DANNY CULLEN waited 21 years for Donegal hurling’s finest hour against Kerry.
Mickey McCann’s men pulled off one of the shocks of the season on Sunday when they gunned down the Kingdom 5-14 to 3-16 in Division 2 of the NHL.
Setanta stalwart Cullen, 37, made his senior debut for the county at 16 in 2004, when they finished bottom of Division 3A.
Some of those years in between were hard going, as hurling in the county just about survived in football’s shadow.
A 2011 Lory Meagher Cup title was followed by a Nicky Rackard crown in 2013, as they hopped up and down between both championships.
Sometimes they just went through the motions, struggling for players and form – until McCann took over as boss in 2017.
Cullen’s former team-mate waved his magic wand as they bagged their first ever competitive wins over Derry and Down in the 2018 NHL.
They won three Rackard Cups under McCann’s watch in 2018, 2020 and 2024 before their epic scalp against the Kingdom.
It was Cullen’s first competitive match against a Munster county – never mind beating one.
He told SunSport: “Kerry would definitely be the highest ranking side we’ve played. When you go back to start, I suppose we were at the basement level back then.
“At the end of the day, you’re still enjoying playing and representing your county, but there probably wasn’t the same kind of emphasis.
“The squad wasn’t as dedicated to the whole thing, so it was much the same, year on year.
“Whereas in the last six or seven years, especially with Mickey coming in, things have changed a lot. There’s been real progression and attitudes have changed.
“The boys are really buying into it and putting their shoulders to the wheel. I
“It’s probably something we’re really happy about and something we’re proud of. At the same time, a lot of things have changed.
“It’s a great experience to play at Croker, but it’s probably days when you’re beating big teams that you shouldn’t be beating that really stand out in your mind.
“We beat Down in Letterkenny in 2018 and I’ve always said that’s probably one of my favourite days, and it’s been surpassed now.”
Hurling has always struggled in Donegal where football rules the roost, but it never put Cullen off his first love.
He has been around long enough to know things can slide again very quickly, and cementing their Division 2 status is paramount ahead of Sunday’s round 5 trip to Kildare.
He said: “You’ve grown up in this so you know no different. People love their football no different to hurling in Kilkenny and Cork, but it never really deterred me.
“You love playing and that’s probably why you still do it. I just always wanted to play hurling, and that was it.
“The footballers have enough to do, they’re trying to win All-Irelands but we’re trying to push our boat too.
“In fairness to the boys, it was more about the satisfaction of getting the result. They’re very grounded and all eyes are on what’s next coming in Kildare.
“The result was great for all it is, but probably staying in the division is the main aim. That’s all we’re concerned about now.
“It’s a tough division for us because you could be winning one week and then you could be shipping a big defeat, so that’s where we’re at.
“In the next couple of years anything could happen and you could be back to where you started. That’s just sport, I suppose.”
CLUB STANDARD
Cullen’s Setanta and rivals Burt flew the club flag for decades in the county. Others came and folded, but now eight of them hurl at senior level.
The likes of Dungloe, Aodh Ruadh, Carndonagh and Four Masters have revived the ancient game in football country – and Cullen hopes the trend continues.
He said: “You’ve got to understand that the only way to really get up the levels and promote it and really get to a better standard is with more clubs. That’s just the way things are.
“If you go down through any top hurling county, there’s probably 40 or 50 clubs, whereas you’re picking off seven or eight up in Donegal. In fairness it has improved greatly in the last 15 years.
“There’s definitely more clubs there that have steadied themselves now and solidified their place. They’ve got good teams coming up through all ages, which is brilliant.
“There’s talk of new North West club starting up as well, which would be fantastic to see just to give the kids the opportunity to play wherever they are. It’s all positive at the minute.”
