By Michael McMullan

THERE isn’t room to swing a cat in the Clones tunnel, but you can see the wide smile Donegal coach Luke Barrett wears as he steps his way through the crowds.

In a feature interview with Gaelic Life earlier in the year, he spoke about growing up and watching the teams’ buses driving through Clones. He always wondered what it would be like inside.

Two years since Jim McGuinness called him into the management team, the former minor boss has played a role in back-to-back Ulster titles.

“Indescribable,” was his word of choice to sum up the scenes around him. “From the minute we came into Clones today, the colour and the energy and the noise, it was incredible.

“To just get over the line and to be on the right side of that titanic battle today, it’s unbelievable.”

Donegal twice held a seven-point lead. The first time was eight minutes before half-time before Armagh mined four scores off kick-outs and it was game on again. It was the same in the final quarter before Oisin Conaty stamped the final’s extra-time card.

“It was just one of those games where you just can’t be comfortable,” said Barrett. “You just know they’re going to keep coming and we were saying they wouldn’t go away.

“They just wouldn’t go away and, fair play to them, that was just an unbelievable battle. That was just two teams going absolutely all in for it and we’re just fortunate we came out the right side of it.”

Armagh held the early cards in extra-time before Michael Langan cut inside to make a goal for Ciarán Moore.

The twists were only starting. Ethan Rafferty stood over a two-point free to level matters again.

Barrett knew he’d nail it, referring to his sweet 45 early on and his inspired second half performance. It was that sort of game in extra-time. An array of fine margins.

“There’s a whole load of emotions and there’s not a lot of clarity around the game at the minute but it’s just unreal,” he said of the frantic finale before hailing how Finnbarr Roarty kept his head as Armagh chased an equaliser.

Barrett also pointed to a key possession against Monaghan, knowing Roarty’s capabilities from his days of managing him at minor level.

“For 19 years old, he’s an absolutely phenomenal talent but even more than that, he’s an unbelievable person,” he said of the Naomh Conaill teenager.

“He’s 19 there and he’s living his dream, so I’m delighted for him but I’m delighted for all the players.

“The work they’ve put in, the commitment they’ve put in, it’s next to none. Armagh will say they could have deserved it but I do believe our boys deserve every minute of this today because they work so hard.”

Donegal have Tyrone coming to Ballybofey for the opening round of the All-Ireland series. They’ve games with Mayo and Cavan also on the horizon.

In the excitement of their Ulster final celebrations, minutes after Patrick McBrearty had the Anglo Celt Cup above his head, Barrett spoke of their desire to retain the Ulster title.

“The bottom line is this,” he said, “people can say all they want about the provincials but Ulster’s special, today was absolutely magical.

“From the minute we came in (to Clones), the energy, the level of just noise and just tension, excitement and every emotion going with it

“Ulster’s a standalone provincial title and those medals today, they were hard earned and the players deserve them.”