Born in Cork, Dalton first played competitive Gaelic football in his youth.
He first appeared for the Nemo Rangers club at underage levels, winning back-to-back under-21 championship medals.
Dalton subsequently progressed onto the Nemo Rangers senior team and went on to win five All-Ireland medals in a career that spanned three decades.
[1] Dalton made his debut on the inter-county scene when he was selected on the Cork minor team in 1976.
Dalton subsequently joined the Cork under-21 team, winning one All-Ireland medal as captain in 1980.