Club Notes Archive - 2011

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AUGUST

3 August

The senior and reserve sides are scheduled to make the long trip north to Carndonagh this Sunday with throw-in times fixed for 1.30pm and 3pm. The seniors played St Mary's of Sligo in a challenge game in Fr Tierney Park on Tuesday evening last and lost out by a few points in a useful run-out.

The ladies were soundly beaten in the championship semi-final against Four Masters on Bank Holiday Monday last.

The u-16 hurlers continued their unbeaten run in the Donegal League on Thursday last with a good win away to Buncrana, it was a very close game between two evenly matched teams and scores were at a premium. Aodh Ruadh's ability to pick off their points allowed them to run out winners on a score line of 0-7 to 0-1. They play Setanta this Thursday at home with throw in at 7pm.

On the same evening, the u-12s suffered a heavy defeat at home to a strong Buncrana team. They have no game this week.

Well done to u-16 hurlers Tommy Gillespie, Colm Kelly, Eddie Lynch, Aaron Breslin, Niall Harley and Owen O' Donnell who were on the Donegal Under 16 team who took part in an inter county blitz held in Belfast on Saturday. All the lads did very well in the 3 games against Down, Armagh and Tyrone with wins against Down and Armagh and their only defeat coming against the Tyrone men.

The underage hulers annual trip to Croke Park takes place this Sunday to watch the eagerly awaited All-Ireland Hurling semi-final between Kilkenny and Waterford, this game has added interest for our young hurlers due to the involvement of the legendary Davy Fitzgerald and Kilkenny's Michael Fennelly two former guests at the Aodh Ruadh juvenile hurlers presentation night. There are a couple of seats left on the bus, anyone with any enquiry about the trip is asked to contact John Rooney 086-2587793 asap.

The u-10 hurlers were in action last Sunday week when an underage hurling blitz was hosted in Ballyshannon. A total of six teams took part with two teams from St Eunan's, and teams from Letterkenny Gaels, Setanta, Four Masters as well as the young hurlers from the host club. Each team played five games in some of the best weather of the year showing a high standerd of hurling. Throw-in was at 11am and Aodh Ruadh's first game was against Four Masters. This was a great game with some great battles all over the the field.

Unfortunately, the home side came out the wrong end and lost the game by a single point. Aodh Ruadh went on to win their next two games in style, against St Eunan's first team and Letterkenny Gaels. However, they came unstuck again against St Eunan's second team losing out again by just one point. The boys played their final game against Setanta. The humidity took its toll on both teams and at final whistle, Aodh Ruadh were up by a couple of points. From there then it was back to the clubhouse for refreshments approximately 70 players and managers who were well looked after by parents of the Aodh Ruadh u-10s. Thanks to all the parents and mangers who made food, helped prepare pitches and look after all the players. It made for a great day of hurling.

The Aodh Ruadh pig race is back on Saturday, August 20th. Pigs are available to buy at €30 each. Each race has six pigs with a prize of €50 on offer for the owner of the winning pig. We are also taking adverts for the race card. This is always a hectic night of fun, so don't miss your chance to get on board. If you want buy a pig or take an advert in the card, e-mail info@aodhruadh.org or text 086-6431805

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5 August

~ ALL-IRELAND QUARTER FINAL ~
Donegal face Dublin or Tyrone in the All-Ireland quarter final on Sunday, 28th August in Croke Park at 3.30pm. Ticketing arrangements are as follows.

Adult stand tickets are priced €40 with terrace tickets €25.
Tickets for under 16s are available at €5 for the Cusack and Davin stands only. Juveniles must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets for senior citizens and students are available for €25. However the club will have to charge €40 for these tickets as the concession is refunded on the day of the game at Croke park. Senior citizens and students tickets are available for the Cusack and Davin Stands only. Concession refunds are paid at the Block D turnstiles to rear of Cusack Stand prior to entry. No refunds available are after entry to stadium.
The GAA are operating a group pass scheme for underage teams for this game. Each child will be charged at €3 each, each adult per 10 juveniles will be admitted free of charge. Adults outside of quota will be charged at, €45 each. Any team manager interested in taking players to the semi-final is asked to contact John Hughes on 087-6431805.
There are wheelchair and attendant passes available priced €40. This covers two tickets issued for this price - one for wheelchair user, one for the attendant.

Tickets can now be ordered from Aodh Ruadh. Orders for tickets should be e-mailed to info@aodhruadh.org or texted to 087-6431805. Please DO NOT call this number with orders. Please specify where in the grounds you would like your tickets for. Presently we are not taking orders for the upper decks as they are currently on stand-by to be used only if necessary. Note that the club will NOT be ordering spare tickets and club members will be prioritised. The deadline for ticket orders is 12 noon on Thursday 16th August. There may be a further round of orders depending on availability after the first order.

Donegal Senior Football team manager, Jim McGuinness and team captain Michael Murphy officially launched the Donegal training fund draw last Tuesday night. All money raised in this draw will go towards the training fund, and to help to prepare for the All Ireland semi-final on August 28th. There is total prize fund of €8,000. Tickets are priced at €10.00 each or a book of three at €30. Tickets are available from Donegal GAA offices in Ballybofey, by contacting 074-9190761 or County Treasurer, Séamus Ó Domhnaill, at 087-9550376 or 074-9141451. Tickets can be purchased through clubs throughout the county and will be on sale at Championship quarter finals this weekend.

~ FOOTBALL ~
Aodh Ruadh travel to Inishowen this weekend where they are in division three action against Carndonagh this Sunday, 7th August. The reserves throw-in at 1.30pm with John Friel refereeing. The seniors follow at 3pm with Mickey Mulhearn in charge of that one. We now have pictures from the senior's intermediate championship triumph against Fanad Gaels, up thanks to Cathal Maguire. We also have pictures from the challenge against St Mary's on Tuesday night too and the under 21 championship game between Aodh Ruadh and Bundoran.

The southern division 1 minor league final between Aodh Ruadh and Ardara takes place on Wednesday 10th August in Dunkineely at 7.00pm. The team have performed strongly this year so please get behind the team as they attempt to bring some minor silverware back to Ballyshannon for the first time in a considerable period. The winners of the southern final will face Cloughaneely in the county semi-final, while the runners up will be pitted against Convoy. The county semi final will take place on Monday 15th August with the county final on Sunday 21st August. Aodh Ruadh's championship first round, first leg game away against Kilcar will now take place on Wednesday 17th August.

Following on from their win over Naomh Mhuire in the under 16 regional final, Aodh Ruadh will now take on Buncrana this Sunday, 7th August, in Convoy at 7pm. This promises to be a really, close hard-fought contest between two excellent sides. We would ask for a good showing of Ballyshannon support in Convoy. Extra time will be played in the event of a draw.

As notified previously, the under 14 Southern Regional semi-finals will take place on Friday 12th August. Pending the completion of the league first will play fourth and second will play third. Aodh Ruadh is guaranteed a place in the regional semi-finals irrespective of how the remainder of the league games play out, all that remains to be determined is our finishing position and our opponents. The Regional final has been moved from Monday 15th August to Wednesday 17th August.

~ HURLING ~
The under 10 hurlers were in action on Sunday, 24th July, when an underage hurling blitz was hosted in Ballyshannon. A total of six teams took part with two teams from Saint Eunan's and teams from Letterkenny Gaels, Setanta, Four Masters as well as the young hurlers from the host club. It was a great day of hurling, and we have some snaps of the action. Thanks to Joan Kelly we also have some pictures from the under 12 Croke Park hurling blitz last month featuring Aodh Ruadh's Barry Kelly, Stephen Anderson, Conal Sweeney, Brian McHenry and Ryan Ayres up.

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9 August

~ ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINAL ~
Donegal face Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter final on Sunday, 28th August in Croke Park at 3.30pm. Ticketing arrangements are as follows.

Adult stand tickets are priced €40 with terrace tickets €25.
Tickets for under 16s are available at €5 for the Cusack and Davin stands only. Juveniles must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets for senior citizens and students are available for €25. However the club will have to charge €40 for these tickets as the concession is refunded on the day of the game at Croke park. Senior citizens and students tickets are available for the Cusack and Davin Stands only. Concession refunds are paid at the Block D turnstiles to rear of Cusack Stand prior to entry. Please note, no refunds are available after entry to stadium so make sure you claim your refund before entering the stadium.
The GAA are operating a group pass scheme for underage teams for this game. Each child will be charged at €3 each, each adult per 10 juveniles will be admitted free of charge. Adults outside of quota will be charged at, €45 each. Any team manager interested in taking players to the semi-final is asked to contact John Hughes on 087-6431805.
There are wheelchair and attendant passes available priced €40. This covers two tickets issued for this price - one for wheelchair user, one for the attendant.

Tickets can now be ordered from Aodh Ruadh. Orders for tickets should be e-mailed to info@aodhruadh.org or texted to 087-6431805. Please DO NOT call this number with orders. Please specify where in the grounds you would like your tickets for. Note that the club will NOT be ordering spare tickets and club members will be prioritised. The deadline for ticket orders is 12 noon on Thursday 16th August.

There will also be a fund-raising Golf Classic on the Ballybofey/Stranorlar Golf Course on Thursday 18th August. All proceeds in aid of the CLG Dhún na nGall Players Training Fund. This Golf Classic is sponsored by Azzurri. Teams of four. Entry fee, meal included, is €150. To enter a team contact Charlie Cannon @ 087-6949125 or PJ McGowan @ 086-2222750.

CLG Dhún na nGall are happy to announce that an All-County live radio quiz, broadcast by Highland Radio and sponsored by the Abbey Hotel, will take place in selected venues in every Donegal club area on Friday night 19th August 2011, time to be confirmed. The quiz will consist of eight rounds of general questions and one round of music questions. Participants will pay €10 to take part and will form teams to a maximum of four members. In addition a specially commissioned picture frame containing a hand-mounted unique Ulster Championship Winners 2011 Donegal jersey and team photograph will be auctioned at each quiz venue. Each winning team, apart from winning the prize in their local venue, shall also progress to the All-County Final which will be held in the Abbey Hotel, Donegal Town on Thursday 25th August. All proceeds from this first ever live All-County Quiz shall be paid into the players training fund. Watch out for more information on aodhruadh.org.

~ FOOTBALL ~
It was a trip to forget for the Aodh Ruadh seniors as they slumped to an anaemic 1-11 to 0-9 defeat to division three relegation strugglers Carndonagh. The team seemed to suffer a post championship hangover as they struggled to make an impression against the Inishowen men. Paul Kane was called upon to make some typically breath-taking stops, while Conor Patton was Aodh Ruadh's man of the match, never giving up the fight at any point. Ciron Whoriskey, Michael Dolan and Michael Gurn also made determined contributions. We have pictures from the match up. Thanks to Cathal Maguire for some of these images.

Aodh Ruadh reserves continued their serene progress through the league with their 11th successive win. They maintained their unblemished record with a 1-5 to 4-13 win over Carndonagh in a game they controlled for long stretches. Thanks to Cathal Maguire we have pictures from the game up.

Aodh Ruadh should be in league action again this Saturday, but precise fixtures were not available at time of mailing. We now have pictures and a full match report from the senior's intermediate championship triumph against Fanad Gaels up, thanks to Cathal Maguire. We also have pictures from the challenge against St Mary's last Tuesday night and the under 21 championship game between Aodh Ruadh and Bundoran.

It was a performance for the ages from our Aodh Ruadh under 16 team as they defeated Buncrana to book their place in the county final against Naomh Mhuire. Ballyshannon had great performances from one to 15. Niall Harley gathered a load of ball, particularly during the second half. Pauric Patton was another who imposed himself to ever greater effect as the game progressed. Michael McNeely may have, unjustly, finished without a score, but he was a very creative influence. The preternatural composure and coolness of the Aodh Ruadh forward line was quite something to behold James Kelly, Jamie McDonald and David McGurrin all complement each other and play with an almost psychokinetic understanding. The contribution of Colm Kelly at full back and defensively was outstanding though, and his reading, physicality, intelligence and athleticism exasperated the Buncrana attack. We do not have a date, venue or time for the county final, but initially signs are that it will be next week. In the meantime why not check out the full match report and pictures from the game.

The under 14s defeated Dungloe by 3-11 to 2-11 in Father Tierney park last Friday to complete the round robin league stages on top of the table. It was an absorbing contest with a lot of good football on show from both sides. Gavin McDaid's two stops proved match winning interventions, while Jack Darbon had a fine game in his roving defensive commission. Cookie O'Halloran showed a lot of guts on a number of occasions to dig out balls for Aodh Ruadh and Conor Kennedy and Jason Gallagher's tireless work gave the homesters a solid midfield platform. Terry Ward had a fine 60 minutes always offering an option and hitting two good points. Ryan Gallagher and Shane McGrath were both busy and dangerous where Donal Sweeny proved a constant menace to the Dungloe net. Man of the match though was Philip Patton. His seven points, five from play, and his contribution in wider play demonstrated great polish and poise throughout. There is a full match report and pictures from the game up. Having finished top of the under 14 league Aodh Ruadh now face fourth placed Na Rossa in the Southern regional semi-final this Friday 12th August in Dunkineely at 7pm. All support would be much appreciated. The regional final is due to take place on Wednesday 17th August.

~ HURLING ~
The under 16 hurlers continued their rich vein of form with a convincing win at home to Setanta on Thursday last. in great all round team display they showed great spirit throughout. They play their final game in the league at home on Thursday night against MacCumhaill's in what's expected to a tough encounter, throw in is at 7pm.

The under 12s are away to Four Masters in the league this Thursday.

Well done to under 14 hurlers Conor Kennedy, Eugene Drummond, Kieran Kelly, Donal Sweeney, Paul Cummins, Deva Ayres and Rossa McCosker who were part of the Donegal under 14 Development Squad who took part in a very competitive blitz in Annyalla, Monaghan on Saturday last where all nine counties of Ulster took part along with Laois and Meath.

On Sunday last a group of 53 juvenile hurlers and adults travelled to Croke Park on our annual trip. As has been the case in our previous visits a great day was had by all. The minor game was very competitive throughout and while it looked like the Banner men were going to take the spoils the Tribesmen came back at the death with a goal to force the game to extra time. In the extra 20 minutes Galway got on top and ran out convincing winners. The stage was now set for the senior game and the eagerly awaited clash between Kilkenny and Waterford, the majority of our group were supporting the Deise due to the great weekend we had with their manager the great Davy Fitzgerald. Despite Kilkenny getting off to a great start with an early goal Waterford fought back to be only two points coming behind up to half time when the game turned on Kilkenny's second goal. Try as they might in the second half Waterford couldn't prevent Kilkenny reaching their sixth All Ireland Final in a row. From there it was onto Cavan for our meal and back to Ballyshannon all tired but looking forward to our trip in 2012 already. We have some pictures from the trip up.

On Monday night our minors had a great win away over Lisbellaw in the Fermanagh League. The lads battled throughout and there was never more than the puck of a ball between these two evenly matched teams. Despite being behind going into the last minute they kept battling and got a goal to run out one point winners.

The under 8s are taking part in an all county blitz on Sunday arrangements will be forwarded to all players during the week.

Our juvenile hurlers will be bag packing in Mace, Ballyshannon and Supervalu, Bundoran on Saturday the 20th August to raise funds for our underage hurlers who are travelling to Ballycastle, Antrim in September for a tournament and to assist with the expenses in the four Donegal underage development squads taking part in All-Ireland blitzes on the 27th August 2011. Aodh Ruadh will have approximately 20 hurlers representing Donegal in these blitzes.

Training as normal on Sunday at 12 noon.

~ LADIES ~
The under 16s came out on against a strong Ardara side on Monday evening with a score line of 7-6 to 4-6. Playing with the wind, Aodh Ruadh were slow to start and were very profligate in the first half and were behind by 1-3 to 2-2 at the break. However they upped their game significantly in the second half, making light of the breeze to win by three goals. Katie McCafferty lead the scoring with 4-1 and was followed by Ciara Thompson on 2-1 and Aoife McEniff who drilled home a good goal. Maeve Liston shot two points while Ruth Flood and Grainne Gillespie both notched a point apiece. Maeve Liston and Grainne Gillespie both showed well in centre field for Aodh Ruadh throughout, while Roise Keown and Claire Breslin at half back ensured that the damage wasn't worse in the first half. Chantelle Cunningham also featured well in her first game back this season. The girls have one more game to be played in the group stages against Saint Naul's and a win in that game would see Aodh Ruadh into the county semi-finals. Although it is tentatively penciled in for Thursday 11th August, a time and date for this fixture is yet to be confirmed.

~ PIG RACES ~
Pig racing returns to Ballyshannon on Saturday 20th August when Aodh Ruadh run a seven race card in the Bridgend / East Port area of the town starting at 7.30pm. Pigs are now available at €30 for full ownership, but there are also get €10 shares available. The winning pig will scoop it's owner(s) €50 so you stand a one in six chance of making €20! Races can be sponsored at €200 and there are also advertising slots on offer in the race card. Contact John Hughes on 087-6431805. Off-track there will be betting, spot prizes and plenty of craic guaranteed as Ballyshannon welcomes the country to the town ahead of the Ballyshannon Agricultural Show on Sunday. If you're wondering what all the fuss is about, you can see some of the video clips of the 2007 highlight's. Well worth it for Sean Perry's patter alone!

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16 August

~ ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINAL ~
There is less than 24 hours to get your request in for All-Ireland semi-final tickets via Aodh Ruadh, with the deadline for ticket orders 5pm on Tuesday 16th August.

Donegal face Dublin in the All-Ireland quarter final on Sunday, 28th August in Croke Park at 3.30pm. Ticketing arrangements are as follows.

Adult stand tickets are priced €40 with terrace tickets €25.
Tickets for under 16s are available at €5 for the Cusack and Davin stands only. Juveniles must be accompanied by an adult.
Tickets for senior citizens and students are available for €25. However the club will have to charge €40 for these tickets as the concession is refunded on the day of the game at Croke park. Senior citizens and students tickets are available for the Cusack and Davin Stands only. Concession refunds are paid at the Block D turnstiles to rear of Cusack Stand prior to entry. Please note, no refunds are available after entry to stadium so make sure you claim your refund before entering the stadium.
The GAA are operating a group pass scheme for underage teams for this game. Each child will be charged at €3 each, each adult per 10 juveniles will be admitted free of charge. Adults outside of quota will be charged at, €45 each. Any team manager interested in taking players to the semi-final is asked to contact John Hughes on 087-6431805.
There are wheelchair and attendant passes available priced €40. This covers two tickets issued for this price - one for wheelchair user, one for the attendant.

Tickets can now be ordered from Aodh Ruadh. Orders for tickets should be e-mailed to info@aodhruadh.org or texted to 087-6431805. Please DO NOT call this number with orders. Please specify where in the grounds you would like your tickets for. Note that the club will NOT be ordering spare tickets and club members will be prioritised. The deadline for ticket orders is 5pm on Tuesday 16th August.

Owen Roe's bar will be the Ballyshannon venue for the All-County live radio quiz on Friday night 19th August 2011, throw-in at 9pm. The quiz will consist of eight rounds of general questions and one round of music questions. Participants will pay €10 to take part and will form teams to a maximum of four members. In addition a specially commissioned picture frame containing a hand-mounted unique Ulster Championship Winners 2011 Donegal jersey and team photograph will be auctioned at each quiz venue. Each winning team, apart from winning the prize in their local venue, shall also progress to the All-County Final which will be held in the Abbey Hotel, Donegal Town on Thursday 25th August. All proceeds from this first ever live All-County Quiz shall be paid into the players training fund.

Don't forget to support the Donegal training fund draw. All money raised in this draw will go towards the training fund, and to help to prepare for the All Ireland semi-final on August 28th. There is total prize fund of €8,000. Tickets are priced at €10.00 each or a book of three at €30. Tickets are available from Donegal GAA offices in Ballybofey, by contacting 074-9190761 or County Treasurer, Séamus Ó Domhnaill, at 087-9550376 or 074-9141451. Tickets can be purchased through clubs throughout the county and will be on sale at Championship quarter finals this weekend.

~ PIG RACES ~
Pig racing returns to Ballyshannon this Saturday 20th August when Aodh Ruadh run a seven race card in the Bridgend / East Port area of the town starting at 7.30pm. The inimitable Billy Grimes will be compÃ¨re, while off-track there will be betting and a raffle with prizes including two All-Ireland semi-final tickets, a football signed by the Donegal team and hotel break. There's plenty of craic guaranteed as Ballyshannon welcomes the country to the town ahead of the Ballyshannon Agricultural Show on Sunday. If you're wondering what all the fuss is about, you can see some of the video clips of the 2007 highlight's on www.aodhruadh.org.

~ FOOTBALL ~
Aodh Ruadh should be in league action this weekend, but precise fixtures were not available at time of mailing.

The southern division 1 minor league final between Aodh Ruadh and Ardara was abandoned last Wednesday after torrential rain, thunder and lightning made Tir Chonaill park unplayable. Aodh Ruadh had been 0-2 to 0-1 up when the game was abandoned. Monday evening wasn't a whole lot better in terms of weather, but the game proceeded, and this time Ardara were the more dominant side. Ballyshannon found it hard to find their rhythm and were four down at half time. Ardara were able to maintain that gap and keep Aodh Ruadh at arm's length for the remainder to claim the divisional title on a score line of 2-12 to 1-7. Best for Aodh Ruadh was Ryan Granaghan who never stopped giving his all up front. He capitalised on good work from Jamie McDonald to get Aodh Ruadh's goal. Conor Patton also gave of his all, while PJ Gillespie and Eamon McGrath did sterling work in the full back line under a lot of pressure. We have pictures from the game up. The next assignment for the minors is the county semi-final.

The under 14 regional final between Aodh Ruadh and Naomh Conaill takes place this Wednesday, 17th August, in Donegal town. The throw-in is at 6.30pm and we'd appeal for a good show of Ballyshannon support to make it down the N15 to get behind the lads as this will be a titanic game of football between two very evenly matched sides. The under 14s earned their place in the final thanks to a well-earned 3-9 to 0-12 win over Na Rossa in Dunkineely last Friday. Cookie O'Halloran was Aodh Ruadh's man of the match that day, putting in a huge 60 minutes for the white and green.

Many thanks to Supervalu Bundoran who hosted the Aodh Ruadh under 16s for a bag pack fund-raiser. There was also the added bonus for the Aodh Ruadh lads that they were in store for the visit of Karl Lacy. We have pictures from Supervalu last Saturday up.

~ HURLING ~
The under 16s finished the league section unbeaten making it six wins out of six with a convincing win at home to MacCumhaill's on Thursday last. In a great all round team performance the lads put in a spirited and disciplined display to run out winners on a score line of 2-14 to 0-4. Finishing on top of the table means they have a home draw in the semi-final this Thursday evening, where they face tough opposition in the form of Buncrana. Throw in for what is sure to be tightly fought encounter is 7pm. The lads have done very well to get this far with only four of the panel over age next year. All support will be very welcome. We have pictures from the game up.

On the same evening the under 12s had a great win away to near neighbours Four Masters on a score line of 7-6 to 2-2, all the panel got playing in a great display of teamwork and heart. Thanks to Four Masters for the refreshments after.

On Sunday 14 of our under 8s took part in an all-county blitz hosted by Letterkenny Gaels. Our youngest hurlers continued the steady improvement they have been making all season remaining unbeaten on the day after five games. Our very young panel, only three of whom are over age next year, won three games and drew two. Among them great wins over strong Burt and Saint Eunans teams.

Juvenile Hurlers will be bag packing this Saturday in Mace, Ballyshannon and Supervalu in Bundoran in order to raise funds for the under 12s and under 14s who are taking part in a tournament in Ballycastle on the 10th September, and also to assist with expenses for Donegal hurling development squads taking part in All-Ireland blitzes on 27th August. Aodh Ruadh have nearly 20 hurlers taking part in theses blitzes, so all support for the lads will be much appreciated.

Our under 10s are taking part in an all-county blitz in Burt this Sunday arrangements will be circulated during the week.

Training as normal at 12 noon on Sunday.

~ LADIES ~
The under 16s lost to Saint Naul's on Monday evening by 3-7 to 1-0. It was a disappointing result for an under-strength Aodh Ruadh team which denied Ballyshannon a semi-final spot. Katie McCafferty got the Ernesiders solitary. After a poor first half Aodh Ruadh much improved in the second, but just couldn't register on the score board. That result concludes the season for the under 16s and the team management wish to thank the girls for their all dedication, commitment and effort throughout the year.

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23 August

~ ALL-IRELAND SEMI-FINAL ~
Tickets for Sunday's All-Ireland semi-final between Donegal and Dublin will be distributed in Aras Aoidh Ruaidh this Wednesday, 24th August from 8pm-9pm. All tickets must be paid for on collection.

~ MONTHLY CLUB MEETING ~
The monthly senior club meeting takes place on Thursday 1st September in Aras Aoidh Ruaidh at 8.30pm. All committee members are asked to attend. Anyone with items for the agenda is asked to mail them to info@aodhruadh.org.

~ FOOTBALL ~
There will be no senior or reserve football this weekend, as the Ballyshannon decamps to Dublin for the weekend. The club wishes Donegal the very best of luck against the Dubs, especially our own Peter Boyle. We urge supporters to travel safely.

Ballyshannon demonstrated enormous character to come from behind against division three pace-setters, Naomh Mhuire, and claw out a precious win in their push for promotion. Aodh Ruadh had the benefit of the wind in the first half, but Annagry were more clinical with their opportunities, particularly in the shape of Harry Harden. Two points from Brian Roper and one from Sticky Ward were all Aodh Ruadh had to show at half time. However Naomh Mhuire had been contained to four points, those coming from Dara White, Tom McHugh and two from Harden. Naomh Mhuire pushed on at the start of the second half and were two points up with 17 minutes to go. Aodh Ruadh were in no mood to capitulate though and a fight back orchestrated from half back saw the homesters hit a purple patch where they rattled over six points in seven minutes. The half backs created the opportunities with ferocious tackling to turn the ball over. Indeed, Johnny Gallagher and David Dolan both raided up the field for points. That gave Ballyshannon a four point cushion they held until the final whistle. Best for Aodh Ruadh were Brian Roper whose first half performance kept them in the game, Darren Drummond, Johnny Gallagher and David Dolan really stood up to the mark in the second half. Paul Kane had a great game in nets while PJ McGee and Kerry Ryan both made significant impacts when introduced from the bench. The win is a huge result, one which puts promotion destiny back in Aodh Ruadh's hands. There are pictures from the match up.

Aodh Ruadh recorded another assured win in reserve division three, with two point from their meeting with Naomh Mhuire in Father Tierney park last Sunday. Martin Gallagher was dominant in the centre of the field, while Garret Blake and Brian McGuinness both also had outstanding matches. Spanny Goan hit a number of nice points, but score of the game came from Ryan Granaghan who showed superb reactions to put the ball in the back of the Naomh Mhuire net. We have pictures from the game up.

The minors are down to take on Kilcar in the first round, first leg of the minor championship next Tuesday, 30th August, in Kilcar, with the return leg in Ballyshannon on Friday, 2nd September. We have no visibility on when the county league semi-final will be played.

The under 14s succumbed to a slick Glenties outfit in the Southern Regional final by 4-19 to 1-6. There are some pictures from the final up, thanks to Cathal Maguire. We don't yet have any information on the under 14s league county semi-final is likely to be played.

The under 13s are training this Thursday, 25th August, at 6pm at the park. There is a match on Friday at home against Dungloe. Throw in is at 7pm, all players to be up for 6.30pm. The full under 13 league programme is available to view.

Aodh Ruadh gratefully acknowledge the sponsorship of a new set of jerseys for our under 16s by Kevin Byrne. The lads have been wearing them for the latter part of the season and will wear them once more this year when they take on Naomh Mhuire in the county final at the end of the month. We have a picture of the official presentation up. We also have some shots from a challenge game the lads had against Mountbellew-Moylough of Galway last week.

~ HURLING ~
Our under 16 hurlers qualified for the county final on Thursday last after a titanic battle with old rivals Buncrana. Aodh Ruadh got off to a great start and led at half time by 1-6 to 1-1. It was clear that the Buncrana men wouldn't go down without a fight and they battled throughout the second half, but they could not breach the Ballyshannon defence. Aodh Ruadh showed great spirit and ran out worthy winners on a 1-10 to 1-4 score line. They now play Burt in the county final. The date for that game remains to be confirmed. There are pictures from the semi-final up.

On the same night the under 12s suffered a disappointing two point defeat away to Letterkenny Gaels.

Thanks to all the under 12s and under 14s and their parents and coaches who had a very successful day bag packing in Mace Ballyshannon and Supervalu Bundoran on Saturday last. A total of €1,740 was raised, which will go towards the cost of our trip to Ballycastle in September. Thanks to Fred Ormston and all his staff in Mace, thanks also to Des Cosgrove and all his staff in Supervalu for allowing us have this fund-raiser and for their continued support for the development and promotion of underage hurling in Aodh Ruadh. Thanks to all the shoppers of the area who supported our collection.

Well done to our under 10s who took part in an all-county blitz in Burt on Sunday. 14 players travelled and played four games and had great wins over Burt, Buncrana Gaoth Dobhair and Setanta. It was great to get to play some new teams and all the players put in a big effort. Thanks to Chris Kelly and Michael Ayres who travelled with the lads and to Burt for hosting the blitz

Best wishes to under 12 manager Michael Ayres and Sinead Maloney who get married this Thursday.

~ LADIES ~
The senior ladies play Glenfin on Tuesday, 23rd August, at 7.15pm in Glenfin.

~ OFF THE PITCH ~
The pig races ran off last Saturday at the Bridgend in Ballyshannon and were a great success. A great crowd turned out to see eight races over the course of the evening. The winners were as follows.

Race one: Ballyshannon Agricultural Show Stakes: Piggy owned by Trevor O'Mahoney
Race two: The Owen Roe Oaks: Pinkie owned by Michelle Parton
Race three: Ballybookies Bumper: The Master owned by Trisha McGrath
Race four: The Melly's Handicap: Tully Rover owned by Terence McShea
Race five: McGinley's Maiden: The Blue Rooster owned by Sean O'Mahoney
Race six: The Bridgend Bowl: Ham-string trouble owned by Pauric Loughlin, Diarmuid McInerney and Niall Murray

The seventh race was the Ballyshannon Credit Union auction race which attracted lively bidding, greatly encouraged by the wiles of Billy Grimes, compÃ¨re extraordinaire on the night. Although it's worth noting Sean Perry also got in on the act for a few races. The pigs were themed on Donegal's Ulster final winners. John Patton bought Rashers McFadden; Thomas McGann bought Scratchings McGee; Mags Grimes bought Cured Cassidy; Sean O'Mahoney bought Smokey Lacey; Conor Gilmartin bought Boyle-d Bacon; while John Sheerin snapped up the last pig of the night, Sausages Murphy.

When the race was finally run it was a great result for the home support as Conor Gilmartin's Boyle-d Bacon romped home. Mags Grimes pig might have lost the auction race, but she scooped the two Hogan stand tickets in the raffle. And speaking of which, the final race of the night was a two pig race: Donegal v Dublin. And with Sean Perry's ample encouragement all the way up the track it was Donegal who took the honours. Surely a great omen for Sunday!

A lot people need to be thanked for helping make the races happen. Thanks to Billy Grimes who did such a marvelous job of holding the show together. Thanks to John and Darren McGee who provided the lorry, especially Darren who went to so much effort to set up the camera platform. Thanks to the residents and businesses of the port who gave us access to the streets, we couldn't have done it without them. Thanks to the race sponsors and all the great local companies who took adverts in the race programme. Thanks also to Ballybookies for supplying the betting slips. Thanks to Sean Cassidy for taking care of the all the sound and piping the races into the pubs and Cathal Maguire who did the camera work. Thanks to Thomas McGeary who kindly gave us access to the building used as the Pig Race HQ. Thanks to Watson Hire of Donegal town for providing the barriers and Owen Roe O'Neill for the use of his car park for storing the barriers. Last, but definitely not least, thanks to everybody who helped out on the day. The programme sellers, the raffle sellers, the bet sellers, the runners and the bookies and everyone else who helped make the races happen. Thanks also to everyone who attended and made the night such a success. Over €3,500 was raised for Aodh Ruadh Bord na nÓg. We have almost 50 pictures from the night up.

There was an odd meeting of worlds in Father Tierney Park as the charity VW van convoy of the Eireball Run crossed paths with Thomas Kane and his BBC colleagues as they recorded a small piece of footage for their coverage of this weekend's All-Ireland semi-final clash between Donegal and Dublin. All to the back drop of the meeting of Aodh Ruadh and Buncrana's under 16 hurlers. We have some pictures from the evening.

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25 August

~ HURLING ~
This Saturday there are four All-Ireland hurling blitzes taking place at various venues throughout the country and Aodh Ruadh are well represented on each of the Donegal panels. In Ballyconnell the under 14 C All-Ireland blitz is taking place and Donegal is entering its under 13 development squad in this tournament and the following Aodh Ruadh players are on the panel: Kieran Daly, Cian Duffy, Caolan Drummond, Shane McGrath, Oisín Rooney and Garrett Sheerin. The All-Ireland under 14 B blitz will take place in Mullingar and we have the following players are on this panel: Deva Ayres, Paul Cummins, Eugene Drummond, Kieran Kelly and Conor Kennedy. The All-Ireland under 16 C blitz is taking place at Annyalla in Monaghan and Aodh Ruadh is represented by the following players: Jamie Brennan, Niall Harley, Colm Kelly, Eddie Lynch and Ciaran Rami. Again Donegal is playing it's under 15 development squad in this blitz managed by Aodh Ruadh's John Rooney assisted by Aodh Ruadh's Peter Horan and Buncrana's John O'Loughlin. The last blitz in which Donegal is taking part this Saturday is the All-Ireland under 16 B blitz in Portlaoise where Aodh Ruadh are represented by Tommy Gillespie, Aaron Breslin and Eoghan O'Donnell. It's a sign of Aodh Ruadh's standing in underage hurling in Donegal at the moment that we have so many players representing Donegal this Saturday and we wish them well in their endeavours to win the various All-Ireland blitzes.

Aodh Ruadh minor hurlers were beaten in the final of the Fermanagh league against Lisbellaw on Monday night at the Fermanagh side's home pitch, Cavancarragh. Aodh Ruadh were very slow to start and the Erne men ran into an early lead which they never surrendered. Lisbellaw were well on top and were leading at half time 3-7 to 0-4. Aodh Ruadh battled back in the second half and made a game of it but they were ever able to get closer than five points to Lisbellaw. The Fermanagh men's greater fitness and better stick work allowed tem run out winners on a 3-13 to 3-8 score line.

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30 August

~ FOOTBALL ~
Aodh Ruadh are on their travel to Mountcharles to face Saint Naul's in the intermediate championship this Saturday. The reserve game throws in at 5pm with John McGlanaghey refereeing. The senior game follows at 6.30pm with Jimmy White taking charge of that one.

In a correction to last night's notes, the minors are down to take on Kilcar in the minor championship in Ballyshannon next Monday, 5th September, not this Friday.

The under 16 county final between Aodh Ruadh and Naomh Mhuire takes place tomorrow, Wednesday, 31st August in MacCumhaill park at 7pm. This is a big day for the club and we would appeal to everyone to make the trip down to Ballybofey to roar the lads on as they attempt to bring the county title back Erneside for the first time since 1997.

30 August 2011

~ FOOTBALL ~
Aodh Ruadh extends commiserations to the county team and Peter Boyle on their defeat against Dublin in the All-Ireland semi-final, however the team can be proud of their achievements this year and the character and pride with which they wore the jersey. We look forward to 2012 with renewed optimism. We will have some pictures from the semi-final for you later in the week.

We don't have senior or reserve fixtures for the coming weekend, they will follow as soon as we have confirmation.

The minors are down to take on Kilcar in the minor championship in Ballyshannon this Friday, 2nd September.

The under 16 county final takes place between Aodh Ruadh and Naomh Mhuire this Wednesday, 31st August in MacCumhaill park. This is a big day for the club and we would appeal to everyone to make the trip down to Ballybofey to roar the lads on as they attempt to bring the county title back Erneside for the first time since 1997.

The under 14s lost to Saint Eunan's in the under 14s league county semi-final last Wednesday.

The under 13s got their season off to a great start with a good 4-9 to 0-4 win over the visitors from Dungloe. There were a lot of encouraging displays from players in white and green. Corner back Dylan Gallagher was a very effective on the break-out, while Jason Granaghan was much more old-style in his defensive philosophy, he was in no way any less effective. Nathan Boyle at centre back was excellent and his pin-point tackling was a particular feature of the game. At midfield Ryan McKenna and Shane McGrath had a great partnership and brought the best out in each other. Daniel Warnock and Jimmy Ward were excellent attacking conduits, while the tenacity and brio of Shane Dorrian lent considerable bite to the attack. Oisin Rooney contributed well on his introduction also. For Dungloe Christopher Doyle deserves a special mention for his marking and reading of the game. Man of the match was probably Shane McGrath for his pure, languid ability. There is a full match report from the game up. The next assignment for the under 13s is this away to Naomh Mhuire Friday, 2nd September, at 6.30pm. The bus for the game leaves Father Tierney park at 4.15pm sharp.

~ HURLING ~
On Saturday last four underage hurling teams represented Donegal in various All-Ireland blitzes throughout the country. The Donegal under 13 development squad took part in the All-Ireland under 14C blitz in Ballyconnell, the under 14 squad took part in the under 14B blitz in Portlaoise, the under 15 squad took part in the under 16C blitz in Monaghan and the under 16 squad took part in the under 16B blitz in Mullingar. This was a very progressive move by the Donegal Hurling Board and Aodh Ruadh were well represented on all squads, well done to all our underage hurlers who made these squads. We have some pictures from the Ballyconnell blitz up.

Due to the All-Ireland blitzes the eagerly awaited under 16 league final between Aodh Ruadh and Donegal hurling legends Burt has been postponed. A new date and venue to be confirmed.

The under 12 hurlers are away to Setanta this Thursday in the league throw in at Killygordon at 7 pm. We have the latest league table for the under 12s at the end of this mailing.

Training for all ages as normal at 12 noon on Sunday.

~ LADIES ~
The senior ladies put up a great fight against the county champions, Glenfin, last Tuesday evening, however second place was the best the girls could do. There are two fixtures remaining for the girls in the league however times and dates for these games have yet to be confirmed.

~ OFF THE PITCH ~
Owen Roe's hosted a very enjoyable Ocean FM All-Ireland semi-final chat night last Friday evening. We have some pictures from the evening up.

25 August 2011

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