Football

Leitrim goalkeeper Nevin O’Donnell included in Cavan senior county squad

O’Donnell, from Blacklion, County Cavan, opted to represent Leitrim back in 2016 after a spell in London, originally as a forward.

Cavan manager Raymond Galligan Picture: Adrian Donohoe.
Cavan manager Raymond Galligan Picture: Adrian Donohoe.
By Jack Madden

Leitrim goalkeeper Nevin O’Donnell has joined the Cavan senior panel as Raymond Galligan prepares for his second season in charge.

O’Donnell, from Blacklion, County Cavan, opted to represent Leitrim back in 2016 after a spell in London, originally as a forward.

The left-footed sharpshooter had been a member of Cavan’s four-in-a-row Ulster U21 winning side back in 2014, again as a forward.

He also kicked 0-2 in the surprise Ulster Minor Football Championship win over Armagh, but a breakthrough in Terry Hyland’s senior outfit did not materialise.

The Shannon Gaels star scored two goals on his debut for Leitrim in an FBD League win over GMIT back in 2016.

He made just one competitive appearance thereafter for Leitrim, coming in the Connacht Championship, before he returned to the fold as a goalkeeper under the guise of Andy Moran in 2023.

The new netminder was part of unwanted history, as he was between the sticks for New York’s first ever Connacht Championship win, which came after the most dramatic of dramatic penalty shootouts in The Bronx.

A dismal, winless Tailteann Cup campaign followed, but Moran’s men had a superb league to kick off this year.

A late head of steam saw Leitrim earn promotion, and O’Donnell’s long-range score with the outside of the boot in the league final against Laois served as a reminder of his scoring prowess.

Amidst a messy situation regarding the manner of Mickey Graham’s appointment and swift exit, Down man Stephen Poacher was confirmed as The Shannonsiders’ new manager, but he will not have O’Donnell at his disposal in 2025.

Michael Cunningham of New York saves a penalty taken by Paul Keaney of Leitrim during the Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship quarter-final match between New York and Leitrim at Gaelic Park in New York Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile
Michael Cunningham of New York saves a penalty taken by Paul Keaney of Leitrim during the Connacht GAA Football Senior Championship quarter-final match between New York and Leitrim at Gaelic Park in New York Picture: David Fitzgerald/Sportsfile

Andy Moran has since moved on to the Monaghan backroom team, where he may well come up against his former goalkeeper O’Donnell in some capacity during the Division 2 Allianz League.

The fact that Raymond Galligan himself was a forward - before being coaxed back into the Cavan squad as a goalkeeper after a spell in Australia - is an interesting side note.

O’Donnell will be attempting to oust last year’s number one Gary O’Rourke, who took over after former Allstar Galligan hung up his boots in 2023.

Shannon Gaels now have three representatives on the county panel, in the shape of O’Donnell, Jason McLoughlin and Caoimhan McGovern.

Cavan will face Malachy O’Rourke’s Tyrone in next year’s Ulster Championship.