MARK and John Harley were typical Irish brothers.
“Always arguing and trying to get the better of each other,” smiles the younger sibling.
They were three years apart, John the elder, so in a parish that is not short of numbers, they never really played underage football together for Cloughaneely beyond a bit at U21.
When the Falcarragh parish club won a Gaeltacht intermediate championship in 2017, the same year they earned promotion to senior football, the pair had found their feet in senior football.
The elder sibling was made club captain at just 21. He was Player of the Year in 2017, the second year of his captaincy. All through underage he’d been a natural leader, for both Cloughaneely and Glenea United, where the brothers played soccer together, and where Mark still does.
In late January 2019, John was travelling in a car with friends Shaun Harkin (22), Michéal Roarty (24) and Daniel Scott (23) when it left the road and crashed into a field at Gleannhulaigh near Magheraroarty.
All four lost their lives in a tragedy that brought a black cloud down on neighbouring west-Donegal parishes.
Every house in the country shivered when they heard of the disaster that had unfolded, but it was four sets of parents including Gerry and Ann Harley had to deal with the knock on the door.
John and Daniel Scott were Cloughaneely clubmen, while Michéal Roarty had trained with Gaoth Dobhair the day before the accident as they prepared for their All-Ireland club semi-final against Corofin.
“It took both parishes and the surroundings to its knees,” says Mark.
“Four young lads, well known, just out for a bit of craic and unfortunately they didn’t make it… It was tough now.
“Both clubs, Cloughaneely and Gaoth Dobhair, were brilliant. They were great for myself and Mum and Dad, really pulled together.
“It’s a community thing and when something like that happens, it’s very tough at the time but the clubs were excellent during that time.
“It was a real tragedy just. I kind of threw myself into the football after it. I know John wasn’t on the pitch with me but you’re always thinking about him. Every time you cross that line, you want to go out and do your best for him.
“He was only 24. He would have been a good leader, and captained a lot of underage teams and then the seniors. Same in the soccer, he would have captained teams the whole way up.
“He just had a good personality about him and everyone got on with him. And he was a fine footballer, he’d tell you any day of the week that I’d never lace his boots, he used to tell me that all the time!”
Cloughaneely have been the big fish in intermediate waters the last few years.
Playing Division One football in Donegal since 2017, they had fallen at the final championship hurdle in the last two years, losing to St Naul’s and Aodh Ruadh.
It almost happened a third time but they salvaged a draw against Dungloe two weeks ago before dominating the replay to claim a first championship since 2014.
Mark Harley took over as captain after his brother’s death.
Amid the celebrations, his mother Ann handed him John’s old number two jersey that he tied around his neck and wore as he climbed into the stand at O’Donnell Park.
“After he passed away, the club gave us the jersey. We got all the players to sign it.
“My Mum gave it to me when I went up to get the cup, I had it around my neck and we had a photo of the team with the cup, I was holding up the jersey with the cup.
“It was nice that he was there with us. Nice for him to be part of that…
“When he was captain he was always saying about the good craic it would be if we could ever win intermediate. It was nice to get over the line, and nice for Mum and Dad.
“Everyone pulled together, not just for me, but Mum (Ann) and Dad (Gerry), really took them under their wing and helped us get through it.
“It’s nice to talk about him and keep him in your memory, you don’t want him to be forgotten about.
“He was such a good lad and such a big part of the community.
“I’m sure he was looking down on us and he’ll be a happy man this couple of weeks.”
The last time Cloughaneely played in the Ulster Club series seven years ago, John had just taken work in Aberdeen and missed out on their Donegal success.
Mark was only 17 and played in the reserve final, which was the curtain-raiser on a ridiculously busy weekend.
What was remarkable about their success was that coming after Donegal had reached the All-Ireland final that summer, the club championships were so squeezed that Cloughaneely won their county title on the Saturday and were made to play in Ulster less than 24 hours later.
To go to Owenbeg and beat Castledawson a day later was laudable enough, but to do it after extra-time was bordering on the ridiculous.
Tight turnarounds have become commonplace. Their 2019 final defeat was their third game in eight days after going to a replay in the semi-final.
Ahead of last year’s final, they found themselves down three men the week of the game to Covid.
“We just haven’t had the rub of the green, and you need a bit of luck. We probably got it this year.”
They will have had just seven days off this time around before meeting a Steelstown team whose maiden success in Derry had its own tragic tinge, coming on the anniversary weekend of Brian Óg McKeever, after whom the club is named.
Men that would have offered so much to the game in O’Donnell Park will instead be the guiding hands from above.
