Nov 19,2024
Derry footballer Chrissy McKaigue has called time on his stellar inter-county career.
McKaigue made his championship debut for Derry in 2008, joining the panel for their game with Monaghan, coming on as a substitute and scoring a point.
Aside from a two-year spell with Sydney Swans in the AFL, McKaigue has been an ultra-reliable presence in the Derry colours since then, excelling over 15 seasons.
The former Derry captain bows out of the top-flight with two Ulster titles, one Division 1 league medal and an All-Star.
"I have been thinking about if for some time. I spoke to Paddy, echoed my feelings to him early so we both could move forward in our respective future endeavours and I just wanted to have everything straight from the start of the new regime, with no uncertainty and no speculation over the winter.
"It's mid-November and coming out with this decision now with this certainty allows the team and management to move forward.
"Getting my body right, embracing all the aspects of modern training and getting my mind right, it has been hard work over 15 years with Derry. My gut says now is the right time to step aside."
McKaigue (35) will continue to play with his beloved club Slaughtneill, where his record is even more impressive with 16 County titles - 11 in hurling and five in football.
At provincial level he has thus far won seven Ulster club titles, four in hurling and three in football and helped Slaughtneill to two All-Ireland finals.
In 2020, the brilliant dual star became the first player to win AIB Club All-Stars in both hurling and football.
"There is huge solace in having Slaughtneill in my life and that is my main focus," he says.
McKaigue, who also played twice for Ireland against Australia in the 2013 and 2014 International Rules series, admits the last year hasn’t been easy for anyone involved with Derry GAA with managerial changes and lot of uncertainty behind the scenes at varying stages.
"It has been tough," he says.
"But the parting message from me is simple. It is now time for everyone in Derry to reunite under this team and management," he adds of the newly-appointed Paddy Tally.
"Time for them to get back behind this team like they were when we won the recent Ulster championships and NFL title.
"I want to see Celtic Park packed for Division 1 games next season and everyone behind the team for the 2025 championship. The supporters have to know the energy and inspiration that we felt when everyone in the county was behind us in those recent seasons – and the boys need to feel that again now."
There is little more to be said about McKaigue’s footballing prowess at the top level than what is already widely known.
One of the best defenders the modern game has seen, he was skilful and instinctive, athletic, rangy, and had all the defensive tricks in the book needed to nullify the opposition’s star player – the man marking role was a job he got day in, day out against some of the biggest names in Gaelic football, from Diarmuid Connolly to Paddy McBrearty to David Clifford – and a whole lot more besides.
"I found it mentally tough and exhausting to mark those marquee names," he admits.
"I spoke to people that I trusted in how to go about the process and studied lots of video tape and material but mentally it was absolutely exhausting.
"Over a long period of time too.
"I knew the pressure that came with it, but people didn’t really want to know how your body was – they just expected you to churn out personal bests every time you took on a big player.
"And if I am being honest, in the last wee while I wasn’t winning as many of those battles as I once had."
There was also not much ground that McKaigue hadn’t covered in his 17-year stint at the top.
Aside from those memorable runs with Slaughtneil in both codes, and his time in the AFL, he played for Derry in all four divisions.
Earlier this year, Derry beat Dublin in the Division 1 final – that was his third time to play in the first tier league decider.
Just five years earlier, however, he was centre-back and the scorer of two points as Derry beat Leitrim by four points in the Division 4 final.
"There was huge pride in leading Derry back to Division 1," he says.
"That was a highlight. Another highlight was one day looking around the dressingroom, having fought our way up from the lower divisions and seeing boys who I knew would keep Derry right up at the top of the tree.
"Yes, a lot has happened in the past couple of seasons, but we could only control what we could control.
"There will be a tinge of regret that we didn’t get to win the ultimate prize in Gaelic football and that is something that I will have to live with.
"The fact that we didn’t get to the pinnacle of our sport is something that will stay with me, but I temper that by the fact that there are lots of players out there who didn’t win that prize and who didn’t get to the levels that we did. And I had 17 seasons at inter-county level. It was some journey.
"I know in my heart of hearts that I didn’t leave many stones unturned in trying to get to the ultimate destination and there is solace in that as well – that you did all you could to try to get there."
For the past couple of years, the former schoolteacher has worked as Slaughtneil’s full-time Games Promotion Officer, structuring coaching in local schools and overseeing the development of underage players in the club.
He now works full-time in Saint Patrick’s College Maghera as academy lead for Gaelic Games.
Derry GAA paid tribute to McKaigue in a statement that hailed him as a 'Derry great'.
"Chrissy's passion for Derry GAA was evident in every match, every tackle, and every rallying cry to his team," the statement read. "His All-Star recognition in 2022 was a fitting testament to his skill, work ethic, and commitment, but his contributions went far beyond individual accolades. Chrissy embodied what it means to play for your county - with pride, loyalty, and unwavering belief.
"While his chapter as a player closes, there is no doubt that Chrissy McKaigue's impact on Gaelic games in Derry is far from over. His leadership, vision, and dedication ensure he will play a pivotal role in shaping the future of the sport in the county, inspiring generations to come.
"Thank you, Chrissy, for your remarkable service to Derry football. You retire as a Derry great, and your influence will continue to shine brightly in the years ahead."
