Brendan Boyle 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 at midfield for Ard an Rátha and also for the Donegal county team. A married civil engineer and graduate of Institute of Technology, Sligo, he spent two years with a serious back injury and almost quit the game. His wife Donna (''

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

'' Dunnion) played for Four Masters (she was a sister of

Barry Dunnion Barry Dunnion is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Four Masters and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team. He plays at wing-back. Early life Dunnion is the son of Danny and Marian Dunnion and came from a family of three, includi ...

) but died following an illness at the age of 41 in February 2022, leaving him two children. His championship debut was in the 2002

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 ...

final, a competition he would never win as a player. He made a substitute appearance for

Stephen McDermott Stephen McDermott is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Glenfin and the Donegal county team. His inter-county debut came in 2003. He played in the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final draw with Galway bu ...

in the

2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 117th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter county, inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 4 ...

semi-final 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 2004, he played against

in the Ulster SFC final at

Croke Park Croke Park ( ga, Páirc an Chrócaigh, ) is a Gaelic games stadium in Dublin, Ireland. Named after Archbishop Thomas Croke, it is referred to as Croker by GAA fans and locals. It serves as both the principal national stadium of Ireland and he ...

. He was injured in a club game and unable to play in what proved to be

Brian McEniff Brian McEniff (born 1 December 1942) is a former Gaelic football manager, administrator and player. McEniff played as a wing-back for the St Joseph's combination of clubs from Bundoran and Ballyshannon. He won seven Donegal Senior Football C ...

's last game as county team manager the next day, a one-point loss to

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 a

2005 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2005, known for sponsorship reasons as the 2005 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the premier Gaelic football competition in 2005. It consisted of 33 teams and began on Satur ...

Round 2 Qualifier. In 2009, he played in the Championship victory over

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

Markievicz Park Markievicz Park ( ga, Páirc Marcievicz) is the principal GAA stadium in County Sligo, Ireland, home to the Sligo Gaelic football and hurling teams. Built in 1955 in Sligo town (due mostly to Seán Forde who single-handedly gathered the funds ne ...

and the defeat to

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 ...

at Croke Park.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Brendan Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Ard an Rátha Gaelic footballers Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers Irish civil engineers