{{short description|Irish Gaelic footballer (1948–2012)}} {{Use Hiberno-English|date=May 2020}} {{Use dmy dates|date=May 2020}} {{Infobox Gaelic games player |code = Football |sport = Gaelic football |image = |name = Seamus Bonner |irish = |fullname = |feet = |inches = |occupation = Garda |county = Dublin |province = Ulster |clubs = Drumbar<br>[[Four Masters GAA|Four Masters]]<br>Civil Service |position = |clyears = ?–?<br>?–?<br>?–? |clapps(points) = |clcounty = 1 |clprovince = |clallireland = |counties = [[Donegal county football team|Donegal]] |icposition = Midfield / Full Forward |icyears = 1972–1985 |icapps(points) = 129 |icprovince = 3 |icallireland = |nfl = |allstars = |clupdate = |icupdate = |birth_date = |birth_place = }} '''Seamus Bonner''' (6 November 1948 – 11 October 2012) was an Irish [[Gaelic football]]er who played for various clubs, as well as for the [[Donegal county football team|Donegal county team]].
Bonner played 129 games for his county between 1972 and 1985, initially in midfield and later at full forward.<ref name=hs_11102012/> He made his championship debut against [[Down GAA|Down]] at Ballybofey in 1972 and played his last Championship game against [[Monaghan GAA|Monaghan]] in 1985.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/sport/local-sport/donegal-s-backroom-team-in-1992-1-4138735|title=Donegal's backroom team in 1992|work=[[Donegal Democrat]]|date=11 August 2012|accessdate=11 August 2012}}</ref> In 1974 he scored seven goals in four games, including one against [[Galway GAA|Galway]] in that year's All-Ireland semi-final.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/local/regretted-death-of-a-donegal-gaa-legend-seamus-bonner-1-4359310|title=Regretted death of a Donegal GAA legend - Seamus Bonner|work=[[Donegal Democrat]]|date=11 October 2012|accessdate=11 October 2012|archive-date=19 December 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121219075730/http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/local/regretted-death-of-a-donegal-gaa-legend-seamus-bonner-1-4359310|url-status=dead}}</ref> With [[Michael McLoone]] (1966), Bonner (1974) jointly holds the record for Donegal player with the highest score in the same match.<ref>{{cite news|first=Gareth|last=Reynolds|url=http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/sport/212652/mcbrearty-display-can-breed-confidence.html|title=McBrearty display can breed confidence|work=[[Donegal Democrat]]|date=5 August 2016|accessdate=5 August 2016}}</ref> In 1983, he became the first Donegal player to win three [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]]s.<ref name=heroes_of_83>{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Campbell|url=http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/donegal-news/donegal-heroes-of-1983-1-1985399|title=Donegal heroes of 1983|work=[[Donegal Democrat]]|date=15 July 2008|accessdate=15 July 2008|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20151218181207/http://www.donegaldemocrat.ie/news/donegal-news/donegal-heroes-of-1983-1-1985399|archivedate=18 December 2015|quote=Their third Ulster final victory with Seamus Bonnar making history picking up his third medal... There was also a good deal of experience with the aforementioned Seamus Bonnar involved in the 1972 and '74 wins...}}</ref>
He played his club football for Drumbar, then [[Four Masters GAA|Four Masters]], then Civil Service, captaining the last team to the 1980 [[Dublin Senior Football Championship]].<ref name=hs_11102012>{{cite news|url=http://www.hoganstand.com/Dublin/ArticleForm.aspx?ID=179055|title=Donegal legend Bonner passes away|work=[[Hogan Stand]]|date=11 October 2012|accessdate=11 October 2012}}</ref>
He later won two more Ulster SFCs as a [[Selector (sport)|selector]] under the managerial reign of [[Brian McEniff]], and was there in [[1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|1992]] when Donegal won the [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]].<ref name=hs_11102012/> He was at the time a selector with the Civil Service club, as was one of the Dublin selectors [[Pat O'Neill (Dublin footballer)|Pat O'Neill]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vM9YcGR6wYI&t=1h04m40s|title=1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Final: Dublin v Donegal|date=21 March 2020}}</ref> He later managed [[Leitrim GAA|Leitrim]] for a short while.<ref name=hs_11102012/><ref>{{cite news|first=Martin|last=Breheny|authorlink=Martin Breheny|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/the-import-and-export-business-28905488.html|title=The import and export business|newspaper=[[Irish Independent]]|date=24 November 2012|accessdate=24 November 2012}}</ref> He was mentioned as a possible successor to [[P. J. McGowan]] as Donegal senior manager in 1997.<ref>{{cite news|first=Sean|last=Moran|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/mcgowan-calls-it-a-day-with-donegal-1.89218|title=McGowan calls it a day with Donegal|work=[[The Irish Times]]|date=9 July 1997}}</ref>
Originally from Donegal town, he died after a short illness in 2012. A retired Garda, he was the father of St Brigid's and Dublin footballer [[Kevin Bonner]].<ref name=hs_11102012/>
==Honours== ;Player * [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]]: 1972,<ref name=heroes_of_83/> 1974,<ref name=heroes_of_83/> 1983<ref name=heroes_of_83/> * [[Dublin Senior Football Championship]]: 1980 ([[Captain (sports)|c]].)
;Selector * [[All-Ireland Senior Football Championship]]: [[1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final|1992]] * [[Ulster Senior Football Championship]]: 1990, 1992
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://archive.today/20130216023825/http://www.gaainfo.com/players/football/donegal/Seamus%20Bonner.php Seamus Bonner] at gaainfo.com
{{Donegal Football Team 1992}} {{Leitrim county football team managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bonner, Seamus}} [[Category:2012 deaths]] [[Category:Gaelic football managers]] [[Category:Donegal inter-county Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Four Masters Gaelic footballers]] [[Category:Gaelic football selectors]] [[Category:Garda Síochána officers]] [[Category:Police officers from County Donegal]] [[Category:1948 births]]