Missing the Medal: Best Decision I Ever Made
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Weekend Sport Irish Examiner Saturday, 17.11.2018 14 BIG INTERVIEW THE DECLAN BOGUE INTERVIEW Tomorrow, at 37, Kevin Cassidy plays for Gaoth Dobhair in the Ulster Club SFC semi-final. Regarded as the unluckiest man in Donegal for missing the 2012 All-Ireland success, he sits down with the man whose book led to his exile from Jim McGuinness’ setup. He doesn’t have any regrets. Missing the medal: Best decision I ever made ‘We’re a special kind of it. There are many people - including my- “When you are in a team, you want to told you to say some of those discussions self - that think you are the unluckiest reach that because it is the highest you can were off the record, blame me and then people’ man in Donegal.” go. Maybe it would have been different if I you wouldn’t lose your place. Why didn’t Kevin Cassidy: “Do you know what? grew up and it would have been my biggest you?” This is 100% honest, but I never once ambition.” KC: “I just wouldn’t do that. he travelling fans from turned to myself and said, ‘fuck, I was hard DB: “You left Glasgow at 9?” “The way I see it, if I do something, I do Naomh Conaill could done by there.’” KC: “Yeah.” it. There is no point saying you didn’t hardly believe their “People say to me that I am talking shit. DB: “So you didn’t have those common mean it, or shy away from it. I just eyes as they crawled People on nights out asking me about you; childhood dreams of playing for Donegal, wouldn’t have done it and to be honest, it along the narrow lanes ‘Do you talk to him?’ Do I talk to you? rather Celtic?” didn’t enter my mind once to say, ‘Oh fuck, of Magheragallon (Laughs). KC: “I really loved playing for Donegal I need to take care of this.’ towards the home of “People think because that happened and I was really proud to do it. And hope- “You are going to find this strange. But I Gaoth Dobhair CLG. that I would have a bad relationship with fully if my son chooses to do that now, it is never read our book. There for all to see, yourself. Or that I see myself as an un- a fantastic thing to do. “I haven’t read Rory Kavanagh’s book was an eight by four lucky person. That couldn’t be further “But there is an element of that. I was a either and I haven’t read Jim’s.” foot sign with the message; ‘We’re a special from the truth.” soccer player and then the first thing that DB: “Never read Jim’s?” kind of people, we breed defiance. We DB: “I have one friend who, if we are at a turned me was Stephen playing for Gaoth KC: “No. I just have no interest. It’s not Tnever fear. Gaoth Dobhair Abú.’ social occasion, likes to introduce me as Dobhair and they won a Ghaeltacht Cham- out of stubbornness or bitterness that I A declaration of war? Perhaps. Prob- ‘the man who cost Kevin Cassidy a Celtic pionship. That was my first introduction haven’t read it. It’s just… I don’t mean this ably. Cross.’” to it and then I met Sarah (Gallagher, his to sound bad or anything, but I have no in- Their surprise didn’t stop there. From KC: “Do you know what I have noticed, wife whose father Willie played for Done- terest in what he has to say.” one end of the parish to the other, Gaoth and I would say you see this too, but it is gal), obviously her history and family was DB: “Ok, what are the relationships like Dobhair’s former player Stephen Cassidy amazing how that affected other people. steeped in it. with former county teammates from that had taken it upon himself to fasten a green “The amount of people from other coun- “I spent time listening in Teach Mhicí’s time? Even things in Gaoth Dobhair sour- and white flag to almost vee rything that ties that come up to me and they say, ‘Do CALM BEFORE to the older boys in the bar. My ambitions ed for a while.” stood upright. 180 flags in all. It felt a bit you know what, I am absolutely heart- THE STORM: were always Gaoth Dobhair. KC: “I was explaining about Eamonn much for a Championship group stage broken that happened to you.’ But they “The first time we won the Champion- and Neil (McGee). game. feel worse than I do! Jim McGuinness, ship, I was thinking, ‘It doesn’t matter “That was important to me (to repair the Over the past few years, Naomh Conaill “It just shows you the power of the GAA. Michael Murphy, what I do now, we have done this.’ relationships) because they are clubmates hadn’t any problems with dismissing I never thought it was anything else other and Kevin “If you are a sportsman, you want to be and friends. This year has sorted all of Gaoth Dobhair. In 2016, they beat them by than ‘that’s that thing between myself and Cassidy, in the best you can be but it wasn’t a child- that. The rest of it is not important. 12 points in a county semi-final, prompting Declan and that’s it done.’ Letterkenny hood dream to win Sam Maguire, if I am “Let me tell you, when you are in a coun- the retirement of Kevin Cassidy. “The amount of genuine people con- ahead of the 2011 being honest.” ty squad you think you are all close and Cassidy was persuaded back the next cerned that told me they thought about it DB: “So where were you in 2012 when that you have so much in common. But year when Mervyn O’Donnell took the job for months afterwards. I always just say, All-Ireland Donegal did?” when you step out you soon learn. nobody wanted, promising to restore the ‘aye, but sure what can you do?’ semi-finalagainst KC: “I was sitting at home. Like, it’s sur- “Who would I see? The likes of (Bren- club’s honesty. They faced Naomh Conaill “I don’t know if it is just the way I am as Dublin. In real. I had been in Boston and Donegal dan) Devenney. John Gildea. Adrian in the county semi-final and although they a person, but there is not one day I look November 2011 beat Cork in the semi-final. I had watched Sweeney from time to time. People you lost, the margin was a point. back and say to myself, ‘I shouldn’t have Cassidy was the Kerry game in New York and at that would bump into and have a conversation This year, Gaoth Dobhair won 0-12 to done that.’” dropped from the time Cork were a good outfit. with. But I wouldn’t see anyone else.” 0-6. The teams met again in the final and DB: “Surely some family members must “But they beat Cork that morning. DB: “That day you were doing the co- the Gaeltacht men clawed their way to have been hurt by you being cut from the Donegal panel. Sarah and them had gone home and I was commentary with TG4 and McGuinness their first Dr Maguire Cup since 2006. panel by Jim McGuinness at the time?” Picture: Oliver left behind because we were playing in the came over for a toe-curling post-match in- Back on top of the leaderboard with 15. KC: “On my side of the family, they are McVeigh /Sportsfile final that day in Boston. So I was listening terview… “ Now, they take on possibly the greatest all like me. Not once did they turn around to the radio and once they beat Cork I KC: “I am asked about that all the time. I ever club — Crossmaglen Rangers —in and say, ‘Declan should have done this or know they had it. Mayo weren’t going to walked away and never thought anything the Ulster club semi-final in Omagh this that.’ They naturally stood up for me. But stop them. about it until people said it to me. I hon- Sunday. if it hurt them, they didn’t tell me it hurt “So the actual day of the final it didn’t af- estly didn’t even feel awkward in that situ- On the edge of the square is Stephen’s them. fect me because I knew at that stage the ation. I know your man was asking was I brother Kevin Cassidy, 37 years old. Two- “But like, my answer is always… Fuck- game was won. going back and I had said I wasn’t going time All-Star. A serious specimen yet. ing hell, I know this is the strangest thing “Whenever I was in the car going to back. Seven years almost to the day he was cut to say, but it’s only a game of football. training with the McGee brothers, we al- “To me, it was a case of ‘you know and I from the Donegal squad by manager Jim “To be honest, I never started out want- ways talked about bringing Sam into know, so let’s cut the bullshit and leave McGuinness for participating in a season ing to play for Donegal. It was never an Gaoth Dobhair and how great that would it.’” diary of Ulster football personalities.