Brendan Devenney

Brendan Devenney (born 1976) is an Irish Gaelic football coach, broadcaster and former player.

Brendan Devenney
Personal information
Irish name Breandán Ó Duibheannaigh
Sport Gaelic football
Position Full-forward
Born 1976 (age 43–44)
Letterkenny, County Donegal
Height 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m)
Nickname Dev
Club(s)
Years Club
1996–2009
 Naomh Adhamhnáin
Club titles
Donegal titles 5
Inter-county(ies)**
Years County Apps (scores)
1998–2009
 Donegal 36[1]
Inter-county titles
NFL 1
All Stars 0
**Inter County team apps and scores correct as of 15:51, 17 May 2008 (UTC).

He played his club football for Naomh Adhamhnáin and also represented the Donegal county team and won the 1998 and 2001 International Rules Series with Ireland. Of a mercurial temperament,[2], Devenney often wandered away from the sport to play association football instead. Described by RTÉ as "one of the greatest players to have worn the Donegal jersey", Devenney was his county's "main marksman in the pre-McGuinness era".[3]

In retirement, Devenney remains involved with his local club (having co-managed them to a Donegal Senior Football Championship in 2012), appears on media platforms such as Highland Radio and files a column for the Letterkenny Leader. He is also having to come to terms with Michael Murphy naming him on national television as his childhood hero. A shocked Devenney opened up on this revelation years later: "And that was back when Michael was already the fuckin' man! The fact that he has called me his hero is, probably, the most humbling thing that anyone has ever said to me".[4] Devenney later said: "Has anyone's hero turned around and then been their hero? Because Michael would be mine. So it's come full circle".[3]

Playing career

Devenney played for his school team, St Eunan's College.[5]

Club

In the final of the 1999 Donegal Senior Football Championship, Devenney broke Martin McHugh's record by scoring 0–14 of his team's 1–19 to their opponents Aodh Ruadh's 1–11.[6] Devenney punctured a lung while playing for his club against Clonoe of Tyrone in the Ulster Club SFC in 2008. He ignored his injury, sustained in the first half, and carried on until the end of the game—scoring four points and contributing to the decisive goal which won the game for his team—after which he was hospitalised.[7] He also captained his club.[8]

County

Devenney played senior football for Donegal despite not having played underage.[3] His debut against Cork in the National Football League quarter-final at Croke Park in March 1998 was nothing short of sensational: he scored 2–2.[9] Declan Bonner gave Devenney his championship debut in 1998.[2] He played in his first Ulster Senior Football Championship final later that year, and though he lost, he received the man of the match award.[3]

He often partnered Adrian Sweeney in Donegal's forward line.[2]

Devenney had a decent game against Armagh in the 2004 Ulster final at Croke Park.[10] He played championship football until 2005.[2] He came back in 2007.[2] That year, Devenney contributed to the county winning its first National Football League title in 2007, passing a late fitness test to play in the final against Mayo.[11] However, he went off injured during the game, which Donegal won, and Kevin McMenamin replaced him.[12][13] He made a substitute appearance against Armagh in the 2007 Ulster SFC quarter-final at MacCumhaill Park on 27 May that year and scored the last-minute goal which defeated the Orchard County by a single point on a scoreline of 1–9 to 1–8.[14] However, he was excluded from the squad in 2008.[15] He confirmed his retirement from football's top level on 29 December 2009.

Devenney never won the Ulster Senior Football Championship during his career.[2] Shortly after his departure Donegal won an All-Ireland Senior Football title in 2012. Devenney said,

I try not to look back. I try to blank it [the past] out. Because there are too many regrets. It hurts too much. There were good days and good bits, for sure, but the big things like an Ulster and All-Ireland that you were looking for, you never got to and that's why I'm afraid to look back. As I've grown older I'd be wild angry about it. We'd be knocked out of Ulster for playing conventional football, then out of Ulster we could play conventional football as good as anyone. We'd be in the qualifiers and tear through the Longfords and Tipperarys, beat the likes of Meath and Galway. They were the games that sustained you, that's why we played football. But see going up to Clones? I'd be dreading going in the door. There were times I'd be thinking, 'What am I doing here?' That was my mindset before a championship match. I didn't want to be there. How the hell was I going to perform? Looking back on it, there was no way it could go right. Because Armagh and Tyrone had us figured out. They'd lock down space. You look at Bernard and Alan Brogan against Dublin in that [All-Ireland] semi-final a couple of years ago. They looked like they wanted to walk off the pitch. Donegal messed with their heads. Bernard was in there on his own. He couldn't make a channel run. When he did get it, right away he was running into three boys. That was me for years.[16]

He spoke again in 2020 of the "dread" he experienced ahead of playing for Donegal against other Ulster teams.[3]

National team

Devenney represented Ireland in the 1998 International Rules Series. He scored one over (worth three points) in the second test, which was held at Croke Park on 18 October, as Ireland won the series by an aggregate score of 128–118.[17] He was his country's leading scorer against Australia in the 2001 International Rules Series, as Ireland romped to victory in Australia.[18] He scored four overs in the first test, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 12 October, as Ireland won 59–53.[19] He scored two overs in the second test, held at Football Park in Adelaide on 19 October.[19]

Association football

While playing for Donegal, Devenney would often pass the time during the 2000s by playing association football matches for League of Ireland club Finn Harps.[20] He was involved in the 2001–02 League of Ireland Premier Division relegation playoff penalty shoot-out loss to Longford Town after Finn Harps qualified via the 2001–02 League of Ireland First Division.[20]

In 2006, he became disillusioned and began playing association football in the north with Portadown.[21]

There was also Limavady United somewhere.

Devenney, however, was not sufficiently interested in the sport to take up an offer of a two-year contract with Finn Harps in 2007, preferring to play football for Donegal.[20]

Devenney currently plays the sport for Gweedore United in the Donegal Junior Football League, an association football competition.

Post-playing career

Devenney coaches his local club and does radio commentary for the BBC.[22][23] He has been critical of the qualifiers the GAA have brought into the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, saying they have "diluted the Championship season a bit."[24] He has also been involved in a national radio debate hosted by Marian Finucane on the topic of money.[9]

DL Debate

On 10 February 2020, a weekly programme called DL Debate began airing on Highland Radio. It originated in discussion between Devenney and Oisín Kelly between games on a Sunday, with Devenney concluding that a Monday evening programme to discuss the weekend's fixtures was necessary.[25] Devenney's guests on the first episode included John Haran, Colm Parkinson (Laois) and Ciarán Whelan (Dublin).[26] Others in later episodes included Neil Gallagher, John Gildea, Enda McGinley (Tyrone), Rory Kavanagh, Donal Reid, Bernard Flynn (Meath), P. J. McGowan and David Brady (Mayo).[27]

Honours
Club
County
Country
Individual
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References
  1. Bogue, Declan (16 May 2008). "McGrane set for '60'". Gaelic Life.
  2. Nulty, Chris (22 July 2011). "1992–2011: The best XV not to win Ulster…". Donegal News. Retrieved 22 July 2011.
  3. "Donegal legend Brendan Devenney lifts lid on the times he 'dreaded' games". RTÉ Sport. 21 May 2020. Retrieved 21 May 2020.
  4. Kissane, Sinéad (2 August 2019). "As a landmark birthday looms, 30 reasons why Michael Murphy is a modern great". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 August 2019.
  5. "Gaelic Football". Archived from the original on 24 October 2006.
  6. "First Senior County Title". St Eunan's. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015.
  7. "Donegal: a family at war". Irish Independent. 5 November 2008. Retrieved 5 November 2008.
  8. "All too easy for Eunan's". Irish Independent. 5 October 2009. Archived from the original on 9 December 2012. Retrieved 5 October 2009.
  9. "Devenney's future in balance". Irish Independent. 10 May 2002. Retrieved 10 May 2002.
  10. "Awesome Armagh destroy Donegal". RTÉ Sport. 11 July 2004. Retrieved 11 July 2004. Brendan Devenney was one of the few positives Donegal would take from the first half. He consistently won his duels with Enda McNulty and the many free kicks he earned suggested that Armagh's blanket defence was not totally impenetrable.
  11. "Donegal claim the spoils". The Irish Times. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 22 April 2007.
  12. "Donegal win National League title". BBC Sport. 22 April 2007. Retrieved 11 August 2011. Roper's third score of the first half edged Donegal two ahead and the margin was the same at the break as Brian McIver's side led 0–7 to 0–5. By that stage, Devenney's injury problems had forced his departure with McMenamin coming on.
  13. "Donegal achieve historic win - First national league title comes to county after victory over Mayo". Donegal Times. 25 April 2007. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  14. Keys, Colm (28 May 2007). "Donegal end hoodoo". Irish Independent. Retrieved 28 May 2007.
  15. Foley, Cliona (27 May 2008). "Devenney still waiting on call from McIver". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 18 February 2013. Retrieved 27 May 2008.
  16. Shannon, Kieran (25 May 2013). "Donegal are dancing to new tunes". Irish Examiner. Retrieved 25 May 2013.
  17. "Australia v Ireland 1998". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  18. "All-Ireland Final Players". St Eunan's. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015.
  19. "Australia v Ireland 2001". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  20. Neville, Conor (29 May 2014). "Our Inter-County GAA Players Who Have Played League Of Ireland XI". Balls.ie. Retrieved 29 May 2014.
  21. "Return of the prodigals". Irish Independent. 20 April 2007. Retrieved 20 April 2007.
  22. Breheny, Martin (7 November 2012). "Brendan Devenney comments highlight the problem facing Gaelic football – Message to the public: 'Don't expect a good match'; Message to a player: 'You're not going to enjoy this'; Message to the GAA: 'You'll have empty stadiums'". Irish Independent. Retrieved 7 November 2012.
  23. Duggan, Keith (16 February 2013). "More than a club: the extraordinary dominance of the side from south Armagh". The Irish Times. Retrieved 16 February 2013. 'I have seen them play so much doing radio commentary with the BBC', says Brendan Devenney. 'And being honest, I have become a fan'. Devenney managed his club, St Eunan's, against the Armagh champions in the Ulster club quarter-final last November.
  24. "Devenney: Qualifiers diluting championship". BreakingNews.ie. 30 June 2009. Retrieved 30 June 2009.
  25. Foley, Jonathan (20 February 2020). "DV's 'DL Debate' podcast is on the air". The Leader. p. 69.
  26. "Podcast – DL Debate Ep 1". Highland Radio. 10 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2020.
  27. All Highland Radio:
  28. "Tohill left out of All Star nominations". RTÉ Sport. 1 November 2001.
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