Name: PJ McGowan.

Teams played for: I played with Oisin’s and St Brendan’s in Manchester. I played with the college team called De La Salle in Manchester, and won a championship. The team included Mickey Moran, Terence McWilliams. Everyone on the team played either intercounty, minor, u-21 or senior. I played in England for nine years, then I came back home. The county (Donegal) and the club (Sean MacCumhaill’s) took me back for matches in the early 1970s. I was over and back quite a bit. I used to share a plane with Paddy McMahon, the father of Joe and Justin McMahon from Tyrone. He was at college in Leeds and I was in Manchester and we quite often used to get the same plane back.

Current involvement: After stopping playing, I was involved as a coach with Brian McEniff for a long time. After that I was involved in administration. I was chairman of the county board in 2012 when we won the All-Ireland. In the first year of my chairmanship we won an Ulster u-21 Championship (2011), in my second year we won our first Ulster title in 19 years, and in my final year we won an All-Ireland. When I finished there I got back involved with the Ulster Council. I was involved in the Gaelfast project in Antrim along with Eugene Young. We were involved with pushing for funding at Croke Park.

Which club game, that you played in, will you never forget and why?

I played an Ulster Club match up in Pomeroy in the 1970s. The game finished in a draw. Seamus Woods and Canice Woods were playing for Tyrone, and playing for Carrickmore at the time. They beat us in the replay back in Ballybofey. They had a priest playing for them at full-forward, I don’t remember his name but he gave Martin Griffin a torrid time.

Another story is when I was manager of the Donegal vocational team. We won it in 1984 and in 1985. We got through to the final in 1987 against Kerry. I was also manager of the Donegal u-21 team. We were scheduled to play Kerry and both counties were scheduled to change jerseys. It was a curtain-raiser to Dublin and Kerry and it was a pretty big crowd in Croke Park. I got word before the game that Kerry only had one set of jerseys and they weren’t going to change jerseys. I didn’t like that idea so I got my wife to bring a set of green and gold jerseys that I had for the u-21 team. This was Pat Daly’s first game in charge in terms of games development manager in Croke Park. There were all sorts of hassles and wrangles. Ten minutes before starting time, neither team had taken the field. As it transpired we ended up playing in green and gold and Kerry ended up playing in the second set of jerseys we had. The Kerry public didn’t recognise the players and we got great support in the first half. They beat us by a point in the end. It was a memorable tale. The Kerry boys knew that if they took one set of jerseys they would have to play in them. But our county board stood their ground.

Which club game, that you watched, will you never forget and why?

It was an Ulster Club final between Lavey and Tir Chonaill Gaels of London. It was played in Ballinascreen. Lavey were a big club side at that time. But Tir Chonaill Gaels had Mattie McGleenan and James McCartan. It went to extra time, Lavey won by a point or two. It was a tremendous game of football.

Which county game, that you played in, will you never forget and why?

The biggest game I ever played in was the 1974 All-Ireland semi-final against Galway. I had just come back from England. I was in the squad but I didn’t start. I came on as a sub for Brian McEniff after 10 minutes. He broke a bone in his hand. The first possession I had was a 45 which I kicked. Galway beat us, but we were the better team. I remember seeing Brian Mullins in our dressing room after, and I remember that because that coincided with the rise of the Dubs.

Which county game, that you watched, will you never forget and why?

The best county game that I have ever watched was the Derry-Down game in 1994 in Celtic Park. The two All-Ireland titles that Donegal won, I won’t forget them. But for sheer spectator value that Derry-Down match was tremendous. Derry were All-Ireland champions in 1993, I think if Derry had made one or two switches they might have won.

What was the funniest thing you ever saw in a game?

It was a club match in Donegal, we were playing Glencolmcille, Naomh Columba. It was a shield final in Killybegs. One of our players got sent off for throwing a handful of sand in the face of a player who was about to take a free. We did some laughing about that.

What was the strangest thing you ever saw in a game?

I was at a Connacht final between Roscommon and Mayo. Shane Curran jumped up and caught the crossbar and pulled it down. There was half an hour delay till they got the crossbar replaced. Shane Curran is no stranger to strange incidents.

The other one happened in the 1993 Ulster final in Clones. There was a deluge. The game should never have been played. There was the old hill at Clones. It wasn’t terraced as it is now. There was a middle aged man in his Sunday suit and he slipped all the way from the top of that hill to the bottom. And it was a mudbath. He just lost his footing and slid down. I thought how was that man going to get home.

What was the most memorable performance from a player in a game that you watched?

Michael Murphy and scoring that goal in the 2012 All-Ireland final. It happened early in the game but what made it memorable was I watched Donegal training on the Thursday before that, in a light training session. They worked for a long while on delivering a ball in to Michael Murphy or Colm McFadden, one to catch it and tap it down to the other. And that’s what happened.

Very often plans like that don’t come to fruition.

What was the most memorable performance from a player in a game that you played?

The 1974 Ulster final. Seamus Bonner scored three goals that day. It was a replay against Down. Down were leading by seven or eight points. Bonner scored three goals and Donegal won by a couple of points. Patsy Devlin from Tyrone refereed it. Patsy used to get down on one knee and point for a decision. He had to take refuge in the Donegal changing rooms because they were going to kill him.

What did you love about the games you played in?

I loved the camaraderie and team spirit when a side got their act together. That is the most appealing thing of playing, when everyone is focused.

What did you hate about the games you played in?

Bad refereeing. It was the bane of my life. We have had plenty of bad referees particularly in club games. Though I never got sent off.

MEMORIES… PJ McGowan, left, was chairman when Donegal won the All-Ireland in 2012, which was a great game, but not his favourite