In the summer of 1990, as one legendary Donegal sporting career was reaching its zenith, another was just beginning, one that would grip the county like few could.
Between starring in a penalty shootout as the Republic of Ireland qualified for the World Cup quarter-final and, more impressively for some, meeting Pope John Paul II a few days later, the 'Rock of the Rosses’ Packie Bonner cemented his status as a Donegal sporting legend.
Around the same time, Jim McGuinness would start a Tir Chonaill career that would end with the Glenties man having a similar standing to Bonner in the north-west.
A few days before Bonner denied Romania’s Daniel Timofte - David O’Leary providing the Coup de grâce - McGuinness banged in 1-01 against Derry in an Ulster minor semi-final, but the Oakleafers still prevailed.
Weeks later, McGuinness was helping Naomh Conaill to Donegal intermediate honours in a spiteful final against Bundoran.
Starting in full-forward, McGuinness was booked in the 24th minute, but stayed on the pitch for the entire contest, most notable for the late introduction of then Donegal boss Brian McEniff. After the game, McEniff chatted to McGuinness and asked him into his senior panel, the first stitch in his indomitable impact on the county team, chiefly from the sidelines.
By that stage Jack O’Connor was already on the sidelines in Kerry. A year earlier, he had returned home from America to open the Inny Tavern in the Iveragh peninsula along with his brother Mike.
In 1990, in the same month as McGuinness was being called into the Donegal squad, O’Connor was team trainer as Dromid Pearses claimed the Kerry County Novice B title at the expense of Cromane – the club’s first-ever county title at any grade and the Inny was suitably jammed that night. The club spent £204 (punt) to fly Michael O’Sullivan-Shine and James Curran back from England for the game. They flew Ryanair, in case you’re wondering.
It’s not quite Malin to Mizen Head, but those two finals – played one week apart in Killarney and then Ballybofey – couldn't have been much further away geographically, but they played their part in bringing together what is currently the game’s most eminent rivalry.
‘Now’ is the key word there, because in the grand scheme of things, these are counties that have little in the way of a championship history - but it’s worth nothing that 50% of their games - ok, a mere two - have come in All-Ireland finals.
Saturday’s All-Ireland round 1 clash is just game number five then, and it could be the first of two championship meetings between McGuinness and O’Connor in the coming weeks - the semi-final the next possible juncture.
Heffo v Micko, Kernan v Harte and in more recent times, Gavin v Horan, football managerial rivalries add extra stock to games and given the strength of the two panels, there could be plenty of juice left in this one too in the coming years.
It may not have the volume of games of some of those other rivalries, but the longevity is impressive.
This weekend’s clash in Killarney comes 14 years after the first championship game between the two bosses. Indeed, it was the first-ever championship meeting of the counties, never mind the managers.
First honours went to McGuinness in that All-Ireland quarter-final - current Tir Chonaill coach Colm McFadden with the goal from a fortunate sideline.
Afterwards, a visibly dejected O’Connor was asked about facing Donegal’s famed defensive web first-hand: "I wouldn’t get into that one now, that’s a horse of a different colour."
A week later, with another year left on his term, O’Connor was gone, forever maybe – but he and McGuinness were both on the sideline on 2014 All-Ireland final day, O’Connor guiding the Kingdom minors to glory, McGuinness losing out in the senior final, as Kerry did the one-two on Donegal.
It was in the lead-up to the final that we had perhaps the most bizarre moment of the rivalry between the counties, and topical given matters in the English Championship right now.
Donegal man Patrick Roarty, domiciled in Kerry, was reported to have been spotted up a tree overlooking Kerry training five days out from the final, a dropped wallet as he made his daring escape proving his undoing.
Given he had shared the same native club as McGuinness, played in the same team and the Donegal boss was reportedly the best man at his wedding, accusatory fingers pointed towards the Ulster camp.
Kerry chairman Patrick O’Sullivan dispatched Eddie Walsh and Niall O’Callaghan to investigate the shaking branches, but 'nothing to see here, guv’.
"But no sooner had they come back the tree took off again. They were our two Sherlock Holmes and they saw him the second time around," O’Sullivan told the Irish Examiner last year.
McGuinness, for his part, totally shut down any suggestion that they had been the facilitators; and the story became more jovial in tone as time passed.
Perhaps that was a convenient outcome for all county managers, and maybe many club managers too. As McGuinness, who famously erected an eight-foot fence around Donegal’s GAA base in Convoy, said, prying eyes are generally everywhere.
An entertaining ‘Super 8’ draw in 2019 is the only Donegal-Kerry championship game not involving McGuinness - let go as manager of American soccer team Charlotte Independence a few weeks earlier - and/or O’Connor, but in a full circle moment from that first meeting 12 years ago, they were both on patrol in last year’s All-Ireland final - O'Connor on stint three as boss, McGuinness in his second term.
On that occasion, O’Connor cemented his reputation as one of the game’s great managers, taking a blowtorch to the hopes of Ulster’s big three in the latter rounds with Donegal taking the last of the flames as the Dromid man guided Kerry to the All-Ireland for a fifth time, 21 years after doing it for the first time.
McGuinness, so often cited as a tactical magician, pulled off something of a disaster-stroke with the decision to allow Paudie Clifford free rein.
Clifford the elder had an astonishing 76 possessions, scored three points and assisted six more. He didn’t give the ball away once.
In January, prior to the league meeting with Kerry, McGuinness caught reporters off guard with a spikey response when asked could those same zonal tactics take them to Sam in 2026.
"I don't listen to those people, most of them have never coached at inter-county level, most of them have never stood on the sideline, most of them have never won anything as a coach.
"So, I don't take counsel from people, I only take counsel from people that have been there and done that."
A few days later they beat the Kingdom by four points in Ballyshannon and later by an astonishing 13 points in the Division 1 final. On Saturday, we should get some answers – but definitely not all – about how Donegal have reacted to their shock Ulster loss to Down.
For Kerry, it’s been a serene enough ride to the All-Ireland series with resources rather than results providing the bumps as they deal with an extended injury list.
They are favourites for the All-Ireland in everyone's book and with other sports surely not allowed to even barely visit Kerry's Mount Rushmore, maybe a sixth Sam would bring Jack into the conversation.
That's for then and this is now. Saturday's another chance to heat up what could become one of the great rivalries, and a managerial one already 14 years old.
Whatever the outcome, the sense that a bigger battle awaits will hang over the action.
Watch Galway v Kildare in the All-Ireland Football Championship first round on Saturday from 7.20pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Saturday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch a provincial hurling double-header, Dublin v Kilkenny (2pm) and Cork v Clare (4pm), on Sunday from 1.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow our live blog on RTÉ.ie/sport and RTÉ News app and listen to Sunday Sport on RTÉ Radio 1
Watch The Saturday Game and The Sunday Game from 9.30pm on RTÉ2 and RTÉ Player. Follow a live blog on all matches on the RTÉ News app and on rte.ie/sport
