Football

Aodh Ruadh put in a power-packed performance in Mountcharles on Sunday afternoon to dismiss Saint Naul's in their season curtain-raiser. The hosts were minus a number of key personnel, but the Ernesiders made no allowances for that, and were already 2-12 to 0-5 to the good by half-time, Johnny Gethins and Shane McGrath with the goals. Any hope the Mountcharles men might have had of mounting a restart rally was quickly extinguished as David Dolan hit the net moments after the second-half throw-in. Philip Patton kept the scoreboard ticking over with his masterful free-taking and delivered the coup de grace with the visitors fourth goal as Aodh Ruadh completed the rout to run out 4-18 to 1-13 victors. Congratulations must go to Kyle Murray and Cian Rooney who both made their senior debuts for the club. Two very exciting young talents who we hope to see lighting up matches for many a year to come. The Aodh Ruadh's scorers on the day were as follows: Philip Patton (1-6, 4f), Shane McGrath (1-1), David Dolan (1-4), Michael McKenna (0-2), Nathan Boyle (0-1, 45), Eamon McGrath (0-1), Oisin Rooney (0-1).

 

The reserves also got their season off to the perfect start, crafting out a 1-6 to 0-7 win against Saint Naul's. The Ballyshannon men faced the wind in the first half, but they battled hard and the sides turned around deadlocked on three points apiece. The sides then went blow-for-blow in the second half, swapping occasional points, but with the defences mainly in the ascendant. The game's defining score came eight minutes from time when Aodh Ruadh won a penalty which was crisply dispatched by Dylan Gallagher. That score was enough to ensure Peter Gallagher's men took the opening day points from Mountcharles after a gutsy performance in difficult conditions. Aodh Ruadh were best served by their excellent from full back line, with a special mention for Matt Gillespie who starred on his reserve debut, aided and abetted by senior players Ryan Granaghan and Callum 'Cookie' O' O'Halloran. 

 

The seniors and reserves are at home this Sunday with Glenfin the guests. The seniors get the action under way at 2pm, followed by the reserves at 3.30pm.

 

The under 17s had a tough day at the office on Friday, with Four Masters just proving too strong in the season opener. The Donegal town lads emerged victorious on a scoreline of 2-11 to 0-5. We have a gallery of pictures from the match up on aodhruadh.org, including our very first team shot of 2021. The team are on their travels this Friday, making the long trip to Moyle Park to take on Milford, throw-in at 7.30pm.

 

The under 13s faced Ardara in Father Tierney Park for their first home game of the league. The Ballyshannon lads put in a gritty performance, but it wasn't enough to get the better of a very strong Ardara outfit, the visiting running out 6-8 to 2-6 winners. The Aodh Ruadh goals were tucked home by Corey Sheridan and Eoghan Gallagher. Corey was also on the mark with three points, with Joe Gibbions, Sean O’Neill and MJ Ward all picking off a point apiece. The team are scheduled to face Dungloe next Monday, with Father Tierney Park again the venue.

 

Our under 11s played Four Masters at home on Sunday in their first round of Go Games. A beautiful day was matched with some great action on the pitch. Manus Conlon and Darragh McCready played some superb football. Markko Branley was steady as a rock in the heart of defence. Senan Ward showed he could mix it in defence as well as attack, and Oisin McGrath was as comfortable scoring as he was back in defence coving every blade of grass. John McHugh also put in a huge shift in all three games. Thanks to Barry Travers for reffing.

 

This week it is the turn of the under 9s to line out in Go Games action when they travel to take on Naomh Conaill. Players should be down in Glenties for 11am, with games throwing in at 11.30am. The team prepared for this outing with a challenge against Melvin Gaels last Saturday. Aodh Ruadh took 43 boys up to Kinlough on what was a lovely day, with some great displays of football to match the weather. You can see some pictures of the lads going through their training paces up on aodhruadh.org.

 

Hurling

It was a false start for our senior hurlers last Sunday as their clash with Buncrana was postponed. The squad will be hoping to get their season up and running this Friday when they travel to Hibernian Park on Friday to take on Burt at 7.30pm.

 

We have had a number of under 11 players link up with our under 13 team. Whilst it is great to have these youngsters training, ideally we want to see a few more under 11s join up and training as an under 11 team. We ask any parent who has a child in this age bracket who would like to play to please contact John Larkin on 0861076883.

 

Well done to our under 13 hurlers who got their season underway in the Táin Óg competition with a tough trip to Easkey Friday last – and came away with a hard-fought 3-8 to 1-4 victory. The Táin Óg is a regional competition designed to give our young hurlers an opportunity to play more games, against teams from outside the county in our neighbouring counties, and is a welcome addition to our calendar to help promote and develop underage hurling. They are out again in the South Donegal under 13 league this week facing Dungloe / Gaoth Dobhair, throw in at 7.30pm in Father Tierney Park.

 

Our under 15s were due to face Dungloe / Gaoth Dobhair on Thursday, but this game has been postponed. The team now face Easkey in the Táin Óg league this Wednesday in Scarden, both players and management are looking forward to their first match of the season.

 

Finally good luck to our under 17 players and management team who throw-in against Burt this Thursday evening for their season opener.

 

Our younger age groups are really enjoying their hurling, and our numbers are continuing to grow. We are still accepting new players for our under 5, under 7 and under 9 groups, so any parent who would like their child to join one of these age groups should contact John Larkin on 086-1076883. A huge thank you to all our coaches for their help in making these Sunday mornings a real festival of hurling, and a special mention to our under 17s who have been coming up to assist, and coach our younger stars.

 

Ladies

The senior Aodh Ruadh ladies laid down a marker on Sunday in their opening game of the season. They faced the Glenswilly ladies on their home patch on a very warm and breezy morning and proceeded to dominate from the off. Aodh Ruadh retained control right to the final whistle, running out comfortable winners. In defence the imperious Caitlin McGarrigle was steady as a rock, while Tanya McPartland got through a sight of work in the middle third. Up front Terri Gallagher was in lethal form, taking some lovely scores.

 

Meanwhile, a little bit of club history was created at Crossroads on Sunday with the club fielding their first ever reserve ladies side. The team took on a lively Red Hugh's outfit on a very humid, draining morning in the Finn Valley. There was also a strong breeze blowing down the pitch and it was the homesters who won the toss to have it at their backs for the first half. Aodh Ruadh played their best football in that first period with a great defensive effort from Megan McGee, Shauna Dolan, Bronagh Kelly and Sarah Daly. Further out the pitch Erin and Cara O'Loughlin offered a great platform in midfield too as the Ernesiders created a number of decent scoring chances. Up front Mary Flora Scott and captain Amanda Mahon were both very lively. It was 0-8 to 1-1 in favour of Red Hugh's at the break, and there were great hopes of pushing on in the second half. Unfortunately, it wasn't to be as the heat took its toll and a number of positional changes disrupted the team's flow. In the closing stages the visitors were hit with the loss of keeper Orlaith Gallagher to a bad knee injury which required her to be taken by ambulance to Letterkenny Hospital. Many thanks to Red Hugh's for their assistance during this incident, and indeed, best wishes to their wing forward who also had to go to hospital with a dislocated finger sustained in the first half. Our special best wishes to Orlaith for a speedy recovery.

 

The ladies are back in league action this Sunday with their first home games of the season. The intermediates face Fanad Gaels while the juniors take on Kilcar with both games throwing in at 10.30am.

 

The under 14 ladies had a useful challenge against Glencar Manorhamilton last Friday with Maura O'Sullivan, Cádha Dolan, Andrea Moore, Ellie Brennan, Caitlin McGrory and Aoife Travers among those catching the eye. Get well soon also to Emily Doherty and Muna Nwankwo, who are both nursing injured fingers at the moment. The team have another challenge this week, this time at home against Grange on Thursday. Players should be at the park for 7pm, with the game throwing in at 7.30pm.

 

Pressure on pitches

With on-the-field activity extremely intense at the moment, and great demand for both training slots and for official fixtures, managers are asked to keep in mind the impact of bookings on coaching and training schedules. Also please consult with the Park Committee in advance of making challenge game arrangements so that the most suitable dates and times can be agreed.

 

Aodh Ruadh Summer Camp 2021 

The Aodh Ruadh Summer Camp, sponsored by McDevitt and McGlynn Accountants, is back for its 29th year. The camp will take place in the first two weeks of July for boys and girls between six and 14. 

Activities include skills training, fun and games, Gaelic football, camogie, rounders, hurling and lots more. Week one runs from Monday 5th to Friday 9th July. Week two runs from Monday 12th to Friday 16th July. Each day there will be a morning session from 9.30am to 12.30pm and an afternoon session from 1pm to 4pm. Due to Covid restrictions each session limited to six groups of 15. The cost per session per week is €50 per child which includes a sports pack at the end of the week. 

We have reduced rates available for parents or guardians sending more than one child. Two children €90. Three children €120. To avail of these discounted rates please contact Sylvester Maguire on 086-0532495. No cash will be taken on the day and places will be booked on a first come, first served basis. 

Due to Covid restrictions, there will be no access to dressing rooms, so children are encouraged to come suitably attired as all activities will take place outdoors. 

To book your child’s place go to the Aodh Ruadh page on klubfunder.com.   

 

Ballyshannon Bingo

What a night of bingo we had last Friday as the snowball was finally scooped, at a whooping €1,300! Congratulations to Kathleen McCormack of Pettigo who was the lucky winner. In total there was €3,200 paid out to 30 different winners. Well done to Killian McManus and Aishling Cullen who shared the €500 Jackpot, and to Annie Doss - of Washington no less! - on winning the €250 mini-jackpot! Our other house winners included Mary McLoughlin, Hazel Milligan, Michelle Quinn, Ciara Urch, Agnes McNulty, Kathleen McCormack, Grace Martin and Lisa Coughlin. We will be starting a new snowball next Friday with another prize fund in excess of €2,000 with the action getting under way at 9pm. Once again we will be back broadcasting to the world from Bingo HQ via Zoom at 9pm. If you haven't already played, you can find full details on the Ballyshannon Bingo Facebook page. Books are available to buy on our Klubfunder.com page right now. Remember, if you don't have access to a printer, Mary in A Novel Idea will be happy to print your book for a small fee.    

Click this link to buy a SINGLE BOOK for €10.

Click this link to buy a DOUBLE BOOK for €15.    

The delivery schedule for Ballyshannon Bingo books as follows:    

 • Books bought by 4pm on Wednesday will be emailed by lunchtime Thursday.    

 • Books then bought by 8am on Friday morning will be emailed before lunchtime on Friday.    

 • Books bought by Friday's final 4pm deadline will be emailed before 6pm on Friday.    

It is very important players enter the email address they need the book to be sent to. Late changes are problematic and we cannot guarantee they will be facilitated.    

Look forward to seeing you all again this Friday evening!    

    

2021 Aodh Ruadh Golf Classic a big success

Once again we had a great day at the Aodh Ruadh Golf Classic. The weather could hardly have been better and Bundoran Golf Course served up the perfect challenge. The winners of the prizes were as follows:-

1st prize (Four ball at Ballyliffin Golf Club and four statuettes): Bobby O'Shea, Billy Gavigan, Seamie Granaghan and Dave Ruane 102 points.

2nd prize (Four ball at Rosapenna Golf Club): Malachy Cullen, Thomas Treacy, Sean Treacy and Ollie McGloin - 94 points.

3rd prize (Four golf bags): Aidan Murray, Val Murray, Barry McLaughlin and Paul Hamilton - 94 points.

4th prize (Four ball at Murvagh Golf Club): Marcus McDonald, Francie Martin, Ryan McKinley and Gerard Melaugh - 93 points.

5th prize (Four pairs of golf shoes): Jim Gavigan, Brendan McCauley, John Gavigan and Patsy McCauley - 91 points.

6th prize (Four €50 vouchers for Druids Golf): Eamon Maguire, Colm Maguire, PJ Davey and Aidan McGurran - 91 points.

7th prize (Four golf polo shirts): Kerry Ryan, Niall Murray, David Dolan and Johnny Gethins - 91 points.

8th prize (Four bobble hats): John Magee, Peter Campbell, Gerard Mawn and Aidan McGourty - 89 points.

9th prize (Four golf umbrellas): Eamon Owens, Darragh Owens, Alex Dyer and Paddy Quinn - 89 points.

Men's longest drive was Michael Burke on the 15th to win a bottle of Silkie whiskey.

Ladies' longest drive was Sorcha Begley on the 17th to win a bottle of prosecco.

Men's nearest the pin on the 16th hole went to Kieran McShea with eight foot one inch to win a bottle of Silkie whiskey.

Ladies's nearest the pin on the sixth hole went to Emma McGloin with 20 foot two inches to win a bottle of prosecco.

Speaking after the event, club Chairman William Doogan said, "It was a great day, we had superb weather and the course was in fabulous condition. We had a marvellous event and there are just so many people to thank for helping to make it happen.

"I'll start with Mr Oilman who was our main sponsor. I'd also like to thank all the teams, tee sponsors and to David and his team in the Shop, their support is hugely appreciated.

"Thanks to Terence McShea and Jim Gavigan for doing the cards this evening.

"Finally, thanks also to the tight group of people in the Aodh Ruadh club who helped drive the Classic on."

Players should make contact with William on 087-2799855 to arrange collection of prizes. Pictures from the event will go live on the club's social media channels during the week.

 

Clothes collection

We have finished our cash for clothes collection, and clothes will be collected in the next day or so. A huge thank you to all who have donated, and also to the Juvenile hurling committee for all their efforts in gathering all and storing over the last few weeks.

 

Boot exchange
Our boot exchange programme is now up and running. Anybody who wants to exchange boots going forward, please text Packie McGrath on 087-9794696.

 

Aodh Ruadh lotto

There was no winner of last week's Aodh Ruadh Lotto jackpot of €1,400. The winning numbers drawn were 2, 3, 9, 12, 14 and 18. In the lucky dip cash prizes of €25 went to Gus Culkin and Gary Carty. Thanks to Shaun McGarrigle for performing the draw, and thanks and to all who played the lotto last week. The next draw is for a jackpot of €1,500 on Sunday at 9pm. Tickets are available in Kernan's Spar and Pearse O'Neill's. You can play also play the lotto online. Log onto klubfunder.com and then search for and select Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon. Users can now avail of the auto-renew option to play the same line every week until they decide to stop when they pay using Stripe. Give it a go, you never know!

 

The lotto team for McCosker’s Centra on Saturday is: JUVENILE HURLERS.

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