Manus Boyle

Manus Boyle (born 1966) is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Na Cealla Beaga and the Donegal county team. He writes a column for the Donegal Democrat ("The Breaking Ball") and is a health coach.^[2]

Manus Boyle

Personal information
Sport	Gaelic football
Position	Forward
Born	September 1966
Club(s)
Years	Club
19??–?	Na Cealla Beaga
Inter-county(ies)
Years	County	Apps (scores)
1985–1998	Donegal	116 (14–308)[1]
Inter-county titles
Ulster titles	2
All-Irelands	1
All Stars	0

He played county football from 1985 to 1998, mostly at forward and was a free kick specialist.

He debuted for Donegal at 18 in 1985,^[3] fell out with manager Tom Conaghan in the 1980s,^[4] missing the 1989 Ulster SFC final,^[5] Brian McEniff restored him to the team in time for the 1990 Ulster SFC.^[4]

He played his last competitive game for Donegal in the 1998 Ulster SFC final against Derry.^[3] Earlier the same year, he contracted a virus that caused severe weight loss.^[3] He could not start the 1st round but played the semi-final against Cavan.^[3]

In May 2012, the Irish Independent named him as part of Donegal's "greatest team" of the past 50 years.^[6]

At club level he played for Na Cealla Beaga.^[7] He co-managed the team with Barry McGowan until 2008.^[7] Aged 44, returned to play football as his club reached 2010 Donegal SFC final.^[8]

He played soccer for St Catherine's.^[9]

Since March 2002,^[2] he writes a column for the Donegal Democrat, "The Breaking Ball".^[10]

In 2016, aged 50, he returned to education to study "Applied Health and Wellness Coaching" at St Angela's College in Sligo.^[2]

Honours

Donegal

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: 1992^[7]
• Ulster Senior Football Championship: 1990,^[4] 1992^{[citation needed]}
• All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship: 1987^[11]
• Ulster Under-21 Football Championship: 1987^{[citation needed]}

Individual

• All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final Man of the Match: 1992^[12]

References

1. McNulty, Chris (14 August 2018). "Numbers stack up as Michael Murphy tops Donegal's all-time charts". Retrieved 14 August 2018.
2. Boyle, Manus. "Health and Wellness Coach". Linkedin. Linkedin.
3. Crowe, Dermot (6 October 2019). "The last day". Sunday Independent. p. 10 (Sport).
4. McNulty, Chris (18 July 2015). "Donegal's 1990 Ulster winners will be honoured tomorrow — here is their story". Retrieved 18 July 2015.
5. McNulty, Chris (22 September 2017). "Declan Bonner: It'll be 'all or nothing' for Donegal's 'half mad' new manager". Retrieved 22 September 2017.
6. "GAA: Donegal's greatest team of the past 50 years named". 14 May 2012. Retrieved 14 May 2012.
7. Foley, Alan (8 January 2009). "The heroes of '92 — Where are they now?". Donegal Democrat. Archived from the original on 18 December 2015. Retrieved 8 January 2009.
8. Boyle, Donnchadh (2 October 2010). "Boyle looks to defy logic and inspire injury-hit Killybegs to shock title success". Irish Independent. Retrieved 2 October 2010. The 44-year-old started training for a marathon, but the hard road was unforgiving and reignited a few old injuries. The sod of the club's field was more forgiving [...] Incredibly, he has featured off the bench in recent matches and he's likely to do the same tomorrow.
9. Foley, Alan (25 June 2015). "Hugh McFadden takes scenic route to Donegal set-up". Irish Examiner. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016.
10. Boyle, Manus (24 October 2013). "Breaking Ball". Donegal Democrat.
11. McNulty, Chris (20 July 2018). "Declan Bonner yearning for repeat of the long-term rewards from the golden age". Retrieved 20 July 2018.
12. "Manus Boyle". Hogan Stand. 30 April 1993. Retrieved 28 August 2012.

External links

• Manus Boyle at GAAinfo.com
• Boyle's points in the 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final: 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th

Achievements
Preceded by ? ?	All-Ireland Senior Football Final Man of the Match 1992	Succeeded by ? (?)