‘I don’t like being against my own county’ – Harte
When we think of Tyrone football, we think of Mickey Harte and the euphoric scenes of the three All-Ireland titles to which he led his home county.
Harte was to Tyrone what Sir Alex Ferguson was to Manchester United. He spent over three decades coaching the white and red colours, winning All-Ireland titles at every level.
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During an 18-year dynasty in the senior team, he guided the county through their greatest triumphs, the pinnacle being their first All-Ireland title in 2003, followed by further victories in 2005 and 2008.
Add to that six Ulster titles and a league triumph, Harte bowed out in November 2020 following Tyrone’s Ulster quarter-final defeat to Donegal, played behind closed doors during the Covid pandemic.
It was a quiet end to a period that transformed Tyrone football, firmly establishing its place at the top.
On Saturday, Harte will manage in his home county for the first time since his departure as the Red Hands play at O’Neill Park in Dungannon for the first time since April 2011.
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Errigal club man Ciaran was in the dugout that day as his side beat Kildare in a Division Two encounter.
It won’t be the first time Harte has held his own against Tyrone as he led Derry to a league victory over his home county at Celtic Park in 2024.
“No, I don’t like being against my own county, but that happens sometimes when you manage someone else and you end up in the same division,” Harte told BBC Sport NI.
Difficult life in Division 2
Harte left Tyrone in 2020 after 18 years in charge of the senior team [Getty Images]
Harte was not away from the inter-county game for long, joining Louth ahead of the 2021 season and guiding the ‘Wee County’ to Division Two with back-to-back promotions.
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Harte’s upward trajectory continued when he made the shock switch to Tyrone’s neighbors and football rivals Derry, leading Oak Leaf County to the Division 1 championship title later that spring before leaving that summer after a poor championship run.
None of that quenched Harte’s thirst and he found himself in charge of Offaly in 2025, guiding the county to an improbable Division Three title alongside co-manager Declan Kelly.
The scale of Faithful County’s task in the second tier was on clear display at Celtic Park as they were hammered 2-25 to 0-8 by Derry, leaving them bottom of the table with four consecutive defeats and a score difference of -42.
“It was a long, tough evening for us and probably everyone knew well before half-time that the result was a foregone conclusion, so it happens,” Harte said.
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“I’ve been to this place once or twice before. It’s not easy to watch, but sometimes you find out that you have to deal with these things.
“You’re playing in a higher quality team than we’re used to and we’re missing a huge number of players. We’re missing about seven starters from last year and we don’t have the depth to deal with that. The boys who are here are doing their best.
“They are gaining experience. It’s a difficult experience for many of them, but at least they will learn from it. It’s not good for us at the moment, but I think in the long term it will be an advantage for the players.”
Malachy O’Rourke is now in charge at Tyrone and his side are embroiled in a relegation battle after starting the campaign as favorites to make an immediate return to the top tier.
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The Red Hands are one point above the drop zone after taking just three points from their opening four games, with a sobering defeat to Louth last time out dealing a major blow to their promotion hopes.
Tyrone v Offaly will be streamed live on the BBC iPlayer website and app and BBC Sport on Saturday 28 February, with kick-off at 18:00 GMT.
