Declan Bonner


Declan Bonner is an Irish Gaelic footballer and manager. He currently manages the Donegal county team and plays as goalkeeper for Na Rossa.
Bonner has had two spells as manager of the county team. The first, from 1997 until 2000, saw him denied an Ulster Senior Football Championship by a last-minute Joe Brolly goal in the 1998 final. After leading the county minor team to the 2014 All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final, Bonner was given a second chance at the senior job when the next vacancy arose in 2017. Donegal had been left in a state of decline by his predecessor following the successful Jim McGuinness era. Bonner improved the team and led them to two Ulster Senior Football Championships, in 2018 and 2019, becoming only the second manager in team history to retain the title.
Bonner maintains prominent media roles in his native county, such as with Highland Radio. He contributes a weekly column called " No Bones About It", which features on the inside back cover of the Donegal News.

Early life

Bonner is from the Gaeltacht village of Lettermacaward in West Donegal. His father Dan Bonner was born on 20 September, the same date on which his son would win the 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final.

Playing career

Club

Bonner plays for his local club Na Rossa. He is considered their "most famous son". He made his senior debut for his club at the age of 14 in 1979. At the age of 16 he was part of the team that won the 1982 Donegal Junior Football Championship. He played his fortieth season in 2019 as an emergency goalkeeper. His brothers Sean, Michael, Donal and Aidan also played for the club.
He won the under-12, under-14 and under-16 titles with Rosses Rovers. He is also a Donegal Boston past player.

Inter-county

Bonner made his National Football League debut for Donegal at the age of 18 in 1983. He made his senior championship debut against Armagh in 1987.
However, Bonner went from playing every championship match to falling out with manager Tom Conaghan. This was after Bonner played for Boston in 1988 and, having returned late, Conaghan did not include him in the county panel for the remainder of the year or for the following year either. Bonner thus missed the 1989 Ulster SFC final. He began playing for League of Ireland soccer club Finn Harps in 1989, playing there at left-back until 1991. Conaghan's time as manager came to an end and Brian McEniff returned to the role in September 1989. McEniff restored Bonner to the team in time for the 1990 Ulster SFC. Bonner played against Armagh in the 1990 Ulster final, won by Donegal, and scored 0–2. He once played for Finn Harps against Cobh Ramblers on a Sunday at noon, then for Donegal against Longford in the National Football League on the same day in 1991.
Bonner scored 0–19 in the 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. That year Donegal qualified for in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final for the first time in their history. Bonner scored 0–4 of Donegal's total in the county's victory over Dublin in that game, and it was also he who scored the final point of the match. Upon doing so he clenched his fist, certain in the knowledge of victory. It is regarded as one of the most iconic moments in team history. He fell to the floor and was there when the referee blew the final whistle. But, within five years of raising aloft the Sam Maguire Cup, Bonner was forced to retire from the game due to injury.

Management career

Bonner has been mentored in management by McEniff.

Early club management

Bonner became player-manager with Na Rossa at the age of 23, his first managerial appointment. This was during his fall out with Donegal manager Tom Conaghan during which time Bonner was exiled from the county team. To pass his period of exile he led Na Rossa to the 1989 Donegal Intermediate Football Championship, while also playing for them. Bonner's brothers Sean, Michael and Donal were also part of that Na Rossa team, while his brother Aidan — a minor — was a substitute. McEniff took over as Donegal manager again at the end of 1989. McEniff recalled Bonner to the county team. Bonner would not manage Na Rossa again for some time.

Inter-county

Bonner managed the Donegal county football team at senior level between 1997 and 2000. He began on his 32nd birthday, within four weeks of retirement. He was informed of the decision to appoint him at 9.29 pm on 11 August 1997, after Anthony Molloy, past manager Conaghan and Pauric McShea all withdrew. Bonner led Donegal to the 1997–98 National Football League semi-final against eventual title winners Offaly and the 1998 Ulster SFC final against Derry — a last-minute Joe Brolly goal, accompanied by a few kisses to the crowd, put paid to that one.

Return to club management

Bonner managed Gaoth Dobhair to the 2006 Donegal Senior Football Championship title. He coached Carl McHugh, the professional association footballer, at Na Rossa. He also managed An Clochán Liath. He managed his club Na Rossa to the 2008 Donegal Intermediate Football Championship final but they lost to Séan MacCumhaills by three points.
Bonner sought a joint managerial position with the senior footballers alongside Charlie Mulgrew in 2008 but both ultimately lost out to John Joe Doherty.

Return to inter-county management

In 2011, Bonner went to assist Paddy Hegarty with a South Donegal development squad. This, he later explained, was the start of his "accidental" return to inter-county management.
Bonner won the Buncrana Cup in 2012. He then won the Jim McGuigan Cup. In mid-2013, Bonner was appointed manager of the Donegal minor team. He managed the county team to the 2014 Ulster Minor Football Championship; then to a first ever All-Ireland Minor Football Championship final, against Kerry. He was not afforded a meeting with his predecessor as county minor manager, a decision he criticised in 2017 when he wrote in the Donegal News that such a meeting should be mandatory.
When Jim McGuinness departed as county manager after the 2014 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final, Bonner was linked with the managerial vacancy.
In 2015, Bonner was appointed manager of the Donegal under-21 team. He managed the county team to an Ulster Under-21 Football Championship in 2017, defeating Derry in the final. However, he was critical of the Ulster Council for not allowing them sufficient time to prepare for the All-Ireland semi-final, which they lost to Dublin. While managing the Donegal under-21 team, Bonner was linked with the vacant Cavan senior post in October 2016.
On 22 September 2017, Bonner was reappointed manager of the senior team on a three-year term, succeeding Rory Gallagher. Shortly before the appointment, Bonner wrote in the Donegal News: "We were a top tier team, but we have dropped down over the last year or two, and I can't see that changing unless we start to have a serious look at our structures from Under 15 right up to seniors, and the way we conduct our business". Bonner's appointment led to a marked improvement in the team's fortunes and he led his county to the 2018 and 2019 Ulster Senior Football Championship titles. While managing Donegal, he returned to line out for his club at JFC level, notably making saves while playing as goalkeeper when his team's regular goalkeeper transferred to New York.

Personal life

Bonner married Catherine in 1990. He took her to Austria for the honeymoon.

Honours

Player

;Donegal
;Na Rossa
;Donegal
;Na Rossa
;Gaoth Dobhair