Paul McGinley: 'My heart is very much in Donegal and will always be with the people'

It was a week after Donegal sporting fans were left in a state of dejection around the Drumcondra area in north Dublin following their defeat to Kerry in the All-Ireland final when the county’s finest adopted son not only touched the history of his chosen profession but rather soared above it. 

It might be hard to believe, but it’s almost 10 years since Paul McGinley became the first Irishman to captain a European Ryder Cup-winning team in Gleneagles.  

Graeme McDowell, who played under McGinley in 2014 once quoted the Irishman as “the best captain I’ve ever played for”. 

It was an accomplishment for the ages that day in 2014, that a man conceived in Ireland, executed such a team performance in Scotland, that the day itself would’ve melted the hearts of the strongest Eurosceptics. 

But McGinley’s character runs far deeper! 

Growing up in Barton Drive in Rathfarnham, the legendary Irish golfer was rooted from a young age with the landscape and the people of Donegal. 

His father Mick was from Dunfanaghy and a former inter-county player with the green and gold, while his mother Julia was a native of Rathmullan who sadly passed away in 2023.

But the values she and her husband had instilled in their son remain to this day.  

“I’ve always had a grá for Donegal, I’ve been very fortunate in my life to see the world, but this county is still up there with some, if not the best place in the world to come to,” McGinley admitted.  

“My heart is very much in Donegal and will always be with the people of this place.” 

A renowned GAA player before he permanently took up the golf club, McGinley, so early in his life, faced a sliding doors moment, where in another universe could’ve seen the golfing great kicking ball with Donegal’s GAA elite when the Dubliner ventured north to partake in a Donegal minor football trial in 1984. 

“Who knows, if things worked out differently, I could’ve, in some capacity, have worn the green and gold of Donegal,” McGinley said. “I was born on December 16, so, in Dublin the way it worked was, I was underage for club football, but I was two weeks overage for the Dublin minors. 

“I can remember to this day, my father arranging for me to go to a county minor trial for the Donegal team. I went up to Donegal for the trial, but the field got waterlogged that day and the training was cancelled and unfortunately, it got dissolved from there, so I never made it back for another training. 

“I broke my knee shortly after, and that was ultimately what turned me from football to golf, we’ll never know what could’ve been. I think a few from that age group went on to win the All-Ireland with Donegal in 1992, so it would’ve been nice to see if I could’ve done a job alongside some of those guys at minor level. 

“I think it’s funny how life twists and turns in so many different directions, But I was always more into GAA than golf as a teenager, and it wasn’t until I got injured that I was thrown onto the path of being a golfer.  

“When I was 19, I was still a five handicapper, and then six years later, I was a professional golfer, so I wasn’t some boy wonder, it took a lot of time, practice, and patience to get to where I wanted to get to.” 

It’s the rugged landscape of north Donegal that still resonates with the former Irish Ryder Cup captain, but no feeling comes better to McGinley than sauntering through the GAA grounds across the country with his father Mick to cheer on the Donegal County footballers. 

“I think because my father never really left or forgot about his roots and where he came from, that was instilled into me,” McGinley admitted. 

“I have so many memories of this place but what I miss most are just the days of travelling with my father to watch Donegal in a league or championship match. We can’t do that at the minute because Dad’s not well, but you would land at a game and maybe 40 people would come up to talk to the two of us. 

“I was born in Dublin, dad has been there all his life, but nobody would want to see the county succeed more than us. I don’t know where that passion comes from, but it’s been instilled into me and my siblings. 

“I think it’s the people, there’s an honesty about Donegal people, real genuine and good people . . . I saw that in my parents also. 

“If you were from Donegal, then you could come to Dublin looking for a job and all you would have to say to my father was that you were from there, and you would have the job. They look out for each other and never forget what made them.” 

That trust and honesty even led McGinley to seek management advice prior to the Ryder Cup in 2014 from one of Donegal’s sporting heroes, Jim McGuinness. 

“Jim was a very interesting individual,” McGinley pointed out. “During that time, I picked the brains of a lot of sports people and Jim just happened to be one of them.  

“I would still consider Jim a friend, I met him a few months ago when he came to Dunfanaghy to see me and Dad when we were there. Jim is an extraordinary human, a very bright guy and just a good person. 

My dad knew Jim through his GAA connections, so when I became Ryder Cup captain, I brought Jim on board. I can recall Jim’s message was all about man management and having a plan for all involved.  

“We fed off each other about how you deal with different issues in a team environment. I could tell from the moment I met him that he was a special person.” 

At 57, no doubt there’s more to come from the golfing genius of Ireland as the Hills of Donegal serenade one of their most famous adopted sons.