Plunkett Donaghy is a 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 the Moy club and the Tyrone county team. With his county, Donaghy won three

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 ...

medals (in 1984, 1986 and 1989) and an

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 1986. He lives in The Moy, County Tyrone.

Background

Donaghy is one of nine children to Pat and Maisie Donaghy. Donaghy's father Pat played for Moy and Tyrone and was on the county panel when Tyrone won their first-ever

s in 1956 and 1957. His mother Maisie, originally from

Brackaville Brackaville or Bracaville (possibly ) is a village and townland near Coalisland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated in the historic barony of Dungannon Middle and the civil parish of Donaghenry and covers an area of 235 acres ...

, was a widely acclaimed Irish folk singer (under the stage name Eileen Donaghy) whose success brought her on tour around the world. Donaghy is married with six children. His father-in-law is legendary football manager Dessie Ryan, a former footballer for Tyrone and New York who coached Queen's University Belfast to two victories in the

Sigerson Cup The Sigerson Cup is the trophy for the premier Gaelic football championship among Higher Education institutions (Universities, Colleges and Institutes of Technology) in Ireland. It traditionally begins in mid January and ends in late February. T ...

and is considered one of the most influential men in GAA history. Plunkett's brother Colm also played for Tyrone. He is a second cousin to two-time All Star winning former

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 ...

footballer

Joe Brolly Joe Brolly (born Padraig Joseph Brolly; 25 June 1969) is an Irish Gaelic football analyst, coach, selector, former player and barrister who played at senior level for the Derry county team. He is from Dungiven. Brolly played for Derry in the ...

. His mother Maisie was a first cousin of Joe, the grandfather of Brolly, Ann, the mother of Maisie, and Bridget, the mother of Maisie. He is also cousin to Monaghan Defender/Forward Vincent Corey.

Career

Donaghy was part of the Tyrone team that went to their first

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 ...

final in 1986, against Kerry, and won an All Star Award for his contributions. He captained Tyrone to a further Ulster Championship success in 1989. He also played for Ireland against Australia.

Legacy

His playing abilities, being part of the first (relatively) successful Tyrone team, put him among the greats of Tyrone

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

. Donaghy was known for his great ability to catch a ball, and he was instantly recognisable on the pitch due to his "shaggy" blond hair. Donaghy stands at 6 ft tal

References

Interview with Donaghy prior Tyrone's 2005 All-Ireland Final meeting with Kerry''Hogan Stand'' article on Donaghy
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Moy Tír Na nÓg Gaelic footballers Tyrone inter-county Gaelic footballers {{Tyrone-gaelic-football-bio-stub