School's almost out for summer for Padraig McGettigan as St Eunan's get moving

With some of their All-County League Division 1 rivals having chalked up three outings, St Eunan’s finally got their campaign underway on Sunday with a 1-10 to 0-14 victory over MacCumhaill’s in the Ballybofey sunshine. 

There was an element of summer at County HQ and Padraig McGettigan set the Letterkenny side on their way with two early frees and the St Eunan’s forward can soon hone in on summer himself.

A fourth year student of Physical Education with Maths at Dublin City University, where he played for the northside college’s intermediate side this year, McGettigan’s teaching placement at Trinity Comprehensive in Ballymun will be rounded up in the next few weeks.

St Eunan's first Division 1 outing ends in comfortable win at MacCumhaill's

Having sat out the opening two weekends of the new season, Rory Kavanagh's St Eunan's eased themselves out of the traps at MacCumhaill's

“It can be challenging enough at times, up and down the road,” McGettigan said. “But there’s lots of people from various clubs in Donegal and wherever else doing the same. We try and get some of the running done whilst in Dublin, whilst also training and playing with the college, and then get up home for training or matches as much as possible. 

“There’s a few of us there - Shane O’Donnell, James Kelly and Anthony Gallagher for example so we’re all in the same boat. When the teaching is done now in the next few weeks it’ll be back up for summer. I’ll see out the placement now, which I’m enjoying and then it’ll be a case next year of looking for a job. Seeing we’ve only played one game so far this year, the games will be coming thick and fast then in the league before the championship starts.”

Sunday was the first competitive fielding for Rory Kavanagh’s team since the narrow Donegal SFC reversal at the hands over Naomh Conaill almost six months to the day on. 

Late last month St Eunan’s were guests of Ballina Stephenites, winning an invitational blitz-type tournament called the Shannon Medals in a series of matches played over two 15-minute halves, which offered an opportunity of a team-building trip the the west. There was a sing-sing or two and a cold water therapy session on Enniscrone Beach. They enjoyed the getaway and being together as a group before their 2023 season will take shape, with the first step in that chapter having taken place on Sunday.

St Eunan's panel and management following their participation in the Shannon Medals tournament in Ballina

“It was just to get out there and get a game,” McGettigan said of the win over MacCumhaill’s. “With other teams getting two and even three games under their belt we just wanted to get out on the field there really. It’s been a long time out. We had a tournament in Ballina the other week and it was good to get the team back together but it was good to get the thing moving at home.

“We were rusty enough and it was just blowing off the cobwebs for us after such a big break. The league for us is about getting minutes in the legs for as many people as possible. There’s a lot of the young lads coming through and getting more and more experience. I’m still in that group myself so it’s great to be involved.”