| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Irish name | Pól Ó Durcáin[1] | ||
| Sport | Gaelic football | ||
| Position | Goalkeeper | ||
| Born | (1984-04-22)22 April 1984 (age 41) Letterkenny, Ireland | ||
| Height | 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) | ||
| Nickname | Papa[2] | ||
| Occupation | Quantity surveyor | ||
| Clubs | |||
| Years | Club | Apps (scores) | |
2000–2015 2015–2016 2019 2020– | Four Masters Ballyboden St Enda's Ballyboden St Enda's Drumcliffe–Rosses Point | 100 (0-0) | |
| Club titles | |||
| Dublin titles | 1 | ||
| Leinster titles | 1 | ||
| All-Ireland Titles | 1 | ||
| College | |||
| Years | College | ||
| Sligo IT | |||
| College titles | |||
| Sigerson titles | 1 | ||
| Inter-county | |||
| Years | County | ||
2004–2015 2019– | Donegal Donegal | ||
| Inter-county titles | |||
| Ulster titles | 3 | ||
| All-Irelands | 1 | ||
| NFL | 1 | ||
| All Stars | 2 | ||
Paul Durcan (born 22 April 1984) is an IrishGaelic footballer and coach who plays asgoalkeeper forDrumcliffe–Rosses Point and, formerly, for theDonegal county team.
A member of the Donegal county team (senior) since 2004,[3] he has also played soccer forFinn Harps in theLeague of Ireland.[4]
Durcan has won twoAll Stars, oneAll-Ireland Senior Football Championship, threeUlster Senior Football Championships (2011,2012 and2014) and oneNational Football League with his county.
Until transferring to Ballyboden St Enda's in 2015, Durcan played his club football withFour Masters, with whom he won aDonegal Senior Football Championship in 2003. WithBallyboden St Enda's Durcan won aDublin Senior Football Championship andLeinster Senior Club Football Championship (both 2015) and then anAll-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship in2016. He lives inCounty Sligo, and made his championship debut for theDrumcliffe–Rosses Point club in 2020.
His father John Durcan is a retiredgarda, originally fromFoxford,County Mayo. He watched his son rise through the ranks at Four Masters alongsideKarl Lacey andBarry Dunnion, winning numerous underage titles along the way. He said, "He was always an outfield player, untilMartin McHugh made a goalkeeper of him for the U16 Ted Webb Cup in 1999. Although he was nine years younger than his brother Adrian and six younger than Sean, they always had Paul in goals, smashing shots at him. They never let him out!"[5] Durcan's heroes include his fellow Donegal goalkeepersGary Walsh,Packie Bonner andShay Given.[6] At the age of nine he watched Donegal win the1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, which he later described as the greatest game he had ever been to in any sport.[7]
Durcan originally played his club football forFour Masters, sometimes playing outfield for the club.[8] His club achievements include winning the 2003Donegal Senior Football Championship.[9][10]
In 2015, he transferred toBallyboden St Enda's, the paperwork going through on 10 April. That team also featured his cousin,Robbie McDaid.[11] It was McDaid who put Durcan in touch with the Firhouse Road club. Durcan later explained: "I decided to play with Ballyboden to cut a bit of time coming and going from Donegal. I was up there all weekend for club and county but when I switched clubs I had more time around the weekends. I had been living on the northside but I had the connection with Ballyboden through Robbie. Then (manager)Andy McEntee rang me himself. Robbie, I suppose, may have said something to him. I met Andy, I got on well with him and he brought me around the club."[12] Durcan dislodged fellow goalkeepers Darragh Gogan and Conor Dooley to win Dublin and Leinster titles in 2015 and an All-Ireland Club Championship in 2016.[13][14][15][16]
He joinedDrumcliffe–Rosses Point and made his championship debut againstTubbercurry atConnolly Park inCollooney on 1 August 2020, playing in the club's firstSligo Senior Football Championship final the following month (lost toTourlestrane).[17][18][19]
Durcan notably saved two penalties forSligo IT during the 2005Sigerson Cup, the first in the semi-final and the second in the final.[8]
Durcan was called up to the Donegal senior football team on the back of club success with The Four Masters. He made his inter-county debut in a 2004 league game againstMonaghan inBallyshannon.
At this time,Tony Blake was Donegal's established first choice goalkeeper. Durcan deputised for Blake and then saw off the challenge ofSean Sweeney to take over when Blake was forced to retire due to a persistent knee injury in May that year.Gary Walsh coached Durcan and Sweeney at this time, having been called in by Donegal manager Brian McEniff.[20]
Durcan played againstArmagh in the 2004 Ulster final atCroke Park.[21] He played in the 2006 Ulster final against the same opponents at the same venue.[22] He was part of the Donegal team that won the2007 National Football League.[8][23]
Michael Boyle would later rival Durcan, occasionally taking his place on the first team.[8] That was just what happened in a2009 All-Ireland SFC qualifier — after Durcan fouledClare playerGary Brennan and conceded a penalty, Boyle was sprung from the bench at half-time.[24] Boyle retained his starting place for the games againstGalway atMarkievicz Park andCork atCroke Park.[25][26]
He played more league and championship matches underJim McGuinness's management than any other player.[27]
On 30 June 2012, in the Ulster semi-final againstTyrone, Durcan received much credit after putting Donegal into the final with his outstretched foot. Donegal were three points ahead and it was practically the last action of the game. Durcan went low to his left and deflectedMartin Penrose's shot out off the post for a 45'.[7] The save was compared to that ofGordon Banks againstPelé at the1970 FIFA World Cup.[28][29] Tyrone managerMickey Harte said Durcan's last-gasp goal-saving intervention had denied Tyrone a replay.[30] Durcan would later describe it as the most important save of his career.[7] It enabled Donegal to retain their Ulster title they had won in 2011 (a first back-to-back success in team history), and the team went unbeaten through the2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, defeatingMayo in the2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final to claim theSam Maguire Cup. Durcan won an All Star and attended the Football Tour of New York.[31]
In 2013, Durcan made his 100th appearance for Donegal in the county's third2013 National Football League game against Tyrone atHealy Park.[32] In the following game he contributed to Donegal's defeat of the mightyKerry by saving a penalty.[33] In the Championship he helped his team to a third consecutive Ulster final.[34]
2014 brought a third Ulster senior title and another extended run of games in the Championship. Somewhat unusually, he scored anown goal in the 2014 All-Ireland quarter-final defeat ofArmagh atCroke Park.[35]
He was involved in atraffic collision during the2015 National Football League campaign, though his injuries were not severe.[10]
After his team exited the 2015 championship, Durcan announced he would be moving toQatar.[36][37]
In 2019, Durcan returned home from Qatar sporting a long grey beard and rejoined the Donegal panel to contest for a place againstShaun Patton andMichael Lynch.[38] He was reported to be living in Sligo since returning from Qatar.[39]
Though based in Dublin as a Quantity Surveyor with Errigal Contracts, Durcan tries to get back to Donegal several times a week for training. On several occasions he has made use of a passing helicopter to fly home.[8][40] The journey by road is an eight-hour round trip and during the successfulJim McGuinness era he would make this trip once every week then train at other times in Dublin with strength and conditioning coach Eugene Eivers.[41]
His influence has been likened to that ofPeter Schmeichel.[2] His restarts and shot stopping have been compared to those ofStephen Cluxton.[42]
He regards Cluxton as the benchmark for goalkeepers and also admiresGianluigi Buffon.[43]
In December 2020, it was announced that Durcan would serve as goalkeeping coach under newly appointed Sligo senior managerTony McEntee.[44]
Durcan is a former employee of construction recruitment firm, 3D Personnel.[45]
Donegal goalkeepers Paul Durcan and Michael Boyle both spent some time on the books at Finn Park, while forward Patrick McBrearty and defender Frank McGlynn have turned out for Harps underage teams in the past.
Even after 13 minutes if looked ominous for Donegal when they trailed by four points. They managed to stay in touch until the 28th minute when goalkeeper Paul Durcan's indecision allowed Diarmuid Marsden to fist into the net.
a foul by Donegal goalkeeper Paul Durcan on the advancing Gary Brennan, who was following up on a ball in from Tubridy, resulted in a penalty award. Durcan paid the price for his error of judgement when he was replaced by Michael Boyle at half-time.
Last week, Paul Durcan, Paddy McGrath and Martin O'Reilly were spared the road trip to and from the capital thanks to the provision of a helicopter to transport them to Ballybofey.
Former Donegal manager Rory Gallagher, now the Derry boss, works between their Belfast and Dublin offices while 2012 All-Ireland winners Paul Durcan and Patrick McBrearty are also former employees.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Donegal Number One Goalkeeper 2004 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Donegal Number One Goalkeeper 2006–2008 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Donegal Number One Goalkeeper 2010–2015 | Succeeded by |