Five years after Jim McGuinness took the Donegal job, the autobiographies recounting that relatively brief but unforgettable era are tumbling out.
Rory Kavanagh appeared on Sean O'Rourke this morning, to discuss his new book 'Winning', an account of his career with Donegal.
The book has two separate parts - before McGuinness and after McGuinness.
The era before McGuinness was reputedly an era of endless messing, wild partying and cheerful underachievement. Kavanagh recalls one story which summed up the spirit of the time. The day after Donegal were beaten by Armagh in the 2002 Ulster Final, the players decided to head for a night out in Glenties.
No one got home that night and Kavanagh woke up the following morning surrounded by wine bottles. They decided to go for a few more drinks that Tuesday
That night there was no way home. Looking back, it was shameful.
We had a recovery session planned. Mickey Moran had a recovery session planned for the Tuesday evening. A few of us felt we were entitled to a few more. We were in the bar and the mobiles started to ring one after another. And Mickey Moran's name was flashing up. Each of us in turn decided to ignore the phone call. Until it came to one particular player who was not sitting at the bar but a few metres behind us. And we glanced across knowing fine well it was Mickey Moran looking for our whereabouts.
The lad himself, Brian, he was one of the elder statesmen of the group and he decided to answer the phone. And he was saing in a most apologetic way, he said 'Listen Mickey, we're not able to make training tonight. We're in the bar. I don't think we're going to make it'.
Mickey, of course, couldn't understand why would be in a pub on a Tuesday with a training session ahead of us in the evening. And then of course, some of the Donegal supporters were in the bar, and got word it was Mickey Moran on the phone and the 'Ole, ole, ole's' went up in the background. It was absolutely crazy. This was life as a Donegal footballer.
Notwithstanding, their Tuesday morning exploits in Glenties, Donegal got over the hurdle of Meath in the last 12, and faced Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter-final. After battling their way to a draw, a large proportion of the players decided to hit the town in the capital and remain out the entire night.
It may be unrelated (given their preparation for beating Meath) but Dublin won well in the replay.
Elsewhere in the book, Kavanagh reveals he has changed his stance on the Kevin Cassidy affair. At the time, he said he 'wanted nothing more to do with him 100%' and that he was in compete agreement with Jim McGuinness.
Now, he has a more benign attitude towards Cassidy.
I have to admit I’d actually cross the street to talk to Cass if I did see him. I ask myself, now, if Jim was right to cut him as he did without hesitation and with absolutely no mercy?
I am no longer one of them, one of the men in the dressing room, and I ask myself also that if I was Donegal manager in 2011 would I have done that to Cass?
Listen to the whole interview on 'Today with Sean O'Rourke' below.
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