Up to the DL debate. Thanks so much for tuning in now live on the radio. Good man, Joe. Joe Dex producing this evening, keeping me right. There's a lot of twiddling to be done here, but they said, well, we're hearing you're hearing me loud and clear now, hopefully. As I say, thanks for tuning in now live on Highland Radio or back via the podcast. Thanks Michela there for a news update. And of course, the legendary DJ that is Ivan Borland on the power are there on the DL debate this evening. We are going to review, of course, all the GNU stories of the week. Soon we'll hear from Harlan boss, Mickey McCann, after his sides defeat to Wicklow in the Donald Park yesterday, 11 points to 224, a tough defeat for Donegal in Division 2B. We're also going to talk to ATU football boss, Maxie. Maxie Kern, of course, is brother Barney Kern in charge of the ATU. They won the Lynch Cup at the weekend, a phenomenal victory. Two games, a semi-final and a final victory in the Connick Centre of Exons there, taking the cup back to the letter. Can I fair play to them? Maxie is going to give us an update on that weekend. I'm going to speak with Eamon McGee over the saga of our academy. It's a tough subject for a lot of people, but seeing it's out there, I wanted a discussion with him and what he felt about it and put the matter, I suppose, in some way to bed and move on from it.  But first of all, I want to turn our attention to the Donald Park yesterday. I was out there looking in on proceedings and Donegal, as I said, had a very tough day out against a very talented Wicklow team and after the match, I caught up with the boss of Donegal, Mickey McCann. Here's what to say. Today, you won the McGurk Cup during the week. We came into this game with a defeat to Meath in the league, but you're hoping for two points today, but really outplayed by a very physically strong and a very classy Wicklow side. Yeah, Bren, there's only one team on it, to be honest, in the first 10 minutes. Before the match, I thought the boys were switched on, but 10 minutes in, you could see the body language just wasn't right and it's hard to switch them on then and look, there was only one team on it to bring the doctor level above us and we just dropped down to that level again where we were, you know, times when we switch off, I know we're missing a few bodies, but you expect the boys on the pitch to put on a good shift and look the intensity just wasn't there and Wicklow just had far too much time in the ball and far too much space and we just have to draw a line on there, you know, and maybe try and move on to next week and picked up another couple injuries with Connor Gerrard and Gavin Brown, so we're really struggling a lot for bodies, but we'll take a go at your own next week, we'll not be too bothered, whatever comes out of it, and we'll look forward to the next year, I can try and get some of the injuries right up, you know. Yeah, it's looking like me, they'll top the group and then you have two and three play for the next semi-final, but as you said, like you were just speaking there, there's growth within this league for you without trying to go to 2A because our first couple of seasons there, you know, we faced relegation battles, then we stabilised and we're fairly stable again, so that's progression for your squad at the minute, like you are where you want to be, tough defeat today, but of course that Wicklow team coming down from 2A about three or four seasons ago, they're wanting to get back to that level and we're still growing at this level. Yeah, and Wicklow, when they get all their hurlers out, Brynn has seen it earlier last year, they're a bit disarray down there, but they've all embraced the hurlers back and they've got the strongest players available on the count day and they're definitely a vision 2A team, and look, on our day, we can put it up to them, we did we meet, but let's just get that consistency, you know, and going to 2A when you meet the likes of Kerry or Flay and all, it might do you no good because we're a young team and we're building, you know, and I think 2B is a spot for us for a year to, you know, maybe down the line, but it's a massive step up to go to 2A, so to keep our status in 2B, we're happy enough, not happy with the result today, you know, if we'd been bit by two or three points, it wouldn't have bothered me either way, but the attitude today wasn't good and something we're going to have to fix going on the next week and on the next record, but as it goes, we're happy to keep our status there, and that's the most important thing, and as I say, I think we're just, we're not ready for 2A yet on my Brynn, so we're not going to be too worried about a semi final spot. Yeah, it's built to challenge him. You mentioned that you've moved five or six, maybe your starters out, of course, you lost Declan Coulter before this match today, of course, your main scorer and chief and free-ticker. Any update on them? You're saying we've to roll up next, Maggie, but you're not that worried about, obviously, that league position as long as you're stable, so certainly be a matter of resting these guys, getting them ready for the championship, not so much next week's game. Exactly, we'll be taking no risks, Brynn, and we can't afford it because the championship's only two weeks after that, so look, I'm saying whatever team ticks the field against Turon next week will be expecting to give everything, and if it's enough for a semi-final, if it's not, as long as we get performance, and just draw a line on to this week, that's all you're looking for, is about, as you say, just a rebound back from this week and back to your normal way of working, and putting our shoulder to the wheel for one other, so I'd say next week's whatever the result is, as long as we get performance, but the players that's going to be starting, I've just been saying to them, they're expected Brynn to do the jersey, but a pride, and it'll be the same next week against Turon, and look, if it gets you over the lines, we'll take a semi-final surely, but if it doesn't, show up when we want it from Anna, and hopefully we'll have all the bodies back come for that, you know? Yeah, it's always got goody blood players, like I'm just thinking the one thing now, and I know as a manager you're trying to digest this performance, but you could potentially meet Michael in the Nicky record, now there's nothing, I think, better than maybe a team thinking they have your number, and then you come with your best team back in Championship and bring a different element to the game, should that happen down the line? Yeah, and we showed nothing today, so there's more on us than that, than that's what we're just saying, and some days you get them days in Sport Brynn, where just nothing goes right, and everything goes flat on you, and on the sideline there's not much you can do, you're prepped on, and your tactics, whatever, but when things go flat in the pitch, it's hard to fix on the day, you know? But to say, Wachlow in 20-point defeat, I think when they come here two to six weeks times maybe, will be in a better place, way the boys back, and there's a lot more on the boys that played the day too, so they definitely are a good side, and they're probably going to be the team to beat the Nicky record, but we'll be a lot closer to them the next day, Brynn, you'll be hoping you know? Yes, I would expect they will, no better man than Mickey McCann, serious improvement in our Hurlin teams and squad in Pedregy, since he's been in charge, and he was a great servant of Donegal as a player as well, and for Burt. Before we get to the Amon McGee interview, I was just thinking about Donegal ladies, thinking about the A2U, they are obviously a spotter-baller, bottom of division one, they played Dublin this week, and if they lose the game, Donegal desperately need a victory, but if they lose the game, and Meath and Mayo will do one their home games on Sunday against Waterford and Galway, Donegal would get relegated and hopefully now, listen, we all know the talented Dublin have at that level, it's a tough ask, we are at home though, it still is possible, so we're wishing Maxie and his charges all the best for that. Obviously, another team that's haunted by a possible relegation is our Donegal, men, they play Mayo this week in McCool Park this Sunday at quarter to four. You'll hear full Coventry, of course, from Oshin Kelly and Martin McHugh on the big game, it's due or die there for Donegal, they have to beat Mayo, and a rampant Mayo, that's going to be a massive occasion at McCool Park, hopefully that record we have there at McCool Park can swing it away, a bit like it did with Kerry on the opening day, I think this is a much, much bigger challenge, all the same, so listen, after the break, we're going to hear this interview that I got with Eamon McGee earlier and we concentrated mostly on the academy and the future, and I also threw a question to him about Donegal and Mayo on Sunday and I'll play it after these breaks. The DL debate with Sister Sarah's Laddercanny, serving food you'll love till 9pm daily in Sarah's kitchen, and there's free admission entertainment every weekend. Keep out the cold, cold, cold, and ring Fleming for their full range of garage doors, agri-doors, insulated doors, milking parlor doors. Fleming, 91, 48, 234. At Shannon Airport, we know what makes a dream holiday. It's not just a huge choice of destinations like Chicago, Paris, Newcastle, Naples, Barcelona, and Porto. It's the hassle-free experience that makes getting through our airport a dream. So whatever dream holiday you're packing for, head for ShannonAirport.au. Shannon Airport, making it easy. The world awaits you. Make that dream your next adventure. Cruise the Caribbean, sail from Crete to Corsica, soak in Santorini sunsets, dine on the shores of the Indian ocean, stroll through cobbled streets for hidden gems, or bring the little ones to a magical wonderland. Trust the award-winning Atlantic Travel to guide your next adventure. Step through our doorway to the world. Atlantic Travel, Laddercanny. Anyway, last week I was in the house. I'd done a crossword, watched a bit of telly, made about 40 cups a day, and I just had today's the day. You see, I haven't been out much since before the pandemic, but I knew the bridge night was on. So I went, ah, Jesus Christ, say the word. They're a really good laugh. I miss that. Reconnecting with others is always good for your health. Maybe it's time to say hello again, world. A message from Healthy Ireland. Yes, welcome back to The Elder Bit. Now we have that interview, as I said, I got earlier today with one of our heroes of 2012, Emma McGee. Yes, Emma McGee, thanks a million for joining us. I say we're hoping to have you up in the studio, but of course you are doing your thing with the under-20s this evening, so we've had to catch up earlier the day via Zoom house things with you. Good, Brendan. Good man for havin' me on here. Sorry, can't be there in person now, but just duty calls. I wanted to put that nice face of yours on the camera and zoom it out tonight, but we're better off than if... We'll find a nice picture somewhere, Emma and Obie, and stick it up. Sure, they're all nice, anyway. The man that made it under that famous best-looking man in Ireland with the curtains, wasn't that what you get in for, wasn't it? That's exactly what I get in for. That's the only thing I have over in England that's free all Thursdays now. Very good, very good. Emma, listen, that's good with you. Of course, as we mentioned there, you're very pretty. You're coaching the under-20s, which is massive, the young boys. They like to leave you in there coaching that you're raising a family and letting Kenny here with the lovely Joanne, of course. Life's good. It's busy. It's busy to be now. I have them down in Unions training now, so I think the young fella broke my heart and he says he wants to buy a Unions jersey, so I says you'll have to talk to Rory about that, because I'll not be buying it.  Yeah, yeah. Life's good. It's busy. It's nice to be involved with the 20s. I enjoy them just starting off on the coaching journey, so I'm enjoying it. They're great young fellas now. They just want to play for Dunnegal, and that's their mad to play. We're lucky to have you there. You know, people are talking about the next generation and promoting it, and no one like our, you know, our heirs from 2012 to do that. I just remember from the 92 guys lucky enough to play with five or six of them and just the aura of those guys and what they had achieved.  You were telling me about, I was in news talk last week, and then Cahill's article came out. And so we were texting over back and we came together and we said, listen, where do we talk this out? And even in talking it out, and when we get to the end of this, I really want to, I'm sure you're the same as me, to put it to bed and move on. But I think it would be, I suppose, remiss of me not even to engage the subject, the fact that it's in the national and I think Dunnegal perspective, we need to learn lessons from it. But just, you're reading of the situation, because you thought that, from my perspective, I was trying to weigh up, I suppose, the balance in it that, you know, the two sides of it. Cahill's article was very much from this perspective, because no one from the county board would talk, but your feeling would be that Cahill's article was correct? Yeah, yeah, I think, and now you have to say that I might be coming from a biased perspective in terms, you know, I've known Cahill since we started off in the School of Excellence at under 14. We went to college together, you know, he's a good mate of mine, he won the All Ireland, went on that journey together, so maybe my perspective is a bit skewed, and you might have the real neutral viewpoint. But it's just that from the information, and why I'd be so disappointed with this whole situation is that we, the opportunity that we had here, I've seen Cahill and, you know, the vision he had laid out, and I'm just so annoyed that we've let this pass. And, you know, you're writing what you say, eventually we'll have to pick up the tools again and get on with it for, you know, for the sake of, for the sake of Donegal GA, because, you know, Derry aren't doing it, Tyrone GA are still getting on with things, so eventually we will. But for me, it was just very unfortunate the way it worked out with Cahill. I thought that, you know, he had come in as a kind of, what you would call it, kind of this fancy word culture, he was a cultural disruptor and, you know, a lot of stuff what he was saying was kind of foreign and, you know, it was new to a lot of the county board members and maybe they weren't happy with certain things and, you know, Cahill has to realize he probably had to play the game away, but now, but it's just that I feel it could have been worked over and it could have, it's just the opportunity that we had and where we are now, like we, as we touched upon a few times, we've won Crannacup team under 16 team, start up a few weeks with no management in place. And it's just that Donegal is just missing the bait and basically I'm like yourself, Brandon, all I want to do is for me and you to be sitting up in the Hogan stand or the Cusick stand wherever, you'll probably get good tickets with the media there now, but I just want to look at Donegal consistently on the big days, you know, it doesn't mean that I have to be in there and on the sidelines, like just I want to be sitting up in Crow Park watching and, you know, because I feel Donegal produced, will always produce good players, but the way we are now, we just, we've got a structure in the way things are going, times are moving on, we have to structure that process and, you know, a lot of counties are doing it and Carol, what he was talking about and what he was doing, I feel it was going to be the best, best about, not the one in the top five or whatever, it was going to be the best about in terms of the academy and the way people were buying and it was just, it's just for me, it's just such a massive missed opportunity here. Yeah, and the same, I suppose in me and you've text and talked about this, but what you're kind of saying to me, was there maybe his vision was a bit, maybe you'd say, you know, too ambitious, maybe, is that where you're kind of going there? And my issue in this, I mean, is that when this kind of fell apart, the attack on the county board and Blame and Emford, it didn't make a lot of sense to me around why they would back out in terms of the initial setup, there was a lot of money put under this, and then somehow look to prevent them succeeding, like that's why I couldn't even, I was trying to get my head around that, but what's your feeling on that? And, you know, the money issues raises head several times in terms of the cost of the academy, but this is the way the world is, nothing comes cheap. I feel that Donegal, not just the academy perspective, but overall, have to get better at that. You know, if the likes of Kerry can get good Dublin are a different animal because they've got the commercial opportunities and no population and all that. It's hard to compare Donegal to Dublin, but Donegal, there is avenues for us to go down, and I don't think we're working or doing the right moves, and then that thing. And I don't think anybody in the county board would actively work to, what's the word, undermine Karel or anything. I just thought that his few steps forward were just that wee bit too much for, and it goes back to that word, the cultural disruptor. That's what happens when someone comes in and tries to change things, trying to change the viewpoints of people, and it's very, very like us when Jim came in. We thought we knew how to train, we thought we knew how to play the game, but he had to basically grab us by the neck and show us how to train, show us how to play the game at a level that you're going to compete in. I feel that's what Karel was doing at Underage. This is the way we've got to run this academy, and this is what we're about. Because Donegal need this, Tyrone have been on, have a successful Underage, Derry are starting to get their house in order. They're coming off a few good Underage teams, and we haven't really competed the way we should, and I feel that was back the point. We're always going to produce good players, Donegal, since Day Dot have always produced players capable of doing it on the big day in Performing and Quote Park, but we've just got to make sure that we structure it and put the right things in place. It's under 1460, 1560 squads, they're a partnership of schools. Karel was by all accounts setting up a first-class setup, then there seemed to be this executive, I suppose, strained relationship that came about. Now my issue with this, as I said, the attack on the county board, that's what me and you talked about, I just couldn't see why it was so one-sided, and that statement that came out then, I thought was really, really cutting the loss of all confidence in the governance. And I was just thinking why, at that point, the coaches obviously signed off on that, what had caused things to go to that level? It just seemed remarkable. Listen, you mentioned Tyrone there, and I know there are schools and Derry schools and all that are probably producing more players at schools level than us, and that's why we need the academy more than them. But certainly the budget for our academies was way above what they have. In terms of that, they were back in Karel. It just seemed to be this started to get down to a small bit of governance and the umbrella of the county board being in, I suppose, ultimate control of the academy. And there seemed to be a pushback on that. That would be my feeling of it. And I think, as I stated in Karel's thing, there's been a few classes last year in terms of what Karel was looking for, and there's a few that kind of started to fracture away, but I firmly believe that that article was the turning point, that article coming up the convention. The county board took real umbrage with it, and that's what kind of pushed things into the point of no return. Once they took Karel in front and kind of, I don't know, would you call it a disciplinary meeting? Or yes, whatever. And I think that's what, I think we wouldn't be talking about this if they hadn't taken Karel in front of the board. I agree. Huge mistake. Huge mistake. And to go back to the coaches now, I think that comes from such passion for what Karel had, and like they were all so behind Karel, and what was in place, and they were all so enthusiastic, and then they were seen, and there's a text, so I think that was just a form of loyalty. Maybe it was the nuclear option to straight away press the button here, maybe they could have played it, and had this threat, and try to get them sitting down talking, and just to go straight to that does probably my own personal taking it, because that's very, very strong words to say that you've lost governance in your board. And the reason for that, Eamonn and Gayne, come back to the point is, listen, my issue with here is that the boys in the county board, I know the county board's always kind of demonised a bit for whatever bloody reason, no one's ever happy with them, it's like a ficking referee nearly, but Eamonn, you know those boys, and I'm not saying they're perfect, they're not saying the whole county board's perfect, but Jesus, they're in there for the good of Donegal football, so I just don't understand how this would, it's a self-eminent fester from something a bit silly, and as I say, you know, in Karel's article, and listen, Karel contributes to show, I think he's a brilliant journalist, he's one of the best out there, but he himself said obviously he only could speak to people that were talking, they seemed to be all on Karel's side, and they talked about it, and then he said that Karel had repeated, that had this reviews that no one from the county board or executive turned up for, but like I did talk to the county board, and he said, why was this? And they said, well, that's the first day I'd heard of it when they read it in the article, so that's what bugged me a bit about this, there seems to be a counter argument for some of the stuff that's in, and you know, in the article, well, it says that Karel looked for, you know, a proper, I suppose, specification, job specification, now the county board officials have said to me that they requested contracts and that because they weren't in place, so listen, there's one side saying he requested, then the other side saying they requested it, so we have this, we have this two sides, which didn't really come out in the article, that's not felt again, because no one would talk to him, but I mean, I think that the reason the county board didn't talk and aren't talking is because it'll only create more of a mess, and this will just lead to, I know, but in that vacuum of them not talking, they seem to have got a bit of attack, which I think some of us wanted, I agree with you totally, the disciplinary thing, you don't bring up somebody to carry Lacey and try and give him a slap on the arse, if I could say it right, you don't do that, even that's not how Karel Lacey works, and this and no one's above, you know, I suppose rules and regulations that, but there's a way of handling that, even though obviously it's badly, badly handled. Now, so was the initial article that come out, and people shouldn't have been named than they were, so there was a wee bit of a mess there, which is bad in Dorrigal terms, but I agree totally with that, I'm just saying that certainly the things that I've seen in the article, I mean, you've talked with us, there seems to be a counter argument from the other side. And for me, why do the County Board not say they're peace, you know, because like we all, if there's a vacuum that's going to be filled, and one side is getting information out, so I don't understand why the silence, my understanding situation is that, you know, the Academy reached out several times to try and get, you know, touch points, try and get information, and they weren't, they weren't even replied to now, so that's my, again, that's talked from one side now. Hi, but see, Eamon, let's just be, there was a good here, forgetting about either sides, if Academy that we've poured a lot of time and finances into the setup, why do you think, now again, I'm not speaking for either side here, why would we not come back to them on information, why would the County Board not give information, which seems pretty straightforward? I mean, the whole thing just doesn't add up for me, that's why- Eamon, do you want my personal take on this? Go ahead, yeah. Then again, this is personal take, as I felt that's what he was asking for, and the reason that he didn't get any correspondence is because these were things that were taking it up to a certain level, taking it to the level of elite or whatever way you want to call it, and they were different, this changed things. So, you know, certainly the County Board just says not, we'll stick to what we do, and what we know, what we've always done, and that's, that's my, I could be 100 miles after, but that's my take on it, and you have to remember, go back to your point too, is that we both know the lads that are involved in the County Board, and there's, you know, we'll talk to them, they're good, good people, and that's the thing, and it, that's what's difficult about us going out and saying this, and Stan, MacKarlane, Creighton, and us versus them, like, then the day we're all done, all men, and we all just want to get on, but like, if you want to get to the next level, you're going to have to make some people uncomfortable, you're going to have to call some people out, and that's, and that's what it's ultimately all about. Listen, just to gain on that, right, and I appreciate what you're saying, but if we are going to get to the next level, and we're all invested in Donegal, then why does that need to happen? Surely, if we've backed the money and backed the, the, the, carried at this point, why then would we somehow then need to, need to kind of, you know, some people need to realize what's happening? Surely, everybody there is, wants the best for our young fellows and wants the best for our County team, do you know what I mean? Like, that doesn't really, you know, why should we need to do that in our own house in terms of bringing us forward? And I know what you mean. The way, the way I look at it is that just they weren't prepared in terms of that. That's not a slight against them. They just don't know, they don't know what they don't know. And then, you know, they might have felt threatened by the, by these new measures Carol's bringing in, and this, and this level and, you know, it's easy to say, right, why they just not getting bored with it. But like, change is difficult. People fear change. People fear, you know, this level of investment, there's serious pressure on County boards throughout the country. And, you know, Dunny Gulls, no, no different. And for them to get to that level, there was an investment required. And maybe that maybe that's what frightened them. Maybe says, well, you know, we're under a lot of pressure as it is. And, you know, the Academy is looking for X and mountain is going to be a continuation every year. This is the budget. So maybe maybe they felt threatened. It's better just to stick to that stick to the road. We know, and, you know, we'll win in all Ireland, maybe every 20 years, or, you know, we'll compete, we'll be competitive for every year and then like, but for us that has been there and the good days and the bad days, you know, we came from being a laughing stock to having that brilliant decade last year. We just don't need to go back down and then come back. If we get things right, we can stay, we can stay out there.  There's one other point I had to throw to you, and is this breakdown of communication that was happening? And as I say, because we're talking now, because a lot of it was seemed to be from the county board side, the coaches that were involved there, the Kerala taking on, the county board didn't know who they were, which means they didn't know if they were better than us. Now, they probably mostly are, but they don't know who they were because all that information was in the academy. There seemed to be a few things and still that information is not even because at the last meeting there, I know one of the delegates and I know him well, it's from a club not too far from here, asked what was part of the problem here, and what about the coaches coming back, and the reply from the top table was, we still don't know who these coaches are because it's in a laptop, in an office. So, you know, them kinds of issues and can't happen in the modern game where, say, the head of our setup don't know the coaches that's out there, then therefore they don't know that are they better or not. So, you know, that was a major issue which was rumbling in the middle of this situation as well. No, and I have to agree with you there. I don't think that's I don't know, is that on the academy or is that on the county board who that's on, but definitely we can't have a situation where our county board don't know who's coaching team X or team Y, everything has to be known and it should be out there and I'd be surprised if that information was really, really hard to come by. Yeah, well, it's in a laptop somewhere. That was the answer from the last night. I had, I spoke to the delegate that asked the question and that's the reply, but as yet, that information's on out there.  You know, you're invested in Donegal, even see you down there, with the we underage coaching there, with your kids at the aura that the units club set up, which was open to everybody and you're there coaching our 20s as well.  Well, that's the plan now. I think it gets harder. I'm not going to commit to the club until after the 20s, but I guess harder and harder to get the body right together to the level. So we'll see. We'll get keep ticking away in the gym and keep doing a bit of work on running and see where it takes me now.   You would have held it with the best now, but these boys are conditioned now to as good as a lot of, as a lot of county players. And it's, it's a different ball. You don't just land in the club game, a senior level anyway. You don't just land and go down, go down for a kick about, but the plan is to get back and just mitch about to the edge of the square there and just tell the boys to kick her in. And even tell me, you know, just for the future of this, if we could get like an ex player around there, a very experienced person, can we just take up the reins kind of from what we had started to put in place? Like, I mean, all is not lost in terms of, of, of getting the academy back up and running yet. If we could get a good appointment now, we could salvage what had happened so far in the work that's carried in the, and the coaches have done and get back on the front foot again. I think that's what eventually you'll have to come and hopefully the lessons. I think this is the reason why we're making so much noise about it is that the lessons have to be learned and we have to realize that, you know, what we did before is just not, not good enough. We have to stick to this. And eventually we'll have to get back in the horse. Yeah. And the Dunny Gall jail have to get up, get up and running because it was here long before you are lazy or in the game. And, you know, it'll be here long, long, long after us now. So it'll, it'll get up and definitely their stuff there within Carroll's Academy or don't like calling the Carroll's Academy now, but what, what he, what he put in place in the academy and there were stuff, there were stuff in place and we definitely need to learn from it and maybe stay true to it and try and take, get, get, get someone in and get someone involved and keep pushing it on. Listen to me. It's just a hope. Dunny Gall football still gets Carlisi back in there somewhere because, you know, his talent and his ability is, his qualifications for being in coaching roles and everything. I think the word's so good in Carroll as a coach. I was listening to Mark McHugh. He was, he was doing a podcast there last year and he was asked to name, you know, his, his best coaches that he'd ever worked with and paying him two coaches. And then, and Mark's, you know, paying him about, he's, he's seen a lot and Carroll, he was, was one of them, was the one of them coaches. So, you know, we need, we need to get them, we need to get them, get them back involved. And, you know, there's, there's plenty of other good coaches in Dunny Gall. That's the thing. We're, we're producing a lot of good coaches there at the minute.  It helps get you in the door. But if, if you're not a good coach, you know, the boys that are going out will, will quickly snuff you out. And, you know, there's, there's a lot of good coaches that have never kicked the ball or never been part of a county team and we, we have to, you know, get, get, keep them involved too. Yeah, 100%. Eamon, just before you go out, just when we mentioned obviously coaching and coaching, it's difficult at the minute. We're staring a possible relegation in the face. I'm just wondering about your thoughts. Eamon, we've been in a few relegation scraps in our time in Dunny Gall. It's tough when, you know, the mighty dressings you've been in, when you're, when you're up against it. May, oh, coming up at the weekend, of course, it's at home at the Fortress.  It has, it has, but there's been, there's been bright points in it in terms of some of the performances. To stay up is not beyond the realm of possibility. I think that there's enough quality about that dressing room that they can push this, push this day up. And that's, it's just learning. It's just learning. I don't think it would be the end of the world for, for the grip to go down because you'd hope that they would, you know, get Paddy back, have another year, them younger boys have, they'll have another year development and, and hopefully get back into division one after they go down, but there's, there's still a lot of quality and that's, and that's squad. You know, I think you've the likes of Langan, Jamie Brennan, you know, Ciaran Thompson's to come back, Ryan McHugh. We still, we still have enough to stay, to stay up on division one. And it's just all about learning. It's, it's all right losing. And then you've got to keep learning and, and, and every game. And I kind of see that there's, there's buts that they are taking on board and they're progressing. So it hasn't all been doom and gloom now. Yeah. Listen, and listen on behalf of the county, keep up the, the work we're on their 20s. They're much appreciated. I wish you the best, the best in the championship. Now yourself. Cheers to me. Thanks for having me on there. Not at all, Eamon. Great, great to have you lad. Much appreciate it. Thank you. Yes indeed. Eamon McGee there. I want to thank him very much for coming on because it's a kind of subject people might want to avoid, but Eamon has to express his views on it and we're delighted to get them from him. I guess just listen folks really want to put this subject to bed.  A brilliant plan from Carl. Proper governance was needed. There was a pushback from the academy. It falls apart. Listen, that's the way it is, folks. I'd like to make your own minds up on that. I'm really interested to get the views of our new chairman, Fergus McGee. Obviously at the minute they're avoiding the, they're not talking in the media because they want to get this situation put to bed. And of the new academy up and running, and I'm very interested to get his views on what he sees, his future lies and what he sees is best for Donegal GAA. Now, Fergus is a great GAA man, of course, and delighted to see him get the chair. I was just thinking back to my own time, you know, the changes, you know, sometimes we've got to maybe reflect, to look at how far we've come and people are, of course, annoyed about the academy falling apart. But listen, it will get up and running. But, you know, when I started playing with Donegal up in Drumbo, on an unmoly pitch, you know, on, you know, unsold pitch, which fell apart very quickly with the multiple teams, training up on it to the centre of excellence that we have built today.  And Donegal means huge, huge effort has gone in from everybody involved. So listen, we are making strides. We're in a bit of a tough area now. So listen, we're just hoping we can get the right appointment now, get things back up and running. Now, after the break here, we're going to talk to the Victoria's ATU manager, Barney Corn. The DL debate with sister Sarah's letter, Kenny, serving food you'll love till 9pm daily in Sarah's kitchen. And there's free admission entertainment every weekend. The world is getting a little more, more. But maybe more could mean something else. More means more proactive green energy solutions. More means more wind turbines and more recycling. More means more biodiversity and more energy storage. More means more hydrogen and more solar farms because more clean energy means more efficient living means more thriving communities means more energy autonomy. That's why we're more than Mona. Learn more at morethanmona.ie board, nemona. 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Their boss of course is the one and only Barney Kearney joins us now. Barney how are you? Yes Brendan how's things? Not too bad my man huge weekend. Ah yeah a big weekend a big weekend Friday Saturday and we come up the road on Saturday evening. We all head it down on Friday morning and thanks be to God we come up the road a bit of software now thanks be to God. Fair play to you Barney fair play to you we're saying your prayers then by the amount of times you're saying God there so have you come on stage you're not too bad. Just about the the season Barney you've been working a couple of seasons with the girls obviously at the weekend those two games you beat the ECU and then UCC in the final but Barney the season of course this is just the final two games massive work put in by yourself and the Dean Friedl was helping you Sylvester McGuire and and at the end of course you won the competition must have been very pleasing but just the work that went under the season Barney. Yeah we met them we went on the first weekend we met well started we lost a lot of players last year more or less there were five or six and they were all on the the Dunningall setup and they were strong physical good players you know so going under this year I didn't really know what was what was ahead of us Michael rang me and to see what I'd be interested in taking the job and that says is what you can't say not a make a morphine you know so I said I no bother and we we met them we didn't know really what was going to be ahead of us we had something like maybe 30 odd at the I think it was 33 at the first kind of a trial a way back in October and we were getting ready for the quail cup it's kind of a leak and we got the panel we carried everybody for most of the year like you're going to lose players replacements and different things but we worked hard now we had Paul Fisher's at the ATU there and he's he's heavily involved in getting all the athletes a strength conditioning program so we went every Monday night as a unit of the team and to the high performance team in there and we had I would say we had no less in 16 17 every night and the girls really really bought into that you know it was as much as injury prevention as something that's mean you know and we'll go to the pitch every Thursday or sorry every Wednesday every Wednesday would be in the pitch if we weren't playing so I know and we worked hard high now there was two or three of the girls on county panels as well and some of them still involved in the club and you didn't have them all for the quail cup so you needed to carry the panel of 32 33 you know and but then after Christmas then that was well sorry no we won that anyway and the girls worked again we had a good a good springboard for after going into the championship but then we were missing three or four players in replacement you know and a lot of our girls are nurses or it's not just them at the week and bring up and take them all off you know so we were missing three or four as well they probably should have been there for the for the final again but that's the way the poly system works you know when you're out on your a placement you're out in your placements this yeah and Barney the the football and philosophy here we we like to have a an attack mind nature certainly in the in the semi-final hitting 418 um you're uh you're you're you won't copy in the the old counter attack completely were you it was a attack first tell me it was a tack force yeah that's the big thing of michael's age age you know a lot of these players are in clubs and maybe county teams and they're all playing in structures and they're all playing in setups and you know as you know yourself at the minute it's it's a lot of defensive stuff teams are teams are trying to start to kick it more now but it's mainly all defensive stuff and uh the main thing was get the girls out get them playing attacking football again old school at brand and go 1v1 and one-year patching we'll take it from there was what we were looking to do you know and then when we got the ball we were to break and at 5s and 6s you know instead of 1s and 2s so you're kind of moving up the pitch like a as I say like an army like an army battalion you know what I mean yes so I just move the ball early I get the ball and look forward some let them do the work yeah yeah that's a that's a simple philosophy that's a simple game at the legs of us at the legs of us are trying complicated that's the one buddy we we know there's a there's a serious discussion behind that Barney tell me um the actual weekend itself you know you hear a lot of stuff about the way the the man Seagerson used to be the actual balls around the weekend and you know you're so many different people from different places meeting up on that and the I suppose that kind of uh with that sporting element and and everybody coming with a bit of passion for football was there a special uh balls down about the uh the conic center of excellence as soon as you're pulling the gate make you see all the people all the bosses you see all the games on you know there's a great out but well when we get on the bus in the morning and the girls were buzzing I had all porridge parts for them and we had a bit of breakfast heading down the road and then we stopped them for another bite our game was meant to be at half 12 but because of the weather conditions it was moved to three so as soon as better because we could get to the hotel we booked a hotel and we got all the rooms sorted and the girls all settle them relax with their bags and stuff and and we had it for the dome then about a half one or so and and we went and very well organized you know they had all the dressing rooms and you were assigned somebody went in and when you went in the gate and they looked after you for the couple of days and any questions you go to them and no request was too small and they all was sorted everything and so we done then and then you got a warm up area for about a half an hour and then you were brought on to the pitch then and they had the reps and the linemen and the umpires very well done very well run it was the ATUs that hosted the whole thing so you know it was nice for us to be in the final being an ATU and everything and you're meeting there you're meeting loads of different people from different counties that you've met out in the road but county and different colleges met some of the northern boys that we challenge and the and the and the singers and they're involved in ladies and that's good you know yourself when you get down to them uh weekend you're you're hearing our stories and chatting to boys we had Sylvie McGuire with us and there's no man better for their stories than Professor you know as Brian I can call them the silver man the good the good old days boy yeah there's good stories there uh Barney were you were you um able to see sorry firstly I rang you as you were going out for your warm-up my apologies I thought you's a player at that stage you say fair player he's the answer to four I thought I was wondering if you just made the final Barney listen you're obviously a big victory which was was the other teams watching you and that semi you know you put up a huge score uh leading into that final you're able to watch UCC and vice versa well you see before the games were changed and before the times were changed we would have got to see UCC the second half uh but now is when the times changed they put the two teams on together and they were right beside each other so the two games were on at the one time and uh I was kind of focused on what we were at so I didn't get to see you hadn't got to spy making notes then all across no no it was just sometimes you know sometimes it's not bad not knowing what's ahead of you yes instead of maybe over analyzing such the times and it was probably better that some of the girls didn't see who they were up against the different things so it was uh we played DCU and we can have played them if we beat them by a point earlier in the year in the quail cup and we knew they were going to come with a couple of more uh more players because they've got a serious pick you know I was saying to somebody I think there was uh 260 out of them and a trial we had 22 of the panel with us yes and you know so so we went down there and it was neck and neck up to half time and we got them in and we reset and we just went a toe to toe with them in and we got a a fantastic start uh here in mcgarby won the ball after the throw on and down the barrel of god and stuck it into the neck you know and then there was just a springboard after that then we got a point after a point and and defended really well like everybody's on about the attack and some of the scores we put up our defense friends and for the two days was was yeah but you could see that in the finals you know ah listen you could see that I mean the 1-7 only could see that the final was four three at halftime a much more tense game uh bernie but listen the confidence was there and and he's uh come out with a four point victory in the end oh definitely now it was the first time all year we've done it half time and we're a point up so as he's getting this is new territory for us but we've been a second half team all year like we played st mary's in the quarter final up here and we played a whole second half and since they and into extra time and mary's only scored uh two points you know we're slow out of the brocks for whatever reason I just could never put my finger on it but our second half performances are are just outstanding you know and uh I've got a serious group of a character uh their work great and they play for each other you know I kept telling them this is the you know this is the we parish against uh against the big town team you know and uh they're working at buying into a lot of that stuff and that's all down and stuff coming that's all down and stuff coming out there barney barney listen I just want to say mighty mighty stuff gee hey listen we're out of time here bernie thanks so much for wrapping that up well done very play to you in the back room team and all the girls there uh thanks very much for wrapping that up this evening taking that cup back bernie well done all right thanks mighty bern thank you that was great folks that's the deal the bait wrapped up for another night I want to thank everyone who contributed due decks for producing and let's stay tuned for a course jimmy and paul coming on for the x and monday night sex sessions I'll speak to y'all next week