Brendan Boyle: 'Community and lasting memories remain the driving force in the GAA'

Brendan Boyle can still see it now so vividly in his mind's eye.  

Ardara’s 1981 SFC winning photograph adorned so many walls in the Heritage Town and acted as a constant reminder to those up-and-coming that the mountain was indeed scalable.  

It hung in the likes of Brennan’s Bar, the old Greenhouse and, of course, Doherty’s Bar. But it also hung in Boyle’s own home house as father John was a central part in that triumph.  

Ardara’s three previous successes had come in 1923, ‘26, and ‘28, so 1981 must have been so special.  

When Ardara did finally land the Dr Maguire once more in 2000, under the guidance of Johnny D Early, teenager Boyle lined out at midfield having made his debut two seasons earlier at just 16-years-of-age.  

Just four years later, the Pearse Memorial Park men did it again as a sixth SFC was added, this time with John McConnell at the helm.  

Boyle says the time that’s lapsed since feels like “the blink of an eye” but it is bang on two decades now, even longer than the timeframe that had split both his first and the club’s last triumph.  

Last weekend, as Ardara welcomed GAA president Jarlath Burns to Kentucky to open their brand new gymnasium and astroturf facility, the social aspect to proceedings took place after, upstairs, in the clubhouse.  

And in an ironic kind of way, the photograph now on the wall, the one most people head dotted or name-checked with their fingers, was that of 2004. 

Boyle, now 42, has hung up his boots but certainly doesn’t look much different from the player who lined out at senior level for Ardara for over 20 years.  

Back in 1998, Ardara had reached the last four where then heavyweights, and subsequent winners, Aodh Ruadh lay in wait. Boyle was fired in from the off, for a debut, where he was assigned to pick up a certain Brian Roper.  

In the end, the Ballyshannon men got out of Donegal Town but only just as a one-point win advanced them towards a decider meeting with Naomh Columba.  

2000 probably started like any other season for Ardara. 1981 was a distant memory for most but it wasn’t even that for Boyle as he wasn’t even born.  

But he says the fortunate thing for sides like Ardara back then was that every single season opened with real hope - that this could indeed be their year.  

“Ardara would probably have felt like they were banging on the door at the time so I was so lucky to come into that squad when I did,” he tells DonegalLive.  

“I remember going to some epic games against the likes of Killybegs in Fintra, Kentucky, and Tír Conaill Park and there was little to nothing in those clashes.  

"And they probably were the benchmark at the time. I’d be heading back home in the car with dad and the brothers wondering just how Ardara lost some of those games.  

“The crowds and the sort of level of occasion, it always felt like such a massive deal. 1998 and my debut against Ballyshannon was another one of those types of games.  

“Even in 1999, we drew St Eunan’s in the first round, home and away, and didn’t get over the line.  

“They themselves had reemerged a few seasons earlier and they’d gone on to win it again that year. 

“The thing I always remember about those years was that you’d to hit the ground running from the very start in championship or you were gone. The stakes were so high.  

“I loved that. The build-up to who you got in the first round and whether you were home or away first was massive. And if you lost that first home game you were really up against it.  

“That format back then, I felt it gave the underdog a chance because if some of the big guns collided early they were gone. There was that sort of roulette element to that.  

“The format now, I think it suits the so-called bigger sides as even a slow start in the group stage allows you time to recover”. 

Not many will recall it now but Ardara were on an immediate back foot in 2000 when St Naul’s downed them 0-13 to 0-10 in Gerard Gallagher Park.  

And while Boyle and his teammates did get over the line in the second leg to force the tie to a third outing, it was hardly spectacular as they edged a drab encounter in Pearse Park by 0-8 to 0-6.  

They’d pick up the pace in the deciding fixture to see off the Mountcharles men by eight points in Glenties as a quarter-final spot was secured.  

“St Naul’s weren’t a bad side at the time either and had a large chunk of U-21s that had won a county title around that same time. But it was a wake-up call.  

“But we beat two really good sides, Four Masters and Gaoth Dobhair, after that to get through to the final”. 

The Democrat famously ran a jury piece for the final with Manus Boyle the only one out of the 12 to give Ardara the nod.  

Boyle says it wasn’t something anyone pinned to the wall at the time. But looking back he explains that the side Ardara had, and the players at their disposal, meant they were quietly confident.  

“We’d been there or thereabouts so it wasn’t like we’d come from nowhere. St Eunan’s were blazing a trail but we felt like we were going to Ballybofey with a real chance.  

“For us, it was about trying to get over the line as 19 years and the previous gap was something so many in the town talked about.  

“And the motivation was that you knew it would bring so much joy to the area if we got the win. The mixture of that panel, young and old, it was a brilliant blend. And characters, there was always craic to be had. 

“There were a few nearing their end at that level too so you felt as happy for them as you did for yourself really. It was a monkey off the back. And to be fair to Johnny D, he structured that team and bonded it really well.  

“Damien Diver was the driving force behind it all too, on the field. It was such a great day and I’ve no doubt it inspired a lot of the younger lads to come in.  

“Because in 2004, when we won again against MacCumhaills, we’d got a real injection of some really good young players like Matthew Maher, Declan Gallagher, and Gareth Concarr, off the top of my head”. 

And it’s true what they say about success and the near misses, with Boyle admitting he still thinks about one or two he felt got away in between.  

“Without a doubt. We got St Eunan’s again in 2001 in the first round - that was the two senior finalists from the year before and it takes me back to that point where no one was safe in that open draw.  

“2003 as well, we pushed Four Masters so close but they edged it and went on to win it. A lot of new lads had come on board for 2004 but for a lot of the lads still there, it felt important to have sort of backed up 2000 with another win.  

“There were league titles picked up too in that time which was always nice. And while it feels like a blink of an eye, the truth is it’s a long time ago now.” 

As a player, Boyle says it was too easy to get bogged down in winning being the most important thing in GAA.  

Stepping back in recent times, becoming involved in underage coaching and even being a dad, he admits a GAA club’s role in its community is about much more than simply putting medals in pockets.  

“Next year’s county final will be ourselves being honoured from 25 years ago. That’s crazy. It’s so hard to believe that amount of time has gone by.  

“For the club, of course, it would be great to be back competing at that level consistently. What’s the difficulty or the difference now, it’s hard to put it down to any one thing. Lads have never put in as much effort.  

“I mean we’re not alone in saying a huge part of it for Ardara has been emigration. Donegal, across the board, has been hit really hard in that regard.  

“My brother Derek is involved with management at Brisbane Harps in Australia. And in all the years he’s been there, the numbers have never been as great in terms of membership for all clubs.  

“Registration keeps going up with the amount of Irish heading off. And listen, that’s great. But it certainly has an effect on things here. Reserve football is on its knees.  

“And the knock-on there for underage is that there simply won’t be as many families settling at home. So the fight for numbers is a real issue. Like I said, It’s not unique to Ardara or Donegal.  

“But we certainly have lost a huge volume of senior footballers, particularly in the last five or six years. It can be tough to keep the show on the road.  

“That’s what makes the likes of last weekend so special for the club - to see the effort and work that is still going into things. And looking at it from that point of view, for me, that’s a different kind of success.  

“It’s what the GAA is all about. The facilities we have now - they are huge assets to the community. It’s so inclusive.  

“It’s great when you're winning, but if there is consistency in doing the right things and the right leadership is in place, the wheel turns and will eventually come back round again”. 

In terms of what his two SFC medals mean to him, Boyle says they’re a conduit to a different time and place.  

But it makes gatherings and events like last weekend extra special for the select few lucky enough to have even one at home.

“Ach, when you meet up and it doesn’t matter if lads are in Dublin, Australia, or Dubai, it’s just lovely to laugh and look back at those times.  

“Not everyone has one - some great players in this county have missed out. At the time, back then, the significance was probably lost on you as it’s tunnel vision.  

“But it’s only looking back now that you really appreciate what we achieved. Even the underage medals we were lucky enough to win - all great times with your best friends.  

“You mightn’t have seen someone for five or six years but you’re back in that space, right away, in relation to the memories and the stories.  

“It’s as if you were only togging out together last week. That’s the great thing about the GAA.”