Former League of Ireland star O’Donnell to boss Carndonagh Gaelic footballers

Former FAI League of Ireland player Michael O’Donnell is to guide the Carndonagh senior Gaelic football team’s fortunes this coming season.

O’Donnell, a Carndonagh native, played top-level League of Ireland football for the best part of a decade and was recently appointed to the top job at Foden.

O’Donnell was also a talented Gaelic footballer and played underage and adult football with Carn before signing on the dotted line for UCD where he was on a soccer scholarship.

Though he never caught the eye of Donegal underage management he was on the radar of former Donegal manager Brian McEniff during his last stint as Donegal boss in the early 00s.

The bulk of his soccer playing days were with UCD. After UCD he had short playing stints with both Dublin City and Galway United.

He takes over from Padraig Doherty and he will be hoping to build on the promise of recent seasons.

Carndonagh currently play in the Donegal Junior A championship and were beaten finalists two seasons ago. They also play in Division Three of the ACFL.

His appointment as manager is following a trend set last season by neighbouring club Moville.

Former Greencastle United player and manager Pat McLaughlin and former Derry City player John Quigg led Moville to a Junior A championship final in their first season in charge of the team’s affairs.

Meanwhile, there is good news for Donegal and Carndonagh after Jim McGuinness revealed this week that Conor O’Donnell has been given the all clear by doctors to return to training.

The young Carndonagh sensation missed all of his team’s championship campaign last season with a foot injury picked up playing with Donegal.

He underwent surgery on the injury late in the summer and now, a number of months later, he has been given the all clear by medics.

He has now returned to running but is still a number of weeks away from a return to playing.