A long and entertaining season for the Donegal senior football team came to an end on Sunday.

The campaign began against Dublin in February and 18 games were played in total.

There were plenty of highs and a few lows with some controversy thrown into the mix.

Ryan Ferry looks back on a memorable 2025 season.

A is for Abu Dhabi: Donegal set their stall out early as they headed off to Abu Dhabi in early December for a warm-weather training camp, where they tried to get a handle on the new experimental rules introduced by the Football Review Committee, and the trip provided a strong platform as they started the season strongly.

B is for Buzzer beater: Donegal claimed a rare win over Mayo in June, and in dramatic circumstances as Ciaran Moore supplied a buzzer beater after the hooter had sounded. His winning score dumped the Connacht side out of the championship.

C is for Comeback: It wasn’t looking good for Donegal at half-time in their quarter-final against Monaghan as they trailed by 1-15 to 0-11. However, they launched a brilliant comeback with Michael Langan scoring a stunning goal and went on to win comfortably in the end.

D is for Dramatic finish: The National Football League ended with a dramatic finish with Donegal in the thick of the action. Their focus was on the championship but the team put in a strong display against Mayo, who needed a result to avoid relegation. In the end, the Connacht side were fortunate to come through after Daire Ó Baoill saw a penalty saved and Hugh McFadden hit the crossbar, and such was the condensed nature of the league, Mayo reached the league final while Donegal concluded in fourth place.

E is for Éowyn: Donegal’s season got off to a false start as Storm Éowyn wrecked havoc throughout the country in the lead-up to the opening weekend of the National League. The NFL game away to Kerry was called off on the Saturday as it was deemed that Donegal were unable to travel due to the weather conditions. The panel did go to Killarney two weeks later and won by 0-23 to 1-18.

F is for Finnbarr: He may have had to wait 12 months longer than first thought but Finnbarr Roarty made a huge impression in his breakthrough campaign. At only 19 years of age, he brought pace, energy and tenacity to the team and became a real fan favourite. It would be a surprise if the Naomh Conaill man isn’t named as Young Footballer of the Year later in the campaign.

G is for Gavin Mulreany’s Cowboy Hat: Mulreany was the star of the show in the celebrations after the provincial final triumph as he partied in his cowboy hat, and it made a re-appearance again for Monday’s homecoming. It’s not easy being a sub goalkeeper, but the St Naul’s man is clearly a likeable character who deputised well when Shaun Patton was injured.

H is for Headbutt: MacCumhaill Park was at fever pitch on February when word filtered through that Michael Murphy was part of the matchday panel and his long-awaited return was imminent. He received a huge reception as he entered the fray, and then was greeted with a bizarre headbutt by Armagh skipper Aidan Forker, who was subsequently sent off.

I is for Irate: Monaghan manager Gabriel Bannigan was irate with referee David Coldrick for blowing the full-time whistle in the Ulster quarter-final as his team prepared to take a sideline ball. As it turned out, the whistler was correct to bring an end to proceedings. And it shouldn’t have been a sideline in the first place as it came off a Monaghan hand.

J is for Jackeens: The Jackeens made their way to Ballybofey on the first weekend in February and there was a terrific atmosphere in MacCumhaill Park. Dublin were 0-11 to 0-6 down at the break but did reduce their deficit to one before Donegal battled back to win by four points.

Donegal’s Shane O’Donnell sets up Ciarán Moore during the game with Dublin.

K is for Knocked out: It won’t make a long list of memorable matches but Donegal knocked Down out of the Ulster Championship at the end of April. Patrick McBrearty hit the net as Donegal came away with a 1-19 to 0-16 win in a game that never quite ignited.

L is for Long Road: Donegal’s long road to the All-Ireland final began against Derry in the Ulster Championship Preliminary Round. The team played well to come through with a 1-25 to 1-15 win. The good news for the county is that they can’t be drawn in the Preliminary Round now for the next two years.

M is for Murphy: News of Michael Murphy’s retirement u-turn was a huge boost to Donegal and he went on to have a fantastic season. He was managed well at different stages to ensure he stayed fit and delivered a host of super performances, and the pictures of him in the dressing rooms after the Ulster Final are some of the best images of the year. He should collect a fourth All-Star and while he owes the county nothing, Donegal supporters will be hoping that he goes again next year.

N is for Navigation issues: The Louth bus driver found himself in the spotlight ahead of the Preliminary quarter-finals. The wee county had stayed in Enniskillen the night before the match but a ‘human error’ in their navigation saw them end up in Sligo. They did still arrive in Ballybofey and were decent in the first half before Donegal romped home in the second half by 2-22 to 0-12.

O is for Outstanding Support: Whether it was Ballybofey, Ballyshannon, Letterkenny, Killarney, Salthill, Castlebar, Clones, Cavan, Roscommon, or Croke Park, Donegal had outstanding support wherever they went and people really backed the team despite the number of games and the ever-growing cost of tickets. To sell out Croke Park along with Meath for the semi-final was incredible and the loyal supporters came out in their droves on Monday night to show their appreciation for the efforts from the players.

P is for Parade: Donegal were criticised after both the semi-final and final for breaking away from the pre-match parade early. Some say they should respect the band and the tradition but a lot of it is just pageantry fluff. It has been suggested that Donegal may be fined for having 16 players on the parade on Sunday which would be unfair as Patrick McBrearty was captain and it was only right that he led his team even if he wasn’t starting.

Q is for Quashed: Jim McGuinness’s proud record in MacCumhaill Park was quashed by Tyrone in the group opener. There was somewhat of a hangover after the Armagh match and a number of key men were injured while Tyrone were at full-tilt, and they upset the odds with a strong last ten minutes. There will be a different championship format next term with the group stages joining the Super 8s in the GAA scrap heap.

R is for Royals Rumbled: Meath had claimed good wins over Dublin, Kerry and Galway on their way through to the semi-finals but the Royal county were no match for Donegal, who booked their first final appearance in eleven years with a 3-26 to 0-15 win.

S is for Statement: Donegal GAA released a statement when the team were only granted a six-day turnaround ahead of their quarter-final with Monaghan. “We feel the welfare of our players was not adequately considered in the decision making process.” However, McGuinness later distanced himself from the statement, saying ‘as a management team, we were okay with the game. From my own point of view, you should never, ever make an excuse for a game before a game is played’.

Conor O’Donnell on the charge against Monaghan.

T is for two-pointers: Two-pointers added a new dimension to Gaelic Football this season. Donegal scored 33 in their 18 games which averages at 1.83 per match. However, crucially they failed to score any in Sunday’s All-Ireland Final while Kerry struck for five. It’s likely that two-pointers are going to become a bigger factor going forward and Donegal have scope for improvement.

U is for Ulster Final: Gaelic Football was a much improved spectacle this season and Donegal were involved in the game of the year as they edged out Armagh in an enthralling battle after extra-time and the sides clashed again after the final whistle. It was a tight battle but Donegal showed great character to claim the win and retain the Anglo Celt Cup.

V is for Venue: There was a lot of annoyance in Donegal when their All-Ireland Series group stage match against Mayo was fixed for the not-so-very neutral venue of Dr Hyde Park. ‘We think it was very unfair to bring us here’ said Jim McGuinness after the match. Chairman of the CCCC, Brian Carroll – who just happens to hail from Roscommon – defended the decision saying there was no viable alternative to the Hyde for the game.

W is for Wind: No Donegal game in recent memory was dominated by wind as much as the Galway league match in Salthill in February. At one stage, there were discussions over whether the game would be able to proceed at all such were the strength of the gusts. Donegal opted to play against the element in the first half and that wasn’t a wise choice as a Shane Walsh-inspired Galway led by 0-17 to 0-1 at the break and won comfortably in the end.

X is for X-Factor: Donegal travelled to Dublin for the All-Ireland Final with huge belief but it was Kerry who reigned supreme. The Kingdom were the better team but there’s no doubt that their leading man David Clifford brought an x-factor that Donegal hadn’t faced all year. He was closely marked but provided nice scores, including three two-points, and is undoubtedly the greatest player in the game at present.

Y is for Yellow card: McGuinness picked up a yellow card in Kingspan Breffni after a fiery exchange with Cavan manager Raymond Galligan on the sideline. The Donegal boss wasn’t happy when a home player went down holding his head and stopped a counter-attack. McGuinness made his way up to Galligan and they shared some stern words, while one of the Cavan backroom team had plenty to say at that moment as well.

Z is for Zonal: Donegal went with a zonal defensive shape this season and it served them well up until the final. However, Kerry were able to pick it apart in the final. Is it a flawed strategy or were the players not able to fulfil their roles sufficiently? That’s what the management team will have to work out in the coming weeks, and may have to tweak or come up with a different approach if they are to take the final step they crave in 2026.