Brendan Devenney

Brendan Devenney (born 1976) is an Irish Gaelic football coach, broadcaster and former player. He played as a forward.

Devenney played for the St Eunan's club, and also represented the Donegal county team. He contested ? Ulster Senior Football Championship (SFC) finals with Donegal, played in a semi-final of the 2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, and won the 2007 National Football League title. Of a temperament, Devenney later said: "Has anyone's hero turned around and then been their hero? Because Michael would be mine. So it's come full circle".

Club In the final of the 1999 Donegal Senior Football Championship, Devenney broke Martin McHugh's record by scoring 0–14 of his team's 1–19 to their opponents Aodh Ruadh's 1–11. Devenney punctured a lung while playing for his club against Clonoe of Tyrone in the Ulster Club SFC in 2008. He ignored his injury, sustained in the first half, and carried on until the end of the game—scoring four points and contributing to the decisive goal which won the game for his team—after which he was hospitalised. He also captained his club.

He won five Donegal SFCs as a player.

He also played for Donegal New York.

County Devenney played senior football for Donegal despite not having played underage. Declan Bonner gave Devenney his championship debut in 1998.

Devenney had a decent game against Armagh in the 2004 Ulster final at Croke Park. He played championship football until 2005. However, he went off injured during the game, which Donegal won, and Kevin McMenamin replaced him. He made a substitute appearance against Armagh in the 2007 Ulster SFC quarter-final at MacCumhaill Park on 27 May that year and scored the last-minute goal which defeated the Orchard County by a single point on a scoreline of 1–9 to 1–8. However, he was excluded from the squad in 2008. He confirmed his retirement from football's top level on 29 December 2009.

Devenney never won the Ulster Senior Football Championship during his career. Shortly after his departure Donegal won an All-Ireland Senior Football title in 2012. Devenney said, He spoke again in 2020 of the "dread" he experienced ahead of playing for Donegal against other Ulster teams.

National team Devenney represented Ireland in the 1998 International Rules Series. He scored one over (worth three points) in the second test, which was held at Croke Park on 18 October, as Ireland won the series by an aggregate score of 128–118. He was his country's leading scorer against Australia in the 2001 International Rules Series, as Ireland romped to victory in Australia. He scored four overs in the first test, held at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on 12 October, as Ireland won 59–53. He scored two overs in the second test, held at Football Park in Adelaide on 19 October.

There was also Limavady United somewhere.

Devenney, however, was not sufficiently interested in the sport to take up an offer of a two-year contract with Finn Harps in 2007, preferring to play football for Donegal.

Devenney has also played for association football club Gweedore United in the Donegal Junior Football League.

Coaching and media work As of 2012, Devenney was coaching his local club and doing radio commentary for the BBC. He was critical of the qualifiers the GAA brought into the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, saying in 2009 that they had "diluted the Championship season a bit." He was also involved in a national radio debate hosted by Marian Finucane on the topic of money.

DL Debate On 10 February 2020, a weekly programme called DL Debate began airing on Highland Radio. It originated in discussion between Devenney and Oisín Kelly between games on a Sunday, with Devenney concluding that a Monday evening programme to discuss the weekend's fixtures was necessary. Devenney's guests on the first episode included John Haran, Colm Parkinson (Laois) and Ciarán Whelan (Dublin). Others in later episodes included Neil Gallagher, John Gildea, Enda McGinley (Tyrone), Rory Kavanagh, Donal Reid, Bernard Flynn (Meath), P. J. McGowan and David Brady (Mayo). Devenney presented DL Debate live from Donegal Town on the evening of the homecoming after the 2025 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final.

Personal life He is the son of Paddy and Imelda Devenney. His father died of an illness in September 2022, while his sister Margaret also died — suddenly — the next day, and the two were given a joint funeral.

Charairy balls "DV's Charity Ball", as it was termed, was held in November 2021 at Letterkenny's Mount Errigal Hotel. Devenney said his second ball would involve a drinks reception, four-course meal, an auction and music.