Paul Durcan's Mayo roots explored as Donegal legend faces former county

Many eyebrows were raised in both Donegal and Mayo when former Tír Chonaill net-minder Paul Durcan was confirmed as part of Andy Moran’s backroom set-up in November of last year.

‘Papa’, as he is more affectionately known by those in the hills, linked up with the Green and Red for the 2026 campaign, lending an added layer of expertise to the Rob Hennelly and the Mayo goalkeepers.

The man from the Four Masters club, in Donegal Town, has had a similar journey to Moran in the
coaching sense.

The man-mountain spent multiple seasons cutting his teeth in Sligo, but couldn’t resist answering the call from an old friend.

Both Durcan and Moran have history stretching back long before the 2012 All-Ireland decider when they were on opposite sides in Croke Park.

During their days in IT Sligo, they both were vital at other ends of the turf in the now-infamous 2005
Sigerson Cup-winning side.

Durcan kept a clean sheet in the final, playing alongside fellow Donegal stars Eamonn McGee and Christy Toye, while Moran raised a white flag on the day, with Mayo men Keith Higgins, Ger Cafferkey, and Alan Costello amongst his comrades that day.

Flash-forward, and Durcan, who also won an All-Ireland club title with Ballyboden St Enda’s, was number one for the men in green and gold.

Durcan started all three of the Donegal-Mayo Championship clashes in four years as the coastal counties built up quite the rivalry during the 2010s.

There are no shortage of similarities between the two battalions, hardened by the driving wind and rain coming in off the Atlantic coast.

Be it Errigal or Croagh Patrick, Keem Bay or Knockalla, the parallels are too many to count.

That’s without going into the long and winding love affair with this strange old sport.

Mayo comprehensively turned Donegal over on two of those occasions in 2013 and 2015, but Durcan was key as Donegal took every step to the 2012 All-Ireland final when Michael Murphy, son of a Ballina-born Garda stationed in Burnfoot and Letterkenny, hoisted Sam aloft.

Murphy’s links to Mayo are well-chronicled, but the familial ties of Paul Durcan to the county are less
documented.

Much like ‘The Manchild’, Durcan’s father followed the well-trodden path of Mayo Gardaí to Donegal.

John Durcan is a proud Foxford native, spending his formative years on the banks of the River Moy.

Some 61 years prior to his son getting his hands on Sam Maguire, a fresh-faced Durcan was able to get his own hands on the holy grail during its visit to his hometown in 1951.

Sunday will bring a full-circle moment for the two-time All-Star. With the crest his father grew up idolising emblazoned on his jacket, he will make the familiar journey through Barnesmore Gap and into O’Donnell Park.

Many familiar faces will welcome him on the sidelines. Jim McGuinness was the man who brought him to the mountain-top, while Colm McFadden and Neil McGee were part of that band of brothers.

However, such ties will be parked for the hour. There will be plenty of time for familiarities on the
Letterkenny turf post-match, but for an hour on Sunday, it’ll be war.