Michael Boyle (born 1986/7) is an Irish sportsperson and

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 ...

coach. He plays with his local club Termon and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team. Educated 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 ...

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( ga, Leitir Ceanainn , meaning 'hillside of the O'Cannons'), nicknamed 'the Cathedral Town', is the largest and most populous town in County Donegal, a county in Ulster, the northern province in Ireland. Letterkenny lies on the R ...

, he was his county's number one goalkeeper in the past, though

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 ...

had something to say about that. Boyle has also played soccer for

Finn Harps Finn Harps Football Club ( ga, Cumann Peile Chláirsigh na Finne) are an Irish football club that play in the First Division of the League of Ireland, as of 2023. The club was founded in 1954 and elected to the league in 1969. However, it was te ...

in the

League of Ireland The League of Ireland ( ga, Sraith na hÉireann), together with the Football Association of Ireland, is one of the two main governing bodies responsible for organising association football in the Republic of Ireland. The term was originally us ...

Playing career

College

Boyle studied Sports Science and Health at

Dublin City University Dublin City University (abbreviated as DCU) ( ga, Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a university based on the Northside of Dublin, Ireland. Created as the ''National Institute for Higher Education, Dublin'' in 1975, it enrolled its f ...

(DCU). Boyle won the

Sigerson Cup The Sigerson Cup is the trophy for the premier Gaelic football championship among Higher Education institutions (Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Technology) in Ireland. It traditionally begins in mid January and ends in late February. ...

twice in 2010 and 2012 with the

DCU GAA Dublin City University Gaelic Athletic Association Club ( ga, Cumann Luth Chleas Gael Ollscoil Chathair Bhaile Átha Cliath) is the GAA club at Dublin City University. The club fields teams in men's Gaelic football, hurling, ladies' Gaelic f ...

team. He was goalkeeper on both occasions, on the team that beat

UCC The initialism UCC may stand for: Law * Uniform civil code of India, referring to proposed Civil code in the legal system of India, which would apply equally to all irrespective of their religion * Uniform Commercial Code, a 1952 uniform act to ...

in the 2010 final and the team that beat Maynooth in the 2012 final. The

Higher Education GAA Higher Education GAA is the governing body overseeing the Gaelic games of hurling, camogie and Gaelic football at third level institutions. The body coordinates competitions in both Ireland and Britain, and is a part of the parent organisation, ...

later barred him for playing for his college due to a new rule it introduced, prompting the team manager to consider a

boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...

Club

Despite being a goalkeeper, Boyle was Termon's top scorer with four points in an away fixture against Aodh Ruadh at Fr Tierney Park in 2012. Termon defeated Aodh Ruadh by a total of five points, a score of 0–13 to 0–8. Boyle's performance led to media comparisons with

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 ...

goalkeeper Stephen Cluxton, who would regularly do likewise for his team, including scoring the winning point in the 2011 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final. Later that year, Boyle won the

Donegal Intermediate Football Championship The Donegal Intermediate Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal IFC) is an annual Gaelic football, football competition organised by Donegal GAA. CLG An Clochán Liath, An Clochán Liath are the title holders (2022) defeating CLG Naomh Co ...

, again against Aodh Ruadh. He also played for

Donegal Boston Donegal Boston GFC is a Gaelic football club which was founded in 1988 in Boston, Massachusetts. Boston is the second largest division of the GAA on the North American continent, after New York. They train on Malibu Beach, Dorchester. Among ...

, winning the North-East Men's Senior Football Championship in 2015. Boyle did not play for Termon in 2020 as he was based in London, where he opted to remain for 2021.

Inter-county

Boyle was a member of the Donegal squad that won the 2007 National Football League. He played in the first team for periods in 2005 and 2009. Rivalling

for a place in the Donegal team, Boyle appeared at half-time in a 2009 All-Ireland qualifier after Durcan fouled Clare player

Gary Brennan Gary Brennan is an Irish Gaelic footballer who played for the Clondegad club and at senior level for the Clare county team. He also plays club hurling for Ballyea. Playing career Club Inter-county On 31 July 2016, Brennan started in midfi ...

and conceded a penalty. Boyle retained his starting place for the games against

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 fund ...

and

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 ...

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 ...

. Boyle was named on the bench for the 2012

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 against Down, although he later claimed to have picked up 43 points playing golf at Slieve Russell in Cavan. He was also on the bench for the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final against

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 ...

. A noted penalty saver, he was named on the "Future Champions 2012" football team. In 2014, Boyle sustained a cruciate injury. This left him lacking match fitness in 2015 when the chance to play for Donegal presented itself following Durcan's transfer to

Dubai Dubai (, ; ar, دبي, translit=Dubayy, , ) is the most populous city in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the capital of the Emirate of Dubai, the most populated of the 7 emirates of the United Arab Emirates.The Government and Politics of ...

. He made a substitute appearance for Durcan in the second round of 2015 National Football League fixtures against Dublin at Croke Park. He also started the league games against Tyrone and Mayo, as well as the NFL semi-final against Cork. Ahead of Donegal's 2015 Ulster semi-final, Boyle left the panel to travel to

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

for the summer. He was "not fit" for the 2016 championship, leaving the goalkeeping position vacant for Mark Anthony McGinley and

Peter Boyle Peter Lawrence Boyle (October 18, 1935 – December 12, 2006) was an American actor. Known as a character actor, he played Frank Barone on the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' and the comical monster in Mel Brooks' film spoof ''Young Fra ...

. McGinley was selected ahead of Peter Boyle.

Coaching

Boyle assisted Mervyn O'Donnell during

Gaoth Dobhair Gweedore ( ; officially known by its Irish language name, ) is an Irish-speaking district and parish located on the Atlantic coast of County Donegal in the north-west of Ireland. Gweedore stretches some from Glasserchoo in the north to Crolly ...

's successful 2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship and

Ulster Senior Club Football Championship The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition played between the top clubs in Ulster GAA. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup ( ga, Corn Shéamuis Mhic Fearáin). The winners and th ...

campaign. Boyle left his position with Gaoth Dobhair ahead of the 2020 season. He has also been involved with the Donegal under-20 backroom team. In 2022, he was coaching North London Shmarocks, which included his former Termon teammate Nathan McElwaine. Further details in the print edition.

Personal life

As of 2021, Boyle was employed as a commercial manager in the London office of construction recruitment firm, 3D Personnel.

Honours

;Donegal *

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 ...

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 ...

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

;Termon *

: 2012 ;Donegal Boston * North-East Men's Senior Football Championship: 2015 ;College *

: 2010, 2012

References

External links

Official profile
*
2009 All Ireland Senior Championship quarter-final: Cork vs Donegal: Cork goalkeeper Alan Quirke consoles Donegal goalkeeper Michael Boyle after the game
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyle, Michael 1980s births Living people Alumni of Dublin City University Donegal Boston Gaelic footballers Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers DCU Gaelic footballers Gaelic football coaches Gaelic football goalkeepers Gaelic footballers who switched code Irish expatriate sportspeople in England Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States People educated at St Eunan's College Termon Gaelic footballers Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football) Association football goalkeepers Finn Harps F.C. players League of Ireland players Republic of Ireland association footballers