Personal information | |||
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Irish name | Criostóir Ó Tuathaigh [1] | ||
Sport | Gaelic football | ||
Position | Right Half Forward | ||
Born | Letterkenny, Ireland | 10 March 1983||
Height | 1.88 m (6 ft 2 in) | ||
Club(s) | |||
Years | Club | ||
2001– | St Michael's | ||
Inter-county(ies) | |||
Years | County | Apps (scores) | |
2002–2016 | Donegal | 65 (Championship only) [2] [3] | |
Inter-county titles | |||
Ulster titles | 3 | ||
All-Irelands | 1 | ||
NFL | 1 | ||
All Stars | 0 |
Christy Toye (born 10 March 1983) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Michael's and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team.
He captained his county in 2005, Brian McIver's first season in charge; as well as in 2006, when Donegal contested the Ulster SFC final. [4] [5]
Along with his fellow club mate Colm McFadden, he would have been considered one of the mature elder statesman of the Donegal senior football panel, until his retirement from inter-county football in 2017. [6]
Among other accolades, he has one All-Ireland Senior Football Championship title (2012), three Ulster Senior Football Championship titles (2011, 2012 and 2014) and one National Football League title (2007). He captained Donegal in the 2006 Ulster SFC final at Croke Park, appeared as a substitute for Leo McLoone against Mayo in the 2012 All-Ireland SFC final and was named to start against Kerry in the 2014 All-Ireland SFC final. He made a total of 65 championship appearances, a record shared with Donegal teammate Karl Lacey. [2] [3]
He captained a team to the Sigerson Cup. [7]
Toye's mother's name is Rosemary. [4]
Toye and Colm McFadden were in the same class at primary school; they played in (and won) the Ted Webb under-16 tournament, the same year they were part of the county minor team. [8]
He started the first game of Brian McEniff's last spell as Donegal manager, a league defeat to Galway in Tuam in February 2003. [9]
Toye burst onto the national scene with goals in the Championship against Meath in 2002 and Armagh in 2003, both at Croke Park. [10] The goal against Armagh, in the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-final, was the first goal conceded by the then reigning All-Ireland SFC champions in eight championship games going back to the previous year's semi-final, and gave Donegal a half-time lead; Toye accompanied it with a point but Donegal lost the game. [11] He played for Donegal against Armagh in the 2004 Ulster SFC final at Croke Park, but went off injured and was replaced by Rory Kavanagh. [12] He captained Donegal in the 2006 Ulster SFC final, against the same opponent, at the same venue. [5] He was a member of the Donegal team that won the National Football League title in 2007, playing from the start to the end in the final against Mayo. [13]
In 2009, while in the form of his life, Toye ruptured his Achilles tendon during an All-Ireland SFC qualifier against Clare at MacCumhaill Park. [10] He was left as a spectator when Armagh knocked Donegal from the 2010 Championship in Crossmaglen. [10] However, Toye returned the following season, rejuvenated by the arrival of Jim McGuinness as manager. He did not feature in the NFL or Ulster SFC campaign, but was sprung from the bench in the 2011 All-Ireland SFC quarter-final against Kildare at Croke Park. Within 25 seconds of his first appearance in 25 months, he had the ball in the back of the Kildare net, later making a further vital contribution by scoring the final equalising point of a game which Donegal went on to narrowly win through a memorable point from Kevin Cassidy in extra-time. [10] Toye had previously scored a goal for Donegal at Croke Park in the 2003 All-Ireland SFC semi-final. [14] Indeed, with four goals, Toye is Donegal's record goalscorer at Croke Park — one goal each against Meath (2002), Armagh (2003), Cork (2006), and Kildare (2011). [15] He also scored a goal in the 2015 All-Ireland SFC qualifier defeat of Galway at Croke Park, finishing into the corner of the net in injury-time. [16]
He came on as a second-half substitute for Leo McLoone in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, a game which was won by Donegal. [17] He missed the entire 2013 season while battling trigeminal neuralgia but was back in 2014 in time for another shot at the All-Ireland. [18] [19] [10] On 20 September 2014, he was named to start against Kerry in the following day's All-Ireland SFC final. [1] [20] [21]
In January 2017, Toye retired from the inter-county game. [22]
Toye's club have not had much success at senior level. They reached the final of the 2011 Donegal Senior Football Championship —their first ever senior final—but lost, though Toye scored three points. [23] [24]
Previously, in 2004, they reached the final of All-Ireland Intermediate Club Football Championship, in which Toye scored a point. [25]
Toye has been active in encouraging people to read more books. [26]
The "languid" style of Michael Langan has been compared favourably to that of Toye. [27]
Colm Anthony McFadden is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays at full forward for St Michael's and, from 2002 to 2016, for the Donegal county team.
Rory Kavanagh is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player with St Eunan's and the Donegal county team. He was manager of St Eunan's from November 2020 until the end of the 2023 championship.
Michael Murphy is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays as a full forward for Glenswilly and, formerly, for the Donegal county team, which he captained from December 2010 until his retirement from inter-county football in November 2022. His predecessors as Donegal players, such as Manus Boyle, Brendan Devenney and Anthony Molloy, regard Murphy as the county's greatest ever footballer. Outside his county he is often regarded as one of the sport's all-time best players. With more than 500 points, Murphy is Donegal's all-time record scorer and he is also the county's top goalscorer, with a points-per-game average that is higher even than Martin McHugh.
Karl Lacey is an Irish Gaelic football coach, manager and former player for Four Masters and the Donegal county team.
Eamonn Doherty is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Eunan's and the Donegal county team.
Neil McGee is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Gaoth Dobhair and, formerly, both the Donegal county team and the Ireland international rules football team.
Frank McGlynn is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Glenfin and who played for the Donegal county team between 2006 and 2019.
Neil Gallagher is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Glenswilly and the Donegal county team.
Leo McLoone is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Naomh Conaill and also, formerly, the Donegal county team.
Mark McHugh is an Irish Gaelic footballer and coach who plays for Cill Chartha and, formerly, for the Donegal county team. He is the brother of Ryan and the son of Martin.
Anthony Thompson is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Naomh Conaill and, formerly, the Donegal county team. He is a wing back.
Daniel McLaughlin is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Michael's and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team.
Ryan McHugh is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Cill Chartha and the Donegal county team. He is the brother of Mark and the son of Martin.
Darach 'Jigger'O'Connor is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Buncrana and the Donegal county team. He has also played association football for teams such as Buncrana Hearts and the Republic of Ireland national schoolboy football team. His father is former Roscommon star John 'Jigger' O'Connor, famed for scoring a goal past Kerry's Charlie Nelligan 35 seconds into the 1980 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.
Hugh McFadden is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team. He can operate at midfield or full-forward.
The following is a summary of Donegal county football team's 2014 season.
Caolan Ward is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Eunan's and the Donegal county team.
The Donegal county football team represents Donegal in men's Gaelic football and is governed by Donegal GAA, the county board of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The team competes in the three major annual inter-county competitions; the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the Ulster Senior Football Championship and the National Football League.
Damian Diver is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Ard an Rátha and the Donegal county team.
Michael Langan is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for St Michael's and the Donegal county team.
Seven years after her cousin Christy — son of her aunt, Rosemary — took the armband during Brian McIver's first year in Donegal…
…C Toye (capt)…
In captaining the team, McCole added his name to those of Jim McGuinness and Christy Toye as winning Sigerson captains to hail from Donegal.
Rory Kavanagh replaced the injured Christy Toye just before the break as two more McKeever points extended Armagh's lead to eight — 1–9 to 0–4.
The goal was the 28-year-old's fourth at Croke Park in championship football — following strikes against Meath in 2002, Armagh a year later and then Cork in 2006 — which is a feat matched by no man from the county.
In such a structured environment, there is often very little room or even encouragement in modern Gaelic football for improvisation or off-the-cuff individualism. But Langan is a throwback to a different time. Even in Jim McGuinness'[sic] often rigid template, if things weren't going to plan Christy Toye's instinctive genius was often summoned for… 'There are some comparisons made between myself and Christy, we have a sort of languid style. We do like to play off the cuff. But I think that is just having belief in yourself to take on responsibility if the half chance presents itself. Christy did that so many times for Donegal over the years'.Also published as "We're very close to clicking — Langan" in the Donegal News of 30 December 2021: p 54.
Sporting positions | ||
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Preceded by ??? | Donegal Senior Captain 2005–2006 | Succeeded by |