Paddy McGrath

Paddy McGrath (born 2 February 1989) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Ard an Rátha and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team.

Though not from a footballing family, McGrath would equal his club's most successful player Anthony Molloy in winning the Sam Maguire Cup (though Molloy was captain) and surpass his haul of Ulster Senior Football Championships.

Playing career McGrath is not from a footballing family. He played Sigerson Cup football for GMIT.

Under-21 McGrath, along with clubmates Conor Classon and Peter McNelis, was part of the Donegal under-21 squad which qualified for the 2010 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship final, losing out to Dublin. McGrath played in that game with a broken jaw — manager Jim McGuinness, after taking over as Donegal senior manager, recalled: McGrath had earlier played for Donegal throughout the Ulster Under-21 Football Championship, which they had won to progress to the All-Ireland final.

The players were unaware that McGrath's jaw was, as James Carroll, later described it, "wired". McGrath described the campaign as "a platform that set us up to be senior players". Around the same time, McGrath turned down an opportunity to become a full-time assistant site manager in the English city of Liverpool so that he could continue to play football.

McGrath soon added an Ulster Senior Football Championship to leave Diver languishing further behind in the shade.

McGrath added another Ulster Senior Football Championship the following year.

McGrath then went one better and got his hands on an All-Ireland senior medal. His defensive performance in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final defeat of Kerry, en route to the final, immortality and championship glory, was described in the national media as "exceptional".

He scored his first point for his county against Galway in a challenge game in 2013.

McGrath scored a point against Tyrone in the 2017 National Football League. It marked the first occasion on which he had scored for Donegal, in league or in championship. McGrath then scored a goal in Donegal's 2017 Ulster Senior Football Championship defeat of Antrim. He tore a posterior cruciate ligament and sustained cartilage damage in 2017 while on club duty. McGrath scored a point in the final against Fermanagh.

McGrath won his fifth Ulster Senior Football Championship in 2019, five more than Diver ever did.

However, McGrath's 2019 season ended at the All-Ireland quarter-final stage against Mayo in Castlebar when he sustained an anterior cruciate ligament injury, necessitating a prolonged spell out of the game. He had only returned to playing for Donegal in the same game, having sustained an earlier injury to his ankle following the final of the 2019 Ulster Senior Football Championship.

McGrath announced his retirement from inter-county football ahead of the 2022 season.

Personal life McGrath has a wife, Stephanie, with whom he has several daughters.

Advocacy McGrath appeared in a video advocating a vote for "No" in the 2018 referendum on the availability of abortion.

Honours Player All-Ireland Senior Football Championship: 2012 2016 Irish News Ulster All Star: 2019