Mayo star returns to fold

AFTER months of speculation, Ciaran McDonald has finally returned to the Mayo panel, but the enigmatic forward won’t be rushed back into wearing the county jersey in the foreseeable future.

McDonald has not played for the county since their exit from the All-Ireland championship and, as the season progressed further, it began to seem like he would not feature in 2006 at all.

However, a change in his employment circumstances has belatedly allowed him to link up with Mickey Moran’s panel. McDonald had been working on the Carna-Kilkieran water supply scheme in south Connemara, which required him to make a 250-mile round trip every day.