Leo McLoone
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Leo McLoone (born 1989) is an Irish
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 plays for Naomh Conaill and also, formerly, the Donegal county team. A versatile player, often employed as a forward, he has been an important source of goals for club and county. McLoone made 109 appearances for his county, winning five
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 ...
s and one
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 ...
. He was "the last of that famous Naomh Conaill four that also included Anthony Thompson, Dermot Molloy and Marty Boyle" to retire from inter-county football, doing so, as has been his custom, without making a public announcement.


Early life

McLoone's father was
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
of the team that reached the Senior County Championship final in 1965.


Playing career


Club

As a 16-year-old, McLoone was introduced as a substitute in the final of the 2005
Donegal Senior Football Championship The Donegal Senior Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal SFC) is an annual football competition organised by Donegal GAA and contested by the highest-level clubs, to determine the best team in County Donegal. Since 2016, it has been know ...
(SFC), which the club won for the very first time. The game was drawn, so went to a replay; McLoone's substitute appearance in the drawn final was his senior championship debut. McLoone inspired his club to the Donegal SFC title for a second time in
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
, with a
man of the match In team sport, a player of the match award (also known as man of the match or woman of the match) is often given to the most outstanding player in a particular match. This can be a player from either team, although the player is generally chose ...
display. Then he inspired them to the final of the 2010
Ulster Senior Club Football Championship The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament organised by Ulster GAA. It is played between the Senior championship winners from each of the nine counties of Ulster. The competition was first held in 1968 an ...
, knocking out Cavan champions
Kingscourt Kingscourt, historically known as Dunaree (), is a town in County Cavan, Ireland. It is located near the Cavan–Meath border. The town was founded near the site of the old village of Cabra, by Mervyn Pratt, towards the end of the 18th century, ...
, Monaghan champions
Clontibret Clontibret () is a village and parish in County Monaghan, Ireland. The village population in the 2016 census was 172. Clontibret is also a parish in both Roman Catholic and Church of Ireland traditions. The territory of the parish also includes ...
and Tyrone champions
Coalisland Coalisland () is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, with a population of 5,682 in the United Kingdom Census 2011, 2011 Census. Four miles from Lough Neagh, it was formerly a centre for coal mining. History Origins In the late 1 ...
along the way. A brawl among dozens of people after a
2011 Donegal Senior Football Championship The 2011 Donegal Senior Football Championship was the 89th official edition of the Donegal GAA's premier club Gaelic football tournament for senior graded teams in County Donegal. Glenswilly won the final, for the club's first ever title. St ...
game between Naomh Conaill and Glenswilly at Davy Brennan Memorial Park led to McLoone breaking several bones in his face and the Donegal Competition's Controls Committee (CCC) launching an investigation. McLoone had to have surgery to have a plate put into his eye socket. McLoone was 'man-of-the-match' in the final of the 2015 Donegal Senior Football Championship, as him and his club claimed their third title. He also captained that team. With Ciarán Thompson now as captain, Naomh Conaill won another Donegal SFC in
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
, after a three-game final in which McLoone was held scoreless in the first two games, but scored a point in the third game's first half.GAME 1: GAME 2: GAME 3: The club retained the Donegal SFC title in
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
, with the final being delayed until August 2021 due to the
impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on Gaelic games Impact may refer to: * Impact (mechanics), a large force or mechanical shock over a short period of time * Impact, Texas, a town in Taylor County, Texas, US Science and technology * Impact crater, a meteor crater caused by an impact event * ...
. Then he won the 2022 Donegal Senior Football Championship, making a substitute appearance in the final. He also won the 2023 Donegal Senior Football Championship. Ahead of the 2023 final, McLoone (alongside Marty Boyle, Stephen McGrath, Anthony Thompson and Eoin Waide) was recognised for making a 100th club championship appearance. McLoone played for
Donegal New York Donegal may refer to: County Donegal, Ireland * County Donegal, a county in the Republic of Ireland, part of the province of Ulster * Donegal (town), a town in County Donegal in Ulster, Ireland * Donegal Bay, an inlet in the northwest of Ireland b ...
in 2017, .


Inter-county


Underage

McLoone played in the
Ulster Minor Football Championship The Ulster Minor Football Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Ulster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ulster Council. The trophy for the winning side is T ...
final as Donegal won a first such title in 10 years at Croke Park in 2006. McLoone played for Donegal throughout the 2010
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 ...
campaign, a competition which the team won and in which McLoone scored two points in each of the quarter-final and semi-final. He then played in the final of the
2010 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship The All-Ireland Under 21 Football Championship is an under 21 Gaelic football inter county competition between the 32 counties of Ireland. Four competitions are contested in each province and the winners of each provincial championship enters th ...
, which Donegal (managed by
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 ...
) narrowly lost to
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 ...
(managed by Jim Gavin), though McLoone scored a goal.


Senior

Brian McIver Brian McIver is a Gaelic football manager who has been in charge of two county teams and been part of another that played in an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final. He was the 2007 National Football League-winning manager. A Tyrone ...
gave McLoone his senior Donegal debut in 2008; McLoone was a substitute against Mayo. McIver's successor
John Joe Doherty John Joe Doherty (born 1968) is a former Irish Gaelic footballer and manager who played for Naomh Columba and the Donegal county team, later managing Donegal. Biography He won the 1987 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship with Donegal. ...
gave McLoone his first start during a 2009 All-Ireland SFC qualifier win against
Carlow Carlow ( ; ) is the county town of County Carlow, in the south-east of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, from Dublin. At the 2022 census of Ireland, 2022 census, it had a population of 27,351, the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland, ...
at
MacCumhaill Park MacCumhaill Park () is a GAA stadium in Ballybofey, County Donegal, Ireland. It is the home ground of the Seán MacCumhaills club and Donegal's Gaelic football and hurling Hurling (, ') is an outdoor Team sport, team game of ancient ...
. In March 2011, McLoone broke his ankle. Then, upon returning to the game, he sustained a horrific injury during a club meeting between Naomh Conaill and Glenswilly; a double fracture of his eye socket which required surgery. The injury caused him to miss Donegal's
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 win over
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 ...
. He had come off the bench to help Donegal overcome Tyrone in the semi-final. He had only returned for Donegal from his broken ankle in the Ulster SFC quarter-final victory over
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 was eventually declared fit for Donegal's All-Ireland semi-final clash with
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 ...
; however Donegal lost that game. On 16 June 2012, he scored an important goal against Derry to help Donegal through to an
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 ...
semi-final meeting with Tyrone. He was subsequently named in the team for the final. He had a terrific game in that final on 22 July 2012 as Donegal retained the Ulster title for the first time in their history with a 2–18 to 0–13 victory over Down. McLoone scored a goal in the final. He played in the
2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final The 2012 All-Ireland Football Championship final, the 125th event of its kind and the culmination of the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was played at Croke Park, Dublin, on 23 September 2012. Donegal and Mayo, widely considere ...
against Mayo. He added a third Ulster SFC in 2014. And in some ways, the frustration of being behind the wire was almost preferable to that which he had gone through in the first two years under Rory Gallagher. Under the management of
Rory Gallagher William Rory Gallagher ( ; 2 March 1948 – 14 June 1995) was an Irish musician, singer, and songwriter. Regarded as "Ireland's first rock star", he is known for his virtuosic style of guitar playing and live performances. He has sometim ...
, McLoone fell by the wayside. He was absent by his own choice for six months of the 2015 season but returned in 2016. However, he only started four matches (each one in the 2016 National Football League. He scored a goal against Mayo during a second-half substitute appearance in the same competition. Then, in the opening match of the 2016 Ulster Senior Football Championship, he appeared as an early substitute only to be taken off again at half-time. He did not make another appearance in the competition. He had 54 minutes of play as a substitute in the two matches against
Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...
and Dublin during the
2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The 2016 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was the 129th edition of the Gaelic Athletic Association, GAA's premier inter-county gaelic football tournament since its establishment in 1887. 33 teams took part. 31 of the 32 Counties of Ire ...
. Frustrated at the lack of regular play, McLoone departed from the county team in 2017. He headed stateside. Manager
Declan Bonner Declan Bonner (born 11 August 1965) is an Irish Gaelic footballer and manager. He played at senior level for the Donegal county team, winning an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title in 1992. He later managed the Donegal county team ...
convinced him to return for 2018. But he would not be a regular starter, in was to be his last two years of inter-county play. Though initially thought doubtful for the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
opener against Kerry, McLoone started and completed most of the game, before making way for
Jason McGee Jason McGee (born 1997/8) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cloich Cheann Fhaola and the Donegal county team. He is a former Australian rules football trialist. Playing career Minor McGee has an Ulster Minor Football Championship m ...
late on. He also started the six remaining fixtures against
Galway Galway ( ; , ) is a City status in Ireland, city in (and the county town of) County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lough Corrib and Galway Bay. It is the most populous settlement in the province of Connacht, the List of settleme ...
, Dublin,
Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 10,302, making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. It is home to Kildare Cathedral, historically the site of an important abbey said to have been founded by Saint ...
, Tyrone,
Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), Monaghan barony. The population of the town as of the 2022 cen ...
and Mayo. McLoone started the final as Donegal secured the
2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship The 2018 Ulster Senior Football Championship was the 130th instalment of the annual Ulster Senior Football Championship organised by Ulster GAA. It is one of the four provincial competitions of the 2018 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. T ...
. McLoone made a late substitute appearance against
Clare Clare may refer to: Places Antarctica * Clare Range, a mountain range in Victoria Land Australia * Clare, South Australia, a town in the Clare Valley * Clare Valley, South Australia Canada * Clare (electoral district), an electoral district * Cl ...
in the opening fixture of the 2019 National Football League in
Ennis Ennis ( , meaning 'island' or 'river meadow') is the county town of County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland. The town lies on the River Fergus, north of where the river widens and enters the Shannon Estuary. Ennis is the largest town in Cou ...
. He then made substitute appearances in the fixtures against
Meath County Meath ( ; or simply , ) is a Counties of Ireland, county in the Eastern and Midland Region of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster. It is bordered by County Dublin to the southeast, County ...
, Tipperary and
Fermanagh Historically, Fermanagh (), as opposed to the modern County Fermanagh, was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, associated geographically with present-day County Fermanagh. ''Fir Manach'' originally referred to a distinct kin group of alleged Laigin or ...
. He started the fifth, sixth and seventh fixtures 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 ...
, Cork and Kildare. It was during this competition that McLoone made his 100th senior appearance for Donegal. Following his 101st appearance in the next match (against Armagh, which was also his first start of the season), he was presented with an honour to commemorate his achievement. Donegal qualified for the National Football League Division 2 final and McLoone started the game as Donegal defeated Meath to win the title. McLoone collected his fifth and final Ulster SFC in 2019, appearing as a substitute in the final against Cavan. He decided to retire from inter-county football at the age of 30 at the end of the 2019 season, but this only became public knowledge much later (though manager and teammates were aware). Declan Bonner confirmed McLoone had retired while speaking at a press event on 25 January 2020 ahead of Donegal's second National Football League game of the season, away to Meath. He made 109 appearances for his county.


Coaching career

While still playing with Donegal, McLoone was involved with the Naomh Conaill management team. In March 2021, Donegal announced him as part of Gary Duffy's under-20 management team. In November 2022, McLoone succeeded Duffy as Donegal under-20 team manager.


Personal life

McLoone is regarded as media shy. According to clubmate and former Donegal player John Gildea: "The one thing you'd never find with Leo McLoone was any level of arrogance… He gave absolutely everything at training and when he played for Donegal. But at the end of it all he was always happy to sit at the back of the bus and let others make the noise". He got engaged around the time of his Donegal playing retirement.


Honours

;Donegal *
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 ...
:
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 ...
*
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 ...
:
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
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 ...
,
2014 The year 2014 was marked by the surge of the Western African Ebola epidemic, West African Ebola epidemic, which began in 2013, becoming the List of Ebola outbreaks, most widespread outbreak of the Ebola, Ebola virus in human history, resul ...
,
2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
* National Football League Division 2:
2011 The year marked the start of a Arab Spring, series of protests and revolutions throughout the Arab world advocating for democracy, reform, and economic recovery, later leading to the depositions of world leaders in Tunisia, Egypt, and Yemen ...
,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
*
Dr McKenna Cup The Dr McKenna Cup is an annual Gaelic football competition played between Counties of Ireland, counties and List of universities in Northern Ireland, universities in the province of Ulster GAA, Ulster. It is the secondary Gaelic football compe ...
:
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
*
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 ...
runner-up: 2010 *
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 ...
: 2010 *
Ulster Minor Football Championship The Ulster Minor Football Championship is the Minor "knockout" competition in the game of Gaelic football played in the province of Ulster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Ulster Council. The trophy for the winning side is T ...
: 2006 * Ulster Minor Football League: 2006 ;Naomh Conaill *
Donegal Senior Football Championship The Donegal Senior Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal SFC) is an annual football competition organised by Donegal GAA and contested by the highest-level clubs, to determine the best team in County Donegal. Since 2016, it has been know ...
: 2005,
2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...
,
2015 2015 was designated by the United Nations as: * International Year of Light * International Year of Soil __TOC__ Events January * January 1 – Lithuania officially adopts the euro as its currency, replacing the litas, and becomes ...
,
2019 This was the year in which the first known human case of COVID-19 was documented, preceding COVID-19 pandemic, the pandemic which was declared by the World Health Organization the following year. Up to that point, 2019 had been described as ...
,
2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...
,
2022 The year began with another wave in the COVID-19 pandemic, with SARS-CoV-2 Omicron variant, Omicron spreading rapidly and becoming the dominant variant of the SARS-CoV-2 virus worldwide. Tracking a decrease in cases and deaths, 2022 saw ...
,
2023 Catastrophic natural disasters in 2023 included the Lists of 21st-century earthquakes, 5th-deadliest earthquake of the 21st century 2023 Turkey–Syria earthquakes, striking Turkey and Syria, leaving up to 62,000 people dead; Cyclone Freddy ...
*Donegal Under-21 Football Championship: 2007, 2008, 2010 ;Donegal New York *
New York Senior Football Championship The New York Senior Football Championship is a Gaelic football competition for teams affiliated to the New York (New York GAA) board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. Teams are generally from the New York area, though a team from Stamford, Conne ...
:


References


External links


Official profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcloone, Leo 1989 births Living people Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers Donegal New York Gaelic footballers Gaelic football forwards Gaelic football managers Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States Irish schoolteachers Naomh Conaill Gaelic footballers Winners of one All-Ireland medal (Gaelic football)