THROWBACK THURSDAY: Revisiting Mayo's only game in Letterkenny in 2009

On Sunday, the proud footballing fraternities of Mayo and Donegal will clash in Letterkenny, with a view to keeping their unbeaten Division One intact.

The 8,500 capacity O'Donnell Park, on the banks of the River Swilly, provides a novel setting, with the counties having only met there once in 2009. Our Head of Sport, Michael Gallagher, provided a window into that day.

ON Valentine's Day 2009 I bid farewell to my wonderful wife, Martina, and headed for Letterkenny.

In truth, neither she nor our two daughters were overly impressed as 15 men in green and red doing their thing by the River Swilly trumped radiance and romance back in Mayo.

On that bright Saturday afternoon, I was blessed to be in O'Donnell Park to report on Mayo's clash with Donegal in the second round of the National League.

John O’Mahony’s men had been narrowly beaten by Derry in Ballina, 13 days earlier and went north in search of a win.

The prospect of hearts and flowers back in Mayo was lovely, but the trip to Letterkenny was impossible to resist for someone with a passion for football and family history.

For many of us returning to Letterkenny this Sunday, it's like we're coming home. The clash between the mighty men of Donegal and the vibrant new Mayo squad is much-anticipated and will be exciting, enthralling and hard-fought.

However, there is much more to this than a meeting between two football teams.

The ancestral links between Mayo and Donegal are strong and deeply cherished.

Whether those links first developed in the pubs and dancehalls of Glasgow, London or The Bronx, or they sprouted after the O'Donnells and Gallaghers moved to Mayo following The Flight of Earls, the family ties are loud and proud.

Of course, the fact that the people of Mayo and Donegal often feel forgotten by decision-makers in Dublin is a regular topic of conversation too.

However, whether one lives in Blacksod or Buncrana the passion for Gaelic football burns with great ferocity.

If the team is going well on the pitch, the spirits lift in everyday life and even the darkest days seem brighter. That's the case right now.

Both teams have won two from two. The hills are alive with the prospect of another stellar season for Jimmy McGuinness and his men while the craic is back in Mayo.

Andy Moran's men are playing with drive and adventure. How far that will carry the Green and Red is anyone's guess, but the journey promises to be enjoyable.

Playing this fixture in O'Donnell Park brings back memories of the 2009 meeting between the counties at the great venue 17 years ago.

On that occasion, two goals from a young Michael Murphy had Donegal nine points up midway through, but John O'Mahony ran the Mayo bench and they powered back into it.

Barry Moran crashed home a goal, Mikie Sweeney and Trevor Mortimer kicked classy points and Conor Mortimer was outstanding.

The visitors were still a point adrift in the dying moments but Ciaran Conroy kicked the equaliser and the points were shared, which was probably appropriate given the mighty links between many of us in the ground that day.

Now, we're back again. Thankfully, I'll get to spend Valentine's day with Martina and the girls on Saturday, so I'm in the good-books.

On the football front I can hardly wait to see what will occur on the sacred sod of O'Donnell Park, and in a quiet moment I'll think about my ancestors who left the land around Letterkenny more than 400 years ago and made it all the way to their new kingdom of Ballycroy in north Mayo.

I'm not sure who those mighty men and women will be supporting from above the clouds on Sunday. Maybe a draw would be their preferred option.

MAYO: David Clarke; Liam O’Malley, Ger Cafferkey, Donal Vaughan; Peadar Gardiner (0-1), Tom Cunniffe, Pat Kelly; Tom Parsons, Ronan McGarrity; Billy Joe Padden (0-1), Trevor Mortimer (0-1), Alan Dillon (0-1f); Conor Mortimer (0-6, 4f), Barry Moran (1-1), Andy Moran.

Subs: Barry Kelly for Dillon (27), Mickey Sweeney (0-1) for Kelly (ht); Pat Harte for Padden (39), Mark Ronaldson for Parsons (43), Kieran Conroy (0-1) for McGarrity (55).

DONEGAL: Michael Boyle; Declan Walsh, Neil McGee, Paddy McDaid; Frank McGlynn, Barry Monaghan, Eamon McGee (0-1); Neil Gallagher, Ciaran Bonner (0-2); Rory Kavanagh, Conall Dunne, David Walsh (0-1); Michael Doherty (0-1), Stephen Griffin (0-5f), Michael Murphy (2-0).

Subs: Brendan Boyle for Dunne (52), Colm McFadden for Murphy (59), Owen Waide for McGlynn (62), Kevin McMenamin for Walsh (69), Leon Thompson for Doherty (72).