Paddy McBrearty remembers the tears after too many Donegal defeats by Armagh in the noughties. Living in Dublin until the age of 10, it’s the losses in Croke Park which still resonate with the Donegal captain, who leads the county into another Ulster final battle with Armagh at Clones this Sunday.
Once the family made the move back to the north west, the young McBrearty was focused on just one thing. McBrearty was just 17 when McGuinness gave him the call in 2011 and they won three Ulster titles in a four-spell including the All-Ireland in 2012. “There were a lot of conversations and we had to convince him this group was good enough and that we would do whatever he said if he did come back.
In recent years, there were signs that Armagh were beginning to change the narrative of their meetings with Donegal, culminating in 10-point win for Kieran McGeeney’s side in the 2022 All-Ireland qualifiers. “We had a bit of a run on them but Armagh would probably see themselves as a different team now, as are we. They’ve been close to getting to an All-Ireland semi-final and All-Ireland finals, so I think they’re more experience under their belts in terms of big games.