Dublin by birth, but he is Donegal by the grace of God.
That is the firm mantra for Tir Chonaill’s towering midfield star Nathan Mullins.
His famous dad, Brian, had some epic battles with Kerry, but 27-year-old Nathan Mullins is very much his own man.
Nathan is just after delivering a man of the match winning display against Armagh in a match where he helped drive Donegal to victory in the second half.
His athleticism, positional sense, fetching ability, pace and ability to take scores are huge assets to Donegal.
“I am happy enough, just keeping the head down and trying to work hard and get used to the rest of the team and get used to playing this style of football,'' he said.
“I am happy enough with the way I was brought into the squad but we have a big game in Kerry next week.”
Nathan is a star St Vincent’s player and was last year’s club player of the year but has adjusted pretty easily to the commute to Donegal.
“No, if travelling up and down the road is going to be the worst problem we are going to have then we are going to have a good year.
“I don’t mind it at all, it depends on the schedule as a few of us are training away up in Dublin like Paddy McBrearty and Marty O’Reilly.”
When asked how the family came to be in Carndonagh he said he came there when he was just 12 months, and then went back to Dublin at the age of 10 or 11: “Donegal is where I started playing football and my family lived in Donegal and the family are all here tonight.”
In that period Nathan’s father Brian managed Derry to an Ulster final defeat of Donegal in 1998.
So how did he always have an affiliation with Donegal and how did he feel when they won the All-Ireland title in 2012?
“I would have always had a massive affiliation for Donegal,'' said Mullins,
``That is where I grew up and that is where I started to play gaelic football so you can see the family are all here.”
He added: “It's just great to wear that green and gold.
“Every time I put it on I am honoured to wear this jersey and I am absolutely over the moon and it is a great challenge for me.
“Years ago, my target was to be No 9 for St Vincent’s and this is next step of the challenge so this is the next step of the challenge.”
So how has he found the step up from Dublin club football to playing inter-county with Donegal?
“It certainly is a step up and everyone knows how tough Ulster football is, and you can see the intensity out there tonight and that is the standard you want to be at and I am trying to get up that standard,” he replied.
And he is very quick to distance himself from clichéd comparisons with his father’s epic battles with Kerry.
Nathan, whose granny hails from Kerry, said he hoped that “this was the start of my own path now and it is about myself and to see how I get on.”
When asked if he preferred to be playing midfield for the county where he played his first football, his response is telling: “I will play anywhere for this county, once I am wearing this jersey I will play in goal if you want me to.”
