Tyrone's Shea McDermott hoping to kick on
2026 Dalata Hotel Group GAA Ulster U20 Footballer of the Year, Shea McDermott. Photograph by Dan Sheridan (Inpho).
By John Harrington
Tyrone U20 star Shea McDermott is philosophical about the Ulster side’s defeat to Kerry in the All-Ireland Final that stymied the Red Hand County’s bid for a fourth title in the grade in just five years.
The way he sees it, Kerry were the better team on the day and deserve credit for winning the game in the manner they did. End of story.
You win some and you lose some and Tyrone have won a lot more than they’ve lost at minor and U20 in recent years which leads McDermott to believe they can be successful again in the future.
He has one more year left in the U20 grade himself, but the 2026 Dalata Hotel Group Ulster U20 Footballer of the Year is keen to make the step up to senior inter-county football too sooner rather than later.
He knows he still has a lot to learn, but the Errigal Ciaran clubman is a very keen pupil, and is hopeful he can be part of a talented young generation of Tyrone footballers who can replicate their underage success in the senior grade.
“The last few years there's been great success, especially at U-20 level,” says McDermott. “Then obviously the minors won last year as well, they're in it this year as well. So, in three or four years' time, there will be a good bunch that come in (at senior).
“But is everyone hungry enough to keep it going at the senior level? That's the big question. It's hard to always carry that on. Maybe one or two boys max might come from each team, but if you get one or two, you could be doing well.
“I suppose Conor O’Neill and Ruairí McCullagh were in with the seniors this year, which is probably my aim now for next year, break into the senior team, but there’s a lot of talent there at the minute.
“I would be friendly with a lot of seniors, especially obviously from the club. Learning off them and seeing the training they do is a big thing.
“You get yourself prepared for that. I would go to a lot of the county senior games. You have to learn, I suppose. It's not just a thing of turning up and you're going to be that good.
“You have to learn off the better players and experienced players if you want to break into a senior panel."
Shea McDermott of Tyrone in action during the 2026 Dalata Hotel Group GAA Football All-Ireland U20 Championship semi-final match between Tyrone and Kildare at Kingspan Breffni Park in Cavan. Photo by Mark Kavanagh/Sportsfile.
McDermott was the top-scorer in this year's All-Ireland U20 football championship with an impressive tally of 6-38, 6-18 of which came from play.
When it comes to the art of finishing, he couldn’t ask for two better role models close to home than Errigal Ciaran club-mates Ruairí and Darragh Canavan.
“In fairness, they're two class acts,” he says. “Two different players, totally. Darragh would be more fast and agile close to goal.
“With Ruairí, when he gets the ball, he's turning and shooting, left, right. Strong player. They're two exceptional footballers. Never out of the gym, they’re always training.”
McDermott also learned a lot last year from training and playing on the Tyrone U20 team with Eoin McElholm who has been one of the Tyrone senior team’s better players this year.
“Playing with Eoin, it was a learning curve definitely,” says McDermott. “The way he plays, I suppose it's weird, you never really see him taking the ball into contact, but he's always on the ball as well.
“He's just a different class, he's unbelievable. The way you learn off him, he's always encouraging you. I suppose for last year, my first year being a young player, he brought me in under his wing.
“Maybe going in I was a bit nervous, I’m not going to lie, going in as a first year and not knowing any of them boys, maybe knew one or two, but that bunch brought me in as if I was with them the whole way up from minors.
“Eoin is so light on his feet. He nearly runs on his tiptoes and he's just in and out between players. He's a very smart footballer.
“It's his second year in the seniors and you’d nearly think he's been there for 5 or 10 years. He's just one of them players. His movement off the ball is exceptional.
"In training if you're not in a drill that's who you're watching because you're playing in the same position and you want to be like him."
Eoin McElholm of Tyrone celebrates after scoring his side's first goal during the GAA Football All-Ireland Senior Championship Round 1 match between Roscommon and Tyrone at King & Moffatt Dr. Hyde Park in Roscommon. Photo by Paul Phelan/Sportsfile.
The tantalising prospect for Tyrone supporters is a team that has both a fully fit and firing Darragh Canavan and Eoin McElholm in harness together in attack.
It happened for the first time this year in the championship when Canavan made his return from injury as a late sub against Mayo, and you’d imagine that two weeks on he’ll be fit for a bigger role against Kerry in Saturday’s All-Ireland SFC quarter-final.
“Yeah, I suppose that is the big thing, getting the two boys fit at the same time seems to be a bit of a struggle,” says McDermott.
“If you could get all them boys back for the Tyrone senior football team, damage could be done to other teams. I don't think Tyrone will fear Kerry next weekend, to be honest.
“Going into Croke Park, it's a big occasion, Tyrone and Kerry. They’re big games. Tyrone owe them one as well from last year in the semi-final. They'll have that in the back of their head and I hope they can go and push on.”
