Paul McGettigan (born 1957/8) is a 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, manager and barrister. He played inter-county football for
Donegal 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 ...
and
Galway. His club career included time with Donegal club
St Eunan's and Galway clubs
Salthill,
St Grellan's and
Corofin. He played in midfield.
[
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Early life and education
McGettigan was born to footballer James "Gouldie" McGettigan and his wife Cora (''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 ...
'' Embleton).Leslie
Leslie may refer to:
* Leslie (name), a name and list of people with the given name or surname, including fictional characters
Families
* Clan Leslie, a Scottish clan with the motto "grip fast"
* Leslie (Russian nobility), a Russian noble family ...
).[ One of McGettigan's brothers died at the age of sixteen in 1986 and another at the age of forty in 2009.][
McGettigan attended ]Gormanston College
Franciscan College Gormanston is a school operated and managed by the Irish province of the Franciscans, Order of the Friars Minor. The college operates under the trusteeship of the Minister Provincial and Definitory of the Franciscan Province ...
in East Meath. With them he was part of the 1973 All-Ireland Hogan Cup winning team that saw off St Jarlath's College
St Jarlath's College () is a Catholic secondary school for young men in Tuam, County Galway. The college was founded in 1800 and in 2009 absorbed St. Patrick's College, Tuam. The College, which operates under patronage of the Archbishop of Tuam, ...
of Tuam in the final.[
]
Playing career
Club
McGettigan played with various clubs in his time. He reached the final of the All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship with St Grellan's in 1980 but they lost to St Finbarr's. He won a Donegal Senior Football Championship with St Eunan's in 1983.[
]
Inter-county
McGettigan made his senior-inter-county debut for Donegal against Leitrim in the National Football League at the age of sixteen. The next year he won his first Ulster Senior Football Championship medal when Donegal defeated Down
Down most often refers to:
* Down, the relative direction opposed to up
* Down (gridiron football), in American/Canadian football, a period when one play takes place
* Down feather, a soft bird feather used in bedding and clothing
* Downland, a ty ...
following a replay. Thus he contested the 1974 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The 1974 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 88th staging of the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Gaelic Athletic Association's premier inter-county Gaelic football tournament. The championship began on 19 May 1974 and en ...
, when Donegal fell to Galway at the semi-final stage.[ He was still a minor in 1974 and played both the Ulster MFC and SFC semi-finals on the same day.][
Having moved to live and work in Galway, McGettigan took up inter-county football with that county in 1978, and was part of a side that contested a Connacht final in his first year there ( Roscommon won that contest). McGettigan, however, reversed his earlier decision and returned to play for Donegal in 1983 — just in time to win a second Ulster Senior Football Championship medal.][ McGettigan's return was pivotal; he partnered under-21 player Anthony Molloy at centrefield in the Ulster final, which meant Michael Lafferty could revert to his normal centre-back and Martin Griffin to his normal full-back position.][
]
Provincial
McGettigan played for Ulster in the Railway Cup
The GAA Interprovincial Championship ( ga, An Corn Idir-Chúigeach) or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster ...
at a time when he was the only Donegal inclusion on that team.
Coaching
McGettigan led Corofin to that club's first All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship title in 1998.[ He had previously coached the club's minor team but took over as senior manager in 1997, following many of the players he had coached as young men, and on the proviso that Tony Murphy would be joint manager.][
]
Honours
* Hogan Cup: 1973[
* Galway Senior Football Championship: 1979, 1980][
* All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship runner-up: 1980][
* Donegal Senior Football Championship: 1983][
* Ulster Senior Football Championship: 1974, 1983][
]
Personal life
McGettigan resides on the coastal resort of Salthill. He is married to Geraldine, originally from Claremorris, who is the sister of Jimmy Duggan
Jimmy may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Film and television
* Jimmy (2008 film), ''Jimmy'' (2008 film), a 2008 Hindi thriller directed by Raj N. Sippy
* Jimmy (1979 film), ''Jimmy'' (1979 film), a 1979 Indian Malayalam film directed by Melat ...
(which is where McGettigan's involvement with Corofin originated).[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:McGettigan, Paul
1950s births
Living people
All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship winning managers
Alumni of the University of Galway
Corofin Gaelic footballers
Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers
Gaelic football managers
Irish barristers
Salthill-Knocknacarra Gaelic footballers
St Eunan's Gaelic footballers
St Grellan's Gaelic footballers
Ulster Gaelic footballers
University of Galway Gaelic footballers