John Gildea

{{Use Irish English|date=August 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{short description|Irish Gaelic footballer}} {{this|the Gaelic footballer|the American football player|Johnny Gildea}} {{Infobox GAA player | name = John Gildea | image = | alt = | caption = |  | irish = Seán Mac Giolla Dé | sport = Gaelic football | clposition = | icposition = Wing-forward/midfield | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|3|27|df=yes}}<ref name=dd_27032021/> | birth_place = | death_date = | death_place = | feet = | inches = | nickname = | occupation = |  | code = Football | clyears = 19??–200?<br>1997<br>2001 | clubs = [[Naomh Conaill CLCG|Naomh Conaill]]<br>Donegal New York<br>[[Donegal Boston]] | clapps(points) = |  | county = Donegal | clcounty = 1 | province = | clprovince = | clallireland = |  | colyears = | colleges = | colapps(points) = |  | fitz = | sig = |  | icyears = 199?–2004 | counties = [[Donegal county football team|Donegal]] | icapps(points) = |  | icprovince = | icconnacht = | iculster = | icleinster = | icmunster = | icallireland = | nfl = | nhl = | allstars = |  | clupdate = | icupdate = }} '''John Gildea''' (born 27 March 1971)<ref name=dd_27032021/> is an Irish former [[Gaelic football]]er who played for [[Naomh Conaill CLCG|Naomh Conaill]] and the [[Donegal county football team|Donegal county team]].

He is originally from [[Glenties]].<ref name=dsh_21112020/>

==Playing career== Gildea made his championship debut for Donegal as a substitute against [[Down county football team|Down]] in 1995.<ref name=dn_22072011>{{cite news|last=McNulty|first=Chris|date=22 July 2011|title=1992–2011: The best XV not to win Ulster… |work=[[Donegal News]] |url=https://donegalnews.com/2011/07/1992-2011-the-best-xv-not-to-win-ulster/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200723010148/https://donegalnews.com/2011/07/1992-2011-the-best-xv-not-to-win-ulster/|archive-date=2020-07-23|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Pat Ward (Gaelic footballer)|Pat Ward]] and [[Michael Gallagher (Gaelic footballer)|Michael Gallagher]] were county footballers when Gildea was "coming through".<ref>{{cite news|first=Frank|last=Craig|url=https://donegalnews.com/2020/02/gildea-pays-tribute-to-departing-mcloone/|title=Gildea pays tribute to departing McLoone|work=[[Donegal News]]|date=1 February 2020|accessdate=1 February 2020|quote=When I was coming through Pat Ward and Michael Gallagher were the men you looked to. For us to have a county footballer back then was a huge deal. Myself and Jim (McGuinness) were then part of it at the same time and it was a big thing.}}</ref> His early career was troubled; suffering a problem (which turned out to be a [[Vitamin B12]] deficiency) that affected his ability to train, he made no further championship appearances while [[P. J. McGowan]] was manager of the county.<ref name=dsh_21112020/> Gildea then played illegally under an assumed name for Donegal New York in 1997, the illegality due to him officially registering to play in Boston.<ref name=dsh_21112020/> He was suspended for one year, reduced to six months on appeal.<ref name=dsh_21112020/> Gildea credited McGowan's successor [[Declan Bonner]] for persisting with him through his difficulties.<ref name=dsh_21112020>{{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://www.donegalsporthub.com/john-gildea-why-declan-bonner-has-perfect-management-to-succeed-with-donegal/|title=John Gildea — Why Declan Bonner has perfect management to succeed with Donegal|date=21 November 2020|accessdate=21 November 2020}}</ref> Fourteen hours after the suspension had ended, Bonner started Gildea in the [[1997–98 National Football League (Ireland)|1997–98 National Football League]] semi-final at [[Croke Park]]; Gildea scored two points but his team lost the game to [[Offaly county football team|Offaly]].<ref name=dsh_21112020/>

Gildea featured prominently for his county from 1998 onwards.<ref name=dn_22072011/> Having played as a wing-forward against Offaly and against [[Antrim county football team|Antrim]] in the 1998 [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]] quarter-final, Bonner moved Gildea into the midfield position where he would make his name when [[Martin Coll]] was sent off early on against [[Cavan county football team|Cavan]] in the Ulster semi-final.<ref name=dsh_21112020/> Donegal won that game, with Gildea outmanoeuvring [[Dermot McCabe]], but the county then lost the Ulster final to a late [[Joe Brolly]] goal.<ref name=dn_22072011/>

Gildea quit the panel in May 2001, shortly after Bonner's successor as manager, [[Mickey Moran]], controversially substituted him during a championship loss to [[Fermanagh county football team|Fermanagh]] in [[Enniskillen]]; the decision was part of why selector [[Michael Houston (football manager)|Michael Houston]] also quit, while Gildea went to the United States to play for [[Donegal Boston]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/1359703.stm|title=Houston's big problem|work=[[BBC Sport]]|date=30 May 2001|accessdate=30 May 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412200705/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/northern_ireland/1359703.stm|archive-date=12 April 2015 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://hoganstand.com/Donegal/Article/Index/115064|title=Donegal Boston come of age|work=[[Hogan Stand]]|date=16 July 2009|accessdate=16 July 2009}}</ref> He vowed to retire after 2002, but carried on.<ref name=ii_05112003/> By 2003, Gildea was the most senior player in the county team.<ref>{{cite news|first=Dermot|last=Crowe|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/former-wild-child-wants-footballs-natural-high/26285227.html|title=Former wild child wants football's natural high|work=[[Sunday Independent (Ireland)|Sunday Independent]]|date=25 February 2007|access-date=11 September 2024|quote=In 2003, under McEniff, Fermanagh beat Donegal in the championship… [Kevin] Cassidy went along with the intention of having the dinner and slipping away… I rang John Gildea, he was the most senior player at the time.}}</ref> He started the first game of [[Brian McEniff]]'s last spell as Donegal manager, a league defeat to [[Galway county football team|Galway]] in [[Tuam]] in February 2003, during which he scored a point.<ref>{{cite news|first=Keith|last=Duggan|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/meehan-adds-spark-to-galway-attack-1.347556|title=Meehan adds spark to Galway attack|work=[[The Irish Times]]|date=3 February 2003}}</ref> That year he was an important player during a six-game championship run through the [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] qualifiers.<ref name=ii_05112003>{{cite news|first=Colm|last=Keys|title=Royals' seal of approval puts pressure on Boylan|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|date=5 November 2003|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/royals-seal-of-approval-puts-pressure-on-boylan-25920872.html|quote=After {{sic|commiting}} himself to retirement last year, he's determined not to make the same mistake twice. 'I'll see how the body is after Christmas', said Gildea, the driving force behind Donegal's six-game qualifier odyssey. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200224234819/https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/royals-seal-of-approval-puts-pressure-on-boylan-25920872.html |archive-date=2020-02-24 |url-status=dead}}</ref> He played in the [[2003 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]] semi-final against [[Armagh county football team|Armagh]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/armaghs-double-still-alive-25928845.html|title=Armagh's double still alive|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|date=1 September 2003}}</ref> Gildea continued to play for his county until 2004.<ref name=dn_22072011/>

Gildea won a [[Donegal Senior Football Championship]] in 2005, his club's first, which came after a [[Replay (sports)|replay]].<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/historic-first-title-for-naomh-conaill/25960828.html|title=Historic first title for Naomh Conaill|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|date=10 October 2005}}</ref>

Gildea first met [[Stephen Rochford]], who went on to work with Bonner in his second spell as Donegal manager, during two visits to Australia from twenty years previously.<ref name=dsh_21112020/>

Gildea is married to Sharon (née Rouse); they have two sons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.glenties.ie/glenties-notes-5th-january-2009/ |date=5 January 2009 |title=Glenties Notes |work=Glenties.ie}}</ref><ref name=dd_27032021>{{cite news|first=Stephen|last=Maguire|url=https://www.donegaldaily.com/2021/03/27/from-midfield-to-midlife-as-former-donegal-player-hits-50/|title=From midfield to midlife as former Donegal player hits 50|date=27 March 2021|work=[[Donegal Daily]] |access-date=27 March 2021}}</ref> He lives in [[Letterkenny]].<ref name=dd_27032021/>

==References== {{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Gildea, John}} [[Category:1971 births]] [[Category:Living people]] [[Category:Donegal Boston Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Donegal New York Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Irish expatriate sportspeople in the United States]] [[Category:Naomh Conaill Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:People from Glenties]]