Anthony Molloy (born 28 May 1962) is an Irish former

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

er who played for Ard an Rátha and the Donegal county team. He

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

ed Donegal to 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 ...

1992 File:1992 Events Collage V1.png, From left, clockwise: 1992 Los Angeles riots, Riots break out across Los Angeles, California after the Police brutality, police beating of Rodney King; El Al Flight 1862 crashes into a residential apartment buildi ...

Early life and family

Molloy is from Leamagowra. This is a small townland on the way over Glengesh Pass on the way towards

Glencolmcille ''Gleann Cholm Cille'', anglicised as Glencolumbkille or Glencolmcille, is a small district on the Atlantic coast of southwest County Donegal in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Named after Saint Colm Cille (Columba), it is also a civ ...

. He was born on 28 May 1962. In 1992, he was living at 61 Conlin Road in

Killybegs Killybegs () is a town in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the largest fishing port in the country and on the island of Ireland. It is located on the south coast of the county, north of Donegal Bay, near Donegal Town. Its Irish name ''Na Cealla Bea ...

. He is the uncle of C. J. Molloy. In December 2019, a niece of his was killed while working as a nurse in the

Royal Melbourne Hospital The Royal Melbourne Hospital (RMH), located in Parkville, Victoria, an inner suburb of Melbourne, is one of Australia's leading public hospitals. It is a major teaching hospital for tertiary health care with a reputation in clinical research. Th ...

. She was also his

goddaughter In infant baptism and denominations of Christianity, a godparent (also known as a sponsor, or '' gossiprede'') is someone who bears witness to a child's christening and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelon ...

Playing career

Molloy won the Under-14 Championship with his club in 1976. He played during the

1982 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship The 1982 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship was the 19th staging of the All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship since its establishment by the Gaelic Athletic Association in 1964. Cork entered the championship as defending champions, ...

, which Donegal won. Molloy went on to play for his county at senior level for twelve years, amassing 123 appearances. He played senior football for Donegal from 1982 until 1994. Molloy played against

Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...

in the 1983 Ulster final, won by Donegal. He played against

Armagh Armagh ( ; ga, Ard Mhacha, , "Macha's height") is the county town of County Armagh and a city in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Pri ...

in the 1990 Ulster final, won by Donegal. Molloy captained Donegal to the

All-Ireland title. He famously exclaimed " Sam's for the hills" as he did so. His speech is still held in high regard within the sport nationally. He would win an All Star in 1992 as well. Molloy also won two

New York Senior Football Championship The New York Senior Football Championship is a Gaelic football competition for teams affiliated to the New York (New York GAA) board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Teams are generally from the New York area, though a team from Stamford, Conne ...

s in 1986 and 1992, while playing for

Donegal New York Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...

. By the end of his playing days, Molloy had been left with a troublesome left knee. It had no joint left, simply bone on bone. Molloy described it, in the Sean Potts-edited book ''Voices from Croke Park: The Stories of 12 GAA heroes'', as being "riddled with

arthritis Arthritis is a term often used to mean any disorder that affects joints. Symptoms generally include joint pain and stiffness. Other symptoms may include redness, warmth, swelling, and decreased range of motion of the affected joints. In som ...

". County team doctor Austin O'Kennedy regarded it as being one of the worst knees he had ever seen. Molloy had surgery on "seven or eight" occasions, before having his knee replaced at the Mater Private in October 2008. He funded the earlier operations with his own

insurance Insurance is a means of protection from financial loss in which, in exchange for a fee, a party agrees to compensate another party in the event of a certain loss, damage, or injury. It is a form of risk management, primarily used to hedge ...

. However, the €22,000 owed for the replacement was nearly double the maximum allowed by his insurance and this led to Molloy receiving solicitors' letters from the hospital. He expressed disappointment at the lack of interest from the Donegal County Board in resolving the issue. Molloy contacted his former manager Brian McEniff; McEniff contacted GAA Director General

Páraic Duffy Páraic Duffy served as the 18th Director General of the Gaelic Athletic Association. A former chairman of the Monaghan County Board, he replaced Liam Mulvihill in February 2008 and was succeeded by Tom Ryan in April 2018. Paraic was the GAA's ...

and eventually the GAA paid "the outstanding amount".

Management career

Molloy managed the county minor team to an

Ulster Minor Football Championship The Ulster Minor Football Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Ulster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ulster Council. The trophy for the winning side is Th ...

in 1996. He was mentioned as a possible successor to P. J. McGowan as manager in 1997 in a dual role with Tom Conaghan. He withdrew and

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 tw ...

became manager. He was managing his local club in 2007. He has also been assistant manager. Molloy has also managed the

Naomh Columba This is a list of the saints of Ireland, which attempts to give an overview of saints from Ireland or venerated in Ireland. The vast majority of these saints lived during the 4th–10th centuries, the period of early Christian Ireland, when Celtic ...

club. Immediately following Donegal's All-Ireland semi-final victory over

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, manager

Jim McGuinness Jim McGuinness (born 16 November 1972) is an association football coach and former Gaelic footballer, coach and Manager (Gaelic games), manager, who won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as both player and manager with the Donegal ...

had Molloy deliver a message to the players beneath the Hogan Stand in Croke Park. Captain

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer ...

later described it: "'Seize the opportunity' was pretty much the message he gave us. We're still trying to live by those words now; in every game we play we're living in the present, trying to grab the chance. Molloy didn't beat around the bush when he came in. He warned us that there was no point in us living with the false hope that it would all be quiet, but that we needed to be ourselves. His big message was about seizing the opportunity and how they thought after '92 that they'd win more". When Donegal won the

2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final The 2012 All-Ireland Football Final, the 125th event of its kind and the culmination of the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was played at Croke Park, Dublin, on 23 September 2012. Donegal and Mayo, widely considered "one of the mos ...

, Molloy raised the hand of Murphy at the local homecoming event, where

Paddy McGrath Paddy McGrath (born 2 February 1989) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Ard an Rátha and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team. Though not from a footballing family, McGrath would equal his club's most famous player Anthony M ...

and

Pat Shovelin Pat Shovelin (1975/6 – 21 October 2017) was a Gaelic football coach from Ardara, County Donegal, Ardara, County Donegal. He was the goalkeeping coach for the Donegal GAA, Donegal county football team. He represented C.L.G. Ard an Rátha, Ardara ...

also featured.

Other ventures

Towards the end of 2009, Molloy joined the

Gaelic Players Association The Gaelic Players Association ( ga, Cumann na n-Imreoirí Gaelacha), or GPA, is the officially recognised player representative body for inter county Gaelic footballers and Hurling, hurlers in Ireland. The GPA's aim is to promote and protect all ...

but found it unpalatable. He was regarded as a leading candidate to replace P. J. McGowan as County Chairman when McGowan's five years came to an end in December 2012. In 2013, Molloy was one of six nominees for the position of vice-chairman of the Donegal County Board executive. He was critical of the selection process used to decide the new Donegal senior manager in 2017. Molloy has spoken publicly of his struggles with alcoholism. He presented the documentary ''Deoch an Dorais'' (''Name Your Poison''), aired on

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 ...

on 28 December 2015. He has been involved in insurance, property, sales and with pubs. He 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 Christian- ...

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. His autobiography, titled ''Life, Glory and Demons'', was published by Hero Books in 2022.

Honours

Player

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

( c.) *

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 usu ...

: 1983, 1990, 1992 ( c.) *

All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship The GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the EirGrid GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association ( ...

1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street bridges, 14th Street Bridge in ...

Ulster Under-21 Football Championship The Ulster GAA Football Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Ulster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest int ...

: 1982 *

Donegal Senior Football Championship The Donegal Senior Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal SFC) is an annual football competition organised by Donegal GAA and contested by the highest-level clubs, to determine the best team in County Donegal. Since 2016, it has been known ...

: 19?? *

: 1986, 1992

Manager

: 1996

Individual

* All Star: 1992 * Donegal Player of the Year: 1988, 1990 * In May 2012, the ''

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 ...

'' named him in its selection of Donegal's "greatest team" spanning the previous 50 years. * Silver Jubilee Football Team of the Ulster GAA Writers Association (UGAAWA) nomination: 2012 *In June 2016, Molloy was given the Freedom of County Donegal, the seventh recipient of the honour; he followed others such as

Packie Bonner Patrick Joseph Bonner (born 24 May 1960) is an Irish retired footballer who played as a goalkeeper and spent his entire career at Celtic. He earned a total of 80 caps for the Republic of Ireland national football team after making his debut on h ...

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

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 cons ...

. He was the first GAA figure to receive the honour.

References

External links

Anthony Molloy
at gaainfo.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Molloy, Anthony 1962 births Living people All-Ireland-winning captains (football) Ard an Rátha Gaelic footballers Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers Donegal New York Gaelic footballers Fianna Fáil politicians Gaelic football managers Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Irish sportsperson-politicians Local councillors in County Donegal People from Ardara, County Donegal Ulster inter-provincial Gaelic footballers Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football)