Carlin's road less travelled from Donegal to Wicklow's Tailteann tilt

Jonny Carlin lifted the Anglo-Celt Cup with Donegal last season. On Saturday he aims to raise the Tailteann Cup with Wicklow.

Wicklow's Jonny Carlin celebrates victory in the Tailteann Cup semi-final. Pic: ©INPHO/James Lawlor

Jonny Carlin will probably swap the WhatsApp profile picture of him lifting the Anglo-Celt Cup with Donegal last season for the one raising the Tailteann Cup aloft with Wicklow should the Garden County upset Down in Saturday’s decider at Croke Park.

Carlin’s is a road less travelled. He spent a year with the Wicklow footballers in 2024 before heading off to America. When he came home three months later, he threw his lot in with his native club Red Hughs and played well enough to be in Jim McGuinness’s eye-line.

He was picked to attend Donegal trials and performed well over a five-week period. One day, he noticed he’d been added to a WhatsApp group bound for Abu Dhabi.

It was Carlin’s way of finding out he was part of the 2025 Donegal senior football panel and his first real taste of it was a week-long trip to the Middle East for some warm-weather training.

At 29, Carlin’s hopes of making a serious impact with Donegal were hampered somewhat by the cancellation of the Dr McKenna Cup that year. Audition time therefore was limited for Donegal’s new recruits.

Still, Carlin caught the eye in training and made his debut in a National League game against Tyrone in Letterkenny, entering the fray for the totemic Michael Murphy on 62 minutes.

“I wasn’t expecting it,” Carlin says. “When I got on the field in Letterkenny in front 7,000 people it was the best feeling ever.” He was subsequently selected for a few match-day squads but game-time proved the enemy as the season progressed.

“I took a lot from the year,” Carlin adds. “When I wasn’t making squads, obviously, I wasn’t happy but I tried to tune in as best as I could and learn from those boys who were playing county for 10 years or more.

“I stuck with it and tried to get better. I was going to play my part some way whether it was just in training… “I wanted to play more but who am I to question Jim McGuinness? He’s coached in America, China and Donegal… “I found him to be an unbelievable coach; the detail he went into, the analysis, the meetings, on the pitch, the drills, it was intense.

“It’s probably the fittest I ever was and it was as professional a set up I was ever involved in. Everything was done to a tee, there were no shortcuts.” Donegal retained their Ulster crown that season and reached the All-Ireland final only to be out-classed by Kerry.

“Coming into the Championship it was as deep a squad as Donegal have had,” Carlin says.

“You’d boys like Patrick McBrearty and Niall O’Donnell coming off. The pace and power of the squad was phenomenal.

“I remember trying to run after Ciaran Moore in training one night. Different level.

“Michael Murphy is the nicest man you could meet, but once you cross that white line it was win at all costs. He’s the boy who raises the standards. The whole year was a great experience.” 

Jonny Carlin in action for Donegal in last year's Allianz League. Pic: ©INPHO/Bryan Keane

Carlin had sampled inter-county football the year before with Wicklow. Work had taken him down to those parts and after producing a string of inspirational displays to help his adopted Barndarrig win the intermediate title in 2023, Oisin McConville drafted him into the Wicklow set-up.

When he finished up with Donegal last year, he never imagined he’d be back for a second stint with Wicklow.

Work brought him back down to the Dublin-Wicklow border and to keep himself in good physical shape he asked McConville about training with the squad one night per week.

Before too long, McConville had the classy left-footer signed up for the 2026 season.

“I don’t think I would have gone back if Oisin hadn’t been there,” Carlin says. “I’d go to the well for him 10 times over. He’s done a lot for me and helped me. It’s enjoyable playing under him as he puts a lot of hard work into it.”

A talented soccer player, Carlin spent several years of his youth with Finn Harps. In more recent times, he starred for Armagh City and suffered a cruciate ligament injury in the 2022 IFA Intermediate Cup final against Rathfriland Rangers.

He is currently coaching Bray Emmets in Wicklow and puts great store in sports psychology. He works with Barry Carlin, his cousin.

“Whenever I went back to Wicklow I got back on board with Barry again,” Carlin explains.

“Barry asked me to write down my long-term and short-term goals and one of my long-term goals was to win a Tailteann Cup with Wicklow. I’ve still got the piece of paper. I see it every day. I’m 30 years of age now and not many get the chance to play at Croke Park.”

The defeats that have hurt most this year were to Longford on the last day of the Division Four campaign that saw them miss out on promotion and the narrow Leinster Championship defeat to Dublin.

Even though they shipped a loss to Laois in the early rounds of their Tailteann campaign, Wicklow produced two stunning comeback wins over Antrim and Offaly to book their place in this year’s final.

“We’ve a load of players who would start in any Division One team,” Carlin insists.

“You’ve Mal [Malachy Stone] at corner-back, you’ve ‘Jacko’ [Jack Kirwin], Dean Healy, Kev [Kevin Quinn], [Eoin] Darcy and [Oisin] McGraynor. Just to name a few.”