But in between football mind games and the finer points of his academic resume, the attention is on getting a bit of extra cash. Filling in a skip on a Sligo building site is the immediate priority. On Tuesday morning in baking sunshine the temperature is hot.

Durcan knows it will be even hotter in Clones when Donegal face Tyrone. But despite all the pressure that comes with the territory he revels in the responsibility of being his county's goalkeeper.

And there is plenty of pressure on him, as the last line of defence against the firepower of a potent Tyrone attack and a place in the Ulster final at stake. He will, he admits, be nervous. But Durcan always aims to accentuate the positives. "In a strange way being nervous helps you. It makes you focus all the more." A superb National League series has contributed to the reputation of the 23-year-old. He is now viewed as one of the most imposing goalkeepers in the modern game.

Against Armagh's Paul Hearty it was Donegal that benefited from the goalkeeper lottery. A high effort hoisted into the danger zone by Brendan Devenney might have been have been signalled as a square ball. It wasn't.

Hearty's judgement call didn't count as the ball ended up in the net.

Durcan had genuine sympathy for his Armagh counterpart. "It was our turn on the day to get a bit of luck. Of course you are delighted with the result and how much it mattered to the supporters.

But as a keeper you always feel a bit for the lad at the other end of the pitch when that kind of thing happens.

Yes, we perhaps were lucky to get that goal but things balanced themselves out. Earlier Armagh might have counted themselves a shade fortunate to get their goal."

Again the understatement by Durcan of his own contribution to Donegal comes through. It was his brilliant blocking save that seemed to have denied Armagh's Paddy McKeever a close range goal.

The giant keeper however was unable to stop Oisin McConville's follow-up effort as the rebound was stabbed home.

Devenney's winning goal meant Donegal had managed to get a monkey off their back after five successive disappointments against Armagh.

But that was a fortnight ago and a different set of problems. Today all that will matter will be the Tyrone threat.

Nothing else comes into the line of vision as far as Durcan and his teammates are concerned.

"Beating Armagh won't matter anything if we don't beat Tyrone. This will be a much bigger match. It is an Ulster semi-final. Tyrone will be going into the game under no real pressure, other than that which comes with trying for a place in the Ulster final.

Mickey Harte has kept the expectation levels down in Tyrone through the long list of injuries they have had to cope with.

"Of course we have had our own injury problems. But what will the point have been of us being able to beat Armagh if we can't go a notch higher and do the same to Tyrone? The management has, from the very start, set us goals. Those goals however can only be achieved if we adopt a step by step approach.

Tyrone is the next step."

Keeping his physical frame in shape is not something that comes easily, Durcan admits.

Last season injuries to both ankles contributed to the weight and general fitness battles. However, the help and encouragement this season of specialist goalkeeping coach, Paul Callaghan, has been a significant positive.

"It's never going to be an easy option for me when it comes down to weight. I have to work out on a constant schedule. But the help of Paul and a tight diet programme has helped. As a county, Donegal has always been ready to invest in specialist training back-up for the keepers. Having Paul around to help has meant a lot. This season, unlike last year, I have been able to take part in practically all the training sessions. It's sharpened me up considerably."

In training Durcan's range of passing coupled with his ability to strike some spectacular long-range scores is remarkable. But it gives only the briefest of insights into his wider football talents, as the orchestration of the Donegal tempo is even more reliant on Durcan's kicking repertoire.

"We do work a lot in training on a variation of kick-outs. It provides a lot more options than the traditional straight kick down the field. The retention of the ball is always going to be important. An overreliance on just pumping it into the midfield might look spectacular. But sometimes the shorter, more accurately delivered ball can give a better return, " he says.

Durcan's sheer physical presence continues to be a point of debate in the context of the team formation. There are those in Donegal who argue that he could provide a better return as a frontline target rather than the organiser of the back line unit. Five international caps for the Irish Schoolboys and a spell with Finn Harps might have opened a door to a financial reward for his football skills.

But it was always the pull of playing for Donegal that was stronger, the pull of family and friends and the chance to represent the community. In gross percentage terms this afternoon the Donegal squad will be working towards the collective responsibility of success over Tyrone. But the net result will ultimately be Paul Durcan's. It always is with keepers.