Cork look to change the record in Donegal
Cork's Rory Maguire in action against Donegal's Ciarán Moore and Domhnall Mac Giolla Bhride during the 2024 Allianz FL Division 2 clash in Ballybofey. Picture: Inpho/Ben Brady
The good news as Cork face an improbable job in travelling to face Donegal tomorrow – the hosts’ winning run against the Ballybofey stands at just two games.
The context: the Rebels have only played five matches in Donegal since the millennium, three in Ballyshannon and two at Mac Cumhaill Park, and all have ended in defeat.
Most recently, the 2024 Allianz Football League Division 2 campaign began with a journey north and Jimmy McGuinness’ second stint in charge of his native county resulted in a 1-20 to 2-6 victory. They would make an immediate return to the top flight while it would take Cork two more years to end a decade-long stint outside the highest tier.
Of course, Cork did win when the counties met in Páirc Uí Rinn in the championship later that summer, though the round-robin nature of that tie meant that Donegal were able to bounce back to top the group while Cork finished third behind them and Tyrone.
Prior to 2024, there were defeats in Donegal in 2016, 2012, 2005 and 2002; you have to go back to November 29, 1998 for the last successful excursion to Tír Chonaill – five points from Podsie O’Mahony and an Alan O’Regan goal helping a Joe Kavanagh-inspired Cork to a 1-8 to 0-10 win, giving them top spot in the league after three rounds of fixtures.
Incidentally, the match programme for that 1998 game – with a bearded and long-haired McGuinness in action against Cork’s Seán Óg Ó hAilpín on the cover – featured Nicholas Murphy as the Cork player profile.
Then aged just 21, he was asked his tip for the 1999 All-Ireland apart from Cork and plumped for Meath or Dublin – unfortunately, he was proven accurate as the Royals beat the Rebels in the final the following September.
The last entry in the profile was, ‘Hopes for the future’, to which Murphy responded that he wanted to win an All-Ireland medal and play senior football for my club. Mission accomplished on both counts, even if neither was an inevitability at the time – proof of the power of persistence and positive thinking.
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