McHugh is the son of Patrice and the brother of Rachel.[1] He is also the son of Martin, the BBC television analyst and All-Ireland SFC winner in 1992. He was born the Wednesday after his father's Donegal side was defeated by Meath in the semi-final of the 1990 All-Ireland SFC.[2]
Mark McHugh's brother, Ryan, also plays for the Donegal team, though he was playing for the county minors when Mark won the 2012 All-Ireland SFC.[3] In 2016, the year he won his first award, Ryan joined Mark, and their father Martin, as an All Star winner.[1]
Mark's uncle, James, also played in the 1992 All-Ireland SFC final and received an All Star in 1992. James's son, Eoin, also played for Donegal up to, and including, senior level.
McHugh made his senior championship debut as a substitute against Down in Ballybofey in 2010.[5] Under Jim McGuinness, his former manager at under-21 level, McHugh was part of the team that won the 2011 Ulster Senior Football Championship, and played in the final against Derry.[11][12]
McHugh returned to the Ulster SFC final in 2012 in his third campaign,[13][14][15] winning a second Ulster SFC title and scoring 0–2 against Down in the final.[16] He was man of the match in the Ulster final.[17] He then helped Donegal all the way to the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, in which he played.[18] Donegal won.[19] After that game he said, "The woman I'm going to have to marry is going to have to be very, very good to top this day off for me".[20] McHugh sang his wee heart out at the homecoming when he joined in with Rory Gallagher on "Jimmy's Winning Matches".
McHugh won an All Star and attended the Football Tour of New York.[21]
McHugh made a substitute appearance against Monaghan in the 2014 National Football League Division 2 final at Croke Park. Three days later, it was confirmed that McHugh was one of four players to have left the Donegal county panel, less than a month before the county's 2014 Ulster SFC game against Derry.[27] Later he admitted, "I just needed a break. I wasn't enjoying what I was doing and me being there didn't help the mood in the camp. And I thought its [sic] not good for me being here and it's probably not good for other players so I stepped away. Going away was a decision I made and I knew I wouldn't be in the team if I stepped away. I made that decision."[28] He spent his time away from the team in New York.[29] He thus missed out on the 2014 Ulster SFC campaign, which Donegal won.[30] In his absence Donegal also qualified for a second All-Ireland SFC final in three years, with McHugh's brother Ryan helping himself to two goals against Dublin in the semi-final after being left to the bus by Mark, who sat by "and watched as he became a household name in one afternoon".[29] Ahead of the final, McHugh the Elder admitted he was "looking forward to… rebuilding for next year of myself and the club championship, playing well and hopefully with Jim next year or whoever that may be and ask me back into the panel. [sic]"[28]
Bonner–McGuinness interim: 2014–17
With Rory Gallagher having succeeded Jim McGuinness as manager of Donegal, McHugh rejoined the county panel ahead of the 2015 season.[31] He started the opening fixture of the 2015 National Football League at home to Derry.[32] He also started the next game against Dublin at Croke Park, the third fixture against Cork in Ballyshannon, the fourth fixture against Monaghan and the fifth fixture against Kerry.[33][34][35][36] He appeared as a substitute for his own brother in the sixth fixture against Tyrone.[37] He also appeared as a substitute in the seventh fixture against Mayo.[38]
Ahead of the 2015 Ulster SFC, McHugh cracked his ribs while playing a game with his club and was also having difficulty with a quad injury which had not properly healed.[39] He made a substitute appearance in the preliminary round against Tyrone, started the quarter-final against Armagh and made a substitute appearance in the semi-final against Derry.[40][41][42] He then started the 2015 Ulster SFC final.[43] He also started the 2015 All-Ireland SFC qualifier defeat of Galway at Croke Park, and the next game against Mayo at the same venue.[44][45]
McHugh was included in the 2016 Dr McKenna Cup squad but was later reported to be training away from the team, with the manager stating: ""At present he is not in the squad… He is working on his own individual strength and conditioning programme under our supervision".[46] He made a substitute appearance against Roscommon in the fifth fixture of the 2016 National Football League.[47] He made further substitute appearances in the sixth and seventh fixtures, against Dublin at Croke Park and Monaghan in Castleblayney respectively.[48][49]
McHugh made a substitute appearance in the 2016 Ulster SFC final.[50] He had previously made substitute appearances in the quarter-final against Fermanagh, in the semi-final against Monaghan and in the semi-final replay against the same opposition (scoring 0–1 in the latter game).[51][52][53] McHugh also made a substitute appearance in the 2016 All-Ireland SFC qualifier defeat of Cork at Croke Park.[54]
McHugh made a substitute appearance in the second fixture of the 2017 National Football League away to Roscommon.[55] He made a substitute appearance for his own cousin in the fourth fixture against Cavan.[56] He made another substitute appearance in the fifth fixture against Tyrone.[57] He made an early substitute appearance in the sixth fixture against Monaghan.[58] He made another substitute appearance in the seventh fixture against Mayo.[59]
Under the management of Declan Bonner, McHugh made a substitute appearance against Galway in the second fixture of the 2018 National Football League.[63] He started against Dublin in the third game and against Kildare in the fourth game.[64][65] In the fifth game against Tyrone (another start), McHugh scored a point.[66] A further start followed in the sixth game against Monaghan, and a substitute appearance in the seventh game against Mayo.[67][68]
McHugh won his third and final Ulster SFC in 2018, appearing as second half substitute in the final against Fermanagh and scoring a point.[69] He had previously made substitute appearances in the preliminary round against Cavan, the quarter-final against Derry and the semi-final against Down, scoring a point in the semi-final.[70][71][72] McHugh did not return after the winter.[73] Alongside clubmates Ciaran McGinley and Stephen McBrearty, he opted out the Donegal panel for the 2019 season.[74]
Inter-provincial
McHugh played for Ulster in the Inter-Provincial Series.[75]
Style of play
McHugh's performances in 2012 earned him repeated descriptions of being "Donegal's pivotal player".[76] At his peak, he was considered "as lively a wire as his father Martin was in his heyday",[77] and has been called the "Lionel Messi" of a Donegal team widely said to resemble FC Barcelona in terms of the quality of their style and shock and awe tactics.[78][79]Daniel O'Donnell himself has personally thanked McHugh.[80]
Coaching
He joined the Fermanagh minor team as their coach for 2020, saying: "I want to get a wee bit of experience in the coaching and they train in Irvinestown which is as close to me as Letterkenny or Convoy". McHugh had earlier wished to be part of a Gary Duffy-led Donegal under-20 management team; however, Shaun Paul Barrett was instead appointed manager.[81][82]
In October 2022, McHugh was announced as Roscommon senior coach at the same time as Davy Burke was appointed manager.[83][84]
On Saturday, 31 December 2022, McHugh married Aisling Gormley, with the ceremony taking place at St Columba's Church in Carrick, the photographs being taken in Towney, and the reception being held at Letterkenny's Clanree Hotel.[86] As of that time, Gormley taught at Niall Mór National School, Killybegs, and her and McHugh had three children (son, daughter, son) together.[86]
^McNulty, Chris (15 April 2019). "Martin O'Reilly withdraws from Donegal squad". Retrieved 15 April 2019. 2012 All-Ireland winners Mark McHugh and Anthony Thompson did not return for the county this winter…
^Craig, Frank (9 August 2019). "Kilcar lay league marker ahead of championship". Donegal News. p. 65.
^Keys, Colm (6 August 2012). "Donegal eyes on the big prize: McFadden twists knife as curtain falls on illustrious Kingdom era". Irish Independent. Retrieved 6 August 2012. McHugh is now Donegal's pivotal player, the man whose role has now done most to develop their game from 2011. He worked well as a sweeper around the McGee brothers, who were tasked with minding Donaghy and Colm Cooper, but it was the young Kilcar man's playmaking from those deep positions that really stood out.
^"Jimmy's like Messi! Donegal are the Barcelona of GAA, say Cork legends". 27 August 2012. Retrieved 27 August 2012. Double All-Ireland winner Tony Davis stood by his insistence that Donegal played awful defensive Gaelic football last year. But he has changed his mind now about this year's team — and reckons Donegal play GAA the way Barcelona play soccer! For McHugh, think Messi, he says.
^O'Shea, Joe (27 August 2012). "Donegal one step from Sam after 20-year wait". Irish Independent. Retrieved 27 August 2012. Cork never really got going. Outnumbered, out-sung and watching a supposedly "negative" team suddenly transform themselves into the FC Barcelona of Gaelic Football, the Rebels were left muttering about 'lads who didn't show up' and a manager who, to many of them at least, made some questionable calls…
Above is the Donegal team that defeated Derry in the Ulster SFC final.
The 2011 Donegal football team progressed to the 2011 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-finals, where they lost narrowly to eventual title-winners Dublin. Donegal defeated Kildare after extra-time in the All-Ireland quarter-final.