e second half with a well taken score before the visitors clocked three points in reply. However, Aodh Ruadh powered on with points from David Finnerty and Ronan Drummond restoring the lead. Kerry Ryan found the net in the middle of the half to put the result beyond doubt. The highlight of the game was still to come as player manager Aidan Murray made the bold move of dispatching substitute Brian ‘Swampy’ Dorrian to the forward line. The move paid immediate dividends as Swampy pointed with his first touch and was to add another two before full time, it might prove hard to get him back to the full back line after that. Murray himself came on for a bit of action and managed a score before the final whistle, the end result was 3-14 to 0-8. A satisfactory performance across all areas of the pitch, with Cian McGloin, Darren Gethins and Ronan Drummond all catching the eye.
August Bank Holiday Monday will be Aodh Ruadh’s next outing and sees them travel to Glenfin. The reserve game throws in at 1.30pm and is followed by the seniors at 3pm.
Well done to Val Murray and his Donegal Masters charges on a 1-9 to 0-8 victory over Tyrone in Letterkenny last week. Packie McGrath and Kerry Ryan both played their part as Donegal, who lead at half-time 1-4 to 0-6, secured their second win in their second outing. Murray is now planning for a clash with Monaghan in next week, if he hasn’t picked up for the vacant county senior post before then.
In the end it was a combination of luck and slightly superior finishing power in the final third which saw Kilcar take victory in their minor championship first round clash with Aodh Ruadh in Father Tierney Park last Wednesday. The Towney side were victorious on a final scoreline of 4-7 to 1-8. Ballyshannon were at their best in the first half, but despite that it was all square at the break 1-5 to 2-2, Dylan Gallagher netting for the hosts. Kilcar, again assisted by some timely goals, edged away over the course of the second half and Aodh Ruadh struggled to make an impact in the attacking sector of the pitch. In the end it was a seven point win for the visitors. Dylan Gallagher was unfortunate to be on the losing side, working hard and taking some sumptuous scores while Shane Dorrian also grafted manfully too. Elsewhere Mark Gallagher made a great stop from Shane Gillespie after 43 minutes and couldn’t do much about Kilcar’s other goals. We have a full report from the game up on aodhruadh.org. Aodh Ruadh now face trip to Glenties on Wednesday for their next assignment in the championship, taking on Naomh Conaill at 7pm.
The under 16 squad will resume collective training this Wednesday, 2nd August at 7.30pm.
The Aodh Ruadh under 14s division one side got their championship off to a flying start last Wednesday in Glenties. Despite playing against the wind in the first half they had a ten point cushion at the turnaround. They pushed on in the second half to run out 5-10 to 3-2 victors. Ballyshannon were in sparkling form up front with Marty McGarrigle and Danny Breen Brosnan unmarkable and hitting the net at will. Also showing up well in the attack was Jamie McGee Gilmore while Kyle McCaffrey and Aaron Neilan formed an imposing pairing in the centre of the park. Defensively Séimí Campbell, Matt Gillespie and Kyle Murray did very well, with Mitchell McLaughlin also doing well in a more deep lying role than usual. Once again Aaron Cullen was a rock, with another superb outing between the posts. Next up for the division one side is their second round championship game against Dungloe this Wednesday in Father Tierney Park at 7.30pm.
Meanwhile, in Bundoran the division two under 14s were close to pulling off a remarkable win in the B championship in Bundoran. The sides were level at half-time, but despite a tough battle in the second half against a strong and physical Bundoran outfit, the Ballyshannon lads came up two points short. It was 6-7 to 5-8 at the final whistle. Up front Ryan Daly was excellent from frees, while Oisin Daly also cause plenty of problems for the Realt na Mara defence and Cian McKenna grabbed a well-taken goal. Elsewhere Pauric Daly was a rock in defence, with Jack Gallagher putting in another good hard shift. Shane Delahunty was the stand out player for the visitors, really carrying the battle to Bundoran from start to finish. Aodh Ruadh play their second leg quarter-final game against Bundoran this Wednesday in Father Tierney Park at 6.15pm.
The under 10s are away to Saint Mary’s, Sligo for a blitz on Wednesday 2nd August. Players are to meet in the Park for 5.30pm before heading for Sligo town.
Under 8 training continues as usual on Friday 4th August at 6.15pm.
Ladies
Realt Ruadh’s Division 1 League fixture against Glenfin on Sunday was postponed. Next up for team is their Intermediate Championship semi-final against Saint Eunan’s in O’Donnell Park this Sunday, 6th August. All support for the team in this big game would be much appreciated.
The under 16s made their Monday night trip to Letterkenny well worthwhile with a 6-8 to 2-10 victory over Saint Eunan’s. A lot of the heavy lifting was done in the first half when Aodh Ruadh had worked themselves into a 4-4 to 0-4 lead. The hosts fought back hard in the second-half and cut Ballyshannon’s lead back to a goal with ten minutes remaining. However the Shamettes weren’t to be overhauled and Anna Rafferty’s girls ran out 6-8 to 2-10 winners. Ana Keon was in fine form hitting 1-1, her goal helping halt the Letterkenny girls’ late charge, meanwhile Mary Flora Scott was also on the goal trail for the visitors. Elsewhere there were great displays from Briana Maher, Tia McFarland and Bridín Maguire, while Shelly Loughlin put in a Laoch na hImeartha performance.
The under 16s also had a long spin for their match on Saturday, travelling to Moville for their second league game. They played against a strong breeze in the second half and 4th and 11th minute goals from Cáit Gillespie kept them in contention as the hosts went in at the break leading 4-7 to 2-0. It looked like a long way back for the Ernesiders, but they tore into their work with a real will in the second half. Early points from Sara Jane Keon and Ana Keon followed by a 33rd minute goal from Cáit Gillespie which was followed by a point from Brídín Maguire gave Aodh Ruadh early impetus. Another Maguire free then made it 4-8 to 3-4 38 minutes in and shortly after Cáit Gillespie raided for her fourth goal of the game to put four between the sides. Moville struck for their fifth goal and final score of the game 44 minutes in, as the Aodh Ruadh defence completely closed up shop. Ballyshannon responded with points from Sarah Jane Keon and Cáit Gillespie to make it 5-8 to 4-6 with 13 minutes remaining. The pair were on target again in the last ten minutes to take the visitors within a goal of Bun an Phobail and Gillespie grabbed Aodh Ruadh a richly deserved draw with time almost up, lashing home a brilliant goal. A fantastic performance from the Aodh Ruadh girls. Eilish Gallagher was outstanding between the posts and got great cover from the full back line of Aisling Gallagher, Erin McGowan and teak tough Tia McFarland. Caitlin McGarrigle was simply outstanding in the half back line while Caoimhe Keon and Ana Keon formed a dynamic axis at midfield. Cáit Gillespie really rose to the challenge in attack with Sarah Jane Keon proving an effective foil. Under 16 training continues on Thursday at 7.45pm.
Under 13 girls training starts this Wednesday 2nd August from 6pm to 7.15pm and Saturday 5th from 11am to 12pm and continues in those slots. The league is set to start later in the month.
Hurling
On Thursday last the under 12s travelled to Letterkenny to take on Letterkenny Gaels. The lads put in another good performance to get their second win in succession on a 6-4 to 2-4 scoreline.
There was a great day of hurling in Ballyshannon on Saturday with the annual Peter O’Keefe under 16 tournament. Six teams took part in this inter-county tournament to honour the memory of the late Peter O’Keefe who was a tireless worker for underage hurling in Donegal and Ulster.
Mayo, Sligo, Roscommon, Tyrone and Donegal – who entered two teams were the competing counties. Group 1 comprising of Mayo, Tyrone and Donegal under 15s were based in Father Tierney Park while Group 2 featuring Roscommon, Sligo and Donegal under 16s competed in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh. A very stylish Tyrone team defeated Donegal under 15s and Mayo to emerge as the top team in Group 1. The games were closer affairs in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh and Donegal emerged narrow victors against Sligo and Roscommon to top the group.
The final took place in a sun-drenched Father Tierney Park and Donegal really turned on the style and played some great hurling. They played with the aid of a strong breeze in the first half and built up an early lead and never let Tyrone into the game. The most pleasing thing about the performance was the fact that they kept up the intensity in the second half against the breeze to run out convincing winners 4-12 to 0-5 and reclaim the cup last won in 2015.
Aodh Ruadh were delighted to have three representatives on the winning squad Adam Rami, Senan Rooney and Adam Clarke and all three lads did very well throughout the day.
The presentation took place in Father Tierney Park and Aodh Ruadh Juvenile Hurling Chairman John Rooney opened proceedings by thanking all the teams who had made the effort to attend the tournament and complimented them all on the high standard of hurling they put on. He spoke of the late Peter O’Keefe and the important contribution he made to hurling over the years and he also remembered the late Billy Finn who was a regular attendee at this event. He thanked Ulster GAA and Donegal Games Development Manager Michael Murphy for all their support with this tournament since 2011. He thanked the small band of local helpers on the day, Peter Horan, Danny Breen and Sabrina Brosnan who did a great job catering for everyone all day in the kitchen.
Rooney also thanked the Aodh Ruadh Club for the use of their great facilities and club photographer Brian Drummond who was on hand all day and who always does a great job capturing all the day’s action. He called on Donie O’Keefe son of the late Peter to come forward and present the cup. Donie spoke of how proud the family were of this tournament in memory of his Father and he thanked all involved in making it happen before presenting the cup to Donegal captain Ciaran McGroary, Maeve O’Keefe, Peter’s daughter, presented each member of the squad with a medal to completed the ceremonials and bring a great day of hurling to an end. We have a huge gallery of pictures from the tournament up on aodhruadh.org.
While this tournament was taking place in Ballyshannon an under 14 inter-county blitz was taking place in the Tyrone Centre of Excellence at Garvaghey. Shane Duffy was the sole Aodh Ruadh representative on the squad and he did very well in all his games against Derry A and B and Tyrone A and B, with Donegal winning all their games.
It is great to see Aodh Ruadh players on these successful teams and hopefully more lads will make the step up in the future.
Our annual trip to Croke Park takes place this place this Sunday for the eagerly awaited All Ireland semi-final between Galway and Tipperary. For any information regarding the trip contact John Rooney 086-2587793.
Training as normal for all age groups on Sunday at 12 noon.
Abbey Centre Bingo
The July Big Bingo Jackpot of €1,000 was won by Anne Gallagher of Erne Street, checking out on 49 numbers. Patsy Dowds of Pettigo took the last man standing prize of €200. There was no winner of the summer snowball so it now rolls onto €350 on 47 numbers or less. There will be an added spot prize for this week’s stand-up game of a free ride for four on the big Ferris wheel at the Bundoran Adventure Park who are frequent spot prize sponsors of our games. Bingo will be held this Bank Holiday Friday at the Abbey Centre, as all Folk Festival activities are being held in the marquee at the Market Yard, first game at 9pm. There’ll be a great prize fund of over €2,000 so come along and play. Books priced just €10.
Aodh Ruadh Lotto
There was no winner of last week’s Aodh Ruadh Lotto jackpot of €3,900. The winning numbers drawn were 1, 4, 5, 6, 11 and 17. In the lucky dip €20 went to Aidan Gillespie, Glencolumcille; Bernie Hoines, Dungannon; Noelle & Michelle, c/o The Lantern; Dara & Jessica O’Mahoney, Rathmore; and Niamh & Pauric McGrath, Creevy. Next draw is in Pat’s Bar with a jackpot of €4,000 on Sunday at 8.30pm. Tickets are now available in the following outlets: Seán Óg’s, The Market House, Dicey Reilly’s, The Limit, Pat’s Bar, The Bridgend, Owen Roe’s, Fin McCool’s, The Lantern, McGinley’s, Pearse O’Neill’s, McCosker’s Centra and Kernan’s Spar and at the weekly and weekly bingo in the Abbey Centre. If not in, you can’t win!
The lotto team for McCosker’s Centra on Saturday is: BORD NA NÓG.
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