Tom Conaghan is an Irish Gaelic football figure who managed Donegal county football teams during the 1980s and, later, the Sligo senior team. His former players regarded him as a disciplinarian in his approach to management. [1] [2]
Conaghan was born into a family of six, and brought up in the centre of Donegal Town, where his family ran a business that consisted of a hackney, a store and undertaking. [3] His father died suddenly at the age of 50, after suffering a heart attack, when Conaghan was a still a boy. [3]
Conaghan attended Hugh Roe Boys' School and the Tech, before taking up employment as a driver, a job which necessitated travel across Ireland. [3] He then became a farmer, working on his mother's family land in Glenfin. [3] Conaghan also ran a sports shop in the centre of Donegal Town. [3]
Conaghan played with Four Masters and Clanna Gael. [3] He suggested that it was the lack of discipline he saw in the Donegal teams of the 1970s that inspired him to pursue the coaching of the county's under-21 team. [3]
Conaghan managed Donegal to the 1982 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship. [4] He later took over from Brian McEniff as senior manager when McEniff had led the 1983 Ulster Senior Football Championship campaign to a win.[ citation needed ]
Over the course of his time as senior manager during the 1980s, Conaghan fell out with numerous players. He dropped Marty Carlin and Charlie Mulgrew from his team for one year after they played for Letterkenny in a Forster Cup final victory at Ravenhill in 1987. [1] Other players with whom he fell out during his time as senior manager included Declan Bonner, Manus Boyle, Matt Gallagher, Barry McGowan and Sylvester Maguire. [2] [5] Conaghan's spell as county manager ended with a heavy defeat to Tyrone. [5] McEniff, returning to the senior job for a fourth time in September 1989, restored many of those with whom Conaghan had fallen out to the panel in time for the 1990 Ulster Senior Football Championship, which Donegal won. [5]
Conaghan later managed the Sligo seniors. [6] He was mentioned as a possible successor to P. J. McGowan as Donegal manager in 1997 in a dual role with Anthony Molloy. [7] He withdrew and Declan Bonner became manager. [2]
In later years, Conaghan became involved in politics and sat as an Independent on Donegal County Council. [4] He first stood for election in 2009 but did not win a seat. [8] He won a seat in 2014 and retained it in 2019. [8] In 2012, he was mayor of Donegal Town. [3] He was elected Cathaoirleach of the Donegal Municipal District on 13 June 2017. [9]
Conaghan married Celine and they had three children together. [3] His only son, Kevin, died as the result of an accident, at the age of 14. [3] He continues to work as a farmer, work which includes lambs, cattle and crops. [3]
The Donegal County Board or Donegal GAA is one of 32 county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) in Ireland, and is responsible for the administration of Gaelic games in County Donegal.
Brian McEniff is a former Gaelic football manager, administrator and player.
CLG na Cealla Beaga is a GAA club based in Killybegs, County Donegal, Ireland.
Anthony Molloy is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Ard an Rátha and the Donegal county team.
Gary Walsh is an Irish Gaelic football coach and former goalkeeper for Aodh Ruadh, Burren and the Donegal county team.
Manus Boyle is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team. He writes a column for the Donegal Democrat and is a health coach.
Declan Bonner 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 for two spells between 1997 and 2000 and 2017 and 2022, winning two Ulster Senior Football Championship titles during the latter, while playing as goalkeeper for Na Rossa.
Matt Gallagher is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Aodh Ruadh and, later, Naomh Bríd, as well as the Donegal county team. For many years he was Donegal's most capped player until Brian Roper broke his record.
Barry McGowan is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team.
Charlie Mulgrew is an Irish Gaelic football manager and former player from County Donegal.
The following is a summary of Donegal county football team's 2011 season.
CLG Na Rossa is a Gaelic football only GAA club based in Leitir, County Donegal, Ireland. The club fields both men's and ladies' teams at underage to senior level.
Jamie Brennan is an Irish Gaelic footballer and hurler who plays football for Réalt na Mara and the Donegal county team, and has hurled for Aodh Ruadh.
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.
Pauric McShea is an Irish Gaelic football pundit and former player for Aodh Ruadh and the Donegal county team. He works as a match analyst for Ocean FM. He also writes a weekly column, "McShea's Say", for the Donegal Post.
Marty Carlin is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Robert Emmets, Red Hughs and the Donegal county team.
Sylvester Maguire is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Aodh Ruadh and the Donegal county team.
P. J. McGowan is an Irish Gaelic football manager and administrator. He succeeded Brian McEniff as Donegal manager in 1994 and lasted until 1997, thus preceding Declan Bonner's first spell in charge. He also managed Fermanagh.
John Gildea is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Naomh Conaill and the Donegal county team.
Tom being the disciplinarian that he was, he cut us.
It was a year that saw him feel the sharp disciplinary edge of manager Tom Conaghan… 'Tom was real no-nonsense manager'.
Former team manager of the Donegal team, later Sligo's boss, Tom Conaghan, believed in Gallagher's versatile skills so much so that he employed the 5 feet 10 inch, 13 stone veteran in various positions in attack for the team.
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Preceded by | Donegal Senior Football Manager 1986–1989 | Succeeded by |