Conleth Gilligan has confirmed that the demands at inter-county level have seen him take the decision to bring down the curtain on his Derry career.

The Ballinderry man announced his inter-county retirement yesterday, citing family commitments and a hectic schedule as the chief reasons, but admitted that he would have loved to have had the chance to work with Brian McIver again, having won an All-Ireland club title with him in 2002.

"I've seen the itinerary that Brian has laid down for pre-season and I physically can't find the time to fit it in," Gilligan told the Irish Independent.

Gilligan admitted that he had contemplated retiring before McIver was appointed Derry's new senior football boss recently but had been keen to work with him again.

"When Brian got the job I thought more about it," the 32-year-old stated. "I would have loved to have worked with him again, and with Paddy Crozier and Paddy Tally, that's a very, very good management team.

"But even at club level, the demands are more professional. The All-Ireland winners each year always seem to up the ante, and everyone follows suit. So if Donegal or Dublin go five nights a week this year, everyone goes five nights a week.

"It's driving off men who are married or who have families, it's all 23 or 24-year-old boys who are playing now." Tweet

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