Plunkett Donaghy 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 who played for the Moy club and the Tyrone county team. With his county, Donaghy won three

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 ...

medals (in 1984, 1986 and 1989) and an All Star in 1986. He lives in

The Moy Moy () is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland about southeast of Dungannon and beside the smaller village of Charlemont. Charlemont is on the east bank of the River Blackwater and Moy on the west; the two are joined by C ...

, Co. Tyrone.

Background

Donaghy is one of nine children to Pat and Maisie Donaghy. Donaghy's father Pat played for Moy and Tyrone and was on the county panel when Tyrone won their first-ever

s in 1956 and 1957. His mother Maisie, originally from

Brackaville Brackaville or Bracaville (possibly ) is a village and townland near Coalisland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Dungannon Middle and the civil parish of Donaghenry and covers an area of 235 acres on ...

, was a widely acclaimed Irish folk singer (under the stage name

Eileen Donaghy Eileen Donaghy (16 July 1930 – 26 October 2008) was an Irish traditional singer. Donaghy was well known for her recordings of ballads such as ''The Oul Lammas Fair'' and ''My Lagan Love'' and was known as the "First Lady of the Moy". Eileen D ...

) whose success brought her on tour around the world. Donaghy is married with six children. His father-in-law is legendary football manager Dessie Ryan, a former footballer for Tyrone and New York who coached Queen's University Belfast to two victories in 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. ...

and is considered one of the most influential men in GAA history. Plunkett's brother Colm also played for Tyrone. He is a second cousin to two-time All Star winning former

Derry Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...

footballer

Joe Brolly Joe Brolly (born 25 June 1969 Dungiven, County Londonderry, Northern Ireland) is a Gaelic football analyst, former player and barrister who played at senior level for the Derry county team. Brolly played for Derry in the 1990s and early 2000s ...

. His mother Maisie was a first cousin of Brolly's mother Ann, Maisie's mother Bridget and Brolly's grandfather Joe, being sister and brother. He is also cousin to Monaghan Defender/Forward Vincent Corey.

Career

Donaghy was part of the Tyrone team that went to their first

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 ...

final in 1986, against

Kerry Kerry or Kerri may refer to: * Kerry (name), a given name and surname of Gaelic origin (including a list of people with the name) Places * Kerry, Queensland, Australia * County Kerry, Ireland ** Kerry Airport, an international airport in County ...

, and won an All Star Award for his contributions. He captained Tyrone to a further Ulster Championship success in 1989. He also played for Ireland against Australia.

Legacy

His playing abilities, being part of the first (relatively) successful Tyrone team, put him among the greats of Tyrone

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

. Donaghy was known for his great ability to catch a ball, and he was instantly recognisable on the pitch due to his "shaggy" blond hair. Donaghy stands at 6 ft tal

References

Interview with Donaghy prior Tyrone's 2005 All-Ireland Final meeting with Kerry''Hogan Stand'' article on Donaghy
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people People from Moy, County Tyrone Tyrone inter-county Gaelic footballers {{Tyrone-gaelic-football-bio-stub