He is from Keadue. His father Tony Boyle Snr died in 2022 and his mother Kathleen died in 1997.[3] From a family of seven, Tony Jnr has three sisters: Breda, Nicola and Karen.[3] Tony Snr, Tony Jnr, Tony Snr's three brothers (John, Packie and Manus) and Tony Jnr's three brothers (Brendan, Danny and James) all played at the same time for Keadue Rovers.[3]
He made 107 appearances for Donegal.[4] He played for them from 1990 to 2001.
Aged 19, he made his championship debut as a 2nd half sub for Tommy Ryan v Armagh in the 1990 Ulster SFC final, won by Donegal.[1] With the game tied (and via Barry McGowan), he found Manus Boyle, who scored a critical point.[1]
A forward, he began at full-forward in the 1992 All-Ireland SFC Final, scoring 0–1 from play in the 0–18 to 0–14 win v Dublin. He and Noel Hegarty were the least experienced of Donegal's men on the pitch.[5] He outplayed his opposite no 14 Vinnie Murphy.[5] He only came into the team for the Ulster semi-final against Fermanagh.[5]
He made a substitute appearance in Mickey Moran's first game in charge of Donegal, a league win at home to Offaly in October 2000.[6]
He managed under-16 and minor ladies' teams for his club.[5] And the seniors.[7][8][9] He, with Tommy Ryan, was part of John Joe Doherty's backroom team when Doherty managed Donegal.[5]
^McNulty, Chris (4 December 2012). "Ulster GAA Writers to hold landmark bash in Donegal". Donegal News. Retrieved 4 December 2012. Current All-Stars Karl Lacey, the 2012 Footballer of the Year, and Michael Murphy have been short-listed, as have 1992 All-Ireland winners Martin McHugh, Anthony Molloy, Matt Gallagher and Tony Boyle.
^McNulty, Chris (12 December 2012). "Donegal take the top writers' awards". Donegal News. Retrieved 12 December 2012. Lacey, meanwhile, was named on the UGAAWA Jubilee Team, a selection which caused widespread debate, with some surprise in Donegal that neither of Martin McHugh or Tony Boyle were named.
