Defender Kate Keaney missed the final due to a cruciate tear but McLaughlin, who has been playing with Keaney since they were 12-years-old, asked her injured teammate to lift the cup with her.

"It meant an awful lot. It was a really nice gesture," Keaney told Jerome Quinn after the game.

Keaney tore her cruciate in the League final and has been out ever since but has still been made feel part of the group.

"The girls have been great and making sure I'm still such a part of the team and they've been very good to me, so thank them for that.

"We're a very tight-knit group, so it's great to be a part of it. This is only Donegal's second ever Ulster senior title, so we'll cherish these days. It's great to a part of it."

Speaking about her captain, Keaney said, "She's unreal I suppose."

"We've been playing together since we were 12. You have to try and mark her in training, but she does her talking on the pitch. She's an excellent player."

McLaughlin's gesture was a lovely moment between the two old teammates that they will no doubt look back on fondly in years to come.