From Croke Park to lost luggage and dashed dreams – the painful reality of Donegal's near miss in All-Ireland final

The Irish Sun

30-07-2025

LOSING an All-Ireland final is hard enough without the baggage — literally.
As a native, covering
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Patrick McBrearty and Shane O'Donnell of Donegal are left heartbroken after the defeat to Kerry last Sunday
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Kerry players staff and family celebrate with the Sam Maguire cup after the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship final match win over Donegal at Croke Park
There's an emotional attachment that must be put to one side — and that's not always simple — but I think we managed it.
After
My parents and sisters headed for home but plenty of my friends remained in the capital to drown their sorrows.
There was a lot to digest.
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Kerry were the better team, no doubt, but Donegal's call to leave Hugh McFadden on the bench was a head-scratcher.
Meeting old friends and just chatting nonsense at the Harcourt Hotel — which was the hub for Donegal folk in the big smoke — certainly helped our mood.
But the morning after the night before came with all sorts of horrors.
My professional hat had to go back on to conduct interviews at the victorious Kerry team hotel.
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My little silver suitcase had been giddily packed in anticipation for a victorious trip back to the hills.
But the result meant I was off to the Burlington Road with my luggage and laptop before the onward, unwanted journey to Heuston Station and Athlone, where I live.
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This was like taking a child to the world's greatest amusement park and not allowing them to go on any of the rides. Look, but don't touch.
Weary but happy Kerry heads thronged the lobby as Sam Maguire sat proudly among them — and I tried to ignore the glare off the iconic cup.
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I located some of my colleagues who were in somewhat brighter form than I was and left my case and laptop bag where they were stationed before we sat down with Jack O'Connor.
When we returned from this engaging conversation which featured in yesterday's paper, my belongings were gone.
Suitcase, laptop — the whole lot.
This felt like a sick joke from some cute Kerry hoor as I prowled the place looking for my stuff while David Clifford posed for selfies and O'Connor's players began to load up the bus.
I rooted through that Kerry boot like nobody ever has before but only found O'Neill's gearbags and nothing belonging to me.
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The hotel staff were alerted and a very helpful manager checked the cameras.
It turned out a chauffeur driver had taken my luggage by mistake while we spoke to O'Connor, and everything from my toothbrush and clean undies to my laptop were on their way to Tralee.
The driver's phone number was retrieved but he would not answer the phone, while another member of staff was reluctant to divulge any more details about the driver due to GDPR as my belongings tore down the M7.
Just in time, the manager returned, the driver phoned back and my luggage would be left at Barack Obama Plaza on the Tipperary-Offaly border.
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Always there in times of need, my good wife contacted someone she knew at Roscrea Garda station to retrieve my things.
Getting them back to Athlone was the next job.
My brother-in-law, Gerard, is from Templetuohy in Tipperary and even though he doesn't like hurling — those people exist — he was on the road in the Premier County to retrieve the stricken luggage.
Just to cap off the day, enter Irish Rail.
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They clearly didn't feel Donegal's pain as there are no trains there and with my phone battery about to die — like myself inside — I managed to scan my ticket at Heuston.
Ciarán — the captain of the good ship here at SunSport — could only see the funny side of this predicament and the O'Connor copy would have to wait until I got home.
A young group of loud, enthusiastic Americans failed to help my head or mood before I promptly moved to the back of the carriage to wallow in my own self pity.
We sat on the tracks for a solid 20 minutes outside Tullamore for good measure before the smiles of my daughter Cara at Athlone Station cleared the clouds.
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It could have all been so different but as Mike Tyson once said — everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.