THERE WERE PLENTY waiting to get their new Donegal shirts signed at this afternoon’s ‘Meet and Greet’ at Michael Murphy Sports.
One man who probably wasn’t after an autograph but was in the area and popped in was Brian McIver, who managed Donegal for three seasons from 2006 to 2008 and a tenure ended in a cloud of controversy.
Photo caption: Donegal midfielder Neil Gallagher and his former Donegal manager Brian McIver this afternoon at Michael Murphy Sports in Letterkenny. Photo by Geraldine Diver
In September 2008, he had just completed his annual report in front of the club delegates and county executive when, out of the blue, dissent broke from two clubs – Gaoth Dobhair and St Eunan’s. Strips were torn off McIver from the perception of 2008 being a backward step.
In three years, we seem to have gone back,” St Eunan’s delegate said.
“We have regressed rather than progressed. We believe, and this is not a swipe at Brian McIver, the only way we will get intensity into our game is if a Donegal man is in charge.”
Gaoth Dobhair later clarified their delegate was never mandated, whilst St Eunan’s had a club meeting the previous week where McIver’s position – again not on the agenda — was discussed.
Vice-chairman of the Donegal County Board, PJ McGowan, voiced his disgust over the way McIver was spoken to. Before anyone could catch their breath, there was a motion of no-confidence. McIver, with tears in his eyes, walked off into the night never to return.
McIver, though, was always popular among his players and this afternoon, in a very relaxed setting, he enjoyed a chat and shared a few jokes with the Donegal players.
It was McIver that gave Michael Murphy his first action in a Donegal jersey in 2007, introducing the then 17-year-old from Glenswilly in the Dr McKenna Cup against University of Ulster Jordanstown that January.
That summer, Murphy, in his first championship appearance, was a goalscorer for McIver’s Donegal in a Round 2 qualifier against Leitrim at Carrick-on-Shannon.
[adrotate group=”24″]“I got in for the qualifiers,” Murphy said of his former boss in an interview in 2014. “Brian put his neck out on the line with a young fella who was 17 and a lot of people would’ve been taking strange looks.”
In-between and with Murphy concentrating on his studies at St Eunan’s College and football with his club and the Donegal minors, the Donegal seniors won the National Football League for the first and only time thanks to a 0-13 to 0-10 win over Mayo at Croke Park.
Neil Gallagher skippered Donegal that day, while Christy Toye and Eamon McGee – all three of whom were in Letterkenny today – were part of the team. In fact, it was Toye was captained Donegal the year beforehand.
“Not many people that have the kind of love and passion for the game Brian does,” McGee said before Donegal to face McIver’s Derry in the Ulster SFC quarter-final two years ago. “It’s infectious. The GAA needs those kind of people.”
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