Kieran Donaghy
Encyclopedia
Kieran Donaghy is an Irish Gaelic football
er who plays for Kerry
. Donaghy has won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
medals, two Munster Championships
and a National League
title with the county. He has also been awarded two All Stars
.
He plays his club football for Austin Stacks
in Tralee. Donaghy has also played basketball
for Tralee Tigers.
He plays as a full forward and is known as a very effective target man, using his height, catching ability and scoring technique to very good effect. He has also been hailed as the new Bomber Liston
. His response to this was "It’s very flattering to be compared to him, but I’d need to play in a good few All-Ireland finals to be in the same league as him".
Donaghy is also a basketball player for Abrakebabra Tigers
, he has also played for Ireland in the past.
reality TV show Underdogs on TG4
. Ironically he played in a one-off game against Kerry while on the show.
Donaghy switched in 2005 from playing basketball
for Tralee Tigers to play football for Kerry. He made his Kerry debut against Dublin
in 2005 and won a Munster Senior Football Championship
medal with the county that year.
He began the 2006 National League
season as a midfield partner for Darragh Ó Sé
, with moderate success. He was sent off in a game league with reigning All-Ireland Champions Tyrone
. The campaign ended with Kerry being crowned League Champions but there were some doubts about Donaghy's temperament. Donaghy began the 2006 Championship
in the same position, as Kerry reached the Munster Championship final against old rivals Cork. Donaghy was sent off for two bookable offenses and he was banned for the subsequent replay. Cork defeated Kerry in the replay. A round later in the Qualifiers against Longford
, Donaghy was moved to the full forward position. It proved a very successful switch as he set up three goals, a number of points and scored a point himself. Donaghy continued his good form against Armagh
in the All-Ireland quarter-final - scoring a crucial goal. Donaghy goaded Armagh goalkeeper Paul Hearty
in his celebrations after the goal. He later apologised for doing so and said that it was a reaction to Hearty's constant taunting of him during the game. Kerry beat Cork in the semi-final, with Donaghy again playing very well. Kerry met Mayo
in the All-Ireland final and Donaghy played a pivotal role in Kerry's winning by a scoreline of 4-15 to 3-05. He scored a 1-02 and also set up another goal in the match. Donaghy was awarded an All Star award
for his performances that year and was also included in the GPA Team of the Year
. He was also named All Stars Footballer of the Year, GPA Footballer of the Year
and Texaco Footballer of the Year
.
In 2007
Donaghy helped Kerry win the Munster Championship - beating Cork in the final by two points. He created Kerry's goal for Colm Cooper
and got the score that put them ahead late in the game. Kerry scraped past Monaghan
in the All-Ireland quarter-final, to set up a semi-final clash with Dublin. Donaghy was moved out to midfield after talisman Darragh Ó Sé
went off injured, and had a storming game against the much vaunted Ciarán Whelan
. Kerry played Cork in the All-Ireland final and won by 3-13 to 1-9. He scored two of the goals in the match.
Donaghy made a "middle finger" gesture to Mayo fans during a match between the sides in the 2008 National League
. He was punished with a one match suspension for the incident. He apologised for the incident as follows;
"During the latter stages of the game and in the heat of the moment, I used an inappropriate gesture towards the crowd. I apologise unreservedly to spectators and all sports fans alike for any offence that I may have caused by this action."
He said that he made the gesture after Mayo fans threw coins at him and Kerry goalkeeper Diarmuid Murphy
, and after almost being hit in the head by a piece of wood hurled from the crowd. As a result of this incident, the Mayo board were later fined by the GAA and ordered to improve their event management. Kerry reached the 2008 National League final, but were beaten by Derry
. Cork beat Kerry in the 2008
Munster final. Kerry nevertheless reached the All-Ireland final and faced Tyrone. Tyrone won the game by four points. Donaghy did however win a second All Star award that year.
On 11 July 2009, Donaghy was injured when he landed awkwardly during Kerry's victory over Longford
in the football qualifier's, and left the ground on crutches. Scan results later showed that he had suffered a broken bone in his foot and is likely to miss the rest of the 2009 Championship
.
He played in losing County Senior Championship Finals in 2001 and 2010 with Austin Stacks
.
in the International Rules Series
in 2006
and 2008
.
He is also a keen poker player and appeared on the 'Late Night Stars of Poker', which aired on RTÉ
in November 2009.
Gaelic football
Gaelic football , commonly referred to as "football" or "Gaelic", or "Gah" is a form of football played mainly in Ireland...
er who plays for Kerry
Kerry GAA
The Kerry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Kerry...
. Donaghy has won three All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship
The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the premier competition in Gaelic football, is a series of games organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association and played during the summer and early autumn...
medals, two Munster Championships
Munster Senior Football Championship
The Munster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Munster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Munster Council and are played during the summer months...
and a National League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
title with the county. He has also been awarded two All Stars
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
.
He plays his club football for Austin Stacks
Austin Stacks
Austin Stacks is a hurling and Gaelic football club based in Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. It has more All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and GAA All-Stars than any other GAA club in Ireland...
in Tralee. Donaghy has also played basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
for Tralee Tigers.
He plays as a full forward and is known as a very effective target man, using his height, catching ability and scoring technique to very good effect. He has also been hailed as the new Bomber Liston
Eoin Liston
Eoin 'Bomber' Liston is a retired Irish sportsperson. He played Gaelic football with his local club Beale, his divisional side Shannon Rangers and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1978 until 1993...
. His response to this was "It’s very flattering to be compared to him, but I’d need to play in a good few All-Ireland finals to be in the same league as him".
Donaghy is also a basketball player for Abrakebabra Tigers
Abrakebabra Tigers
Abrakebabra Tigers is a basketball team located in Tralee, County Kerry, Republic of Ireland. The team play in the Superleague, Ireland's top tier basketball league.TheTigers have a long and proud tradition of success...
, he has also played for Ireland in the past.
Inter-county
Donaghy's emergence in 2006 was regarded as a 'rags to riches story'.Hailing from the little village of Furey in Kerry and inevitably suffering from classic "small-town syndrome" Donaghy smashed,grabbed and kicked his way out of Fureys backside straight to success becoming GAA's "World's Most Dangerous Man" when asked about his recent success kieran venomously roared "DON'T LOOK AT ME" and fleed leaving a trail of broken toes where he'd trampled his way back to town of Furey.He had at one time struggled to nail down a place with the Austin Stacks' minor team. In 2004, before he made his breakthrough on the Kerry Senior side, Donaghy had taken part in the GAAGaelic Athletic Association
The Gaelic Athletic Association is an amateur Irish and international cultural and sporting organisation focused primarily on promoting Gaelic games, which include the traditional Irish sports of hurling, camogie, Gaelic football, handball and rounders...
reality TV show Underdogs on TG4
TG4
TG4 is a public service broadcaster for Irish language speakers. The channel has been on-air since 31 October 1996 in the Republic of Ireland and since April 2005 in Northern Ireland....
. Ironically he played in a one-off game against Kerry while on the show.
Donaghy switched in 2005 from playing basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
for Tralee Tigers to play football for Kerry. He made his Kerry debut against Dublin
Dublin GAA
Dublin County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association , or Dublin GAA, is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Dublin. The county board is also responsible for the Dublin inter-county teams...
in 2005 and won a Munster Senior Football Championship
Munster Senior Football Championship
The Munster Senior Football Championship is the premier "knockout" competition in the game of football played in the province of Munster in Ireland. The series of games are organised by the Munster Council and are played during the summer months...
medal with the county that year.
He began the 2006 National League
National Football League (Ireland)
The National Football League is a Gaelic football tournament held annually between the county teams of Ireland, under the auspices of the Gaelic Athletic Association. The prize for the winning team is the New Ireland Cup, presented by the New Ireland Assurance Company...
season as a midfield partner for Darragh Ó Sé
Darragh Ó Sé
Darragh Ó Sé is a former Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club An Ghaeltacht and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1994 until 2009. Ó Sé has made more championship appearances than any other player in the history of the game...
, with moderate success. He was sent off in a game league with reigning All-Ireland Champions Tyrone
Tyrone GAA
The Tyrone County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Tyrone GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Tyrone. The county board is also responsible for the Tyrone inter-county teams....
. The campaign ended with Kerry being crowned League Champions but there were some doubts about Donaghy's temperament. Donaghy began the 2006 Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2006
The 2006 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship began on Sunday, May 7, 2006. The 2006 championship used the same "Qualifier" system that was used in 2005....
in the same position, as Kerry reached the Munster Championship final against old rivals Cork. Donaghy was sent off for two bookable offenses and he was banned for the subsequent replay. Cork defeated Kerry in the replay. A round later in the Qualifiers against Longford
Longford GAA
The Longford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Longford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Longford...
, Donaghy was moved to the full forward position. It proved a very successful switch as he set up three goals, a number of points and scored a point himself. Donaghy continued his good form against Armagh
Armagh GAA
The Armagh County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Armagh GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Armagh...
in the All-Ireland quarter-final - scoring a crucial goal. Donaghy goaded Armagh goalkeeper Paul Hearty
Paul Hearty
Paul Hearty is a Gaelic football player from Armagh, Northern Ireland. He is the current goalkeeper on the Armagh senior football team. He was named in goal for the 2006 Irish News Ulster Allstars team for his performances in Armagh's 2006 Uster championship win.-Club:Hearty is part of the...
in his celebrations after the goal. He later apologised for doing so and said that it was a reaction to Hearty's constant taunting of him during the game. Kerry beat Cork in the semi-final, with Donaghy again playing very well. Kerry met Mayo
Mayo GAA
The Mayo County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Mayo GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Mayo and the Mayo inter-county teams.-History:...
in the All-Ireland final and Donaghy played a pivotal role in Kerry's winning by a scoreline of 4-15 to 3-05. He scored a 1-02 and also set up another goal in the match. Donaghy was awarded an All Star award
GAA All Stars Awards
The All Stars Awards, currently sponsored by Vodafone, are given annually since 1971 by the Gaelic Athletic Association to the best player in each of the fifteen positions in Gaelic football and Hurling in Ireland. Additionally, one player in each code is selected as the player of the year...
for his performances that year and was also included in the GPA Team of the Year
GPA Gaelic Team of the Year
The GPA Gaelic Team of the Year known for sponsorship reason as The Opel Gaelic Team of the Year awards were an awards ceremony to honour the performances ofGaelic Athletic Association players...
. He was also named All Stars Footballer of the Year, GPA Footballer of the Year
GPA Footballer of the Year
The GPA Footballer of the Year is awarded annually by the Gaelic Players Association, as part of the Opel Gaelic Players awards scheme, established in 2006. The title was first awarded in 2001, at the foundation of the association, and was first sponsored in 2005, also by Opel. The award honours...
and Texaco Footballer of the Year
Texaco Footballer of the Year
The Texaco Footballer of the Year is a Gaelic football award, created in 1958, that honours the achievements of a footballer of outstanding excellence...
.
In 2007
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2007
The 2007 Bank of Ireland All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, was a Gaelic football competition in Ireland, and was the most significant and prestigious competition in the sport held that year. It began on 13 May 2007, with the final game took place for Sunday, 16 September. Kerry were the...
Donaghy helped Kerry win the Munster Championship - beating Cork in the final by two points. He created Kerry's goal for Colm Cooper
Colm Cooper
Colm ‘Gooch’ Cooper is an Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club Dr. Croke’s and has been a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team since 2002. Cooper is regarded as one of the greatest players of his generation.-Club:Cooper helped Dr. Crokes win the 2000 Kerry...
and got the score that put them ahead late in the game. Kerry scraped past Monaghan
Monaghan GAA
The Monaghan County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Monaghan GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Monaghan and the Monaghan inter-county football and hurling teams. Separate county boards are responsible for the...
in the All-Ireland quarter-final, to set up a semi-final clash with Dublin. Donaghy was moved out to midfield after talisman Darragh Ó Sé
Darragh Ó Sé
Darragh Ó Sé is a former Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club An Ghaeltacht and was a member of the Kerry senior inter-county team from 1994 until 2009. Ó Sé has made more championship appearances than any other player in the history of the game...
went off injured, and had a storming game against the much vaunted Ciarán Whelan
Ciarán Whelan
Ciarán Whelan is a former inter-county Irish Gaelic footballer for Dublin although he remains a club footballer with Raheny. He is right footed but can kick with both feet and usually plays in midfield. He was a member of the Dublin squad from 1996 to 2009...
. Kerry played Cork in the All-Ireland final and won by 3-13 to 1-9. He scored two of the goals in the match.
Donaghy made a "middle finger" gesture to Mayo fans during a match between the sides in the 2008 National League
National Football League (Ireland) 2008
The 2008 National Football League was the Gaelic football league contested by 33 GAA counties' football teams, 32 from Ireland and one from England.-Format:...
. He was punished with a one match suspension for the incident. He apologised for the incident as follows;
"During the latter stages of the game and in the heat of the moment, I used an inappropriate gesture towards the crowd. I apologise unreservedly to spectators and all sports fans alike for any offence that I may have caused by this action."
He said that he made the gesture after Mayo fans threw coins at him and Kerry goalkeeper Diarmuid Murphy
Diarmuid Murphy
Diarmuid Murphy is an Irish sportsperson. He plays Gaelic football with his local club An Daingean and was the goalkeeper on the Kerry senior inter-county team from 2004 until 2009...
, and after almost being hit in the head by a piece of wood hurled from the crowd. As a result of this incident, the Mayo board were later fined by the GAA and ordered to improve their event management. Kerry reached the 2008 National League final, but were beaten by Derry
Derry GAA
The Derry County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Derry GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland. It is responsible for Gaelic games in the GAA county of Derry, which covers virtually the same territory as the former administrative county of Londonderry...
. Cork beat Kerry in the 2008
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2008
The 2008 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship was that year's Gaelic football championship, having kicked off on May 11 and ended with the All-Ireland Final in Croke Park on September 21...
Munster final. Kerry nevertheless reached the All-Ireland final and faced Tyrone. Tyrone won the game by four points. Donaghy did however win a second All Star award that year.
On 11 July 2009, Donaghy was injured when he landed awkwardly during Kerry's victory over Longford
Longford GAA
The Longford County Board of the Gaelic Athletic Association or Longford GAA is one of the 32 county boards of the GAA in Ireland, and is responsible for Gaelic games in County Longford...
in the football qualifier's, and left the ground on crutches. Scan results later showed that he had suffered a broken bone in his foot and is likely to miss the rest of the 2009 Championship
All-Ireland Senior Football Championship 2009
The 2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship is the inter-county Gaelic football tournament played between 31 counties of Ireland, London and New York. The draw for the 2009 championship took place on October 9, 2008. The tournament kicked off on May 10, 2009...
.
Club
Donaghy won the Kerry Under 21 Football Championship win Austin Stacks in 2002.He played in losing County Senior Championship Finals in 2001 and 2010 with Austin Stacks
Austin Stacks
Austin Stacks is a hurling and Gaelic football club based in Tralee in County Kerry, Ireland. It has more All-Ireland Senior Football Championship medals and GAA All-Stars than any other GAA club in Ireland...
.
International Rules
Donaghy has represented IrelandIreland international rules football team
The Ireland International rules football team is the representative team for Ireland in international rules football, a compromise between Gaelic football and Australian rules football...
in the International Rules Series
International Rules Series
The International Rules Series is a senior men's International rules football competition between the Australia international rules football team and the Ireland international rules football team...
in 2006
2006 International Rules series
The 2006 International Rules series is the 9th annual International Rules Series and the 15th time that a test series of international rules football has been played between Ireland and Australia....
and 2008
2008 International Rules Series
The 2008 International Rules series was the 10th annual International Rules Series and the 16th time that a test series of international rules football has been played between Ireland and Australia....
.
Basketball
In 2005 Donaghy won the Basketball National Cup and Superleague with the Tralee Tigers and was named as Irish player of the year, despite missing much of the season due to football commitments.Personal life
Kieran works for Ulster Bank.He is also a keen poker player and appeared on the 'Late Night Stars of Poker', which aired on RTÉ
RTE
RTÉ is the abbreviation for Raidió Teilifís Éireann, the public broadcasting service of the Republic of Ireland.RTE may also refer to:* Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, 25th Prime Minister of Turkey...
in November 2009.