Is 2014 McGuinness’s final throw of the dice?

Seeing as they’re the self-proclaimed forgotten county in Ireland, some might accuse Donegal folk of being paranoid.

Good times and bad have seen voters in the county continually act against the national trends. Away from the polling stations, Donegal embraced their Ulster and All-Ireland triumphs of 2012. It brought much-needed joy to the county and also plenty of attention, treated with an element of suspicion in some quarters.

When Donegal failed to retain those titles the theory bandied about was that it was due to a lack of hunger. Although Down, in last year’s Ulster semi-final, were the first team to really find a chink in the Donegal armour, it was Malachy O’Rourke’s Monaghan who floored them, winning handsomely, 0-13 to 0-7, in the provincial final.