Paul McGettigan

Paul McGettigan (born 1957/8) is a former Gaelic footballer, manager and barrister. He played inter-county football for Donegal and Galway. His club career included time with Donegal club Naomh Adhamhnáin and Galway clubs Salthill, St Grellan's and Corofin. He played in midfield.[1]

Paul McGettigan
Personal information
Irish name Pól Mac Eiteagáin
Sport Gaelic football
Born 1957/1958 (age 62–63)[1]
Occupation Barrister
Club(s)
Years Club
 Naomh Adhamhnáin
Salthill
St Grellan's
Corofin
Club titles
Donegal/Galway titles 3
Colleges(s)
Years College
 NUI Galway
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
c. 1973?–c. 1977
c. 1978–19??
c. 1983
 Donegal
Galway
Donegal
Ulster titles 2

Early life and education

McGettigan was born to footballer James "Gouldie" McGettigan and his wife Cora (née Embleton).[2] He was one of four daughters and seven sons (including fellow Donegal footballer Leslie).[2][3][4] One of McGettigan's brothers died at the age of sixteen in 1986 and another at the age of forty in 2009.[2]

McGettigan attended Gormanston College in East Meath. With them he was part of the 1973 All-Ireland Hogan Cup winning team that saw off St Jarlath's College of Tuam in the final.[1][5]

McGettigan attended University College Galway where he studied commerce and played in the Sigerson Cup with the university football team.[1]

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 Naomh Adhamhnáin in 1983.[1]

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 following a replay. Thus he contested the 1974 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, when Donegal fell to Galway at the semi-final stage.[1] He was still a minor in 1974 and played both the Ulster MFC and SFC semi-finals on the same day.[6]

Then, the fall. McGettigan later reminisced upon the event; having travelled north for a Dr McKenna Cup final against Fermanagh, "the guy that brought me up had never been where the match was being played. He took a wrong turn and the teams were going out on the field. I was told that I wouldn't start in the circumstances, but to go in to tog out, I'd be on the bench".[6] Towards the end, full back Pauric McShea insisted McGettigan be brought on.[6] "As it turned out we lost the game by a point, but I was told leaving after the Fermanagh game that I would be in the Championship team in two weeks time against Derry in Ballybofey. When the team was picked I was dropped off the team and the panel for disciplinary reasons, circumstances for which I was never told what had happened… I vowed at that time I would never play with Donegal again, I played with Galway in the Connacht Final the following year".[6] The incident caused a media furore.[6] McGettigan vowed never to wear the Donegal jersey again.[1]

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.[1] 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.[7]

Again though, Donegal met Galway in the All-Ireland semi-final and, again, Galway secured a win.[1]

Provincial

McGettigan played for Ulster in the Railway Cup at a time when he was the only Donegal inclusion on that team.[1]

Coaching

McGettigan led Corofin to their first All-Ireland club title in 1998.[1] 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.[6]

Honours

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 (which is where McGettigan's involvement with Corofin originated).[1][6]

References
  1. Small, Daragh (31 July 2015). "Friday interview: Galway going in right direction, says McGettigan". Irish Independent. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  2. "Death announced of James 'Gouldie' McGettigan". Donegal News. 21 June 2020. Retrieved 21 June 2020.
  3. "McGettigan faces long ban after Donegal row". Irish Independent. 30 January 1998.
  4. "Where football is more than a religion". The Irish Times. 2 October 2004. Leslie McGettigan, at the age of fifteen, was the youngest player to feature in a Hogan Cup final and one of the few boys in the history of the competition to feature in three successive finals. Nearly twenty years later, McGettigan remembers this time as 'the happiest three years of my life'. He had entered St Jarlath's through a family connection. His brother Paul married a sister of Jimmy Duggan's, the celebrated Galway football player and Jarlath's alumnus.
  5. "All-Ireland Final Players". Archived from the original on 12 April 2015.
  6. O'Connell, Cian (19 July 2017). "Paul McGettigan served Donegal and Galway". Retrieved 19 July 2017. I was humiliated because it was all over the papers, I got no explanation. I vowed at that time I would never play with Donegal again, I played with Galway in the Connacht Final the following year.
  7. Campbell, Peter (15 July 2008). "Donegal heroes of 1983". Donegal Democrat. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 15 July 2008.
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