Match for Michaela helps Hartes and McAreaveys focus on positives

GAELIC GAMES NEWS:MICKEY HARTE has spoken about the special purpose and meaning of tomorrow evening's game between an Ulster selection and All-Ireland football champions Donegal – and it goes far beyond the chance to patrol the sideline with one of his former chief rivals, Joe Kernan.

Instead, the Match for Michaela – a once-off fundraising event for the foundation set up in memory of his late daughter, Michaela McAreavey – will be very little to do with football, and certainly not about the result, even if it’s the first chance to see Donegal in action since their All-Ireland triumph in Croke Park in September.

Even at the best of times, a fundraiser between an Ulster selection, albeit reigning interprovincial champions, and the All-Ireland football champions, played in Casement Park in Belfast on a Saturday evening in November, would be a difficult enough sell: now, a near capacity crowd is anticipated for what is a unique date on the GAA calendar.

In the almost two years since 27-year-old Michaela was murdered while on honeymoon, in a hotel room Mauritius, in January 2011, and found by her husband John McAreavey, the Harte family have been thinking about ways to best commemorate the life of their daughter. When, earlier this year, two hotel workers charged with her killing were cleared, the darkest memories came flooding back, although Harte now believes the Match for Michaela has helped everyone close to her to move on, focus on the brighter side of her life.

“Of course it is helping us, yes,” said Harte, “and particularly helping John, because he’s very much involved in making this match happen, and the work of the foundation.

“So it’s giving us all something positive to look to, work on, instead of dwelling on the dark days that we’ve had to face. And that is the only way you can move away from day places, to find something positive and good to be about.

“We’re very pleased to have this kind of event, because we feel we can bring the spirit that Michaela lived her life through, and bring that out to much more people, and that’s what it is all about.”

That’s not saying it’s not a little bit about the football, as both teams involved are promising a highly competitive game.

Ulster will be managed by Kernan, the former Armagh manager, who guided Ulster the last interprovincial title, with Harte as co-manager; Donegal’s All-Ireland winning manager Jim McGuinness has also named his strongest possible team, even if club commitments and injuries mean some of his players are unavailable.

McGuinness has, however, included nine of his All-Ireland final starting team: “This is the first time that, this group of players, will take the field as All-Ireland champions and we are delighted to be in this position,” he said.

“We have a number of injury concerns but we will be fielding the strongest team possible, and I anticipate that this will be a tremendous occasion and gauging from the interest within our county, our supporters will be there in force too.”

Monaghan’s Darren Hughes will captain the Ulster side and the entire proceeds of the match will go to the Michaela Foundation (admission is £10/€10 for adults, £5/€5 for children, payable at the gate).

The Michaela Foundation was founded to reflect the values by which Michaela lived her life, and so far, two flagship programmes have been put in place to achieve this: a Student Award Scheme, which has awarded three Fresher students in Irish, Religious Education and general discipline with £1,000 each to assist with their university fees; and the Michaela Girls Summer Camp, staged last July, that offered 11 to 13 year-olds the opportunity to experience a range of inspiring and entertaining activities.

Money raised on the night will also go towards starting work on the The Michaela Centre, in Glencull, Co Tyrone, ideally as a residential area for camps to run throughout summer.

Gates at Casement Park open at 5pm tomorrow, with the entertainment starting at 6pm, with match throw-in at 7.15pm (also live on TG4).

There is also specially commissioned jersey for the match, currently the fastest selling GAA jersey of all time.

ULSTER(v Donegal): B McVeigh (Down); R McCloskey (Fermanagh), D Gordon (Down), C McKaigue (Derry); C McKeever (Armagh), D Hughes (Monaghan), J Loughrey (Antrim); S Cavanagh (Tyrone), D Givney (Cavan); C Cavanagh (Tyrone), M Poland (Down), J McMahon (Tyrone); M Penrose (Tyrone), M McCann (Antrim), C McManus (Monaghan). Subs: N Morgan (GK), C Gormley (Tyrone), V Corey (Monaghan), B Donaghy (Armagh), A Rogers (Down), G McKiernan (Cavan), B Coulter (Down).

DONEGAL(v Ulster): P Durcan, P McGrath, E McGee, T McKinley, F McGlynn, K Lacey, D Walsh, C Toye, N Gallagher, D McLaughlin, A Hanlon, R Bradley, P McBrearty, M Murphy, D Walsh. Subs: M Boyle, A McFadden, M McHugh, P Withrow, M McElhinney, S Griffin, B Dunnion, M O'Reilly, G McFadden, P McGee.