Odhrán Mac Niallais (born 17 August 1992) is an Irish

Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...

er who plays for

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

and, formerly, for the Donegal county team. With two

Ulster Senior Football Championship The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the Irish province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in April. The final is ...

s to his name, Mac Niallais was a prominent feature of the Donegal midfield between 2014 and 2018. He is regarded nationally as "one of the most naturally gifted footballers in Ireland". He won an

Ulster Senior Club Football Championship The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament organised by Ulster GAA. It is played between the Senior championship winners from each of the nine counties of Ulster. The competition was first held in 1968 an ...

with Gaoth Dobhair in 2018.

Playing career

Club

Mac Niallais won the 2018 Donegal Senior Football Championship, scoring eight points (including six frees) in the final to help Gaoth Dobhair to their first Donegal senior championship since 2006, and being awarded man of the match. Mac Niallais then starred in Gaoth Dobhair's first ever

-winning campaign later in

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

. In the Ulster semi-final defeat of

Crossmaglen Rangers Crossmaglen Rangers Gaelic Athletic Club () is a GAA club in Crossmaglen, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. They cater for Gaelic football and camogie. Their home football ground is St. Oliver Plunkett Park, which was opened in 1959. In 1971 the ...

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 ...

Omagh Omagh (; from , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. Northern Ireland's c ...

, Mac Niallais scored four points, including one free. In the final against

Scotstown Scotstown () is a village in the townland of Bough () in north County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Scotstown is located in the parish of Tydavnet, along the Monaghan section of the River Blackwater (Northern Ireland), River Blackwat ...

, Mac Niallais was again awarded the "Laoch na hImeartha" (man of the match) after scoring four points, including three frees. He has also played as a

goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...

for his club.

Inter-county

Mac Niallais was first called into the Donegal senior team as an 18-year-old in the winter of 2011 by manager

Jim McGuinness Jim McGuinness (born 16 November 1972) is a Gaelic football coach, and former player, who won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as a player with, and later manager of, the Donegal county team. Since 2023, he has been manager, for ...

. He played in the

2012 Dr McKenna Cup The 2012 Dr McKenna Cup was a Gaelic football competition played under the auspices of Ulster GAA. The tournament was won by Tyrone, their first McKenna title since 2007. They defeated Derry in the final. The final was noted for the attendance of ...

but injuries hampered his progress that year for club and county. He returned to training ahead of the next season and played in the

2013 Dr McKenna Cup The 2013 Dr McKenna Cup was a Gaelic football competition played under the auspices of Ulster GAA. The tournament features the 2012 All-Ireland Champions, Donegal, whose first game (away against Fermanagh) was put back for several days due to ...

. During that competition, he scored an early goal against St Mary's in a one-point win at

MacCumhaill Park MacCumhaill Park () is a GAA stadium in Ballybofey, County Donegal, Ireland. It is the home ground of the Seán MacCumhaills club and Donegal's Gaelic football and hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient ...

. In the 2013 National Football League he made substitute appearances against Down in the second game and against

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in Donegal's final league game of the season, both in

Ballybofey Ballybofey ( , ; ) is a town located on the south bank of the River Finn (County Donegal), River Finn, County Donegal, Ireland. Together with the smaller town of Stranorlar on the north side of the River Finn (County Donegal), River Finn, the ...

. He also played in the under-21 team that lost to

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

in the 2013 Ulster final. Mac Niallais arrived in 2014 having played around a half-an-hour of meaningful senior inter-county football for Donegal. That year would bring his first league start — against

Laois County Laois ( ; ) is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Eastern and Midland Region and in the province of Leinster. It was known as Queen's County from 1556 to 1922. The modern county takes its name from Loígis, a medieval kingdom. Hist ...

O'Moore Park O'Moore Park () is a GAA stadium in Portlaoise, County Laois, Ireland. It is the home of the Laois Gaelic football and hurling teams. Under a new sponsorship deal it is known as "Laois Hire O'Moore Park". Although it may have been in use as a G ...

. He palmed home a goal in the twelfth minute and scored a point later in the same match. The year also brought games in the Senior Championship for Mac Niallais for the first time. Called onto the field when Donegal were forced to make emergency reparations to the midfield following injuries to

Rory Kavanagh Rory Kavanagh (; born 23 August 1982) is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player with St Eunan's and the Donegal county team. He was manager of St Eunan's from November 2020 until the end of the 2023 championship. He currently mana ...

and Neil Gallagher, Mac Niallais scored four points and collected the man of the match award in the Ulster semi-final against Antrim at Clones. He then won his first Ulster senior title, helping himself to three points in the final against

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...

. Under the management of

Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...

, Mac Niallais scored a 52nd-minute goal against

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...

from a distance of 20 metres in the opening fixture of the 2015 National Football League. He scored 1–4 against

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

in the 2016 National Football League. Mac Niallais scored a

brace Brace (formerly known as ''Brace For War'') was an Australian mixed martial arts (MMA) promotion. Brace was founded in 2005 by Kya Pate. In an interview with MMA Kanvas Kya Pate detailed what it is like to be the promoter of Australian MMA. Si ...

in the seven-point 2016 Ulster Senior Football Championship quarter-final victory over

Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh (), 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 alleged Laigin or ...

. He scored another goal in the 55th minute of the semi-final against Monaghan. He later left the Donegal team. He headed stateside. Mac Niallais returned to the Donegal team under the management of

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 title in 1992. He later managed the Donegal county team ...

in 2018. He scored 1–2 against Kerry in the opening round of the 2018 National Football League in

Killarney Killarney ( ; , meaning 'church of sloes') is a town in County Kerry, southwestern Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is on the northeastern shore of Lough Leane, part of Killarney National Park, and is home to St Mary's Cathedral, Killar ...

and repeated the feat against Tyrone in

during the fifth round of fixtures. He started the final and scored a point as Donegal secured the

2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship The 2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship was the 130th instalment of the annual Ulster Senior Football Championship organised by Ulster GAA. It is one of the four provincial competitions of the 2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. T ...

. Following the death of a clubmate in a car accident in January 2019, Mac Niallais opted out of the Donegal panel that year. He thus missed out on the

2019 Ulster Senior Football Championship The 2019 Ulster Senior Football Championship is the 131st instalment of the annual Ulster Senior Football Championship organised by Ulster GAA. It is one of the four provincial competitions of the 2019 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Th ...

, which Donegal won. But from September 2019, Mac Niallais met regularly with county manager Bonner. By November, Mac Niallais had decided to return to the team. "At the same time", Mac Niallais later said, "it was still in the back of my mind to go away. I did say that to eclanand he was fine with it". In December 2019, Bonner confirmed that Mac Niallais had opted out of the Donegal panel for 2020. In February 2020, he moved to

Crouch End Crouch End is an area of North London, England, from the City of London in the western half of the borough of Haringey. It is within the Hornsey postal district (N8). It has been described as one of "a new breed of urban villages" in London ...

in England, close to

Alexandra Palace Alexandra Palace is an entertainment and sports venue in North London, situated between Wood Green and Muswell Hill in the London Borough of Haringey. A listed building, Grade II listed building, it is built on the site of Tottenham Wood and th ...

, with the intention of playing football for North London Shamrocks. He had contemplated going to join friends in

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

; however, the arrival of a then 18-month-old

godson Within Christianity, a godparent or sponsor is someone who bears witness to a child's baptism (christening) and later is willing to help in their catechesis, as well as their lifelong spiritual formation. In both religious and civil views, ...

convinced him to remain closer to family. In March 2020, he spoke about the intensity of committing to inter-county football: "Your life's completely taken over by it. It's gone to extreme levels where personally, I don't know. I wasn't built for that kinda stuff. I obviously used to love it but after a few years of doing it, I nearly had enough of it. I wouldn't be a big fan of the travelling. If training was down in Magheragallon every Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, Sunday, I'd be there every time, I'd play for Donegal no bother". By mid-2020, due to the emergence of the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

, Mac Niallais was back with Gaoth Dobhair. He returned to the county team for the 2021 season but decided to depart again ahead of the 2022 season.

Personal life

He plays

golf Golf is a club-and-ball sport in which players use various Golf club, clubs to hit a Golf ball, ball into a series of holes on a golf course, course in as few strokes as possible. Golf, unlike most ball games, cannot and does not use a standa ...

(reaching a handicap of 14 in early 2020) at his local club, located close to the Gaoth Dobhair GAA club's base. He has also been a regular

snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...

player in

Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...

. He is the younger brother of Ronan Mac Niallais, who managed Gaoth Dobhair to the 2023 Donegal Senior Football Championship final during his first year in charge.

Career statistics

Honours

;Donegal *

2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...

;Gaoth Dobhair *

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 know ...

;Individual *

All Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...

nomination: 2014 *Midfield on the AIB Club Team of the Year: April 2019 *Ulster Senior Club Football Championship Final "Laoch na hImeartha": 2018 *Donegal Senior Football Championship Final "Laoch na hImeartha": 2018 * Gradam Shéamuis Mhic Géidigh: 2018

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Mac Niallais, Odhran 1992 births Living people Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers Gaelic football goalkeepers Gaoth Dobhair Gaelic footballers Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Sportspeople from Letterkenny