BY RYAN FERRY

PEADAR Mogan was a football-mad 13-year-old when Donegal landed the All-Ireland title in 2012.

He can still recall the day vividly and the celebrations that went on afterwards.

It was a special time that had a huge influence on the young St Naul’s clubman and he’s hoping that he can help inspire the next generation on Sunday.

“I remember sitting in the Upper Davin,” said Mogan.

“I had a brilliant view of Michael’s (Murphy) goal.

“I remember a few days later my father (Peter) coming in and signing me out of school.

“He said ‘Sam is coming back to Mountcharles so we better get out there’.

“Those memories really stick with you. I can still see the boys up on the back of a trailer outside the Village Tavern.

“We’ve had great days bringing the Anglo Celt in past Pettigo and on to Donegal Town.

“It would be brilliant to be able to give that back to the people of Donegal once again.”

A star talent coming up through the ranks, Mogan played county minor for two years and won an Ulster title in 2016.

Indeed he was first called up to the senior panel while he was only 18.

It was three years before he really broke into the championship team and established himself and he hasn’t looked back since.

Mogan with the white boots and the darting runs is a massive favourite with the Donegal faithful and he can’t wait to get going against Kerry.

“When you’re a young child and you put on the Donegal jersey, there’s always that dream that you’d go out and represent your county on All-Ireland Final Day.

“I’m just grateful that we will hopefully be fit to go out and do that now.

“They don’t come around too often so it’s important that we relish and enjoy the opportunity.”

Mogan is a teacher at Deele College and well used to fielding questions from students and work colleagues alike.

He’s obliging and doesn’t shy away from meeting fans who are all embracing the journey.

“It’s been brilliant.

“You’re out meeting people and for them to describe how much of a lift it has given them is lovely.

“A lot of people have different pressures or stresses going on in their lives, and a lot of them just want to go and watch Donegal on a Sunday.

“Knowing that you’re putting a smile on their faces is great or seeing young kids who want to be like the team.

“We are so grateful for the support and how good it has been, especially over the last two years.

“Being fit to go out and represent them is where it is at really. There is a bigger picture to the whole thing and it’s just great to be able to go out and do it for them.”

These are memorable days for the Donegal team but it’s only two years ago that things weren’t going so well on the field.

Of course the team weren’t helped by an ankle injury picked up by Mogan at that stage and he missed the entire championship.

The senior players in the group felt they weren’t fulfilling their potential and decided to take matters into their own hands.

They approached Jim McGuinness and managed to coax him into returning.

And since then the team have been on an upward trajectory, and hope to scale their mountain against Kerry.

“It wasn’t to the level that we knew it could have been at.

“I wasn’t in the thick of it as much as some of the other boys.

“I was in Liverpool and then I ended up getting injured.

“But for a county our size and our tradition and how mad we are about football, it just wasn’t at the level that it needed to be.

“We’re delighted that Jim has come in to lift that.

“Previous to that we had won a few Ulster titles under Declan and we weren’t far off.

“That’s just the game. A lot of these players were playing back then.

“Maybe we’re just a wee bit older and it takes that few years to mature and all these things.

“We have a lot of boys in our prime now but we also have a few boys that are really young.

“We know all about them and the energy they bring. It’s just infectious really.

“It’s nice to have it. For the older boys you just come to your peak ages, and you just hope that everything outside of football falls into a row that allows you to play county football.”

Mogan was asked about Donegal’s final opponents Kerry and what they will bring to the decider:

“Where to start?

“What a team and what a county with huge tradition.

“It’s bred into them to win All-Irelands.

“They have probably got the best player to ever play the game, and they have a very good supporting cast.

“The three main forwards get a lot of the credit but they are very good defensively and they have a really strong goalkeeper.

“They are just a brilliant team all over and to be able to do it every year is something else.

“They get through to semi-finals at least pretty much every year.

“They really have been the benchmark but it’s great for us that we can cut our teeth against some of those boys in the next two weeks.”

Mogan will likely start in the full-back line once again in the final but you can expect him to pop up in every corner of the pitch at some stage.

It is somewhat of a surprise that Mogan spends so much time close to his own goal considering what he brings offensively but he’s happy to do whatever is asked of him.

That’s something you’ll have to take up with the manager!

“It doesn’t matter to me.

“If I was asked to go in goals I would do it.

“It doesn’t matter where you are asked to play. Just to get into the first 15 is great.

“It’s been new for me but Gaelic Football is very interchangeable these days and the new rules have added to that.

“It’s very dynamic and a lot of boys can play in different positions, and it’s just the way it has fallen for me.”