The Glenswilly man is more than happy to be part of the Ulster champions' collective, writes KEITH DUGGAN

MICHAEL MURPHY is no stranger to the effects of All-Ireland football fever. For the past three weeks, he has witnessed it first hand in Donegal: the county has gone slightly daft at the prospect of winning its first All-Ireland in 20 years. But Murphy’s father is a Bonniconlan man and for years, watching Mayo’s feverish reaction to All-Ireland final weekends was as close as he came to experiencing it first hand. Now, the September mania is coming at Murphy from all sides of the house. At least he is not alone: goalkeeper Paul Durcan’s father is a Foxford man.

“Yeah, my father is from Mayo. There was a bit of cheering going on during the Dublin game. You can expect nothing else. Me and my father used to chat about it on the way up and down to Dublin in the car – what would I do if the chance of a Donegal-Mayo final ever came? We will have a couple of words over the coming weeks to try and get them transferred over to Donegal colours. But I am sure the two fathers will be hoping for the best for Donegal, having been living here for the past few years. They better be!”

Although Murphy is only 23, he has five years of inter-county experience behind him. For a while, it seemed as if he was destined to become a potentially brilliant player trapped within an under-achieving county and whenever the rumour mill of potential exits to Australian Rules started up, his was one of the names mentioned. But in the last two years, everything has changed. In July, Murphy became the first Donegal player to lift the Anglo-Celt Cup for two years running: on Sunday, he seeks to follow in Anthony Molloy’s footsteps.

Donegal’s attacking game still revolves around Murphy’s presence but he has been content to play a more subtle role as well, using his ball-winning capabilities and excellent vision to free his team-mates for scores. The transformation of Donegal has extended to Murphy’s club Glenswilly, who have gone from intermediate to senior champions within five years.

“I am very proud of that,” Murphy says.

“I suppose if you were to say to Glenswilly people five years ago that we would have three men on the county panel in the build up to an All-Ireland final, you would have got a puzzled look. But that shows the strength of the county squad at the moment. There are players coming from everywhere – from Buncrana and Inishowen and Newtown and places like that and that really adds to the buzz around the whole county.”

Strength in numbers has been the central philosophy for Donegal. They play for each other and have steadily improved since putting in a workmanlike performance to gain their first Ulster championship win in four years against Antrim in 2010.

Nobody within Donegal paid all that much notice then. Now, the county has been gripped by the team’s achievement in a way that eclipses the scenes of 20 years ago. As far as Murphy is concerned, it is all part of the point of an All-Ireland final build up. He can enjoy it without taking it too seriously.

“It is nice to take part of it. We had the open day and we aren’t totally cocooned from the whole hype. But we are not too exposed to it either. You have to find a happy medium where you can go down the town and chat about the game or the need for tickets and then go and find your own space, whether it be the local pitch or the back of a field or on the beach. And I think people are good in Donegal that way in giving you a bit of space.”

He is due to return to college in DIT next Monday. Whether he will be in class is debatable. He has gotten to know some of the Mayo players over the years, having shared a house with Rob Hennelly, the former goalkeeper who had to leave the panel earlier this season because of work commitments.

He also knows Aidan O’Shea, the Breaffy man who is enjoying a towering season for Mayo at midfield and he became friendly with Andy Moran, the captain absent through injury, at Irish International Rules training squads over the past few years.

“They are in the same boat as ourselves,” he says of Mayo.

“They will see it as a massive chance to win an All-Ireland. It is not something you can say every day of the week. So it is about us giving them the respect they deserve and the strengths they possess and at the same time look at the set of criteria that we have to play to.

“And then really just throw it out there and give it our best for the county on the day and if we can get a performance that is worthy for the county, then that will hopefully get us a result. But it is no easy task.”