National Forum

Derry 1993 25th Anniversary

(Oldest Posts First)

Derry were a very good team. Like Armagh in the noughties should have won a second.

Great to see them out on the Croke Park pitch again.

BliainanÁir (Laois) - Posts: 598 - 02/09/2018 14:36:59    2138359

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They would have won in 2001 if it wasn't for the Galway goal in semi final. There still are top quality players in Derry but there isn't much pride in the county set up these days.

PattyONeill (Derry) - Posts: 220 - 02/09/2018 15:13:22    2138366

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They should never have got out of Ulster that year, the Ulster final was played on a flooded pitch, jammy Brolly goal got them over the line that day, Donegal should have retained Sam in '93, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Still though it was great to see Derry win an All Ireland, bit of Ulster dominance after all the dark days up here was great in the early 90's.

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2737 - 02/09/2018 16:45:04    2138385

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Sorry my mistake, Brolly's goal was against us was at the end of the '98 final, the oul memory is getting cloudy, still though the '93 final should not have been played on that flooded pitch, I definitely rem that!!

Tirchonaill1 (Donegal) - Posts: 2737 - 02/09/2018 17:01:56    2138386

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Replying To Tirchonaill1:  "They should never have got out of Ulster that year, the Ulster final was played on a flooded pitch, jammy Brolly goal got them over the line that day, Donegal should have retained Sam in '93, but that's how it goes sometimes.
Still though it was great to see Derry win an All Ireland, bit of Ulster dominance after all the dark days up here was great in the early 90's."
Derry beat Donegal in the league finals of 1995 and 96 too, they were a better team than Donegal.

PattyONeill (Derry) - Posts: 220 - 02/09/2018 20:41:08    2138517

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Good team that Derry side, beat us in a epic semi I recall.

Condorman (Dublin) - Posts: 983 - 03/09/2018 14:24:40    2138809

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Four league titles in eight years between 1992 and 2000 is good going. But did the focus on the league take away from Derry's championship runs back then?

Gleebo (Mayo) - Posts: 2208 - 03/09/2018 14:33:15    2138815

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One all Ireland was about right for Derry. Same with ourselves. 1992 was a great year to look back on.

But hats off to derry in 1993, they beat all Ireland winners of 1991 and 1994, winners of 1992, winners of 1989 and 1990, and beat the 1995 winners in the semis too--all on the way to winning sam that year. It must be one of the hardest routes to a final of all time.

They kinda fell apart after that.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 03/09/2018 14:39:47    2138818

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Replying To Donegalman:  "One all Ireland was about right for Derry. Same with ourselves. 1992 was a great year to look back on.

But hats off to derry in 1993, they beat all Ireland winners of 1991 and 1994, winners of 1992, winners of 1989 and 1990, and beat the 1995 winners in the semis too--all on the way to winning sam that year. It must be one of the hardest routes to a final of all time.

They kinda fell apart after that."
I wouldn't say they fell apart - they narrowly lost to Down in an epic battle in the first round in 1994 and Down went on to win the all-Ireland. If the back door system had been in operation in the 90s, I think that Derry team would have won another all-Ireland.

Gaillimh_Abu (Galway) - Posts: 996 - 03/09/2018 22:09:08    2138994

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Replying To PattyONeill:  "Derry beat Donegal in the league finals of 1995 and 96 too, they were a better team than Donegal."
They certainly were not better than Donegal. Donegal beat Derry anytime they met up to '93. We had to play the '93 final without, from memory 3 if not four All-Stars from the year before, including Tony Boyle, Anthony Molloy and Donal Reid. Also, Noel Hegarty was suspended, one of the reasons Derry would not agree to the match being postponed, even though a minor broke his leg in the game before and The Hill was wrecklessly dangerous for supporters. Another week and Hegarty was back and potentially one or two other players. Tony Boyle was by consensus the best full forward in Ireland along with Vinny Murphy then. Dublin were the common thread then against the three Ulster D's and of course who beat them by the most when they met in a final or semifinal? Donegal. As Vinny Murphy said in a n interview about those games the final against Donegal was the only one they were never going to win once the game got going. In contrast to the Derry and Down games in '93 and '94. Derry needed a wonder point from McGurk to win by a point. In fact Charlie Redmond more or less said this on Saturday Evening when he discussed the years before '95 when they eventually got over the line versus Tyrone. Also, the entire spine of the Donegal team were All Star players - Walsh, Gallagher, Gavagan, Molloy, McHugh and Boyle. In constrast Derry were top heavy with defenders and Down top heavy with forwards. The better team? Donegal, without a doubt.

DonegalAtlantic (Donegal) - Posts: 111 - 03/09/2018 23:13:29    2139010

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Looking back the Ulster championship of the early to mid-90's it really was a minefield. Some really strong teams Down, Donegal, Derry, Tyrone plus Cavan (won ulster '97 and should have beaten Donegal in '92) and Armagh could really put it up to you on a given day. One thing always stands out in my memory of going to games around that time was sitting in the blistering heat at the border checkpoint for what seemed like eternity. Congrats to a special Derry side and look forward to seeing another special side in Down next year.

mhaith_fear (Donegal) - Posts: 75 - 04/09/2018 09:56:59    2139057

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Replying To DonegalAtlantic:  "They certainly were not better than Donegal. Donegal beat Derry anytime they met up to '93. We had to play the '93 final without, from memory 3 if not four All-Stars from the year before, including Tony Boyle, Anthony Molloy and Donal Reid. Also, Noel Hegarty was suspended, one of the reasons Derry would not agree to the match being postponed, even though a minor broke his leg in the game before and The Hill was wrecklessly dangerous for supporters. Another week and Hegarty was back and potentially one or two other players. Tony Boyle was by consensus the best full forward in Ireland along with Vinny Murphy then. Dublin were the common thread then against the three Ulster D's and of course who beat them by the most when they met in a final or semifinal? Donegal. As Vinny Murphy said in a n interview about those games the final against Donegal was the only one they were never going to win once the game got going. In contrast to the Derry and Down games in '93 and '94. Derry needed a wonder point from McGurk to win by a point. In fact Charlie Redmond more or less said this on Saturday Evening when he discussed the years before '95 when they eventually got over the line versus Tyrone. Also, the entire spine of the Donegal team were All Star players - Walsh, Gallagher, Gavagan, Molloy, McHugh and Boyle. In constrast Derry were top heavy with defenders and Down top heavy with forwards. The better team? Donegal, without a doubt."
Derry did beat us x2 in the league later in the 90s. To say we were better than them without a doubt is a big stretch. I would say that we were very close in standard. The fact that we both only won a single all Ireland is a big yardstick in how history will view us. Down won 2 and we don't see too many threads about them. I think that that says a lot about where they are at, they are secure in their legacy.

Donegalman (None) - Posts: 3830 - 04/09/2018 10:31:32    2139071

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A great team and some great battles with our lads of the same era.

JoeSoap (Donegal) - Posts: 1432 - 04/09/2018 15:18:20    2139167

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I was there in 92 for the final when Donegal beat Derry as a young boy. Me and the oul man were regulars in Clones them days. The big hill was all grass at that time. Them were the days when you didn't need a ticket. Always look back on then as a great era in football. The flags and the deafening air horns made a buzz you just don't get anymore at games. We missed 93 due to the weather.
Great Derry team. Deserved their day in 93. They were unlucky to loose an epic game to Down in 94. Its often been reckoned as the best game ever played. Good 10 minutes of it on youtube. Jimmy Smyth & Peter McGinnity on commentary. "Tohill on the rampage!" always made the hairs stand on the back of my neck.
I always remembered Johnny McGurks point against Cork. You could hear a supporter urging him on "Go on Johnny, Go on Johnny!" and thump... he landed her between the posts. "Cahalane struck, Cahalane should have gone!" RIP Eamon Coleman.

Grey_Wolf (Leitrim) - Posts: 235 - 04/09/2018 17:11:24    2139199

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Replying To DonegalAtlantic:  "They certainly were not better than Donegal. Donegal beat Derry anytime they met up to '93. We had to play the '93 final without, from memory 3 if not four All-Stars from the year before, including Tony Boyle, Anthony Molloy and Donal Reid. Also, Noel Hegarty was suspended, one of the reasons Derry would not agree to the match being postponed, even though a minor broke his leg in the game before and The Hill was wrecklessly dangerous for supporters. Another week and Hegarty was back and potentially one or two other players. Tony Boyle was by consensus the best full forward in Ireland along with Vinny Murphy then. Dublin were the common thread then against the three Ulster D's and of course who beat them by the most when they met in a final or semifinal? Donegal. As Vinny Murphy said in a n interview about those games the final against Donegal was the only one they were never going to win once the game got going. In contrast to the Derry and Down games in '93 and '94. Derry needed a wonder point from McGurk to win by a point. In fact Charlie Redmond more or less said this on Saturday Evening when he discussed the years before '95 when they eventually got over the line versus Tyrone. Also, the entire spine of the Donegal team were All Star players - Walsh, Gallagher, Gavagan, Molloy, McHugh and Boyle. In constrast Derry were top heavy with defenders and Down top heavy with forwards. The better team? Donegal, without a doubt."
They were maybe even but Derry did only lose by 2 points in 1992 and they won Ulster 1998.

PattyONeill (Derry) - Posts: 220 - 05/09/2018 19:49:12    2139624

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Down, Donegal and Derry won All Ireland's. Tyrone got to the All Ireland final in 1995 and if memory serves me right Armagh played in the 1994 National League Final. What an era for Ulster football, I'd imagine if there was a back door back then, we would have had all Ulster teams in the All Ireland semi finals and for sure one or two All Ulster Finals. Also throw in great Meath and Dublin teams. The Ulster and Leinster Championships were epic in those days, it was perfect timing for the GAA as that was the time Croke Park was being redeveloped.

sam1884 (UK) - Posts: 999 - 06/09/2018 10:58:46    2139764

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