Gallagher was first called up to the senior team by Brian McEniff for winter training in 2003.[11] He made his senior debut for Donegal in 2004. That year his team made it to the Ulster final but were defeated by Armagh. 2005 was unsuccessful. Donegal reached the 2006 Ulster Senior Football Championship Final and he played in that match at Croke Park.[12]
In 2007, he was part of the Donegal team that won the county's first National Football League title. Donegal defeated Mayo in the final.[13] He was the caption that day.[14] He sustained a heavy knock to the head, one that required a bandage, but was still able to collect the trophy.[15]
By 2011, he had no career and was presumed finished.[17] He was 28 years of age and a peripheral figure in manager Jim McGuinness's first season in charge.[18]
He won his second Ulster SFC title in 2012. Though he did not play in the final against Down, he featured in earlier rounds and contributed a point in the quarter-final victory over Derry.[20][21][22] He was then part of the Donegal team that advanced through the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. The best performance of his career with Donegal came against Cork at Croke Park in the All-Ireland semi-final; indeed, it is widely regarded as one of the all-time best in team history.[17] He scored a point against Mayo in the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship final, as Donegal claimed the Sam Maguire Cup.[23][24] He won an All Star and attended the Football Tour of New York.[25]
He won his third and final Ulster SFC title in 2014.[26]
Under the management of McGuinness's successor, Rory Gallagher, he continued to feature for his county team. However, he was bedeviled by injuries. On Valentine's Day in 2017, he attended training at Convoy — it was upon the Convoy turf that he broke down for the final time and relinquished his status as an inter-county footballer.[17] Gallagher later described Gallagher as "very disappointed… He wanted to give it a go… He got the back re-scanned and tried to build it up".[17] He announced his retirement from inter-county football at the age of 33 on 20 February 2017.[27]
Business venture
In conjunction with teammate Michael Murphy, Gallagher opened the sports store "Michael Murphy Sports and Leisure" in Letterkenny in August 2014.[28]
^Foley, Alan (11 September 2012). "Forward thinking McFadden". Donegal Democrat. Retrieved 11 September 2012. When McFadden was a Leaving Cert student in 2000, no St Eunan's team had won the competition, which is considered the undercard to the MacRory Cup in Ulster, since 1979. 'It was always a massive thing in the school and they hadn't won it for years', he recalls. 'Rory Kavanagh was on that team and Neil Gallagher was a sub. Looking back, it was strange that it was even B football as the standard was very good'.
^Ferry, Ryan (16 July 2020). "Changing of the guard for Glenswilly". p. 84. …the Pairc Naomh Columba outfit will have a much younger feel to it in 2020… former Donegal senior player Gary McFadden has recovered from his cruciate injury. However, seasoned campaigners and three-times Donegal SFC winners — Neil Gallagher, Ciaran Bonner and Joe Gibbons — have all called it a day, while Cathal Gallagher has emigrated…
^Ferry, Ryan (23 April 2020). "McConigley reflects on 2007 National League success". Donegal News. pp. 52–3.
^"Donegal duo dropped for discipline breach". RTÉ Sport. 2 July 2009. Retrieved 2 July 2009. Ciaran Bonner and Neil Gallagher have been dropped from the Donegal football panel for a breach of discipline ahead of Saturday's All-Ireland qualifier against Carlow in Ballybofey.
Above is the Donegal team that defeated Derry in the Ulster SFC final.
The 2011 Donegal football team progressed to the 2011 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship semi-finals, where they lost narrowly to eventual title-winners Dublin. Donegal defeated Kildare after extra-time in the All-Ireland quarter-final.
