THERE’S PLENTY OF memorabilia from St Eunan’s GAA club dotted on the walls of Blake’s Bar on Upper Main Street in Letterkenny.
Among them is a framed jersey of the 1994 County Minor champions, signed by all the panel following their 2-18 to 4-7 victory over Ardara at TÃrconaill Park. History will tell us that it was the second of the three-in-a-row for St Eunan’s from that era.
Damian Daly captained the side (pictured above by Paddy Gallagher) to victory in Donegal town.
St Eunan’s 1994 County Minor Championship winning jersey, signed by the panel, which is housed at Blake’s Bar in Letterkenny
The team that day was: Ronan Mulligan; Packie Gibbons, Seamie Nallen, John Anderson; Gary Doyle, Paddy Doherty, Brian McDermott; John Haran, Damian Daly; Leo Kelly, Shane O’Donnell, David McGinley; Sammy Bogan, Kevin Winston and Adrian Mulligan.
Other panel members were Denis Veldman, Johnny Scanlon, Philip Rainey, Shane Sullivan, Barry Kavanagh, Stephen Crossan, Enda Kelly, Adrian McClafferty, John Timoney, Ray Patton, Marty Higgins, Johnny McGinley, Karl Campbell, Â and Emmet McClafferty.
The team management was Raymond Blake and Martin Anderson.
Gary Doyle from Carnamuggagh Upper was the right wing-back in 1994. He had been part of Brendan Roache’s side who defeated Aodh Ruadh 1-9 to 1-7 some 12 months beforehand.
The 1995 side would enjoy a 2-12 to 1-12 win over Ardara, with Kevin Winston picking up all three winners’ medals.
This Saturday, chances are Gary might’ve been in Blake’s for an hour. He would’ve turned 39 and there no doubt would’ve been chatter over which of the three minor teams was better than the other two.
However, Gary died tragically in November 2005 having fallen from a balcony of an apartment he had bought in Inchicore in Dublin with his girlfriend Aisling. He is survived by his parents Denis and Patty and his brother Paul.
The late Gary Doyle
With the 10-year anniversary of Gary’s passing coming soon and seeing it’s now 20 years since the last of those three minor successes, Ronan Mulligan – a next-door neighbour and friend – Paul Doyle and Raymond Blake, who managed the 1994 team came up with an idea for a reunion.
Some of the former players are going to great lengths to be in Letterkenny on Saturday, particularly Paddy Doherty, who is based in Melbourne, Australia.
On Saturday morning at O’Donnell Park, the Annual Gary Doyle Memorial Competition – for Under-11’s -will take place with St Eunan’s, Letterkenny Gaels, Milford, Naomh Colmcille; Desertmartin, Claudy and Steelstown from Derry and St Colmcille from Carrickmore, Co Tyrone, taking part.
The first matches throw in at 10:45am with the finals of both the cup and shield competitions pencilled in for 1:15pm with the presentations planned for 2:30pm.
At 4pm there will be a short meeting at Gary’s grave in Conwall cemetery before, an hour later, the pick of the 1993 and 1994 teams will take on the 1995 side at O’Donnell Park.
There will be a gathering immediately afterwards in the St Eunan’s clubhouse and after that and ignoring what might’ve taken place on the field at O’Donnell Park, it might be back to Blake’s to decide who was the best of those minor teams.
And no doubt there will be glass or two raised for Gary Doyle.
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