St Eunan’s star, Shane O’Donnell, says he’s ‘living the dream’ with rejuvenated Donegal.
The Letterkenny man was speaking this week to GAA.ie ahead of Sunday’s mouthwatering clash with Derry in MacCumhaill Park.
Their panel is dominated by players who were young boys when Donegal won their last All-Ireland title back in 2012.
Their imaginations were fired by heroes like Jim McGuinness, Michael Murphy, Colm McFadden, and Neil McGee and they dreamed of some day following in their footsteps.
Shane O’Donnell was one of those who saw it, believed he could be it, and is now doing it, though he admits it’s surreal that many of the same cast of characters he idolised as a boy are involved again in the current set-up.
“Aye, there’s a big crop of players there who were only young kids up in the stand watching Jim and Michael and Colm and Neil whenever they were playing,” says O’Donnell.
“It was a bit surreal at the start when you see them around because they have that sort of celebrity status around them in Donegal and even outside of Donegal as well.
“Listen, they know their stuff, it’s great to have them and we’re taking our learnings from each of them individually. It’s a great lift for Donegal in general to have them on board.”
O’Donnell made his debut for Donegal in 2022 and took a year out in 2023 before returning to the fold last year when McGuinness was appointed manager.
The team’s uptick in fortunes since that annus horribilis of 2023 has been remarkable with widespread disillusion in the county transformed into the sort of fervour last seen during the first coming of McGuinness.
“It’s great, aye,” says O’Donnell. “It’s even nice to be driving around Donegal and seeing all of the flags and everything up outside the houses and whatnot.
“It’s great to have the support and we’ve seen it in the games with the kids coming onto the pitch afterwards, especially the home games we’ve had great support. That’s what you need to get around these big games, that can be the edge you need to get over the line.
“It’s great to have the support and it’s great to feel it when you are going about your day to day week.”
Read the full interview on www.gaa.ie
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