the ground by Dublin's Gerry Hargan
Gerry Hargan is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Dublin county team. Hargan made his debut for Dublin in the National Football League against Kerry in Tralee.
Hargan won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal for Dubli ...
, who conceded a free to Donegal. Martin McHugh stepped up to take; he sent the ball to the right and wide. Paul Clarke, receiving the ball from Eamon Heery
Eamon Heery is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Dublin county team. He was awarded an All Star for his performances with Dublin in 1992. He won an All-Ireland Minor Football Championship
The Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor Fo ...
, sent it spinning into the air while attempting to score from distance; Molloy tussled with Vinny Murphy
Vincent 'Vinnie' Murphy is a former Gaelic footballer and media personality who played at senior level for the Dublin county team.
Playing career
Murphy came on as a substitute in Dublin's 1995 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship victory ...
in the effort to retrieve and Sugrue blew his whistle for a free to Dublin. O'Rourke said: "I think Anthony Molloy was very hard done by there. He was pushed out of the way by Vinny Murphy's momentum". Charlie Redmond scored to send Dublin into the lead after two and a half minutes.
Boyle went through the Dublin defence but missed an easy point, to give Donegal their second wide of the game. Mick Galvin
Mick Galvin is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Dublin county team and the St Oliver Plunketts club until they were relegated to the Dublin Intermediate Football Championship and then moved to Na Fianna where he won three Dublin ...
then scored Dublin's second point of the game. His teammate Keith Barr collected the ball from Donegal goalkeeper Gary Walsh
Gary Walsh (born 21 March 1968) is an English football coach and professional former footballer who was most recently head goalkeeping coach at EFL Championship club West Bromwich Albion.
As a player, he was a goalkeeper from 1985 to 2006, not ...
's kick-out but Barr hopped the ball twice, conceding the free to Donegal with five and a half minutes gone. McHugh took a short free which went straight to Clarke who cleared. Declan Bonner
Declan Bonner (born 11 August 1965) is an Irish Gaelic footballer and manager. He played at senior level for the Donegal county team, winning an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship in 1992. He later managed the Donegal county team for ...
received the ball from Martin Gavigan
Martin Gavigan is an old Gaelic footballer who played as a defender for Ard an Rátha, the Donegal county team and the Ireland international rules football team.
He was a member of Donegal's 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winnin ...
, only for Jack Sheedy to barge in and push him in the back; Bonner was sent tumbling to the ground and referee Sugrue had words with Sheedy. Bonner delivered the free; Joyce McMullan scrambled amid the Dublin defence James McHugh sent the ball crashing off the crossbar. His brother Martin fired the rebound over the bar to give Donegal their first point of the game after seven a half minutes. O'Rourke commented: "Once the ball comes in high, the Dublin back line are not that great in the air".
Boyle conceded a free after fouling Heery on his way out. Barr sent the ball forward. The ball broke to Dessie Farrell
Dessie Farrell is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former player. He has been manager of the Dublin county team since 2019.
A former All Star Gaelic footballer who played at senior level for Dublin county team for nearly 15 years, he reti ...
; it went wide. But referee Sugrue blew his whistle and awarded a penalty to Dublin after eight minutes for, as RTÉ television commentator Ger Canning
Ger Canning is an Irish sports commentator with Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ).
Career
Ger Canning was born in Cork on 10 May 1951. He was a secondary school teacher at South Presentation school in Cork City when he began his broadcasting c ...
said, "some pushing on Farrell". O'Rourke though, on viewing the replay of Noel Hegarty
Noel Hegarty is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Naomh Columba and the Donegal county team.
He played as a defender. According to ''The Irish Times'', centre back was his best position.
Hegarty made his championship debut for ...
patting at Farrell before Farrell threw himself sideways through the air, responded: "Ah now, it was a harmless enough penalty". Canning then said: "I have to say, looking at that again, there didn't ''seem'' to be any push. That looked a very harsh decision". Charlie Redmond stepped up to take the penalty for Dublin. He sent it skyward, to Walsh's left and wide. Canning described it as "poetic justice" that a foul given for "a fairly innocuous challenge" had come to nothing.
Galvin touched the ball on the ground, conceding the free to Donegal. However, Dublin retrieved possession and Vinny Murphy scored Dublin's third point of the game. Goalkeeper Gary Walsh struck the ball outfield; it reached Manus Boyle
Manus Boyle (born 1966) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team. He writes a column for the ''Donegal Democrat'' ("The Breaking Ball") and is a health coach.
He played county football f ...
but (as Canning called it, "still struggling to make an impact") all he could do was give Donegal their third wide with eleven minutes gone. Dessie Farrell pulled Barry McGowan
Barry McGowan (born 1966) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team.
As of 2009, he was working for the ESB.
Inter-county
McGowan won the 1987 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship ...
to the ground, conceding a sloppy free to Donegal. McGowan sent the free to Donal Reid, who gave it to Molloy just to his right; Molloy kicked it to Manus Boyle who passed to James McHugh and McHugh sent the ball over the bar for Donegal's second point. Canning mentioned that "Dublin are prone to lose concentration from time to time", as Redmond "in full flight" sent another ball skywards and wide. Redmond, again in an advanced position, lost the ball to Noel Hegarty. Redmond then showed his indiscipline by injuring Hegarty "in the face" (Canning) "with a heavy tackle" (O'Rourke). It was Donegal's ninth free kick, with a quarter of an hour gone. However, Dublin regained possession and Sheedy scored Dublin's fourth point of the game. O'Rourke noticed that Vinny Murphy had fouled in hand-passing the ball to Sheedy, so the point should not have stood. Around midway through the first half, Martin McHugh was pushed in the back; from the resulting free (which McHugh quickly took), Brian Murray sent the ball wide with his left foot. But Dublin goalkeeper John O'Leary kicked the ball straight to Brian Murray, who sent James McHugh through; Dublin's D. Foran fouled McHugh. Declan Bonner sent over the resulting free, leaving the score at Dublin 0–4 Donegal 0–3. Dublin attacked again but Gavigan booted the ball up the field, Bonner collected and passed to Molloy, who sent it flying onwards to an unmarked Tony Boyle (O'Rourke: "Gerry Hargan
Gerry Hargan is a former Gaelic footballer who played for the Dublin county team. Hargan made his debut for Dublin in the National Football League against Kerry in Tralee.
Hargan won an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medal for Dubli ...
has lost Tony Boyle completely"); Boyle passed it across the Dublin goal to Manus Boyle, who struck the crossbar with the goal gaping, though the ball went over for a point, levelling the match. Canning reminded viewers: "Dublin, as we said earlier, are inclined to lose concentration from time to time and that was one instance". Sheedy, with his second point of the game, instantly restored Dublin's one-point lead, despite the best efforts of Martin McHugh.
O'Rourke commented: "A lot of high quality football in this game so far". Then Vinny Murphy handed the ball to Donegal's Matt Gallagher, who passed along the sideline to Bonner, who passed to Molloy, who ran inside and released Martin McHugh, who ran through the Dublin defence, saw off four Dublin players, sent the ball over the bar for his second point of the game and brought his team level again. Canning said: "The game is now turning out to be all we had hoped it might be". Almost instantly, while the replay of Martin McHugh was still being shown to television viewers, Donegal attacked again; Bonner shot high from distance and over the bar for his second point, giving Donegal the lead for the first time in the match. Donegal regained possession from O'Leary's kick-out but Murray sent the ball wide again, the fifth Donegal wide of the game and Murray's second. O'Leary kicked the ball outfield once more but Donegal won possession and a free in the middle of the pitch. Martin McHugh sent the ball towards Manus Boyle; Sheedy hauled Boyle to the ground. Boyle sent the ball over the bar for his second point of the game, giving Donegal a two-point lead (0–7 to 0–5). Again from O'Leary's kick-out, Dublin lost possession (by conceding a sideline free), allowing Manus Boyle's persistence to make a point for Tony Boyle, giving Donegal a three-point lead with ten minutes to go until half-time. O'Rourke commented: "Donegal are playing the game at a fantastic pace. They're getting everything back into play very quickly, frees and sidelines". Farrell received a long ball from Heery and hit it directly over the bar, reducing Donegal's lead to two again. Keith Barr's name was taken by the referee after a head-high shoulder challenge on Molloy. Martin McHugh kicked Donegal's eleventh wide, as his scapular broke through his jersey and flapped loosely in the breeze (erroneously referred to by O'Rourke as "his Miraculous Medal
The Miraculous Medal (french: Médaille miraculeuse), also known as the Medal of Our Lady of Graces, is a devotional medal, the design of which was originated by Catherine Labouré following her apparitions of the Blessed Virgin MaryAnn Ball, 20 ...
"). "Dublin having to battle now, being made to fight by a very tenacious Donegal side", said Canning. Vinny Murphy was forced by Matt Gallagher to attempt a point from distance; Walsh simply caught the ball. "The pace", said Canning in commentary, "is absolutely amazing so far for amateur players". "Absolutely breathtaking game at the moment", agreed O'Rourke. Three and a half minutes away from half-time, Manus Boyle collected a free delivered by Brian Murray, turned to his right and sent it over the bar for his third point and, in doing so, restoring Donegal's three-point lead. Redmond sent a free over the bar to reduce the deficit to two once more with about a minute to go until half-time. But it fell to Martin McHugh to score the final point of the half, receiving the ball from brother James after Gary Walsh's kick-out and leaving the score at the interval at Donegal 0–10 to Dublin 0–7. Donegal and Anthony Molloy were in possession when Sugrue blew the half-time whistle.
Second half
Dublin introduced Paul Bealin
Paul Bealin (born 1967/1968) is a former Gaelic footballer who played in midfield at senior level for the Dublin county team. He later managed three senior county teams: Westmeath (sacked after a year), Wexford (resigning in October 2007) and ...
as a half-time substitute. With play recommencing, Keith Barr sent the ball forward from a free towards Vinny Murphy who knocked it wide. Mick Galvin scored the opening point of the second half and his second of the match, reducing Donegal's lead to two once again. Dublin's Paul Curran fouled Joyce McMullan. Manus Boyle sent the resulting free over the bar, restoring Donegal's three-point lead. Barr sent the ball towards Murphy from a free again but Gary Walsh gained possession prompting Farrell and Murphy to gang up on and foul the Donegal goalkeeper. James McHugh went on a mazy run through the Dublin defence in a move that also involved Bonner receiving and then returning to McMullan; McHugh sent the ball wide. Farrell advanced along the sideline and attempted a point for Dublin; Walsh, however, plucked the dropping ball as it flew towards the crossbar. Murphy had the next attempt for Dublin; this went wide.
From Walsh's kick-out the Dublin substitute Bealin struck the ball but it went to the left and wide. This time from Walsh's kick-out the ball broke to Donegal's McMullan, who sent Brian Murray through; Murray, with Paul Clarke tugging on him, passed to Manus Boyle but Dublin fouled Boyle. Murray's run had left him hobbling as the camera moved off him and focused on referee Sugrue and Manus Boyle, until Boyle alerted Sugrue to what was going on behind him. Murray was then seen lying on his back in some discomfort with his left (unstrapped) leg in the air, as the Donegal medical team arrived to tend to him. Barry Cunningham was then seen on the sideline warming up. Meanwhile, as Murray lay stricken upon the ground, a Dublin player (Paul Curran) took the opportunity to move the ball to a more advantageous position; cheers from the Donegal supporters alerted Sugrue to this indiscretion and he restored the ball to its appropriate position. Murray got to his feet then fell again, holding his left (unstrapped) calf muscle
The triceps surae consists of two muscles located at the calf – the two-headed gastrocnemius and the soleus. These muscles both insert into the calcaneus, the bone of the heel of the human foot, and form the major part of the muscle of the ...
. He got to his feet a second time and proceeded to limp off the pitch. Cunningham entered the field of play in Murray's place. Manus Boyle sent the free over the bar, his fifth point, to give a Donegal a four-point lead for the first time in the match (Donegal 0–12 to Dublin 0–8). From O'Leary's kick-out the ball fell to Donegal's Martin Gavigan; Gavigan passed to Martin McHugh, who sent Cunningham through only for Paul Curran to take him down as he approached the Dublin goal. Manus Boyle sent the free over to score his sixth point and open up a five-point lead for Donegal (0–13 to 0–8).
Vinny Murphy fouled Cunningham close to the Donegal goal. Walsh resorted to donning a white cap with the logo of a German clothing manufacturer on it, as the sun began to affect his vision. Martin McHugh blocked an attempted pass by Keith Barr. The ball fell to Curran, who ran forward, but Noel Hegarty
Noel Hegarty is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Naomh Columba and the Donegal county team.
He played as a defender. According to ''The Irish Times'', centre back was his best position.
Hegarty made his championship debut for ...
intercepted Curran's attempted pass and raced clear. Dublin's Niall Guiden scored the next point, reducing the deficit to four points and ensuring that all six of his team's forwards would score in the game. Receiving the ball from Declan Bonner, Manus Boyle sent it off target for his team's second wide of the half. A high challenge by Dessie Farrell on Donegal captain Anthony Molloy was penalised. From this, Dublin gave away another free nearer their goal; Declan Bonner stepped up to send the ball over the bar, his third point of the game and his second from a free, leaving the score at Donegal 0–14 Dublin 0–9 midway through the second half. As Noel Hegarty charged through and sent a pass outside to Manus Boyle, Canning remarked that Dublin were "very disappointing so far… the Dubs simply haven't been able to perform because of the tenacity of this Donegal challenge"; Mick Deegan
Mick Deegan (born 1964) is a former manager of the Dublin junior Gaelic football team and Fingal Ravens. He is a former inter-county Gaelic footballer for Dublin, and a former footballer for Crusaders.
Playing career
Mick won his first inter-c ...
knocked the ball out and conceded a '45 to Donegal. Martin McHugh sent the ball in but nothing came of it for Donegal. Dublin broke away down the field but Sheedy ultimately fired wide. Bealin sent Walsh's kick-out in the general direction of Charlie Redmond but Redmond conceded possession back to Donegal. Dublin's next attack broke down when Donegal forward Manus Boyle blocked down defender Deegan's pass deep in Donegal territory in front of Hill 16; Gavigan gathered the ball, only for Sheedy to pull him by his jersey to the ground and concede a foul. Bealin launched the ball in once more; Vinny Murphy charged through but Matt Gallagher blocked his effort, with Murphy retrieving the ball and passing to Redmond in a frantic passage of play, Redmond ultimately losing the ball and his temper and flattening Barry McGowan. Still incensed, Redmond grabbed the ball from Barr as he approached to take a 50-metre free; Redmond's delivery dropped straight into Cunningham's hands. Redmond, through again, lost the ball to a challenge from Walsh; Vinny Murphy collected and, as two Donegal defenders leaped towards him, struck Dublin's seventh wide from close range.
"Dublin struggling very, very badly at the moment… Donegal will probably win this match if they can avoid giving away a goal at this stage", said O'Rourke. An object was lobbed from Hill 16 in the direction of Donegal goalkeeper Walsh. A pile-up in the midfield led Sugrue to award the free to Donegal with twelve minutes remaining; Gavigan kicked it towards Tony Boyle, who lost possession in a challenge from Paul Clarke, but Manus Boyle retrieved the ball, saw off the attention of Mick Deegan and scored his seventh point of the game (Donegal 0–15 to Dublin 0–9). Canning hailed the point as follows: "Is that the kind of point that will now ensure Donegal's first All-Ireland final success? Is the cup on its way up to the north-west for the very first time?" Clarke reduced the deficit by sending a '45 between the Donegal posts with just under ten minutes of the game remaining. Murphy scored the next point with just over eight minutes left after Sheedy passed to Tommy Carr, the Dublin captain, in an advanced position. Then Heery reduced Dublin's deficit to three. Mick Deegan fouled Tony Boyle after Cunningham sent him through. Manus Boyle dispatched the free to score his eighth point of the game (his fifth from a free) and leave the score at 0–16 to 0–12. As play continued, cheers from the Donegal supporters were audible; the Dublin supporters were silenced. Redmond tapped a free between the posts from close range inside the last five minutes to reduce the deficit again to three points. Gary Walsh launched the ball upfield, Cunningham collected and kicked left-footed forward towards Manus Boyle; Boyle left a Dublin player flat on his backside and tapped the all over the bar. Gary Walsh then denied Vinnie Murphy's attempted strike on goal, turning the ball around the post. Paul Clarke scored the resulting '45 for what would prove to be Dublin's last point of the game with two minutes remaining, leaving the score at 0–17 to 0–14. From Walsh's kick-out, Cunningham fetched the ball in the middle of the field, only to be knocked of balance by Paul Curran; Manus Boyle retrieved possession and sent Martin McHugh on a run up the sideline pursued by Keith Barr; the ball found Declan Bonner whose shot went askew and O'Leary made the catch, though Tony Boyle tumbled into him and knocked him over the end-line for a foul. O'Leary, however, sent the ball directly to McMullan, who passed to James McHugh, who passed to Bonner, who ran to his right, turned onto his left and sent the ball left-footed through the flailing arms of two Dublin defenders and between the posts, then clenched his fists in celebration. Dublin, four points down and needing a goal, won a free when Donal Reid tripped N. Guy Din; however, a quick pass to Sheedy and the Dublin forward had sent the ball wide from close range. Walsh's kick-out went to Cunningham, who passed to Bonner, who fell after being interfered with by a Dublin player as Sugrue was seen with his whistle to his lips. Martin McHugh wrestled with Sugrue in a bid for primacy over the match ball.
Details
Post-match
Fans flooded the pitch — among them future Irish international soccer goalkeeper Shay Given
Séamus John James Given (born 20 April 1976) is an Irish former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. With 134 caps, he is the second-highest capped Republic of Ireland player.
Given started his career at Celtic, however he neve ...
and future Donegal players such as Paul Durcan
Paul Durcan (born 16 October 1944) is a contemporary Irish poet.
Early life
Durcan was born and grew up in Dublin and in Turlough, County Mayo. His father, John, was a barrister and circuit court judge; father and son had a difficult and forma ...
.
RTÉ co-commentator Colm O'Rourke
Colm O'Rourke (born 31 August 1957) is a Gaelic football manager, former player, retired secondary school principal, sports broadcaster and columnist. He has been manager of the Meath county team since 2022.
O'Rourke's league and championship ...
said: "Donegal were much the better team… to win it so convincingly, because they probably were an even better team than the scoreline suggested".
Donegal captain Anthony Molloy climbed the steps of the Hogan Stand to various congratulatory gestures from nearby supporters: handshakes, back claps and pats on the head of hair that he still had. After shaking the hand of the President of Ireland
The president of Ireland ( ga, Uachtarán na hÉireann) is the head of state of Ireland and the supreme commander of the Irish Defence Forces.
The president holds office for seven years, and can be elected for a maximum of two terms.Constitu ...
, he shook the hand of President of the Gaelic Athletic Association
The president of the Gaelic Athletic Association ( ga, Uachtarán Cumann Lúthchleas Gael) is the head of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA).
The president holds office for three years. The role of president has existed since the foundation of ...
Peter Quinn, from Donegal's neighbouring county of Fermanagh
Historically, Fermanagh ( ga, Fir Manach), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of a ...
. The Taoiseach
The Taoiseach is the head of government, or prime minister, of Ireland. The office is appointed by the president of Ireland upon the nomination of Dáil Éireann (the lower house of the Oireachtas, Ireland's national legislature) and the o ...
then emerged from behind Quinn to shake Molloy's hand and briefly spoke with the Donegal captain. Then a woman, a man in clerical garb and the spouse of the President of Ireland all offered Molloy their hands.
Quinn addressed his audience for just under a minute in the Irish language
Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...
. He presented Molloy with the Sam Maguire Cup
The Sam Maguire Cup ( ga, Chorn Sam Mhic Uidhir), often referred to as Sam or The Sam , is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the main competiti ...
and the Donegal captain raised the trophy aloft. Molloy then set the cup down, rubbed his face and exchanged words with Quinn before moving towards the microphone. He spoke — also in the Irish language — to cheers from the crowd, which had by this time thronged the pitch. He then provided an English language translation, yelling: "We have done it!" The camera zoomed out to reveal Daniel O'Donnell
Daniel Francis Noel O'Donnell, MBE (born 12 December 1961) is an Irish singer, television presenter and philanthropist. After rising to public attention in 1983, he has since become a household name in Ireland and Britain; he has also had co ...
, not far from Molloy and behind the President of Ireland, with his hand aloft and frantically waving with an enormous smile upon his face; a lady behind him bearing a Donegal flag leaned over and spoke to him and he kissed her. Molloy commenced his speech of thanks, first mentioning Michael Lafferty, Naul McCole, Seamus Bonner and Anthony Harkin, then singling out the team's trainer Anthony Harkin for "a special word of thanks". He then thanked the medical team, including physios and doctor. He thanked his wife, his family, the families of the other players, former players and supporters. He then singled out Martin Shovlin
Martin Shovlin (born 1960/1) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Naomh Ultan and the Donegal county team.
He played against Armagh and scored a point in the 1990 Ulster final, won by Donegal. His performance led him to be awar ...
for special mention. Then he referred to team manager McEniff as "the greatest man in Ulster at the moment", drawing wild cheers from the audience. He offered commiserations to the losing Dublin team. He concluded with the exclamation " Sam is for the hills!". He walked off, wiped the left of his face and — pointed by an official towards the trophy — raised the Sam Maguire aloft again. His speech is still held in high regard within the sport nationally.
As the players took turns to raise the Sam Maguire Cup, O'Rourke noted: "I see the Taoiseach keeping a very close eye on the Donegal team, obviously looking for prospective candidates for Donegal in the next election". 27 years later, Molloy stood for the Fianna Fáil
Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christia ...
political party in the Glenties
Glenties () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is situated where two glens meet, north-west of the Bluestack Mountains, near the confluence of two rivers. Glenties is the largest centre of population in the parish of Iniskeel. Glenties has ...
Electoral Area at the 2019 Donegal County Council election and won a seat. Albert Reynolds
Albert Martin Reynolds (3 November 1932 – 21 August 2014) was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Taoiseach from 1992 to 1994, Leader of Fianna Fáil from 1992 to 1994, Minister for Finance from 1988 to 1991, Minister for Indust ...
was no longer Taoiseach though, or Leader of Fianna Fáil
The Leader of Fianna Fáil is the most senior politician within the Fianna Fáil political party in Ireland. Since 26 January 2011, the office has been held by Micheál Martin, following the resignation of Taoiseach Brian Cowen as leader of the p ...
; indeed, he had died nearly five years previously.
Donegal's victory banquet was at a hotel in Malahide
Malahide ( ; ) is an affluent coastal settlement in Fingal, County Dublin, Ireland, situated north of Dublin city. It has a village centre surrounded by suburban housing estates, with a population of over 17,000.
Malahide Castle dates from th ...
.
The winning team boarded the train westwards, trundling through the midlands towards the wilderness of Sligo
Sligo ( ; ga, Sligeach , meaning 'abounding in shells') is a coastal seaport and the county town of County Sligo, Ireland, within the western province of Connacht. With a population of approximately 20,000 in 2016, it is the List of urban areas ...
, intent on embarking from there by coach bound for Donegal Town.[ However, crowds gathered at train-stops in Kildare, Meath, Westmeath, Longford, Leitrim and Sligo to gawk in awe at the team that had put Dublin to the sword. 9,000 people were waiting in Sligo alone. It was many hours behind schedule when the team arrived in their home county.][
]
Legacy
This was the first time since 1971 *
The year 1971 had three partial solar eclipses ( February 25, July 22 and August 20) and two total lunar eclipses (February 10, and August 6).
The world population increased by 2.1% this year, the highest increase in history.
Events
Ja ...
that a team won their maiden All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. However, this surpassed even that, as Offaly
County Offaly (; ga, Contae Uíbh Fhailí) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and the province of Leinster. It is named after the ancient Kingdom of Uí Failghe. It was formerly known as King's County, in h ...
— also unfancied — had appeared in the 1961 and 1969 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Finals.
Donegal's triumph over the citizens inspired many other counties with little success at that time, including Derry, Armagh and Tyrone, to believe they could achieve the All-Ireland — these three counties achieved their dream in the next eleven years. Donegal's march to the title was still regarded nationally as an "almost mystical expedition", all those years later, until the arrival of the yet more enigmatic and impressive Jim McGuinness
Jim McGuinness (born 16 November 1972) is an association football coach and former Gaelic footballer, coach and manager, who won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as both player and manager with the Donegal county team.
Having gu ...
, who surpassed even this achievement.[
Donegal returned to the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final after a 20-year absence on 23 September 2012 beating Mayo and reached the final again in 2014 only to lose to Kerry.
Dublin laboured towards another final in ]1994
File:1994 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The 1994 Winter Olympics are held in Lillehammer, Norway; The Kaiser Permanente building after the 1994 Northridge earthquake; A model of the MS Estonia, which Sinking of the MS Estonia, sank in ...
, only to lose again on the big day—this time to Down.
The sides have met in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship since then. The first meeting was 10 years later in 2002 with Dublin requiring a replay to beat Donegal in the quarter-final. They met again in the 2011 semi-final, where Dublin narrowly beat Donegal in a controversial game. Donegal then defeated reigning All-Ireland champions Dublin in the 2014 semi-final in one of the biggest shocks the sport had ever witnessed.
In 2018, Martin Breheny
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listed 1992 as the seventh greatest All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, placing it ahead of 1978, 1966 and the 1988 replay in his top ten finals and behind only 1998 in that decade.[ Breheny, Martin. "Martin Breheny's Greatest All-Ireland Finals". '']Irish Independent
The ''Irish Independent'' is an Irish daily newspaper and online publication which is owned by Independent News & Media (INM), a subsidiary of Mediahuis.
The newspaper version often includes glossy magazines.
Traditionally a broadsheet new ...
''. 1 September 2018, p. 11.
TG4
TG4 ( ga, TG Ceathair, ) is an Irish free-to-air public service television network. The channel launched on 31 October 1996 and is available online and through its on demand service TG4 Player in Ireland and beyond.
TG4 was formerly known ...
aired the match during the COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
in June 2020, when all live sport in the country was shut down.
References
External links
Extended highlights
Watch
at ''GAA Now''
RTÉ In Pictures: Donegal '92
Match Details
{{Dublin county football team matches
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, 1992
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Finals
All-Ireland (sometimes All-Island) refers to all of Ireland, as opposed to the separate jurisdictions of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. "All-Ireland" is most frequently used to refer to sporting teams or events for the entire islan ...
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Finals
Donegal county football team matches
Dublin county football team matches