'I wasn't enjoying it - then a switch flicked'

Chrissy McKaigue captained Derry to their first Ulster Championship title since 1998

"I wasn't enjoying it anymore because I had enough of it. And then Tyrone happened in Omagh. A switch just flicked."

McKaigue admits he was "ready to jack it in" after the Allianz Football League defeat by Galway, which ultimately cost Derry promotion to Division One.

It was the latest blow for Derry, who had woken from a slumber after years in the wilderness and were in Division Four as recently as 2019.

"I probably had enough, my heart was broken that many times," McKaigue told the GAA Social podcast on BBC Sounds.

"You fall into that spiral of, 'jeez, this is never going to happen' or 'I'm never going to be successful at inter-county level'.

"I don't want to sound disrespectful because I have played in Division one finals, I won a Division Two medal, but at that stage I maybe felt as if I didn't believe that we could go and do it."

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Derry's revial was boosted when Rory Gallagher was named manager in 2019. While there was promising signs under the Fermanagh man, who McKaigue describes as a "top-class" manager, the Galway defeat hurt and the defender had enough.

"Chatting to Rory, you could see his belief and you go, 'maybe I'm missing something here'," the 33-year-old added.

"That day against Galway in Owenbeg, if somebody had of offered me to walk away there and then I probably would have.

"I just thought, 'here we go again' and it was same old, same old. That was a game that was going to decide promotion and we got smashed.

"I remember sitting in the changing rooms after thinking I was going to see the year out and that was me gone.

"Even through the Championship preparation, I said I was going to give it my best and do the team thing."

It turns out that doing his best for the team worked out alright. Derry stunned Tyrone in Omagh and that proved to be the spark that the Oak Leafers - and McKaigue - required.

Wins over Monaghan and Donegal followed as Derry won the Ulster title, and victory over Clare put Gallagher's men in the semi-finals of the All-Ireland.

More heartbreak at the hands of Galway would follow, but the run to the last four had turned out to be the boost McKaigue needed.

McKaigue describes Rory Gallagher as a "top class" manager

"People say you have to believe, but see until you get over the line against a big hitter, that's when the belief comes in," McKaigue added, who says Derry's "aspiration has to be to win an All-Ireland title".

"To beat Tyrone and then have that feel-good factor, and then beat Monaghan and Donegal, and then beat Clare - I'd never experienced that before in my inter-county career.

"Yes, there was big qualifier wins and big games in the Ulster Championship, but we had always fallen short.

"It just clicked and now I have serious belief in that bunch and serious belief that we can mix it with the big boys.

"I'm not an optimistic person by nature but I'm fairly optimistic about Derry football at the minute."

McKaigue 'agreed' with captaincy switch

McKaigue may have captained Derry to Ulster Championship success but Gallagher had made the decision to name a new skipper - an honour bestowed upon Conor Glass for the 2023 campaign.

The defender said he knew he was losing the captaincy before Christmas after speaking with Gallagher, and he says it was a decision he "agreed with".

Glass and key forward Shane McGuigan had both been vice-captain under McKaigue, and he says the appointment of 25-year-old Glass as captain is "for the betterment of Derry football".

"I've always been pushing those boys on. They are the future and, in my opinion, two of the best players in the country, bar none," McKaigue added.

"Yes, their performances were brilliant but you have to do a wee bit more. You have to put your head on the chopping block.

"I just felt it was the right time and it could have been either Shane or Conor, to be honest with you."

McKaigue says Shane McGuigan and new captain Conor Glass are the future of Derry football

McKaigue, who turns 34 in July, added that losing the captaincy "eased a bit of the burden" on him.

"There was no resentment on my behalf and, in many ways, I was happy enough to let it go," he added.

"I can't be selfish. I had a fair few years being captains of Derry and last year will forever be one of the most special days of my life, being captain of an Ulster-winning team.

"The bottom line is I still feel like I can contribute in a meaningful way without having to be captain.

"I feel for the team, and for Conor Class and Shane McGuigan to go to another level which I believe they are capable of, they need that bit more responsibility."