Kevin Cassidy

Kevin Cassidy (born 1981) is an Irish-Scottish Gaelic footballer, businessperson, columnist and commentator.

Though born in Glasgow, Scotland, he has been living in Gaoth Dobhair, County Donegal from a young age.

Cassidy plays his club football for Gaoth Dobhair, with whom he has won three Donegal Senior Football Championships and one Ulster Senior Club Football Championship.

Regarded as one of the best attacking wing half-backs of his generation, Cassidy has also played in midfield and even been his club's leading target man at the edge of the square during their successful Ulster Senior Club Football Championship campaign.

A former member of the Donegal county team, Cassidy was twice an All Star — in his maiden season and in his last.

Cassidy won his first Donegal Senior Football Championship medal with Gaoth Dobhair in 2002.

Cassidy made his Championship debut against Cavan at Breffni Park on 12 May 2002.

In his first season with Donegal, the team reached the 2002 Ulster Senior Football Championship final, but were defeated.

Then he famously went on the lash when Donegal secured a draw against Dublin in their August Bank Holiday Monday All-Ireland quarter-final.

Dublin obliterated Donegal in the replay.

Nevertheless, Cassidy was awarded an All Star for his performances that year.

The following year, his commitment to the team was called into question again.

He made a substitute appearance in the first game of Brian McEniff's last spell as Donegal manager, a league defeat to Galway in Tuam in February 2003.

However, with Fermanagh having knocked Donegal out the Ulster Championship, the team entered the All-Ireland Qualifiers, with their first game coming against Longford on a Saturday evening in Ballybofey.

Cassidy spent the day before at a wedding in Gweedore.

He later recalled: "Things were not going that well and I was at that point a bit fed up with football. I ended up going on the beer that night. After that I stopped messing, cos I'll never forget it. At the time, I thought, 'ah sound, the game is at a quarter past six,' but this is a championship game we're talking about. I woke up at 12.0 (the next day) and there were a couple of missed calls on the phone. And it was just then that I thought, 'what have you done?' I rang John Gildea, he was the most senior player at the time. 'How's things, wee Kevin?' He'd obviously heard. I went up and Brian [McEniff, team manager] said, rightly so, 'you're dropped off the team.'"

A Kevin Cassidyless Donegal overcame Longford, and ultimately reached the All-Ireland semi-final where they sustained a narrow loss to Armagh at Croke Park.

Cassidy played in that semi-final.

In 2004, Cassidy helped Donegal to reach the Ulster Senior Football Championship Final which they lost, again to Armagh.

While in the United States in 2006, he played in the Boston Championship.

He returned later in the summer to win a second Donegal Senior Football Championship with Gaoth Dobhair, beating St Eunan's in the 2006 final.

Cassidy retired from Gaelic football after Naomh Conaill defeated Gaoth Dobhair in the Donegal Senior Football Championship.

He won the 2007 National Football League and the 2011 Ulster Senior Football Championship, before an enforced — and, subsequently, permanent — absence from the inter-county scene after Cassidy became involved in a dispute about a book with manager Jim McGuinness.

In May 2012, the Irish Independent named him in its selection of Donegal's "greatest team" spanning the previous 50 years.

A qualified schoolteacher and fluent Gaeilgeoir, Cassidy's business ventures include the pub Teach Mhicí and Coláiste Chú Chulainn — a summer residential Gaelscoil for children of primary school age.

He writes a weekly column for Gaelic Life and is often a co-commentator with both TG4 and RTÉ Sport.

Cassidy's mother Clionagh is a native of Gweedore, while his father Tommy was from Scotland.

His mother emigrated to Scotland where she met his father.

Kevin, his brother Stephen and his five sisters were born in Glasgow where they lived until Cassidy was eight years of age.

Then they moved to the Gaeltacht and Cassidy learned the Irish language.

Stephen, his older brother, also played football for Gaoth Dobhair.

Cassidy initially played association football but watching his brother playing Gaelic football inspired him to try.

Cassidy's father died in 2013.

However, he was persuaded to return and he went on to win a third Donegal Senior Football Championship medal with his club in 2018.

He was then instrumental in Gaoth Dobhair's first ever Ulster Senior Club Football Championship success later in 2018, a run which involved a quarter final defeat of Cargin (a game in which Cassidy scored a goal and three points), a semi-final defeat of eleven-time winners Crossmaglen Rangers (a game in which Cassidy scored a goal and two points), and culminated in the club defeating Scotstown (who had won the competition on four previous occasions), the last two of these games occurring at Healy Park in Omagh.

Thus, Cassidy added a provincial club title to his three county championships, and, afterwards, he described it as "the proudest moment" of his life.

Cassidy earned praise both for his performance and, also, his efforts to control his fellow players and management team when tensions threatened to escalate on the pitch.

Afterwards, he reflected on his expulsion from the county team by Jim McGuinness (see below) and admitted that if this had not occurred, and taking into consideration his then age of 37, he would most likely have been a spectator instead of a player on the day.

He spent two summers with Donegal Boston, the first when he was aged "23 or 24" and the second later with his family.

In June 2018, he said he had spent four years in the United States.