Club Notes Archive - 2021

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December

7 December

Football
The last on-field action of the season took place on Sunday afternoon with the Bakery Cup finals being played at Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh. The action got underway with the Shield final between Morgan McNamee and Caolan McCauley. After an entertaining tussle it was Caolan McCauley's side which emerged victorious. The Cup finals then took centre stage with a good crowd present to see James Monaghan's side taking on Eoghan Doogan's men. Doogan's side opened up like a runaway train and had opened up a big lead by the half-time break. James Monaghan's lads mounted an epic second half comeback though and with a couple of minutes left to play they had cut the deficit back to just a single goal. The next score was going to be crucial and it came when Oisin Sweeny collected the ball and snapped it sharply to the net to give Doogan's team a six-point cushion which they retained to the final whistle. Presentations followed to the winners and runners-up, with Jayden McGrath Clyne being named player of the tournament. Check out aodhruadh.org for a great gallery of pictures from the day's action.

Celebration time
A low-key event was held at the weekend in Dorrian's Imperial Hotel to mark two memorable years for our senior footballers. 2020 Intermediate Championship medals and 2021 Division 2 League Champions medals were presented to team. Players of the year were also named with Eddie Lynch taking the honours for 2020 and Philip Patton being named player of the year for 2021. Well done also too our underage hurlers who were honoured for their exceptional at a presentation evening at the County Centre of Excellence in Convoy on Thursday.

Congratulations to Derrygonnelly Harps and our own Shane Ward on booking a place in the Ulster Senior Football Championship semi-finals with an enthralling extra-time victory over Tyrone champions, Dromore.

Club Calendar 2022 on sale
The 2022 Aodh Ruadh Club Calendar is hot off the presses and went on sale just last Friday. You can grab your copy in Kernan's Spar, A Novel Idea and Pearse O'Neill's. You can also book them with Lisa McTernan. At just €10 they are a lovely stocking filler and a great memento of the season.

Christmas gear orders
Club gear Christmas orders can be collected this Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December from 2pm to 4pm at Aras Aoidh Ruaidh, Father Tierney Park. Anyone who has paid is asked to please bring their receipt and adhere to all Covid regulations and precautions.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Club gear Christmas orders can be collected this Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th December from 2pm to 4pm at Aras Aoidh Ruaidh, Father Tierney Park. Anyone who has paid is asked to please bring their receipt and adhere to all Covid regulations and precautions.
We're looking forward to doing it all again this Friday night at the same time of 8.30pm with a total of over €2,500 up for grabs. Be sure to follow our like and share competition during the week to be in with a chance to win free books! We will play 10 games of bingo including our snowball, jackpot and lucky numbers games. Books are now available and can be purchased up to 4.30pm on Friday. Click this link to buy a SINGLE BOOK for €10.
Click this link to buy a DOUBLE BOOK for €15.
As before, books bought by 9am Thursday morning will be emailed at lunchtime on Thursday. Books bought by 9am Friday will be emailed at Friday lunchtime. Books then bought before the 4.30pm deadline will be emailed by 6pm Friday. The Zoom invite will be circulated with your books. The Zoom call will open at 8pm with the first game starting at 8.30pm. Make sure to check your spam or junk folder if you don’t think you received your books. We’re looking forward to meeting you all again and thank you as always for your continued support!

Sponsor A Sod, how do to do it, and who to contact
Those with returns to make are asked to get them to Tom Daly, Michael Daly or David McLoone by Friday of this week. This will help with the administration of this important fund-raiser which is quite time-consuming. Thanks to all who have supported this venture so far and to our committed group of sellers. We encourage anyone interested in viewing the project to use the safe viewing area which we have provided for this purpose.
Aodh Ruadh have launched one of their biggest fund-raising efforts in decades, asking the public to ‘Sponsor A Sod’ at €50 each to help meet the costs of this ambitious plan. A permanent display bearing the names of donors will be erected in a prominent position at the Park. More than 25 Aodh Ruadh club members have joined the working group to actively promote this fund-raising campaign and to sell sods. The working group is as follows: Sabrina Brosnan, Michael Daly, Sarah Daly, Tom Daly, William Doogan, Gerard Ferguson, Conal Gallagher, Johnny ‘Mannix’ Gallagher, Paul Gillespie, Jim Kane, Donagh Keon, Diarmaid Keon, Patsy Kilgannon, John Larkin Jr, Dinny Loughlin, Sylvester Maguire, Brian Murray, Val Murray, Mick McGrath, Packie McGrath, Pat McGrath, David McLoone, Philip McLoone, Pauric McShea, David O’Donnell, Sean O’Mahoney, Barry O’Neill, John Patton and Gregory Sweeney.
Please contact any of the following if you wish to volunteer: Tom Daly (087-2390410), David McLoone (087-7760172), Philip McLoone (086-4053008), Conal Gallagher (086-2112812), Patsy Kilgannon (087-2372128), or Michael Daly (086-9171949).
Those living away from Ballyshannon, whether in Ireland or across the world, should note that they can purchase sods, and little bit of club immortality, on Klubfunder.com. Any questions or enquiries can be sent to aodhruadhbuyasod@gmail.com.
For further information on any aspect of the Sponsor A Sod please contact the Aodh Ruadh Park / Development Committee officers - Tom Daly (087-2390410), David McLoone (087-7760172), Philip McLoone (086-4053008), Conal Gallagher (086-2112812), Patsy Kilgannon (087-2372128), or Michael Daly (086-9171949).

Premiership Snowball
For further information on any aspect of the Sponsor A Sod please contact the Aodh Ruadh Park / Development Committee officers - Tom Daly (087-2390410), David McLoone (087-7760172),

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14 December

County Convention
Congratulations to our own David McLoone who was elected vice-chairman of Donegal County Board at county convention held on Monday evening online. Best wishes to David for a successful tenure and to Mick McGrath as he continues in post as County Chairman. Aodh Ruadh are immensely proud to have these capable and talented club men serving in these hugely important positions for our county.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Well done to all our winners on Friday night! The biggest cheer went up in Glasgow, where Bernadette Sweeney won €250 on the 50/50 Jackpot game! The Snowball survived so rolls to €400 on 44 numbers. Other house winners were Fiona Murphy, Rosaleen O’Brien, Nadine Coughlin, Aisling Feely, Christine Bustard, Agnes Ryder, Vincent Keown, Geraldine Anderson, Mary Fletcher and Frances Gentle. Winners of the Line prizes were Margaret Meehan, Peggy Coughlin, John McGreevy, Rosie Branley, Aislinn Quinn, John Larkin, Mary Roper, Sinead Gallagher, Doreen Patton, Paul Ward, Louise McMahon, Danielle McDonagh, Noleen O’Brien, Geraldine Anderson and Margaret Gallagher. Free books for next week go to Kathleen Brennan, Margaret Quinn and Josie Lynch. Keep an eye out for our like and share competition during the week for your chance to win a free book for next week's bingo!
We're looking forward to doing it all again this Friday night at the same time of 8.30pm with a total of over €2,500 up for grabs. Be sure to follow our like and share competition during the week to be in with a chance to win free books! We will play 10 games of bingo including our snowball, jackpot and lucky numbers games. Books are now available and can be purchased up to 4.30pm on Friday. Click this link to buy a SINGLE BOOK for €10.
Click this link to buy a DOUBLE BOOK for €15.
As before, books bought by 9am Thursday morning will be emailed at lunchtime on Thursday. Books bought by 9am Friday will be emailed at Friday lunchtime. Books then bought before the 4.30pm deadline will be emailed by 6pm Friday. The Zoom invite will be circulated with your books. The Zoom call will open at 8pm with the first game starting at 8.30pm. Make sure to check your spam or junk folder if you don’t think you received your books. We’re looking forward to meeting you all again and thank you as always for your continued support!

Premiership Snowball
It was match week four for the Premiership Snowball and it is almost as you were with three players exiting the race, leaving 58 still standing as we reach the halfway point of the ten-week event.

Mind your mental health
As we move towards Christmas and the New Year; Ulster GAA wishes to remind individuals about their Online Mental Health Programme with Inspire. Workshops will continue until March 2022, covering a range of topics. Below is a list of upcoming workshops in January 2022. The link to the full list is also provided. Register early to avoid disappointment.
Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (4-week programme). Begins Monday 10th January at 7pm; and recurs every Monday evening for four weeks.
Register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/181857640097
Personal Effectiveness - Wednesday 12th January at 7pm
Register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/183533923907
Personal Effectiveness - Tuesday 18th January at 7pm
Register: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/181857640097
Other workshops are available in February and March 2022. To see the full list of remaining workshops, visit Ulster GAA's Eventbrite page.

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21 December

Football
Barry Ward has decided to step away from his position as senior manager. We would like to thank Barry for the huge work he put into the job during his time at the helm. He steered us to some never-to-be-forgotten days, including our first ever intermediate title, promotion back to ACFL Division 1 and our first senior football championship quarter-final in many years. We are sad to see Barry moving on, but he has left a wonderful legacy to be built upon. Expressions of interest are now being sought for the position of Aodh Ruadh Senior Football Team Manager. Interested candidates should notify club secretary Lisa McTernan at secretary.aodhruadh.donegal@gaa.ie, no later than December 31st 2021.

Congratulations to our near neighbours Derrygonnelly Harps and coach, our own Shane Ward, on their convincing Ulster Club semi-final victory last weekend. We wish the club the very best in the Ulster Club Final against Kilcoo next month.

RIP Frankie and Brian
Aodh Ruadh are deeply saddened to learn of the passing of Frankie O'Donnell, a great character and huge loss in so many ways to our community. We extend our sympathies to his grieving family, wife Lisa, his children Shannon, James and Emma, sisters, Siobhan, Mairead, Emer and Esther, brother James, his wider family and extensive circle of friends. Frankie will repose from 1pm until 8pm on Tuesday. Family home strictly private at all other times. Removal on Wednesday morning at 10.15am, via Jim White Road, going to Saint Patrick's Church, Ballyshannon, for 11am requiem Mass, followed by burial in Abbey Cemetery. Family, close relatives and work colleagues are welcome to attend the funeral, due to church numbers, but are reminded to be mindful of hand sanitizing and social distancing. The family very much appreciate your support and co-operation during this difficult and sad time. Mass can be viewed on churchservices.tv.
The club are saddened also to learn of the passing of Brian Bannon recently in New York, well before his time. We extend our deepest condolences to his grieving family; his partner, his sister Orla, brother Paul, father Tom, and all their wide circle of friends at this time.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam uasal.

Silver anniversary gathering for DLS Golden Boys
25 years on from one of the most remarkable victories in schools football, the 1996 MacLarnon Cup winning De La Salle team will gather on at 'The School Field' on Saint Stephen's Day to mark the achievement. With a very small, albeit outrageously talented pick, they swashbuckled their way to the Ulster title, a Barry Travers goal proving the difference against Saint Eunan's College in the final. That triumph will be marked by a Saint Stephen's Day clash between the 1996 team and a De La Salle select on the School Field at 1pm. Highly regarded inter-county referee and son of team manager Tom Cullen (RIP), Niall Cullen, will referee what promises to be a sporting contest. Supporters are very welcome to come along relive those great memories of quarter a century ago in a socially distanced manner.

Coast to Coast 2!
After the incredible success of the maiden Coast to Coast virtual event we are back once again, this time with Howth, County Dublin as our new destination. The event will be officially launched on Saint Stephen's Day, so keep an eye on the club's social media output as you pick your way through the debris of the Christmas dinner. The way it works is you will virtually run, jog or walk across the Ireland starting at Creevy Pier and heading for Howth. You will have two options to complete your 220km virtual challenge, in 40 days (or less) which is the most popular, or in 20 days. The clock starts ticking from the first day you submit your daily distance. The first adventurers will get going on 1st January with the event open to new starters up until the 10th January. This is a great challenge to get the healthy buzz going for 2022. Sign up and submit your distances daily and track your progress as you go with a certificate waiting for you when you finish. The challenge can be run or walked from any location you choose. You can run, jog or walk on the road, on the trail, on the treadmill, at the gym, or on the track. You take part at your own pace, and time it yourself. Registration Options are as follows: Adult entry - €20; Couple entry - €30 (from the same household); Family entry - €40; Student / OAPs - €15. Optional stylish event t-shirts, bobble hats and medals will also be available to order. Race packs will be sent out during the event. My Run Results have full responsibility for the purchases and distribution of merchandise. Orders can take up to six weeks to arrive.

Ballyshannon Bingo
We had a great Christmas Bingo last Friday night with loads of spot prizes! Congratulations to all our winners! Teresa Richardson took home €250 on the 50/50 Jackpot whilst we had three lucky winners on our Lucky Numbers Game, all doubling their winnings – Monica Quinn, Maureen Connolly and Marion Matthews. The snowball survived to the New Year so will play for €500 on 45 numbers next night out. Other house winners were Mary Gilfedder, Yvonne Brereton, Lisa Coughlin, Eugene Drummond, Nyoka Walker, Jenny Lowden, Danielle McDonagh and Ellen Lawn. The other line winners were Hugh John McGonigle, Sabrina Brosnan, Doreen Patton, Elaine McLoone, Sharon Connolly, Noreen Meehan, Sharon McDonald, Marion Kerrigan (twice!), Helen Coughlin, Doreen McDonald, Lisa McTernan and Hannah Herron. We had some great spot prizes kindly sponsored by local businesses – Please shop local this Christmas! Sunday Lunches at the Sandhouse Hotel were won by Paul Ward, Sharon Reynolds and Suzanna Cassidy. Thank you to Kernan's Spar for covering the main Hamper, won by Margaret Gallagher. The second Hamper was won by John McGreevy Jr. We had two vouchers for Rooney Butchers, won by Shane Coughlin and Geraldine Gallagher. Nathan Borrows and Rita McGullion each landed two bottles of wine: Thank you MCM Brands. The bottle of whiskey was won by Barry Rouse, Marion Deacon won the Irish Cream Liqueur and biscuits, and Jackie Gentle winning wine and chocs – thanks to the Abbey Garage and NMG Construction. We also threw in eight free books for our next bingo for good measure! We’ll be back on your screens with Bingo again on Friday 7th January. So, in the meantime we wish all our players a very merry Christmas a very happy New Year from all at Ballyshannon Bingo!

Premiership Snowball
With just three weeks remaining in our Premiership Snowball we have 36 hardy players still standing as the finishing post nears. With a packed festive programme of soccer still in store there is a lot that can happen in a few short weeks. Whose luck will hold?!

Nollaig shona
As another trying year comes to a close, Aodh Ruadh would like to take this opportunity to wish all associated with the club and everyone in the wider Ballyshannon community, whether at home or further afield, a happy, peaceful Christmas and a healthy, prosperous New Year.

Aodh Ruadh lotto
Aodh Ruadh have teamed up with McCosker’s Centra and Kernan’s Spar to bring our loyal lotto players some seasonal cheer. We have FOUR festive hampers filled with Yuletide goodies up for grabs. Lotto tickets bought this week will be entered in a draw for the hampers in our Christmas lotto draw this Wednesday 22nd December. Four more reasons to get your club lotto ticket this week! Five if you include the fact that Catherine McKee is going to be doing a turn as Mrs Claus for the draw! 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!

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