Donal Reid
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Donal Reid ( ; born 1961 or 1962) is an Irish former
Gaelic football Gaelic football (; short name '')'', commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA, or football, is an Irish team sport. A form of football, it is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score ...
er who played for Bundoran, Red Hughs and the Donegal county team. He played more than 100 times competitively for Donegal, appearing at all age levels and positions from midfield to forward to defence. Reid won two All-Ireland titles with his county, and was part of
Jim McGuinness Jim McGuinness (born 16 November 1972) is a Gaelic football coach, and former player, who won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as a player with, and later manager of, the Donegal county team. Since 2023, he has been manager, for ...
's backroom team when they won another in 2012. He also played
hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient Gaelic culture, Gaelic Irish origin, played by men and women. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goa ...
with the Setanta club.


Playing career

Reid played first with Bundoran and later with the Red Hughs club. He played alongside future Donegal manager
Brian McEniff Brian McEniff (born 1 December 1942) is a former Gaelic football player, manager and administrator. McEniff played as a wing-back for the St Joseph's combination of clubs from Bundoran and Ballyshannon. He won seven Donegal Senior Football ...
in the team's defence. Reid first played for his county at the age of 17. He was a replacement
All Star An all-star team is a group of people all having a high level of performance in their field. Originating in sports, it has since drifted into vernacular and has been borrowed heavily by the entertainment industry. Sports "All-star" as a sport ...
in 1980. His brother Bosco graduated to the senior ranks of county football in 1985–6, while another brother, Oliver, played at under-21 level for his county in 1992. Reid started the 1982 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship final, the nineteenth edition of this competition and the first one that Donegal won. 1982 was also his first year as a senior player. With Donegal having an abundant supply of players in defence, Reid played at half forward in the 1983
Ulster Senior Football Championship The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the Irish province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in April. The final is ...
final, in which Donegal defeated
Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road (Ireland), N3 road that links Dublin ( ...
. He won his second Ulster SFC in 1990. He also won
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
medals in 1989 and 1990, while playing with
Ulster Ulster (; or ; or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional or historic provinces of Ireland, Irish provinces. It is made up of nine Counties of Ireland, counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United Kingdom); t ...
against the other provinces. Reid was a replacement All Star in 1990 and made the trip to both coasts of the United States. Shortly after his return, the 1990 Ulster Senior Football Championship got underway. Donegal recorded victories over Cavan and
Derry Derry, officially Londonderry, is the second-largest City status in the United Kingdom, city in Northern Ireland, and the fifth-largest on the island of Ireland. Located in County Londonderry, the city now covers both banks of the River Fo ...
in the quarter-final and semi-final respectively. Reid played at the back and scored a point in that year's Ulster final against
Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...
, which Donegal won. The pinnacle of Reid's playing career came in 1992, when Donegal won the
Sam Maguire Cup The Sam Maguire Cup (), often referred to as Sam or The Sam, is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the main competition in the sport of Gaelic fo ...
. By this time he was 30 years of age and based in
Letterkenny Letterkenny ( , meaning "hillside of the O'Cannons"), nicknamed the Cathedral Town, is a large town in County Donegal, Ireland, on the River Swilly in the north-west of Ulster. Along with the nearby city of Derry, Letterkenny is a regional eco ...
, working for
Donegal Creameries Aurivo Co-operative Society Limited is an Irish agricultural cooperative based in Sligo, County Sligo, Ireland. With its catchment area mostly in the North West, Aurivo processes an annual volume of approximately 500 million litres of milk, mak ...
. ''
Hogan Stand Hoganstand.com is a news website and the online face of the monthly Gaelic games magazine ''Hogan Stand'', which is distributed throughout Ireland. The magazine is named after the main stand in Croke Park Croke Park (, ) is a Gaelic games ...
'' regarded Reid's importance to his county team highly, writing: "Even objective observers of the game in Donegal recognised that the Shovlin, Gavigan and Reid combination probably represented the best line of defence in the country. The Dublin trio of Curran, Carr and Heery were the only other combination which vied for that tag." However, manager Brian McEniff did not select Reid to start Donegal's opening round Ulster SFC match against Cavan at
Breffni Park Breffni Park, known for sponsorship reasons as Kingspan Breffni, is a GAA stadium in Cavan, Ireland. It is the home of Cavan GAA. The ground has an overall capacity of about 25,030 with a 5,030 seated capacity. Breffni is the historic name for ...
on 24 May. Dropped for the first time in his career, the move proved contentious amongst supporters and team sponsors. An opportunity arose in the first half when Paul Carr was withdrawn. Reid entered play as a substitute and helped Donegal secure a draw. They won the replay. Donegal progressed to the Ulster SFC final, and Reid made his 24th Championship appearance, against Derry. However, after winning the Ulster SFC (and thereby qualifying for the semi-final of the
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...
), Reid returned to his club, Red Hughs. Shortly before the All-Ireland SFC semi-final against Mayo, he played in a Donegal County Football Championship match against Termon. An opponent punched Reid towards the end of the game. He sustained a broken jaw and nose and permanent damage to his facial structure, including the loss of many teeth. Even though he was in some discomfort, Reid approached the opposition dressing room door and asked for his assailant to explain his actions. His assailant did not appear, never offered an explanation and did not express sorrow, even in the aftermath. Reid would later regret not having sought legal action. Donegal team doctor
Jim McDaid James Joseph McDaid (born 3 October 1949) is an Irish former Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister of State for Transport from 2002 to 2004 and Minister for Tourism, Sport and Recreation from 1997 to 2004. He served as a Teachta Dála ...
went with Reid to hospital in Letterkenny, where 18 stitches were applied to his gums. Such was the state of his face that his then young daughter cried when she saw him. Reid recovered sufficiently to start at right half back in the 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final as Donegal, in their first appearance at this stage of the competition, unexpectedly defeated the then 21-times winners
Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...
.


Retirement

Reid retired from inter-county football in the 1990s. According to Declan Bonner, Reid retired following the 1992 All-Ireland SFC Final. Ger Canning mentioned in his commentary during that game that Reid planned to retire afterwards and also referred to the imminent retirement when the game had concluded. However, the ''
Donegal Democrat The ''Donegal Democrat'' is a twice-weekly local newspaper, covering County Donegal, Ireland. The paper was traditionally based in the town of Ballyshannon in the south of the county, but now has offices in Donegal Town (southern edition) and Le ...
''s Alan Foley wrote in 2009 that a broken shoulder sustained against
Armagh Armagh ( ; , , " Macha's height") is a city and the county town of County Armagh, in Northern Ireland, as well as a civil parish. It is the ecclesiastical capital of Ireland – the seat of the Archbishops of Armagh, the Primates of All ...
in 1993 led to Reid's retirement. He went on to manage the under-21 county team, leading players such as Brian Roper and James Ruane to an
Ulster Under-21 Football Championship The Ulster GAA Football Under-20 Championship, known simply as the Ulster Under-20 Championship, is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA). It is the highest in ...
in 1995. Having previously spent time working in London's Metropole Hotel as a youth and then been involved in hotel management, Reid retrained in
physical therapy Physical therapy (PT), also known as physiotherapy, is a healthcare profession, as well as the care provided by physical therapists who promote, maintain, or restore health through patient education, physical intervention, disease preventio ...
and then spent time working as a volunteer at an orphanage in
Siret Siret (; ; ; ; ) is a town, municipality and former Latin bishopric in Suceava County, northeastern Romania. It is situated in the historical region of Bukovina. Siret is the 11th largest urban settlement in the county, with a population of 6,708 ...
, a town in
Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
's
Suceava County Suceava County () is a county (') of Romania. Most of its territory lies in the southern part of the Historical regions of Romania, historical region of Bukovina, while the remainder forms part of Western Moldavia proper. The county seat and the ...
, on the border with
Ukraine Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the List of European countries by area, second-largest country in Europe after Russia, which Russia–Ukraine border, borders it to the east and northeast. Ukraine also borders Belarus to the nor ...
. He became infatuated with Romania and asked to learn the language. Then, in 1999, he experienced a year-long breakdown from depression, which he later blamed on a delayed response to the abrupt lack of inter-county football. He described it thus: "So I just avoided people and stayed in the house. But the morning, knowing I had a full day to face, was just terrible. It is nothingness. Your kids don't matter or your wife. Nothing physical. Just this terrible pain. I was suicidal 24/7 for a time. I couldn't be left alone. So I looked forward to nine o'clock and bed". He attended
counselling Counseling is the professional guidance of the individual by utilizing psychological methods especially in collecting case history data, using various techniques of the personal interview, and testing interests and aptitudes. This is a list of c ...
and took
medication Medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal product, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to medical diagnosis, diagnose, cure, treat, or preventive medicine, prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmaco ...
, eventually recovering. Reid writes a weekly column in the ''
Donegal Democrat The ''Donegal Democrat'' is a twice-weekly local newspaper, covering County Donegal, Ireland. The paper was traditionally based in the town of Ballyshannon in the south of the county, but now has offices in Donegal Town (southern edition) and Le ...
''. Married to Maura, the couple have two daughters. He managed such clubs as Red Hughs, Clan na Gael, Gortin, Aghyaran, Robert Emmet's and MacCumhaill's. He was also part of manager
Jim McGuinness Jim McGuinness (born 16 November 1972) is a Gaelic football coach, and former player, who won the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship as a player with, and later manager of, the Donegal county team. Since 2023, he has been manager, for ...
's backroom team when Donegal won their
2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...
All-Ireland SFC title. Reid has played for the Donegal Masters' team (for older men). In October 2016, Reid's autobiography, ''Confessions of a Gaelic Footballer'', was published. Reid described the completion of the book as his lifelong ambition, while the ''
Donegal News The ''Donegal News'' (also known as ''Derry People/Donegal News'' and formerly ''Derry People'') is a twice-weekly local newspaper in the northwest of the island of Ireland, first published in 1902. Originally covering Derry, Northern Ireland, i ...
'' described it as "something of a labour of love". The title references Reid's devotion to his
Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...
faith. In February 2019, Reid put out the flames from a woman whose clothing caught fire during
Mass Mass is an Intrinsic and extrinsic properties, intrinsic property of a physical body, body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the physical quantity, quantity of matter in a body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physi ...
in his local church in
Killygordon Killygordon () is a village in the Finn Valley in the east of County Donegal, Ireland. , the population was 716. It is located on the N15 between Stranorlar and Castlefin. The separate hamlet of Crossroads, locally known as The Cross, lies ha ...
. The elderly woman had come in close contact with a candle. Reid, seated around four rows behind the woman, saw her ignite and rushed to her aid. He brushed down the flames with his bare hands and pulled her coat from her to prevent any further harm. Reid sustained burns to his hands during the incident. He later explained: "I just saw the light on the woman's coat and realised it was actually on fire. It was soon getting worse". Reid's name was linked by media with the
Fine Gael Fine Gael ( ; ; ) is a centre-right, liberal-conservative, Christian democratic political party in Ireland. Fine Gael is currently the third-largest party in the Republic of Ireland in terms of members of Dáil Éireann. The party had a member ...
candidacy for the 1996 Donegal North–East by-election.


Honours

*
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) () is the premier inter-county competition in Gaelic football. County (Gaelic games), County teams compete against each other and the winner is declared All-Ireland Champions. Organised by the ...
:
1992 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
*
Ulster Senior Football Championship The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the Irish province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in April. The final is ...
: 1983, 1990, 1992 *
All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship The GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship (known for sponsorship reasons as the EirGrid GAA Football Under-20 All-Ireland Championship) is an annual inter-county Gaelic football competition organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association ...
:
1982 Events January * January 1 – In Malaysia and Singapore, clocks are adjusted to the same time zone, UTC+8 (GMT+8.00). * January 13 – Air Florida Flight 90 crashes shortly after takeoff into the 14th Street Bridge in Washington, D.C. ...
*
Railway Cup The GAA Interprovincial Championship () or Railway Cup (''Corn an Iarnróid'') is the name of two annual Gaelic football and hurling competitions held between the provinces of Ireland. The Connacht, Leinster, Munster and Ulster GAA teams are co ...
: 1989, 1990


See also

* List of people with major depressive disorder


References


External links


Donal Reid
at GAAinfo.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Reid, Donal 1960s births Living people Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers Dual players Gaelic football backs Gaelic football forwards Gaelic football managers Gaelic football utility players Irish columnists Irish expatriate sportspeople in Romania Irish physiotherapists Setanta hurlers Ulster inter-provincial Gaelic footballers Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football) Health professionals from County Donegal Writers from County Donegal 20th-century Irish sportsmen Year of birth missing (living people)