Club Notes Archive - 2022

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March

1 March

Football
Our have adult footballers learned their ACFL Division 1 programme for 2022 with fixtures initially scheduled as follows:
3 April - Kilcar v Aodh Ruadh
10 April - Aodh Ruadh v Cloich Cheann Fhaola
17 April - Glenswilly v Aodh Ruadh
23 April - Aodh Ruadh v Naomh Conaill
7 May - Gaoth Dobhair v Aodh Ruadh
15 May - Aodh Ruadh v Saint Eunan's
22 May - Saint Michael's v Aodh Ruadh
28 May - Aodh Ruadh v Ardara
4 June - Killybegs v Aodh Ruadh
12 June - Aodh Ruadh v Glenfin
3 July - Bundoran v Aodh Ruadh
9 July - Aodh Ruadh v Termon
Division 1 is due to be finished by 9th July with the Division 1 Relegation and League Finals to take place on 23rd July, depending on Donegal’s progress in the All-Ireland series. We wish our senior and reserve teams the very best of luck.

Congratulations to Mark McGlynn who was named man of the match as Ulster University, Jordanstown overcame DCU in the All-Ireland Freshers C Football Final last week. Meanwhile, good luck to the Donegal minors, including our own Eoghan Kelly and Shane Delahunty as they take on Fermanagh this coming Saturday in the county Centre of Excellence at Convoy, throw-in at 12 noon.

Underage training for younger grades has now commenced. See below for full details. We continue to invite newcomers to attend. Why not come and give it a go, in a fun and inclusive environment? Players are reminded to bring their own ball to training.
Under 5 Boys (Born in 2017 only please)
Fridays in the Mercy Hall, 6pm to 6.45pm. Manager: Ivan O'Mahony (086-1714701).
Under 7 Boys (Born 2016 and 2015)
Mondays in the Mercy Hall, 6pm to 7pm, Manager: Philip O'Reilly (086-8955141).
Under 9 Boys (Born 2014 and 2013)
Fridays in the New Hall, 6pm to 7pm, Manager: Barry Travers (086-1927823).
Under 11 Boys (Born 2012 and 2011)
Mondays at The Lakeside, 6pm to 7pm, Managers: Packie McGrath (087-9794696) and Liam Hassett (086-8262120).
Under 13 Boys (Born 2010 and 2009)
Mondays at The Lakeside, 6pm to 7pm, Managers: Damian Conlon (087-2750986), Niall McCready (087-2115790) and Michael Ward (087-6169765).

The under 15 boys are training at the Breezy Centre on Wednesdays from 6pm to 7pm, and on Sundays at the Lakeside from 12 noon to 1pm.

Hurling
The draft senior hurling league fixtures for the coming have been published with the schedule looking as follows:
1 April - Aodh Ruadh v MacCumhaill's
8 April - Setanta v Aodh Ruadh
16 April - Aodh Ruadh v Buncrana
22 April - Saint Eunan's v Aodh Ruadh
29 April - Dungloe v Aodh Ruadh
6 May - Aodh Ruadh v Burt
13 May - Carndonagh v Aodh Ruadh
The results of these fixtures will help determine whether sides are seeded in the senior or junior championships. We wish our senior hurlers the very best of luck for the season ahead.

Underage hurling returns for a number of our teams this coming Sunday, March 6th. Our under 11s and under 13s will be training on the De La Salle School Field from 10.30am, with that session being followed by the under 5s, under 7s and under 9s at 11.45am, also on the De La Salle School Field.
Under 5s (Born 2017) and under 7s (Born 2016 and 2015) will train together but in separate pods. Manager, Martin Larkin.
Under 9s (Born 2014 and 2013). Manager, John Larkin.
Under 11s (Born 2012 and 2011). Management - Caelan Drummond and Liam Mealiffe.
Under 13s (Born 2010 and 2009). Aiden Begley and John Larkin.
Any new player who wants to link up with any of those teams please contact John Larkin on 086-1076883 to be added to the team WhatsApp group. We would warmly welcome any new players at all of these age groups, hurls and helmets will be provided.
Our under 15s and under 17s are also welcoming new players, or players who have played in the past and are interested in playing again. For under 15, please contact Paul Sheridan on 087-6572157. For under 17 please contact Daithi Breen on 087-9287965.

Ladies
The senior ladies train this Wednesday at the Mercy Hall from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. The squad will then travel to Convoy on Friday for challenge match, with the throw in at 8pm.

Well done to Ciara Larkin and the Donegal under 14 ladies who recorded wins over Tyrone and Derry at the weekend in the Ulster Championship. Ciara was pivotal to the wins, lining out at centre back. Meanwhile Cara O'Loughlin was in action for the Donegal under 16s as they took on Monaghan in the Ulster Championship, with Paul O'Loughlin assisting in the back room team. On this occasion the Oriel ladies edged home by four points.

Sponsor a Sod
There are still a number of returns outstanding for our Sponsor a Sod fund raiser. We need full co-operation with this so that we can plan the redistribution of unsold vouchers. We will relaunch this vital fund-raiser in the second half of March, when the Contractor comes back on site. There is still a gap to be closed to meet the costs of the various works. In the meantime, this fundraiser can be supported via Klubfunder, or by contacting any club member. Sincere thanks to all who have supported this initiative in such a generous way. Within six months of our initial launch in June 2021, we hit the landmark figure of €50,000. This gives great confidence to all who are involved in driving forward with the major programme of works at Father Tierney Park. Outstanding vouchers, sold or unsold, should be returned as soon as possible to Tom Daly, Michael Daly or David McLoone.

Father Tierney Park Project
Prunty Contracts, having completed the major civil works element last year, return to build the new sand-based playing surface after St Patrick's Day. With clement weather we look forward to the completion of the import of sand, mole-draining and the sowing out of the upgraded pitch in the months after that. In the second half of 2022 we will commence a further phase of finishing and other works, including new perspex sideline accomodation for players and match officials, upgrading of electrical and other underground services, equipment replacement and modernisation and a range of civil works to complete the project. Our plans in this regard received a major fillip when the Park / Development Committee received notice recently of the award of grant aid of €87,465 under the Sports Capital Programme. Several people contributed to the success of the process which brought this very welcome outcome and we have been in touch with all of those involved to thank them for their support for what is a major undertaking for Aodh Ruadh.

Fitness Trail
Individual club players and team managers are reminded that our 640m Fitness Trail is there to be used as an all-weather athletics resource during the rest of the Winter and early Spring with plenty of opportunity to avail of it on Saturdays and Sundays. Whoever removed the key for the toilets from the key safe box is asked to return it immediately as the Fitness Trail is used by many senior members of our community on week days.

Scór na nÓg
The county final of Scór na nÓg takes place this Sunday 6th March at 4pm in Burt. Aodh Ruadh will be represented in two acts. Dáithi and Fódhla Sheerin will be taking part in the instrumental group section and the quiz team will consist of Cara Davitt, James Gallagher, Donagh Kelly and Fódhla Sheerin. We wish them the best of luck in the final.

Club registration
We are now coming into the busiest time of year for club registration and we urge all club members to renew their membership at their earliest convenience. To facilitate registration we have an online option on Klubfunder.com available. Click on the link or search for 'Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon' on the Klubfunder.com site. Membership can also be paid to Gerry Ferguson at Ferguson's Jewellers. Players can also download registration forms from aodhruadh.org and submit this along with the relevant fee directly to their manager. It is essential all players are signed up club members. Non members are not covered by the GAA's injury insurance scheme and cannot line out for the club. Adult members will receive first priority for the club's allocation of All-Ireland final tickets in the event of Donegal contesting the decider. Only adult members registered by 31st March may vote at the club AGM.

Support the Ladies with your Lidl shop
The Lidl Serious Support Campaign is back again this year. We ask any club supporters who shop in Lidl to please select Aodh Ruadh from the clubs listed and collect stamps through the app. This proved to be a great fundraiser for the club last year and we would like to replicate that success in 2022. To get involved go to your smart phone, download and open the Lidl Plus app from your Appstore and tap 'Start collecting'. Follow the on-screen prompts to select Aodh Ruadh. You can tap on 'More information for terms and conditions and FAQs. After each shop you'll be able to add stamps to the app. You can use the app to see how many stamps you have collected and submit your card once it is full. Spread the word!

Last man standing
As has been the case quite a bit so far in the League, the Dubs were the big losers this week, with 25 crashing out! Meanwhile, Mayo were this week's big winners with 10 backing them to victory in Hyde Park against Armagh. So with three rounds remaining we are down to just 26 left standing.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Well done to all our winners at Ballyshannon Bingo last Friday! The jackpot prize was shared between Ellen Lawne and Jackie Gentle. Mary and Collette Roper each won a house, as did Mary and Karen McLoughlin. Other house winners were Mary O’Neill, Kieran Drummond, Philomena McGarrigle, Mary Travers (with a line too!) and Dolores Kelly. The cash prizes winners on the lines were Patrice Cox, Aisling Feely, Avril O’Brien, Marian McAndrews, Conor Hallett, Sarah O’Shea, Dave Fletcher, Maeve Gallagher, Grace Martin, Doreen Patton and Margaret McCafferty. We also had eight free books for next week won. The Snowball survived again and so rolls on to €900 on 49 numbers this Friday when we return at the usual time of 8.30pm with a prize fund of over €2,600.
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.
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!

Oklahoma at the Abbey!
Ballyshannon Musical Society will be presenting a fabulous production of Rogers and Hammerstein favourite, Oklahoma!, in the Abbey Arts Centre from Tuesday 1st March to Saturday 5th March. Aodh Ruadh will be well represented with Louise Larkin (Ladies Secretary), John Larkin (Juvenile Hurling chairman), Brian Gillespie (Coaching Officer and Bord na nÓg Secretary) and Fodhla Sheerin (Under 16 star) all featuring. The production will also be directed by long standing club physio Moya Ferguson. Tickets are available online at https://bit.ly/bmsokla.

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8 March

Football
Congratulations to the Donegal minors who recorded a 2-13 to 0-7 win over Fermanagh in the Ulster League last Saturday. The defence was anchored at centre back by our own Eoghan Kelly, with Shane Delahunty also a member of the squad. Next up for Donegal is a trip to take on Cavan next Saturday.

The under 15s played a challenge against over the weekend in Derrygonnelly. The Ballyshannon lads played well finishing winners on a 8-9 to 3-8 scoreline. Bomber at the top of the square was Donagh Kelly who finished with 2-1 to his credit. Eoin Cassidy was excellent in midfield and received superb support from Sean O'Neill who covered every blade of grass on the field. Further back, Max Roper and Finn Doogan worked tirelessly in defence, while Corey Sheridan had a typically assured outing between the posts.

Underage training for younger grades has now commenced. See below for full details. We continue to invite newcomers to attend. Why not come and give it a go, in a fun and inclusive environment? Players are reminded to bring their own ball to training.
Under 5 Boys (Born in 2017 only please)
Fridays in the Mercy Hall, 6pm to 6.45pm. Manager: Ivan O'Mahony (086-1714701).
Under 7 Boys (Born 2016 and 2015)
Mondays in the Mercy Hall, 6pm to 7pm, Manager: Philip O'Reilly (086-8955141).
Under 9 Boys (Born 2014 and 2013)
Fridays in the New Hall, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, Manager: Barry Travers (086-1927823).
Under 11 Boys (Born 2012 and 2011)
Mondays at The Lakeside, 6pm to 7pm, Managers: Packie McGrath (087-9794696) and Liam Hassett (086-8262120).
Under 13 Boys (Born 2010 and 2009)
Mondays at The Lakeside, 6pm to 7pm, Managers: Damian Conlon (087-2750986), Niall McCready (087-2115790) and Michael Ward (087-6169765).

The under 15 boys are training at the Breezy Centre on Wednesdays from 6pm to 7pm, and on Sundays at the Lakeside from 12 noon to 1pm.

Hurling
Underage training continues this coming Sunday. Our under 11s and under 13s will be training on the De La Salle School Field from 10.30am, with that session being followed by the under 5s, under 7s and under 9s at 11.45am, also on the De La Salle School Field. Any new player who wants to link up with any of those teams please contact John Larkin on 086-1076883 to be added to the team WhatsApp group. We would warmly welcome any new players at all of these age groups, hurls and helmets will be provided.

Our under 15s and under 17s are also welcoming new players, or players who have played in the past and are interested in playing again. For under 15, please contact Paul Sheridan on 087-6572157. For under 17 please contact Daithi Breen on 087-9287965.

Well done to our own Jun Hui Lin, Garreth Brennan, Corey Sheridan and Killian McPhelim who pulled on the county jersey on Saturday as the Donegal under 15 hurlers took on Antrim.

Ladies
Our senior ladies had two good run outs at the weekend with Convoy and MacCumhaill's providing the opposition. With the mercury hovering at zero degrees on Friday evening the team tuned in a very complete performance against the St Mary's ladies. Then on Sunday morning they headed down the N15 once more to face their Ballybofey counterparts. Once again the Ballyshannon ladies performed well in all areas of the pitch. Unfortunately this sporting contest was brought to a premature conclusion when MacCumhaill's player Sarah Finnegan sustained a nasty shoulder injury. All at Aodh Ruadh wish Sarah the very best for a speedy recovery. The senior ladies train this Wednesday at the Mercy Hall from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.

Under 16 girls training continues on Tuesday evenings at the Breesy Centre, Cashelard. Players should be there for 7.20pm for a 7.30pm start. Please bring €2 for pitch. The session is finished at 8.30pm. New players will be made very welcome.

Club gear
There will be a collection session this Saturday, 12th March between 4pm and 6pm at Aras Aoidh Ruaidh for anyone who placed an order for club gear with O'Reilly's.

Carnival Workshops for Kids
A six week carnival workshop for kids starts on Monday 14th March in the Abbey Centre. The workshops will cover clowning, circus tricks, costume making, face-painting. Sessions run from 5pm to 6pm for six to 10-year-olds, and from 6pm to 7pm for 11 to 14-year-olds. The programme wraps up with a special performance for parents on Saturday 30th April. The fee is €10 per child and places can be booked by calling or texting 087 3946397. Places on the programme are limited so early booking is advised.

Scór na nÓg
Unfortunately Covid meant we were unable to compete at the Scór na nÓg county final last Sunday, however, while they are disappointed on missing out this year most of our competitors will be underage once again in 2023.

Ballyshannon Bingo
The McGreavy's in Bundoran were the big winners at last week's bingo with John Jr winning the Jackpot and John Sr winning a house and share of a second house! The other house winners were Rose McGee, Noeleen O’Brien, Libby Clyne, Breege Gormley, Michael Doherty, John Gallagher and Marie Browne, with Helen Coughlin, Christina Mulligan, Jenny Lowden and Vanessa Brennan all sharing a house prize. The cash winners on the Lines were Nyoka Walker, Deirdre Clarke, Breege Gormley, Teresa Campbell (twice!), Margaret Meehan, Danielle McDonagh, Agnes Ryder, Linda Breen, Dolores Kelly, Antoinette McKinney, Bernadette Sweeney, Geraldine Gallagher and Josie Lynch. The Snowball survived so rolls to €950 next Friday, with almost €2,800 in the prize fund to play for!
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.
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!

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15 March

Club registration
We are now coming into the busiest time of year for club registration and we urge all club members to renew their membership at their earliest convenience. To facilitate this, there will be an opportunity to pay membership in person at an open registration this Friday in Aras Aoidh Ruaidh from 12pm to 2pm. We also have an online option on Klubfunder.com available. Click on the link or search for 'Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon' on the Klubfunder.com site. Membership can also be paid to Gerry Ferguson at Ferguson's Jewellers. Players can also download registration forms from aodhruadh.org and submit this along with the relevant fee directly to their manager. It is essential all players are signed up club members. Non members are not covered by the GAA's injury insurance scheme and cannot line out for the club. Adult members will receive first priority for the club's allocation of All-Ireland final tickets in the event of Donegal contesting the decider. Only adult members registered by 31st March may vote at the club AGM.

Football
Well done to Senan Rooney, Kyle Murray and the Donegal under 20s on defeating Tyrone by seven points in Letterkenny to claim the Leo Murphy Cup title. Elsewhere there was a set back for the county under 17s, with a 1-10 to 0-10 defeat against a strong Cavan outfit in Breffni Park. Our own Eoghan Kelly and Shane Delahunty are part of the panel.

The under 15 boys are training at the Breezy Centre on Wednesdays from 6pm to 7pm, and on Sundays at the Lakeside from 12 noon to 1pm.

Underage training continues for younger grades. See below for full details. We continue to invite newcomers to attend. Why not come and give it a go, in a fun and inclusive environment? Players are reminded to bring their own ball to training.
Under 5 Boys (Born in 2017 only please)
Fridays in the Mercy Hall, 6pm to 6.45pm. Manager: Ivan O'Mahony (086-1714701).
Under 7 Boys (Born 2016 and 2015)
Mondays in the Mercy Hall, 6pm to 7pm, Manager: Philip O'Reilly (086-8955141).
Under 9 Boys (Born 2014 and 2013)
Fridays in the New Hall, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, Manager: Barry Travers (086-1927823).
Under 11 Boys (Born 2012 and 2011)
Mondays at The Lakeside, 6pm to 7pm, Managers: Packie McGrath (087-9794696) and Liam Hassett (086-8262120).
Under 13 Boys (Born 2010 and 2009)
Mondays at The Lakeside, 6pm to 7pm, Managers: Damian Conlon (087-2750986), Niall McCready (087-2115790) and Michael Ward (087-6169765).

The under 15 boys are training at the Breezy Centre on Wednesdays from 6pm to 7pm, and on Sundays at the Lakeside from 12 noon to 1pm.

Hurling
There was a wee bit of family history on Sunday with Father, Uncle and Son lining out together in a senior game for the first time. Peter Horan, Aaron Cullen and Rory Cullen all started for Aodh Ruadh in the senior hurlers' opening game of the Ulster Senior Táin League against Lisnaskea. The Ballyshannon men opened their account for the season with a convincing victory over the Fermanagh outfit at Emmet Park. Aaron was making his senior debut alongside three other very promising young prospects, with Ryan Keenaghan, Kyle McNulty and Dan Breen also lining our for the club for the first time at adult level. Aaron Cullen, Dan Breen, Michael Reddin and Pat Cassidy were among the goals, as well as slotting points freely, while Rory Cullen also helped himself to a good haul of points. Exciting times for our senior hurlers' with some serious talent coming up through the ranks.

Well done to Mickey Doogan, Tommy Winters, Maitiu Tierney and Cian McKenna who are all part of the Donegal under 17 hurling squad which will be commencing their Celtic Challenge Cup programme next month with a game against Tyrone. The Tir Chonaill lads will also be taking on Mayo and Sligo in the group stages.

Underage training continues this coming Sunday. Our under 11s and under 13s will be training on the De La Salle School Field from 10.30am, with that session being followed by the under 5s, under 7s and under 9s at 11.45am, also on the De La Salle School Field. Any new player who wants to link up with any of those teams please contact John Larkin on 086-1076883 to be added to the team WhatsApp group. We would warmly welcome any new players at all of these age groups, hurls and helmets will be provided.

Ladies
Our senior ladies were busy again this week with two challenges packed in. First up were Dublin outfit Fingallians on Saturday. This was an entertaining encounter with a lot of good displays from the Shamettes who really enjoyed their first outing on home turf this season. On Sunday it was the short trip over to Derrygonnelly. The conditions were challenging, but the Ballyshannon girls gritted their teeth and turned in a very polished performance. The senior ladies continue to train this Wednesday at the Mercy Hall from 7.30pm to 8.30pm. Meanwhile, the adult ladies also learned their fixtures for the coming season this weekend and these are outlined below. Sunday, 3 April @ 10.30am
Division 2: Aodh Ruadh v Carndonagh
Division 3: Aodh Ruadh v Red Hugh's

Sunday, 10 April @ 10.30am
Division 2: Gaeil Fhánada v Aodh Ruadh
Division 3: Kilcar v Aodh Ruadh

Sunday, 24 April @ 10.30am
Division 2: Aodh Ruadh v Gaoth Dobhair
Division 3: Aodh Ruadh v Four Masters

Sunday, 15 May @ 10.30am
Division 2: St Naul's v Aodh Ruadh
Division 3: Dungloe v Aodh Ruadh

Saturday, 21 May @ 10.30am
Division 2: Killybegs v Aodh Ruadh

Sunday, 12 June @ 10.30am
Division 2: Aodh Ruadh v Robert Emmet's
Division 3: Aodh Ruadh v MacCumhaill's

Sunday, 19 June @ 10.30am
Division 2: Na Dúnaibh v Aodh Ruadh
Division 3: Naomh Columba v Aodh Ruadh

The under 16s also received their fixtures this week. The girls will be in Division 1 and their competitive schedule for the season is as outlined below.
Thursday, 31 March: Saint Eunan's v Aodh Ruadh
Thursday, 14 April: Aodh Ruadh v Ardara
Thursday, 28 April: Four Masters v Aodh Ruadh
Saturday, 30 April: Aodh Ruadh v Naomh Pádraig, Muff
Thursday, 5 May: MacCumhaill's v Aodh Ruadh
Thursday, 19 May: Aodh Ruadh v Dungloe
Tuesday, 24 May: Aodh Ruadh v Buncrana

Training continues for the under 16s on Tuesday evenings at the Breesy Centre, Cashelard. Players should be there for 7.20pm for a 7.30pm start. Please bring €2 for pitch. The session is finished at 8.30pm. There will also be a session outdoors on Friday morning from 11am to 12.30pm, venue to be confirmed. New players will be made very welcome.

Congratulations to Lucy McGlynn on being selected at centre back on the Ulster Schools All-Stars Panel, an outstanding achievement. Well done also to Ciara Larkin and Megan Murphy who were in action for the Donegal under 14s over the weekend. They took on Antrim and Monaghan in Lifford, winning against the Saffrons, and coming up short against the Oriel girls in controversial circumstances. Elsewhere we had Caoimhe Keon in O'Connor Cup semi-final action with NUIG and Bridín Maguire lining out for Letterkenny IT in the Moynihan Cup final. It's great to have players from the club featuring in these high profile games.

Saint Patrick's Day parade
Aodh Ruadh are delighted to be taking part in Ballyshannon’s first Saint Patrick's day parade in three years this Thursday! Our under 5, under 7 and under 9 footballers and hurlers as well as the under 6, under 8 and under 10 girls are asked to assemble at the Gaelscoil for 1.40pm. All players will be supplied with jerseys, but by all means wear something festive too! Marchers are to be collected immediately after the parade in the Market Yard.

Skill up on Stats and Match Analysis
We are hosting a match analysis and stats workshop with Denise Martin on Thursday 31st March in Aras Aoidh Ruaidh. The workshop will commence at 9pm and run for an hour. We are privileged to host Denise, who is one of Ireland’s top lecturers in this field. All coaches in the club are invited and encouraged to attend. The workshop will give an insight into the importance of stats gathering on match day, what information should be gathered, and how it should be used live on match day to inform decisions. Although this is aimed at our competitive teams, we invite all coaches to attend in order to have a knowledge on this subject throughout all our club coaches. We also hope to have an extended group who can step in on any given match day to assist a team manager collecting stats. With this in mind we would warmly invite any volunteers not currently involved in coaching, but who would like to get involved in some way, to come along to the workshop with a view to being trained up to become a stats person for an underage team.

Coaching corner
We continue to expand the Coaching Corner section on aodhruadh.org. The latest addition is a nine week programme of training sessions for under six players in the Articles and Resources section. This section has a wide range of information on many different aspects of coaching and training. We also have a searchable database of nearly 170 drills for all age grades which coaches can use to prepare sessions and share with fellow mentors.

Congrats
Congratulations to Brian Roper on his appointment to an important new role in the Donegal GAA Coaching and Development Team. Brian will be the county's Youth Games Development Co-ordinator and will be the lead on Games Development Opportunities within Donegal GAA at youth level from under 13 to under 17. He will be focusing on club and post primary SuperGames, post primary coaching programme, young whistlers education and club support initiatives for coaches work within youth age grade at club level. Best of luck with the new role Brian.

Female Leadership Programme
Donegal Sports Partnership is currently recruiting candidates for its Female Leadership Programme Beyond 20X20. Donegal Sports Partnership are looking for a female club administrator, coach or official to join the programme. Research has shown some women and girls don't put themselves forward because of a lack of confidence or self-esteem. This programme helps develop their personal strengths and leadership qualities. The eight-week programme has been developed to support females already involved in or interested in getting involved in sport. Donegal Sports Partnership’s aim is to equip female club volunteers in becoming more effective and efficient in their role, while creating invaluable experiences for those involved in the programme. The programme also aims to enhance personal skills in leadership such as confidence, communication and resilience. The programme is open to females aged 16 and over with a passion, commitment, and a genuine interest in sport at all levels with a view to developing a concept of ‘Sport for Life’. Participants are encouraged to apply from all levels - from those that have a current role in their club to those with no experience in administration, coaching or officiating who want to get involved. Places will be offered via an application process. As the course is heavily subsidised through Sport Ireland's Dormant Accounts, it is available at €25 per participant. Application deadline is Friday 18th March at 12pm. To register your expression of interest for this programme fill out the online Google Docs form at this link.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Jackie Gentle took home the jackpot on another lively night at Ballyshannon Bingo last Friday. The other house winners were Marie Gormley, Rita McGullion, Molly Kerrigan, Karen McLaughlin, Patricia McGrane, Monica Quinn and Teresa Campbell, with Karl McGonigle and Geraldine Gallagher sharing the house in game nine. The cash winners on the lines were Toni Anne McGowan, Aideen Lowden (x2!), Charlene Simpkin, Avril O'Brien, Patrice Cox (x2!), Lisa Coughlin, Sharon Coyle, Karen McLaughlin, Margaret McCafferty, Grace Martin, Lisa Coughlin, Susan Lynch and Sean Coughlin. Free books were claimed by Kathleen McGee, Andrea Gallagher, Noreen O'Connor, Aislinn Quinn, Agnes Ryder, Patricia McGrane, Marie Ward, Jackie Gentle, Bridget Quinn and Sonia Kelly. Whew! The Snowball survived so rolls over to a whopping €1,00 this Bank Holiday Friday, with almost €3,000 in the prize fund to play for!
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.
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!

Last man standing
We are down to 14 entries remaining in our Last Man Standing competition with two rounds of the league to go. This week Armagh had the most backers with seven of our remaining entrants picking them. Two rounds now remain to see if we need to use our tiebreaker. The 14 remaining are: Daryl Brennan, Benny Dolan, Bernie Sheridan, Sean Perry, Susan Sheridan, Patricia Boyle, Una McCaffrey, Jennifer McClay, Shay Travers, Declan Coulter, Ryan Calvey, John Dolan, Brian Ryder and Cáelán Drummond.

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22 March

Club registration
There are now just nine days remaining until the club registration deadline and we urge all club members to renew their membership at their earliest convenience. To facilitate this we have an online option on Klubfunder.com available. Click on the link or search for 'Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon' on the Klubfunder.com site. Membership can also be paid to Gerry Ferguson at Ferguson's Jewellers. Players can also download registration forms from aodhruadh.org and submit this along with the relevant fee directly to their manager. It is essential all players are signed up club members. Non members are not covered by the GAA's injury insurance scheme and cannot line out for the club. Adult members will receive first priority for the club's allocation of All-Ireland final tickets in the event of Donegal contesting the decider. Only adult members registered by 31st March may vote at the club AGM.

Football
Good luck to to Senan Rooney, Kyle Murray and the Donegal under 20s as they commence their Ulster under 20 championship this Friday against Armagh. The quarter-final clash takes place in MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey with a throw-in time of 8pm

Good luck to Eoghan Kelly, Shane Delahunty and the Donegal minors this Saturday when they take on Derry at Celtic Park in their latest outing in the Ulster minor league. Eoghan has been starting at centre back to date. Saturday's game throw's in at 12 noon.

Well done to James Monaghan on being selected for the final 32 man county under 16 academy squad. The team played Cavan last week in on the Breffni Park 3G Pitch with James lining out at corner back, a role he reprised on Sunday when Donegal took on Meath in Slane. The panel then went on to Croke Park for the senior NFL clash between Donegal and Dublin. Our own Barry Ward is the manager of the squad, putting them through their paces with his back room team every Wednesday at Letterkenny Institute of Technology. The team will be playing in Group Two of the Buncrana Cup with Derry, Mayo and Tyrone the opposition, and the first match scheduled for April 9th.

The under 15 boys are training at the Breezy Centre on Wednesdays from 6pm to 7pm, and on Sundays at the Lakeside from 12 noon to 1pm.

The Aodh Ruadh under 13s had a great trip up to Dublin on Sunday. The boys played a challenge match against Ballymun Kickham's, had a team building fun session in Albert College park and attended Croke Park for the Dublin v Donegal National League game. This was a fantastic day out for the team and a first visit to Croke Park for some of our panel. The early morning throw-in v Ballymun was a very competitive, fast flowing game. Aodh Ruadh started strongly with early points coming from MJ Ward, Darragh McCready, Manus Conlan and Eoghan McCadden. Ballymun also produced some impressive scores from play and finished the half on top leading 1-6 to 0-7. Aodh Ruadh retook the lead early in the second half with a well taken Oisín McGrath goal. This lead was extended by Ward and Conlan points before a beautiful little dummy by Shaun McGarrigle sent the Ballymun keeper the wrong way, McGarrigle coolly slotting home into the empty net. Ballymun kept themselves in the game with two quick goals midway through the second half. However, the Ballyshannon defence held firm for the remainder of the half with the Duffy cousins Antoin and Anthony and goalkeeper Connor Greenan leading at the back. The score of the game was started by a lung-busting run by Oisin McCadden, working through Darragh Vaughan, Conor McGloin, Alex Kerrigan and finished with a well taken goal by McCready, summing up the team effort on the day. The final score was Ballymun Kickham's 3-6 Aodh Ruadh 3-13. A special thanks to our fantastic hosts, the Ballymun Kickhams under 13s parents and management who provided us with refreshments after the game. Over a cup of tea Aodh Ruadh managers Niall McCready and Michael Ward were able to recall with fondness their memories of Aodh Ruadh underage games against Ballymun over 30 years ago. It's great to re-establish that connection between our clubs and we hope to host our Dublin friends in Ballyshannon later this year. We have a gallery of pictures from the trip live on aodhruadh.org.
Under 13 training continues on Mondays at the Lakeside from 5.45pm to 7pm and on Thursdays on the De La Salle pitch from 5.45pm to 7pm.

Hurling
Our senior hurlers are out in Ulster Táin League action this Sunday with Setanta the visitors to Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh for a 12 noon throw-in. Why not head up to Munday's and show your support.

Underage training continues this coming Sunday. Our under 11s and under 13s will be training on the De La Salle School Field from 10.30am. The under 5s, under 7s and under 9s at 11.45am, also on the De La Salle School Field. Any new player who wants to link up with any of those teams should please contact John Larkin on 086-1076883 to be added to the team WhatsApp group. We would warmly welcome any new players at all of these age groups, hurls and helmets will be provided.

Give it a go Session: We plan to run a give it a go session for ages under 5 up to under 11 in the coming weeks. This will be separate to our underage training and will give players an opportunity to try the game before coming up to a training session! Keep an eye on the club Facebook page and club notes for more details!

Thank You! A massive thank you to Kevin Loughlin of VKG Heating and Plumbing contractors for supplying an equipment update for our youngest teams. Our new bibs, balls, Cones and other equipment will allow us to continue in the development and promotion of hurling in Aodh Ruadh.

Ladies
Our senior ladies were in Belcoo for a challenge on Sunday morning. The elements once again had a big impact on exchanges, but, once again, the Ballyshannon girls met the challenges posed really well in another encouraging outing. The senior ladies continue to train this Wednesday at the Mercy Hall from 7.30pm to 8.30pm.

Training continues for the under 16s on Tuesday evenings at the De La Salle School Field. Players should be there for 7.50pm for an 8pm start with the session concluding at 9pm.

Well done Cara O'Loughlin who played midfield as the county under 16s took on Antrim, and also to Ciara Larkin and Megan Murphy who were in action for the Donegal under 14s against Armagh and Fermanagh at the weekend.

Club gear
People who have ordered and paid for club gear from O'Reilly's via Chris Kelly are urged to collect their gear at Aras Aoidh Ruaidh this Wednesday between 6pm to 7pm. This will be the last opportunity to collect O'Reilly's gear. Chris also has a large quantity of club shorts which have been ordered and these can be collected at this same session on Wednesday. Chris has invested a lot of time in taking and preparing orders and is keen to close the book on this tranche, so we would greatly appreciate it if those who have made orders can arrange to have them collected them this Wednesday at the latest.

Condolences
The club would like to extend our condolences to the family of Anne McShea, Tully, on her recent passing. Anne was laid to rest on Sunday and our thoughts are with the McShea family and their wide circle of friends at this sad time.

Saint Patrick's Day
Well done to our young players who came out in larger numbers than ever for the returned and revitalised Saint Patrick's Day Parade last Thursday. They weather was fantastic and all in all we had a great day. Thanks to all those who helped pull together a great display by the club. We have a great gallery of pictures of the club taking part in the parade.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Well done to all our winners last week. It’s possible Patricia Bradshaw did more talking than the bingo caller with no less that six checks from the Lynch / Bradshaw household! Congrats to Patricia on two house wins, Josie on her house and two line wins, and Christina on her house win! Linda Breen scooped €250 on the 50/50 Jackpot game. Other house winners were Rita McGullion, Ellen Lawne, Mary McGonigle, Doreen McDonald (plus a line!), Kathleen McCormack (shared) and Marie Gallagher. The other cash winners for the lines were Aisling Feely, Mary Reynolds, Lisa Coughlin, Teresa Campbell, Lorna Matthews, Ursula McGreevy, Virgilius White, Ailish Ward, Andrea Gallagher and Grace Martin. We also gave away 10 free double books. The Snowball is still waiting to be claimed so rolls on to a mighty €1,050 this Friday, with over €2,800 to play for!
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.
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!

Last man standing
As we head in to the last round of league fixtures we have 12 remaining in the completion. Depending on results this Sunday we may have to use our tie-breaker, where the entrants will have to guess the winners of each of the league finals. A special mention to our under 11 player, Daryl Brennan who is still in the running.

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29 March

Club registration
There are now just TWO days remaining until the club registration deadline and we urge all club members who have not yet done so to renew their membership as soon as possible. To facilitate this we have an online option on Klubfunder.com available. Click on the link or search for 'Aodh Ruadh Ballyshannon' on the Klubfunder.com site. Membership can also be paid to Gerry Ferguson at Ferguson's Jewellers. Players can also download registration forms from aodhruadh.org and submit this along with the relevant fee directly to their manager. It is essential all players are signed up club members. Non members are not covered by the GAA's injury insurance scheme and cannot line out for the club. Adult members will receive first priority for the club's allocation of All-Ireland final tickets in the event of Donegal contesting the decider. Only adult members registered by 31st March may vote at the club AGM.

Football
Good luck to our senior adult teams as they prepare to commence their ACFL Division 1 league programmes this Sunday. The Ernesiders are in Towney to take on Kilcar with the reserves getting the afternoon's action under way at 1.30pm ahead of the senior match which throws in at 3pm. As ever, we encourage a big Ballyshannon support to make the trip to support the lads.

Good luck to Senan Rooney, Kyle Murray, Aaron Cullen and the Donegal under 20s as they commence their Ulster under 20 championship this Friday against Armagh. The quarter-final clash takes place in MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey with a throw-in time of 8pm. Good luck to Eoghan Kelly, Shane Delahunty and the Donegal minors this Saturday when they take on Sligo at Ballybofey in the Ulster minor league at 12 noon.

Our under 15s had the honour of being the first underage team in competitive action this season. The lads made the long trip to Gleann Cholm Cille to take on Naomh Columba on Monday evening. The homesters started the better and held a 0-5 to 0-3 lead after the first quarter, but Ballyshannon responded with their best spell of the game to see it honours even at half-time with the sides going in at six points apiece. Glen got the rub of the green in the second half and two fortunate goals helped tilt the tie in their favour as they went on to run out 2-13 to 0-10 winners. Dara McGloin put in a great shift in midfield while in the defence Barry Campbell and Sean O'Neill both got through a sight of work. Up front the Ernesiders had a good return from Killian McPhelim who finished with two points to his credit. Training continues for the under 15s this Wednesday from 5.30pm to 6.30pm on the top pitch at Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh.

Our under 13s continue their pre-season build up with a challenge match this Tuesday in Ardara. Throw in is at 6.30pm in Pearse Memorial Park. Training continues on Saturday at 3pm in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh, and on Monday at 6.45pm on the Coláiste Cholmcille pitch.

Hurling
Our senior hurlers came up short against Setanta in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh last Sunday, with the Crossroads men running out 1-6 to 4-24 victors in the Táin League clash. Next up for the senior hurlers is the opening tie of their league campaign, with MacCumhaill's providing the opposition this Friday in Páirc Aoidh Ruadh at 7pm. We wish the squad and management all the very best for the season ahead.

Underage training continues this coming Sunday. Our under 11s and under 13s will be training at Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh from 10.30am. They will also be training at the same venue on Thursdays from 6.15pm. The under 5s, under 7s and under 9s are training on Sunday from 11.45am at Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh. Any new player who wants to link up with any of those teams should please contact John Larkin on 086-1076883 to be added to the team WhatsApp group. We would warmly welcome any new players at all of these age groups, hurls and helmets will be provided.

Our under 15s and under 17s continue to welcome new players, or players who have played in the past and are interested in playing again. For under 15, please contact Paul Sheridan on 087-6572157. For under 17 please contact Daithi Breen on 087-9287965.

Ladies
Our senior ladies get their league programme under way with a double header in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh this Sunday. The seniors, playing in Division 2, take on Carndonagh at 10am, while the reserves, playing in Division 3, will face off against Red Hugh's at 11.30am. Best of luck to both teams and management for the season ahead.

Good luck also to our under 16s who commence their competitive season this Thursday with a trip to Letterkenny to take on St Eunan's, with the action getting under way at 6pm. Training continues on Tuesday on the Coláiste Cholmcille pitch from 7.15pm to 8.15pm.

Under 14 training is set to begin the week commencing 4th April.

Training commences for under 12 girls this Tuesday, 29th March at Coláiste Cholmcille. Training will run from 6pm to 7pm every Tuesday and Thursday. Please bring water and gum shields. We are looking forward to seeing everyone on Tuesday. If you haven't tried football before, why not come up and give it a crack, you will be made very welcome.

Good luck to Aoibheann McGarrigle and the Donegal minors as they take on Antrim in their final round match in MacCumhaill Park this Saturday. Well done to Ciara Larkin who was in action for the Donegal under 14s as they took on Down and Cavan at the weekend in Dunfanaghy. Good luck to Ciara, Megan Murphy and the rest of the county under 14 squad as they prepare to take on Tyrone in the Silver Final this Saturday at 3pm in Dungiven.

Juvenile Hurling Table Quiz
There will be a table quiz for Juvenile Hurling this Thursday in Owen Roe's at 9.30pm. A great night of craic is guaranteed and we're looking forward to seeing plenty of familiar faces!

Pick of the Pundits!
Introducing Pick of the Pundits 2022, the Ladies major fund-raiser of the year with €500 to be won! Use your sporting smarts to select the winner of 20 of this years marquee sporting events from five options offered. If your selection comes up, you receive the corresponding number of points, and take a step closer to the Pick of the Pundits title! First prize €250. Second prize €100. Third prize €75. Fourth Prize €50. Fifth prize €25. Enter online at aodhruadh.org/pundit/, or you can get a card from any member of the senior ladies teams. Cards are also available in the Bank Bar, Bundoran, Andrew Doherty's Bookmakers, Seán Óg's, O'Donnell's Bar, The Bridgend Bar, Owen Roe's and the Bullfrog. Keep an eye on club social media channels over the next couple of weeks for some expert guidance on making your Pundit selections! Our thanks to the Bank Bar, Bundoran who have come on board as a competition sponsor. We hope to have further sponsors announced shortly. In the event of a tie, the winner will be decided by the closest answer to a tie-breaker question. Entry fee is €10 and the closing date for entries is Friday, 8th April 2022. In the event of cancellations or postponements, the leader board as at 1st August, 2022 will be final. Standings will be published regularly on www.aodhruadh.org as the competition progresses.

Club meeting
The monthly club executive committee meeting takes place this Thursday at 7.30pm. All club executive committee members are asked to attend. Items for any other business should be with club secretary Lisa McTernan by 5pm on Tuesday.

Skill up on Stats and Match Analysis
We are hosting a match analysis and stats workshop with Denise Martin on Thursday 31st March in Aras Aoidh Ruaidh. The workshop will commence at 9.15pm and run for an hour. We are privileged to host Denise, who is one of Ireland’s top lecturers in this field. All coaches in the club are invited and encouraged to attend. The workshop will give an insight into the importance of stats gathering on match day, what information should be gathered, and how it should be used live on match day to inform decisions. Although this is aimed at our competitive teams, we invite all coaches to attend in order to have a knowledge on this subject throughout all our club coaches. We also hope to have an extended group who can step in on any given match day to assist a team manager collecting stats. With this in mind we would warmly invite any volunteers not currently involved in coaching, but who would like to get involved in some way, to come along to the workshop with a view to being trained up to become a stats person for an underage team.

Ballyshannon Bingo
What a night of bingo we had last week! A huge congratulations to Christina McDonald as she claimed a massive €1,050 on the snowball checking out on 50 numbers! Congratulations too to Leanne McGrath, winning €250 on the 50 / 50 Jackpot game. House winners were Eimear Griffin, Rita McGullion, Sean Coughlin, Marie Gallagher, Mary McGowan, Collette Roper (with a line too!), Margaret McCafferty and Marian McAndrews. The cash winners on the lines were Regina O’Connor, Marie Ward, Lisa Coughlin, Peggy Coughlin, Kathleen McCormack, Helen Coughlin, Christina Mulligan, Aisling McGullion, Lisa Coughlin and Anna McAndrews. We also had eight free books for next week given out. We’ll do it all again this Friday night with a new snowball starting off and over €2,000 to play for.
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.
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!

Last man standing
Well done to Sean Perry, Ryan Calvey, Daryl Brennan and Susan Sheridan for making it into the last leg of our Last Man Standing competition sponsored by Liam Gallen and Mr G's. As we have four left, our tie-breaker comes into play and each of the four remaining will be contacted by their seller to pick the winners of each of the league finals from divisions one to four. May the best lad or lassie win!

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