Gary McDaid is a
Gaelic football manager
Management (or managing) is the administration of an organization, whether it is a business, a nonprofit organization, or a government body. It is the art and science of managing resources of the business.
Management includes the activities ...
, referee and former player. He has three DSFCs: twice as manager (2011, 2013) and once as coach to Michael Canning (2016).
Club
While overseeing
Glenswilly, he has led that team to two
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 ...
s (
2011 and
2013
File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fa ...
). They also won the 2013 All-County Football League Division Two title. He took a year off in 2012. He was part of Michael Canning's backroom team in 2016 as Glenswilly won their third county title.
[ He played with the reserves that year.][
]
County
McDaid publicly criticised the county board in 2011. He has been involved in coaching Donegal underage squads and has worked under the leadership of Joe McBrearty with Donegal's under-21 football team.[
In December 2014, it was announced that McDaid had joined the senior Donegal county team as a ]selector
Selector may refer to:
*Selector, electrical or mechanical component, a switch
*''Selector'', music scheduling software for radio stations created by Radio Computing Services
*Selector, of music, otherwise known as a disc jockey
*Selector, a per ...
under the stewardship of Rory Gallagher
William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish guitarist, singer, songwriter, and producer. Due to his virtuosic playing, but relative lack of fame compared to some others, he has been referred to as "the greatest ...
. This coincided with introduction of Eamon Ward and Joe Gibbons from his home club Glenswilly, as well as the return of Gary McFadden
Gary 'Copper' McFadden (born 1980s) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Glenswilly and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team.
He was a panel member when Donegal won the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship.
He normally ...
, who had opted out in 2013. He stayed for one season. In October 2015, he stood aside from the role, citing family commitments.
McDaid was considered a leading contender to succeed Gallagher as Donegal senior manager, though 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 ...
accepted the post. In November 2017, McDaid was ratified as the first manager of the new Donegal under-20 football team. Eamon McGee, Francie Friel and Brian Roper completed his back-room team.
He carried on in 2018, developing players such as Jason McGee and Odhrán McFadden Ferry for Bonner's main team.
But he gave up — unexpectedly — and, admitting "results had not been as good as they had hoped" (shifting the emphasis of blame onto others), announced his resignation in an interview he gave to Highland Radio on 28 September 2019. For him to complete his expected third year at the helm, McDaid would have had to "face an interview", the thought of which was too much for him.
Media
"There are few more articulate, astute or acute observers of Donegal GAA
The Donegal County Board ( ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael Coiste Dhún na nGall) or Donegal GAA is one of 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Done ...
than one Gary McDaid from Glenswilly. He will always be remembered for masterminding a great victory for the Glen over hot favourites Kilcar in the county final of 2016… and his attention to detail has always been quite forensic". This was how media asssed him while seeking his views on the 2020 Donegal Senior Football Championship.
Of Hugh McFadden, McDaid said that he reminded him of a "young 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 ...
".[
In 2016, McDaid hit out a people sitting in armchairs. He was particularly sensitive to the criticism of Glenswilly when his club had ground out a win on a score of 3 points against the 2 points to which they had limited their opponents. "We'd 14 wides, five dropped short and we scored three… I saw a lot of stuff on social media that it's the end of football and ther stuffabout mass defences", McDaid told '' Gaelic Life''.
]
Referee
McDaid is also a referee.
Personal life
McDaid teaches PE at St Eunan's College
St Eunan's College ( ; ga, Coláiste Adhamhnáin), known locally as The College to distinguish it from the cathedral and GAA club, is a voluntary Roman Catholic all-male secondary day school (and former boarding school) in County Donegal, Ire ...
to Transition Year
Transition Year (TY) ( ga, Idirbhliain) is an optional one-year school programme that can be taken in the year after the Junior Certificate in Ireland. However, depending on school population and funding it may not be available, and in other sch ...
students, as well as the new Leaving Certificate PE course which the college is currently piloting. McDaid has also been part of various Gaelic football teams during his time at St Eunan's, most notably hitching on the back of the MacLarnon Cup-winning team of 2014 after they reached the final.
As well as teaching, McDaid is an avid runner. His most noted achievement occurred when he broke the 20-minute barrier for five kilometres in the annual Glenswilly GAA 5k Road Race.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McDaid, Gary
Year of birth missing (living people)
Living people
Gaelic games players from County Donegal
Gaelic football managers
Gaelic football referees
Gaelic football selectors
Glenswilly Gaelic footballers
Irish schoolteachers
People associated with St Eunan's College