Declan Darcy, who captained Leitrim in 1994 to the their first Connacht title in 67 years, has announced his intention to declare for the Dublin footballers. He cited the pressure of constantly commuting between the two counties as the reason behind his decision.
Although he intends to continue playing his club football in Leitrim, the demands of club training will hardly be as severe or as rigorously enforced.
Darcy has lived an unusual life for the past 10 years, commuting between Dublin, where he was born and reared, and Leitrim, where he plays for Aughawillan, the club which his father Frank helped to reestablish in the early 1970s.
Through this connection, he qualified to play for the county team and has been a principal influence on the great years enjoyed by Leitrim this decade. Among his achievements have been the All-Ireland B championship in 1990, two All Star nominations (1990 and '94) and Connacht medals at under-21 (1991) and senior ('94).
His decision to declare for his native county will come as a major loss to Leitrim who endured a disappointing season, culminating in the controversial defeat by Mayo in the Connacht semi-final.
Manager Seamus Bonnar has since resigned and distinguished former Fermanagh footballer Peter McGinnity is set to take over for the National Football League season, starting next month, in which the county will be in a tough section containing Mayo and Galway.
Although Darcy began life at centre back, the position from which he led Leitrim in 1994, he has in recent seasons been redeployed as a forward and has been recording impressive totals, including 0-9 in the Mayo match and 2-11 in the firstround championship fright against London over in Ruislip.
Interestingly for Dublin, the only thing that stood between Leitrim and humiliating defeat that day was a penalty converted by Darcy which took the match to extra time during which they pulled clear.
At the moment, he is top of the scoring averages in this year's football championship with an almost certainly unbeatable 13 points, 2-20 from two matches.
His arrival is certainly good news for Dublin. A reliable free and penalty taker would be a useful addition to their attack, particularly now that Charlie Redmond's career is coming at an end.
It has always been a long-term ambition of Darcy's to play for his native county and when congratulating Dublin after Leitrim had lost the All-Ireland semi-final at Croke Park, he remarked that maybe that was as close as he would come to the inside of a Dublin dressing-room.
Apparently not.
His statement in full reads:
"For the past 10 years, I have represented Leitrim at inter-county football and was extremely proud to captain the teams that won the Connacht under-21 title in 1991 and the senior title in 1994. To participate at this level, a huge commitment is required which is exacerbated by having to commute from Dublin to attend training and games. Constant travel has put an enormous strain on both my personal and working life.
"It has been a long-term ambition of mine to play with Dublin and following consideration over the summer, I have decided to declare for my native county. I will continue to play for my club Aughawillan who have been very supportive of me since my juvenile days.
"My decision has not been taken lightly and I sincerely hope you will understand the reasons and respect my decision. I have many happy memories of my time playing with Leitrim and wish to extend my sincerest thanks to their players, county board officials, sponsors and supporters and wish them every success in the future."
