Club Notes Archive - 2020

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May

5 May

Football
All underage groups from under 6 to under 14 are now up and running with their weekly skills challenges. The Aodh Ruadh Academy has supplied each manager with several items of gear each for participants, including football gloves, shorts, T shirts, polo shirts, O'Neill's tops, under armour tops. All with thanks to Academy main sponsors, Kernan's Spar, Ballyshannon.

Our under 8s recently had a question and answer session with county star Jamie Brennan. This week our under 12s and under 14s had question and answer sessions with Eoghan Ban Gallagher and Ryan McHugh. A huge thanks to all three lads for taking part and providing answers to some particularly tricky questions!

Our under 8s had their third week of skills challenges, with 24 boys completing all five days of challenges. We had three prizes out of the hat for those who completed all five, and the lucky winners were Dempsey Lynch, Peadar Finnegan and Jamie O'Reilly, winning some great sports gear. Elsewhere the under 12 boys will be doing a wheelie bin challenge this week.

On the run for Billy and John
Unfortunately due to the coronavirus pandemic we are unable to hold our annual Billy Finn / John Larkin under 14 Memorial Tournament. The Juvenile and Senior Hurling Committees have come together to undertake a huge challenge in memory of these two characters whose contribution to hurling in Aodh Ruadh will never be forgotten. They are undertaking a 1,000 kilometre run / walk / crawl in over the course of 72 hours from 9am on Friday 8th May to 9am on Monday 11th May. We are raising money for the following local charities: Donegal Wheelchair Association, Liquid Therapy, Donegal Alzheimer's Association and the Patient Comfort Fund Shiel Hospital. We have a Go Fund Me page for contributions now in operation. The challenge will consist of people walking / running or any amount of kilometres in accordance with the Government regulations in relation to coronavirus, exercise within two kilometre radius of your home and only with people from your own household. This challenge will allow us honour the memory of Billy and John, raise money for local charities and provide fun and exercise for all the family. For any information in relation to this challenge please contact John Rooney on 086-2587793. Come on, 1,000 kilometres in 72 hours, are you up for it!

Aodh Ruadh lotto
There was no winner of last week's Aodh Ruadh Lotto jackpot of €2,000. The winning numbers drawn were 1, 2, 4, 9, 12 and 17. In the lucky dip €25 went to Ita Doherty and Anthony Coughlin. The next draw is for a jackpot of €2,100 on Sunday at 8pm. Given the guidance on social distancing we encourage club members to play the lotto online at klubfunder.com. The usual lotto envelopes can however also be obtained in Kernan's Spar and Pearse O'Neill's. Just leave the ticket in the shop and these will be collected prior to the weekly draw. The club appreciates all support members can offer during this ongoing pandemic.

Health, safety and security of club property
The Park / Development Committee has a rota of seven members in place who do a full daily check on all of our facilities, during the current lock-down. If any issues arise in relation to our facilities during this time please make direct contact with Tom Daly, David McLoone or Conal Gallagher.

We're here to help
If you find yourself needing assistance - be it collecting and delivering groceries, prescriptions or any other such daily essentials, just let us know and we can arrange help. It doesnâ€™t matter if you are not a member of the club. Contact us on 1800 928 982.

Club newsletter
This monthâ€™s club newsletter from Croke Park is live now on GAA.ie. The April edition includes information on a range of topics including online meeting etiquette, supporting our members, communities, and volunteers during the coronavirus pandemic, how to mind your mental health during these challenging times, GAA Learning initiatives, and GAA clubs rising to the challenge posed by coronavirus.

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12 May

On the run for Billy and John
It has been a great weekend for the club with the Billy Finn and John Larkin Wild Atlantic 2,600km in 72 hours challenge. In these days of isolation and distancing from our community we had an opportunity to come together for a fantastic cause while maintaining social distance. The challenge really lifted the spirits of the club members and the wider community. It shows the high esteem and respect for both Billy and John are still held in. Two great hurling men who contributed so much to Aodh Ruadh and the Ballyshannon community. People said it took on a life of its own over the weekend, but it would not have over achieved its targets without the drive and commitment of John Rooney. Big congratulations to him. This past weekend and indeed the last two weeks have been great craic with John and all his crew involved in driving and promoting the event. Special thanks to Denis Daly, Orla Bannon, John Larkin, Greg Gallagher, Paul Sheridan, Sabrina and Daithi, and Conal. All the way from Kinsale to Donegal on to Boston to New York and down to Florida. God knows where it would have ended up! Some €12,000 has been raised for Donegal Wheelchair Association, Liquid Therapy, Donegal Alzheimer's Association and Patients Comfort Fund Sheil Hospital. A great lift for really deserving local causes at a time when fund-raising is particularly difficult. The GoFundMe page for the Billy Finn and John Larkin Wild Atlantic challenge remains open until 6pm this Wednesday, so feel free to continue making contributions! Well done to all involved in whatever capacity in what has been a great community event in these trying times.

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19 May

Football
Our under 8 boys took part in their fourth week of challenges, with great numbers participating once again. Out of the hat for prizes this week were Phelim Barron and Sean Travers. Thanks to the Aodh Ruadh Academy and Kernan's Spar for continued sponsorship of these prizes.

It was the under 10 boys turn for a question and answer session this week, with none other than Donegal captain and legend Michael Murphy tackling some particularly difficult questions from the boys. He gave some great advice to all the lads, and we'd like to thank Michael very much for giving his time.

All age groups have challenges up and running, and we encourage all our underage players to continue sending in their videos for their challenges, with some great prizes on offer.

We have a few Academy jerseys available for sale. The sizes are one under 6 jersey, three under 8 jerseys, and two large player fit jerseys. Anybody interested should contact Packie McGrath on 087-9794696. Any further jersey orders can also be made to Packie in the next week, as we will make one more order if we have enough orders.

On the run for Billy and John
As we all know the coronavirus put paid to our Billy Finn / John Larkin underage hurling tournament this year. However, the hurling committees in Aodh Ruadh were determined to honour their memory in one way or another. The Juvenile and Senior Hurling committees came together and devised the Billy Finn / John Larkin Memorial challenge. The aim was three fold; To honour the memory of two great Aodh Ruadh hurling men and Ballyshannon community people; To raise much needed funds for four local charities, and to promote family exercise and positivity during this pandemic. Initially the challenge was 1,000 kilometres in 72 hours, but, pardon the pun, this challenge took on legs and was increased to 2,600 kilometres in 72 hours. Before we finally finished we had covered a total of 10,475.7 kilometres in the 72 hour window, proving the saying, every cloud has a silver lining.

From 9am on Friday morning people began walking and running in memory of the two lads. From early on it was clear that the whole community at home and abroad were buying into this challenge. We started in Kinsale (virtually) and made our way up the Wild Atlantic Way. There was great enthusiasm on Friday with runners and walkers from all over the world taking part and bringing the total distance travelled by Friday night to 1,278 kilometres.

Early on Saturday morning we were on the road again making our way towards Sligo. We had enthusiastic participants from Ballyshannon to Galway to Dublin to New York, Boston, Toronto, Australia, and everywhere in between. By mid-afternoon on Saturday there was a storm blowing in Ballyshannon. Storm Billy John blew us off course as we now headed into the Atlantic making our way towards Boston. The momentum was gathering, shown by the 2,600 kilometres covered on Saturday alone.

As we headed into Sunday our challenge was well underway. The money was rising as the kilometres were covered. The activity and amount of people taking on the challenge, both near and far, was amazing. Ballyshannon people at home and abroad wanted to play their part in honouring these legends. Rival hurling clubs got behind our challenge and drove us on. Three All-Ireland senior medal winners contributed kilometres to the challenge; Dublinâ€™s Rory Oâ€™Carroll, our own Sylvie Maguire and Galwayâ€™s All-Ireland winning captain David Burke were all part of this team. As we hit Boston, the 1994 junior hurling man of the match for Aodh Ruadh, James Freddy Grimes was waiting there for us, delighted to welcome us to his adopted city. We fuelled up and continued our journey as there were plenty more kilometres left in this challenge, we made our way to the Big Apple, NYC. One of the key aspects of this challenge were the amount of families that took part. Young and old, all enjoying the challenge so the next part of our journey, we were en route to Orlando, Florida, where the younger members had a ball. We were determined to clock up as many kilometres as we could in memory of our two friends Billy and John, while raising as much money as we could for the local charities, whose fund raising efforts were severely curtailed by coronavirus. Suddenly we were heading towards 10,000 kilometres in 72 hours. Who would have thought we would get this far! Amazingly we had nearly 6,000km travelled on Sunday, bringing the total for the weekend to 9,794 km. The 10,000 km target was within reach. A huge effort was put in for the final few hours on Monday morning, and as we hit the 9am deadline, when we reached an amazing total of 10,475.7 km.

This challenge exceeded all expectations. There were some great memories made, and many personal challenges achieved. It was amazing to think we had families taking part all over the world. Whether you did one kilometre or 100 kilometres, you played your part in this amazing event. Like Billy Finn and John Larkin, it too will never be forgotten. Initially we had three goals and we smashed the three of them, a fitting tribute to these two great characters. Nearly €14,000 has been raised for these very worthy charities; The Irish Wheelchair Association, Donegal Branch; Liquid Therapy; Donegal Alzheimerâ€™s Association; and the Patients' Comfort Fund, Sheil Hospital. A massive thanks to each and every one of you, and to everyone involved in organising this incredible event. All photos are on the Billy Finn John Larkin event page on Facebook.

Health, safety and security of club property
From May 18th with the easing of restrictions on outdoor work and construction our grounds have become a workplace again, with some of our workers back. Assignments have been arranged via small teams, and arrangements put in place for safe distancing, hygiene, etc. Some of our buildings have been given over for use solely by workers and these buildings carry notices to that effect.

The lockdown of our club grounds and buildings continues until further notice. The National Ambulance Service continue to use Aras Aoidh Ruaidh for staff training purposes.

The Park / Development Committee has a rota of seven members in place who do a full daily check on all of our facilities, during the current lock-down. We appreciate their voluntary time and input. If any issues arise in relation to our facilities during this time please make direct contact with Tom Daly, David McLoone or Conal Gallagher.

Condolences
The club extends its sympathy to Frances Daly and her family on the death of her mother, Mrs Aideen Crowe (nee Stephens) of Cloch na nUan. Aideenâ€™s grand-uncle Father James O'Daly was the clubâ€™s founder and first President and Chairman in 1909. Her uncle Cecil Stephens senior was the first Aodh Ruadh club secretary. Both men were also instrumental in the founding of a branch of the Gaelic League in the town. Her two brothers who pre-deceased her, Patrick and Brian, both played senior football for Aodh Ruadh.

Condolences also to ex-county PRO Ed Byrne on the passing of his step daughter, Karen Cahill, last week.

Aodh Ruadh lotto
This week saw the first live lotto draw performed on the club Facebook page. Well done to Catherine McKee on doing the honours with the help of her able assistant, Kevin. You can watch the draw back on Aodh Ruadh CLG Facebook page. Many thanks for everyone who helped to sell tickets this week. There was a good increase in the sales, and if more club members could sell a couple each week it would be much appreciated. Even though we are closed there are still monthly outgoings which need to be covered. There was no winner of last week's Aodh Ruadh Lotto jackpot of €2,200. The winning numbers drawn were 2, 3, 8, 9, 14 and 15. In the lucky dip €25 went to Shauna Dolan and Kathleen Brennan. The next draw is for a jackpot of €2,300 on Sunday at 8pm. Given the on-going guidance on social distancing we encourage club members to play the lotto online at klubfunder.com offer during this ongoing pandemic.

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26 May

Club executive meeting
The monthly club executive meeting will take place via teleconference this Thursday at 9pm. Any executive member who would like to dial in is asked to text Lisa and she will forward on details. Minutes from last month's meeting will also be circulated to those dialling in.

Coaching corner
Ulster GAA are running a webinar this Wednesday on fitness with the ball through games and game-related drills with Tony Scullion. The webinar is suitable for coaches from all codes from under 12 up to senior. Registration is now open and closes at 5pm on Wednesday. The session will commence at 7.30pm on Wednesday at https://tinyurl.com/yavuppzl. The webinar will consist of a number of video and animated games and drills which can be used to improve fitness while improving various aspects of team-play. The content can be used for all codes.

Elsewhere Donegal GAA are staging a coach education webinar on Wednesday with 2012 All-Ireland winners Rory Kavanagh, Colm McFadden, Frank McGlynn and Eamon McGee taking questions on a range of topics. Numbers are limited for this online event so ensure you register online early to receive your link for the webinar.

Meanwhile the LGFA are running their first female linesperson training webinars. This is an excellent opportunity for females to get involved as match officials. The training takes the form of an hour long interactive webinar, and will ensure that officials doing the line know their role. The webinars will take place on Thursday 26th May at 7pm; Thursday 11th May at 7pm; and Monday 22nd June at 7pm. The webinars are open to women aged over 18. To register visit the ladiesgaelic.ie website to book your place.

Training and insurance
All GAA training and playing facilities are closed until the 20th July. Should an individual sustain an injury and incur medical costs while taking part in an on-line training session or an individual training programme prior to that date, the individual will be personally responsible for all such costs. The GAA Public Liability Insurance stands suspended until July 20th. Return to train and return to play protocols are currently being drawn up by the GAA Covid-19 Advisory group and will be published in June.

Health, safety and security of club property
From May 18th with the easing of restrictions on outdoor work and construction our grounds have become a workplace again, with some of our workers back. The return of our workers has allowed us start to deal with a significant backlog of maintenance works due to the absence of help for the past few months. A good start has been made and it is good to see people back working.

The lockdown of our club grounds and buildings continues until further notice. The National Ambulance Service continue to use Aras Aoidh Ruaidh for staff training purposes.

Condolences
Our sympathies go to John Gillen and his family and the extended Gallagher family on the death of Noelle Gillen RIP, whose funeral takes place this Wednesday. Noelle worked with us as an administrative support to our Community Employment Scheme for several years and served the club and our community very ably in that capacity.

Leaving Certificate graduation
Aodh Ruadh extends our congratulations to all the Coláiste Cholmcille Leaving Certificate students who graduated virtually last Tuesday on Facebook. Not the way anyone would have expected it to happen, but a major milestone nonetheless. We wish all students the greatest of success in whatever path they chose to take with their lives and careers from here on.

Aodh Ruadh lotto
The lotto draw was once again performed live on the club Facebook page. Many thanks for everyone who helped to sell tickets this week, and if more club members could sell a couple each week it would be much appreciated. Even though we are closed there are still monthly outgoings which need to be covered. There was no winner of last week's Aodh Ruadh Lotto jackpot of €2,300. The winning numbers drawn were 1, 2, 5, 7, 8 and 10. In the lucky dip €25 went to John Rooney and Carmel Gillespie. The next draw is for a jackpot of €2,400 on Sunday at 8pm. Given the on-going guidance on social distancing we encourage club members to play the lotto online at klubfunder.com. The usual lotto envelopes can however also be obtained in Kernan's Spar and Pearse O'Neill's. Just leave the ticket in the shop and these will be collected prior to the weekly draw. The club appreciates all support members can offer during this ongoing pandemic.

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