When it was announced last September that Mickey Harte would become Derry’s manager, the GAA community was shocked. An outside manager is not a new or unusual event, but this seemed different. Mick O’Dwyer had gone from Kerry to Kildare but this was a step into hostile territory. This was more like O’Dwyer going from Kerry to Dublin, or if Sean Boylan had taken over the Dubs after all the tussles against them as Meath’s manager. The Ulster Championship remains the only provincial championship worth fighting for and there’s a good explanation for that. For profound historical and cultural reasons,…

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