Tubber man blazing a trail for hurling in West Offaly

TUBBER on the western tip of Offaly, bordering Westmeath, isn't a noted hurling stronghold but Donal Shirley has emerged from there to earn his place on the Offaly under 20 team and also a place on the Offaly senior squad which plays in the Joe McDonagh Cup Final on June 8.

Tubber is more noted for producing footballers for the county, like Ciaran McManus, but for Donal, while he enjoys football and has played county minor in that code, hurling is his first love and he has emerged as an important part of Offaly underage teams in recent years.

He was wing back on the minor side that lost narrowly to Tipperary in the 2022 All-Ireland Final and although he missed a lot of last year through injury, he has come back this year to claim his place on the under 20 side.

Donal said he has played hurling since he was a young lad. “My parents would have pushed me to play all sports. Even my own club Brosna Gaels would have supported me all along, summer camps and that kind of thing. I always had a love for it and would have preferred it over football, which might seem crazy to say. I played minor football for Offaly. I still love playing football in the club but hurling will always take preference for me. Even people from Tubber support it massively, especially now that we are going well. But even from underage, I would always have got great support from the people of Tubber,” Donal said.

Donal is son of Ned and Mary, with his mother hailing from Cork. “Maybe that's where I get it from, that's what she would say anyway,” he quipped

“I played bits of soccer and rugby but GAA would always have been the main one. When I was in secondary school I would have played them as well but GAA would always have been the main one.”

As mentioned he played minor football for Offaly but has concentrated on hurling in recent seasons.

“When I made the decision last year to go with hurling, I think it was a great decision, and we've had great success. Even last year I didn't get to be part of it but you could see the talent from the rest of the lads, just how good a squad we have and how much talent is there. It helped me make the decision as it is such a great bunch of lads and it is hard to say I wouldn't want to be part of that ever again, particularly after the minor, making that decision.”

Donal started out with the Offaly underage development squads.

“Yeah, that's probably where it all started for me. I got into the development squad at 14. Paddy Guinan from Shamrocks was the manager at the time and he was very supportive. I would have played under 14 development squad football too and he had no problem with that. He wanted to keep everyone hurling and he was probably one of the main figures at the time and made me really want to play. Being from Tubber he had no problem with that. He had no problem playing me and that was where it all started.”

He admitted there “would have been the odd bit of banter initially about me being from Tubber but I think that is gone away now. Everyone has no problem with it. As long as you are within the boundaries of Offaly and willing to put on the shirt and do what you can, everyone is happy.”

Did he have a sense at 14 that a great bunch was coming along?

“From the age of 14 we knew we had a good bunch of players, especially getting to Tony Forrestal Final, which was massive for us. We were probably the first Offaly team ever to get there. I think that put it into the back of our minds that in 3-4 years time when things started to get more serious that we could really push on and have a say in championships, minor and under 20.”

Donal grew up in period where he didn't see Offaly teams winning on a regular basis.

“My parents always told me of the great Offaly teams of the past and would have showed videos and watched old matches at home. It gave you a taste of what success was like. Even the under 20 footballers a couple of years ago really pushed it on and showed us what success is really like and what it feels like and that was massive too. It felt like a breakthrough at the time, the first team in a long time to win an All-Ireland for Offaly and that gave us belief too,” the Tubber man said.

“It would really have been the first time that I had seen real success for Offaly. I would have been at games in the past where we pushed big teams close but that was the first time I ever saw Offaly push on and win something. It gave us great belief going into that minor campaign in 2022 that we could be like them too, we could push on and we might win something too.”

And it has taken on life of its own since then.

“Ever since that minor we have gathered serious momentum. Even the 2021 minor campaign wasn't successful, even though a lot of that squad is what we have now. But since that 2022 campaign we seemed to have gathered momentum and into under 20 last year, there was more momentum behind us and more support.”

How do you insulate yourself from that hype?

“Our first taste of a really big crowd was the minor final in Portlaoise against Laois. That was massive at the time. Once you do it the first time, you kind of get used to it. You build up an understanding that the games are different when there's that big crowd in front of you, you can't communicate with your team mates as easily as you usually could. And then when we were young like that, we know what it's like, you want players' signatures, get pictures with players. We don't mind that at all because we were once that age. It's great, because hopefully in a couple of years, that drives on Offaly hurling more and more and we see those players coming through.”

He said he understood the premature pitch invasion in the Leinster Final last week. “It's not the young lads fault either because they just want to support their county, they just want to get Adam Screeney or Dan Bourke's signature, but I wouldn't say it's a distraction at the time but it's just something as players you have to deal with on the field. You know time is ticking, it's about retaining concentration, dealing with what's at hand and win the small moments in front of you.”

Donal missed out on last year's campaign and final through injury. “I was struggling with a groin injury last year. I knew at the start of the year I wasn't going to be involved. It was a tough year looking on, you just want to be playing, you just want to be involved. I worked hard, I tried to get back but it gave me the chance to sit on the sideline and watch how good some of the players that you are playing with are. Sometimes when you are playing with them you don't realise the little things that they do on the field, the little touches of genius. Sitting in the stand sometimes you can see that. It's a different perspective as well to see what it was like from a supporter's perspective as well.”

Although it has been a successful three years, Offaly still haven't won an All-Ireland, so does that create extra pressure? People might say next year will be the year for this side but there's no guarantee you would get back next year?

“I wouldn't buy into that either. The time is now really. You have a match in front of you, you have to go and win it. There probably is a little bit of added pressure now that's it's a third one and we haven't won one, but the reality is, it is only underage. If we go on and have great success at senior and drive on, people will remember that more than our underage success, so the most important thing is that we drive on and get everyone prepared for senior as much as we possibly can and get Offaly back to the top table of hurling again.”

Donal has also featured for the senior side during the Joe McDonagh Cup campaign, is that a distraction from the under 20 or more pressure?

“I think it's good, you are always hurling. It is a step up, it's a step up physically, the hurling is different, especially in the league campaign against Tier 1 teams like Cork and what they do and what levels we have to get to. It's just an eyeopener really to see how good those Tier 1 counties really are,” he commented.