Ciaran Bonner

Ciarán Bonner
Personal information
Sport Gaelic football
Position Centre forward
Born 5 March 1984
Letterkenny, Ireland
Club(s)
Years Club
2004–2011
pre-2009
2012
 Glenswilly
Donegal Boston
Tír Chonaill Gaels
Club titles
Donegal titles 3
Inter-county(ies)
Years County
2006–2009
2012–?
 Donegal
London
Inter-county titles
NFL 1

Ciaran Bonner is an Irish former Gaelic footballer who played for Glenswilly and the Donegal county team.

Playing career

Club

Bonner was part of the Glenswilly team that won its first Donegal Senior Football Championship in 2011, with a 1–8 to 0–9 victory over St Michael's.[1] He played in the 2007 final which Glenswilly lost.[2] He later moved to the London club Tír Chonaill Gaels.[2]

He also played for Donegal Boston.[3]

He scored a goal in the final of the 2013 Donegal Senior Football Championship following a deft flick of the heel from Michael Murphy.[4][5] That was Bonner's second Donegal Senior Football Championship. Bonner's team progressed to the final of the Ulster Senior Club Football Championship, which they lost to Ballinderry.[6][7]

He won a third Donegal SFC in 2016, making a substitute appearance in the final.[8]

He had retired by 2020.[9]

Inter-county

Bonner's Donegal debut came against St Mary's in the Dr McKenna Cup. He played in the 2006 Ulster Senior Football Championship Final at Croke Park.[10] He played many more games in the Ulster Senior Football Championship as well, and made an appearance at the semi-final stage in 2007. That same year he was part of the Donegal team that won the 2007 Dr McKenna Cup, as well as the 2007 National Football League, scoring 0–2 in the final at Croke Park.[2][11] He was stretchered off the pitch in that game.[12]

Bonner voluntarily left Donegal "for good" following the team's penultimate match of the 2008 National Football League, against Laois, a game in which he was substituted.[13] However, he was then dropped by manager John Joe Doherty over a breach of discipline ahead of the 2009 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship qualifier game against Carlow, having been expected to start that game and having played in the previous game, an Ulster Senior Football Championship defeat to Antrim.[14] Bonner played in the Connacht Senior Football Championship, making his debut for London against Leitrim in June 2012.[15]

According to Keith Duggan — writing in The Irish Times in 2013 — Bonner "was among the most conspicuously talented of the county set-up in the uncertain years before Jim McGuinness took over but was absent for the revolution".[16]

Honours

Donegal
Glenswilly

References

  1. ^ "Murphy magic proves key as Glenswilly secure first Donegal crown". Irish Independent. 3 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
  2. ^ a b c Dolan, Damian. "Gaels land Donegal star". Tír Chonaill Gaels. Archived from the original on 5 November 2013. Retrieved 27 January 2013.
  3. ^ "Donegal Boston come of age". Hogan Stand. 16 July 2009. Retrieved 16 July 2009.
  4. ^ "Watch: Michael Murphy's magical piece of skill". Hogan Stand. 24 October 2013. Retrieved 24 October 2013.
  5. ^ "Murphy follows up Ireland heroics by firing Glenswilly to county glory". Irish Independent. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 22 October 2013.
  6. ^ "Ballinderry 1–13 Glenswilly 2–06". RTÉ Sport. 1 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  7. ^ "Live: Glenswilly v Ballinderry Shamrocks Ulster senior club final". Donegal Now. 1 December 2013. Archived from the original on 3 December 2013. Retrieved 1 December 2013.
  8. ^ "Donegal SFC final: Murphy leads by example". Hogan Stand. 17 October 2016. Retrieved 17 October 2016.
  9. ^ Ferry, Ryan (16 July 2020). "Changing of the guard for Glenswilly". p. 84. …the Pairc Naomh Columba outfit will have a much younger feel to it in 2020… former Donegal senior player Gary McFadden has recovered from his cruciate injury. However, seasoned campaigners and three-times Donegal SFC winners — Neil Gallagher, Ciaran Bonner and Joe Gibbons — have all called it a day, while Cathal Gallagher has emigrated…
  10. ^ "Donegal 0–09 1–09 Armagh". BBC Sport. 9 July 2006. Retrieved 9 July 2006.
  11. ^ a b "Donegal achieve historic win — First national league title comes to county after victory over Mayo". Donegal Times. 25 April 2007. Archived from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 25 April 2007.
  12. ^ Ferry, Ryan (23 April 2020). "McConigley reflects on 2007 National League success". Donegal News. pp. 52–3.
  13. ^ "Donegal rocked as Bonner opts out of county panel 'for good'". Irish Independent. 15 April 2008. Retrieved 15 April 2008.
  14. ^ "Donegal duo dropped for discipline breach". RTÉ Sport. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2009. Ciaran Bonner and Neil Gallagher have been dropped from the Donegal football panel for a breach of discipline ahead of Saturday's All-Ireland qualifier against Carlow in Ballybofey.
  15. ^ "Bonner makes London debut". Donegal Democrat. 4 June 2012. Retrieved 4 June 2012.
  16. ^ Duggan, Keith (21 October 2013). "Magic Michael Murphy stars for Glenswilly after international exploits". The Irish Times. Retrieved 21 October 2013.