By Sabrina Sweeney

I was on the road from Gweedore to Ballybofey earlier this week and the sight of Donegal colours on the journey was heartening to see.

From locals gathered around a ladder to erect green and yellow bunting along the roadside in their village to the many posters of players, each wishing the whole Donegal team good luck, it’s clear people are feeling the buzz ahead of the big match on Sunday.

It’s a collective stir of excitement that comes when a county prepares for an All-Ireland final. And there’s nothing quite like it. This is the kind of excitement every county dreams of come late July.

And in Donegal, it’s a feeling we’ve known before – in 1992, 2012, and again in 2014. We’ve seen both sides of it: the glory of triumph and the ache of falling just short. That kind of heartache doesn’t stop the hoping. If anything, it makes the desire to win stronger. Of course, for some – maybe even for Jim McGuinness himself – there’s a certain unease in how familiar it all feels. Once again, it’s Kerry and once again, he’s on the sideline. The stakes are as high as they come and it’s hard not to think back to that last chance, and harder still not to fear it could play out the same way. But nerves a natural and it’s the magic of a week like this that pulls everyone in. The excitement belongs to all of us – the lifelong supporters, the bandwagon jumpers and especially to the children. Because for the younger ones, this is something else altogether. Their imaginations are running wild and their training sessions have a different kind of energy. To see someone from your own club stepping out onto the pitch at Croke Park, someone you might have passed in the shop, or seen kicking ball at your local pitch is so powerful for a young hopeful. That kind of visibility matters because it makes dreams seem closer and makes the game more real.

There’s a whole generation of Donegal children now who will remember this week – the flags, the talk, the build-up – and that’s the kind of memory that sticks. For some, it might be the spark that brings them deeper into the sport. For others, it’ll just be a good time they shared with family and friends. Either way, the feeling will never leave them. If we lived in a perfect world those children would be able to travel to Croker to experience the match in all of its glory. But we don’t. Instead we have a very imperfect ticketing system that leaves loyal supporters empty handed, while corporate sponsors, bulk draws and fundraisers in counties not even involved end up with plenty to offer. It doesn’t feel right, and it’s a conversation the GAA needs to have, seriously and soon.

Still, with or without a ticket, the support is unwavering. And a big part of that belief that there’s little to stop Donegal from going all the way this time, comes from one man: Jim McGuinness. His return two years ago lifted the mood in a way nothing else could have. His last match as manager before taking up the reins again in 2023 was the 2014 final, a day that ended in heartbreak and one he has said haunted him since. But his return brought more than nostalgia. It brought energy and purpose and, maybe more importantly, it brought back belief. As Karl Lacey said after his appointment: “It’s an identity thing with Jim. It’s the culture, it’s who we are and what we represent.” That belief has grown match by match. It’s not blind optimism but the quiet kind that’s grounded in hard work, resilience and the knowledge that these players have truly earned their place at the top table.

Now, with the final just a few days away, that belief is at full tilt. Whether you’re travelling to Dublin or watching from a TV room full of cousins and crisps, you’ll feel it; that nervous hope, that deep pride. Whatever happens on Sunday, we’ll hold onto this week and the joy of it. Because it’s the chance to believe – together – that makes following a county team into an All-Ireland Final so special. And maybe, just maybe, this time, it will be different.