Dylan McHugh: ‘I remember thinking at 23, I was too old to ever play for Galway’

Dylan McHugh evolution has been routine. A Galway minor in 2015 as they won their first Connacht title in eight years. McHugh played U21 In 2017 on a team that reached an All-Ireland final.

THE SAME BUT DIFFERENT: Dylan McHugh is intimately familiar with All-Ireland finals having played in four of them as part of an illustrious Corofin squad in which he won three and lost one. Picture: Piaras Ó Mídheach/Sportsfile

The same, but different. Dylan McHugh is intimately familiar with All-Ireland finals. He has played in four of them. As part of an illustrious Corofin squad, he was victorious in three. With Galway, he has lost one.

“You never get used to them,” the defender said. “Just the occasion itself and the pressures that come with it. But the inter-county scene is just a bit more of a scramble for tickets, et cetera, going on for this week and next week. I suppose playing on a big day, gives some of the experience.” 

McHugh was a vital cog in Galway’s drive to the 2022 final, even though he was overlooked for an All Star nomination. His absence was evident in 2023. The wing-back missed the Mayo preliminary quarter-final defeat due to an injury.

Even still, McHugh has gone to another level this season. He has the second-most assists of any Galway player, behind corner-forward Robert Finnerty. He has scored six points and become their defensive lynchpin at the other end.

In one sense, his evolution has been routine. A Galway minor in 2015 as they won their first Connacht title in eight years. McHugh played U21 In 2017 on a team that reached an All-Ireland final.

Yet at the same time, he was struggling. Corofin were stacked. He couldn’t make the starting side.

The likes of Kieran Molloy, Cillian McDaid, Peter Cooke, Sean Kelly, Cein D’Arcy, Robert Finnerty and McHugh all started against Dessie Farrell’s Dublin in the last-ever U21 football decider.

“That gave a bit of confidence, but at the same time then probably a small bit of frustration. As years went on because I would have been looking at ten of that U21 team going on and playing for Galway, and I was there not playing for my own club. But look, it was brilliant, and definitely gave me a bit of confidence just to try to play for Corofin and Galway later on.

“I just had to be patient then to bide my time to try to get into the Corofin team. Obviously, we had a very strong half-back line where I was trying to get in, and two of the three were playing with Galway and probably had another lad that could have been playing for Galway.” 

In the winter of 2020, Corofin complete a historic All-Ireland three-in-a-row. McHugh came off the bench midway through the second half. A year later, Pádraic Joyce called him in to join the senior panel.

“It is funny. At the time, I remember saying to lads in Corofin, they were on about would I go in Galway and different things like this.

“I remember thinking at 23 I was too old to ever play for Galway, which is kind of funny looking back now, but that was just the way it was. It was like if a player was leaving, they'd bring in a 20-year-old or a 21-year-old or something like that. Yeah, probably a later stage than most to start coming in.” 

Last November, McHugh captained his club to their first Galway club title since 2019. It left him in an unusual position. Galway did not go on a team holiday in 2022 after the All-Ireland final but did take a trip in the off-season last year.

After his club’s triumph, McHugh decided not to travel.

“It was a great position that I was in. The way the All-Ireland holiday was, we were leaving the Monday after the county final. So, I just said to myself and herself that if we lost county final, we will go, and if we win the county final, we will stay.

“I just thought being part of the Corofin group that it probably wasn't the right thing for me to go, when we were playing two weeks again against the Mayo county champions (Ballina). I just had that decision made before the club championship had started. I suppose it was a good complaint to miss.

“I didn't pack any bags. Herself had a few bits bought alright. But, no, I had nothing packed. So, if we lost the county final I'd have to go home and pack the bags.” 

Gaelic football isn’t his whole world. McHugh works for Valeo, a vision system and automated parking supply chain. But he does take the game seriously. It’s been a considerable investment to get to this point. Sunday can be the latest payoff.

“Look, it is not the be-all and end-all, but I put so much time into it so you want to be as successful as you can, you want to perform as well as you can to justify the time you are putting in and the sacrifice you put in over the years."