Club Notes Archive - 2022

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October

4 October

Ladies
Pride of place this week must go to our intermediate championship winning senior ladies. They won the title in style too, with a Caoimhe Keon goal seconds into the game giving the Ernesiders the perfect start, a lead which they never relinquished. Eimear McMahon and Cáit Gillespie quickly added points to make it 1-3 to 0-2 heading into the second quarter. Then, a great raking move through the middle of the park was coolly finished to the back of the net by Terri Gallagher. At this point the game entered something of a lull, with Aodh Ruadh continued to enjoy plenty of possession, but tenacious Ardara defending making it difficult to develop clear cut scoring opportunities. Ballyshannon were also guilty of some profligacy in the spell and it was into first half injury time before Lucy McGlynn cut through the centre and smashed a shot over the bar. That made it Aodh Ruadh 2-4 Ardara 0-3 at the turnaround. It had been a fantastic defensive display from the Shamettes in the first half with no scores conceded from play. This Aodh Ruadh team have made a virtue of turning the screw in the second half, and that proved the case once more this time. They went up a couple of gears and never allowed Ardara time on the ball, while the attack were more clinical in their finishing. It was Ardara who notched the first score of the new half with another free, but from there to the full-time whistle Aodh Ruadh were dominant. Terri Gallagher tagged a couple of points before Cáit Gillespie hammered home a trademark thunderbolt of a goal. That was followed by a gem of a point from the immaculate Caitlin McGarrigle and not long after that Gillespie was causing havoc again, laying a ball across the face of goal for Terri Gallagher to volley to the net. Cáit Gillespie was on fire now and added a second goal while Eimear McMahon and Orla Keon picked off points, McMahon also raising a green flag. A gallant Ardara kept battling right through and got a goal at the death, only their second score from play. Greg McGrory's final whistle sounded with the score board reading Aodh Ruadh 6-11 Ardara 1-6 and unleashed ecstatic celebrations from the Ballyshannon bench and the huge support who had made the trip down to O'Donnell Park. Anna Rafferty was then called upon to collect the cup, her second of the season after the side's division 2 triumph, and made a great speech. She complimented Ardara on contributing so well to the game and commented that the win was for the whole squad of nearly 50 girls who had worked so hard from the start of the year. It had been an immense performance from the Aodh Ruadh girls in absolutely every sector of the field. Tara Khan, Anna Rafferty and Caitlin McGarrigle were outstanding, showing great courage to press up the pitch and initiate attacking moves. Caoimhe Keon was imperious in midfield while up front every single Aodh Ruadh score was taken from open play. The substitutes also contributed well on their introduction. A brilliant day for the girls with wonderful memories made which will last a life-time. The Aodh Ruadh team and scorers were as follows: Brídín Maguire; Gráinne Maguire, Sara Gallagher, Hannah Doherty; Lucy McGlynn (0-1), Caitlin McGarrigle (0-2), Anna Rafferty; Orla Keon (0-1), Caoimhe Keon (1-0); Aoibhinn McGarrigle, Cáit Gillespie (2-4), Cara O'Loughlin, Eimear McMahon (1-2), Terri Gallagher (2-2), Tara Khan. Subs used: Erin O'Loughlin for Cara O'Loughlin 43 minutes; Meabh McCloskey for Gráinne Maguire 47; Síofra Hughes for Hannah Doherty 50 minutes, Donna Martin for Terri Gallagher 50 minutes; Mary Flora Scott for Aoibhinn McGarrigle 57 minutes.

Sunday's win means that the Aodh Ruadh ladies are now preparing for a tilt at Ulster honours. They will be welcoming the winners of the preliminary round meeting between Derry champions, Steelstown and the Antrim champions Glenravel Con Magee's to Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh on Sunday, October 23rd with a 2pm throw-in

A large section of the ladies squad will be in action ahead of that tie when the under 21 championship commences on Sunday October 16th. Aodh Ruadh will have home advantage against Milford with throw in at 10.30am in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh.

Under 13 football continues this week with training on Wednesday at 5.30pm. The team are in championship quarter-final action against Robert Emmet's on Saturday, with the throw-in at 10.30am down in Castlefin.

Football
Aodh Ruadh lost out to a much-improved Saint Eunan's side in O'Donnell Park on Friday evening. The home team started well and led at half-time by 2-5 to 1-2. Robbie Murphy scored a good goal for Aodh Ruadh in what had been a tough opening 30 minutes for the Ernesiders. In the visitors were much improved in the second half. Although weather conditions difficult were difficult Ballyshannon did have the wind at their backs, and their cause got a shot in the arm when Jack Gallagher smashed home a great goal from a forward mark. Saint Eunan's kept chipping away at scores though, and although Aodh Ruadh won the second half the game finished 2-9 to 2-7 in favour of the homesters. Next up for Aodh Ruadh is a county quarter-final away to Naomh Conaill on Wednesday 12th October at 5.15pm.

Both under 13 teams were in cup action last week. The Division 1 team travelled to Ballybofey on Sunday to face Sean MacCumhaill's in the second round of the Division 1 cup. The boys started very well with Darragh McCready opening the scoring with a peach of a point which was followed up by an MJ Ward free. MacCumhaill's then found their rhythm and kept the score board ticking over without reply to take a 0-7 to 0-2 half time break. A blistering spell after the restart had the Ernesiders level courtesy of a goal and a point by Cole Connolly, followed by two further Ward frees either side of a MacCumhaill's point, the score now 1-5 to 0-8. However Aodh Ruadh were unlucky when a scrappy ball was turned into our own net which swung the tie back in favour of the hosts mid way through the half. The lads again battled hard and kept the hosts within a score, but just couldn’t cut the deficit. Three late points from the hosts saw them win out 1-13 to 1-6, but the final score not a true reflection on what was a very tight and competitive match. Jack Gormley had a solid game in goal with two excellent saves in the second half. Aaron McLoone was tight at the back and Eoghan McCadden and Darragh McCready linked well at half back. Yet again we got a captain's display from Eoghan Gallagher who worked tirelessly every minute of the game, with Cole Connolly and Manus Conlon also very lively throughout. MJ Ward also grafted well despite being tightly marshalled. With this defeat, Aodh Ruadh head into a winner takes all against Saint Eunan's this Sunday with the winners proceeding to the Cup semi-final – it’s sure to be a hum dinger!
The second team had a busy week fulfilling two fixtures. First up was the trip to Dungloe, but unfortunately came out the wrong side of the result. Dungloe did all the damage early on as our young team were finding their feet, taking a 3-4 to 0-2 half time lead. The Aodh Ruadh boys gave a great account of themselves in the second half with everyone digging deep and outscored the hosts 0-4 to 0-1, but not enough to close the gap. Conor Greenan had a big shift in midfield and had a couple of points, with the McGrath twins, Iarla Hartin and Alex Kerrigan also leading the way. Eoghan McNulty tried hard to make things happen up front and got a good score, whilst Jack Hassett had his best performance of the year. Termon were the visitors to Páirc Aodh Ruadh on Sunday morning. With many of the players either away, or called up to the Division 1 team to cover injuries, the under 11s were again called upon to offer reinforcements and they didn’t disappoint. Donnacha Conlon and Alistair Cian both found the net for Aodh Ruadh, with Daniel McLoone and Ciaran McGuiness playing well, whilst Senan Ward was outstanding in the second half. Despite a really spirited and honest effort from the boys it was Termon who ran out winners on the day. Shaun McGarrigle again was very effective on the ball, while Iarla Hartin and Micheál McGrath worked hard around the middle, with Alex Kerrigan and Conor McGloin also featuring well. With the group stage of the cup now complete for the second team, we await results elsewhere to see how the team progresses.

Our under 11 internal league continued this week, with another three hotly contested matches. Conor Grimes' team beat Daniel McLoone's lads by a few points, Liam Merrifield's team got over the line against Senan Ward's side, and in the game of the day, Ciaran McGuinness’s team won against Peter Mulligans team, when a draw looked the more likely outcome. This Saturday our under 10 boys are attending a blitz organised by Sean MacCumhaill's, involving teams from several counties. The players being asked to attend will receive a private message from management this week. Week four of the internal league will take place on Sunday this week. All players are asked to be at the Park for 3.30pm.

As the on-field action begins to wind down preparations commence for the Bord na nÓg AGM. This will take place on Monday, 24th October at 8pm in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh.

Hurling
Applications are being welcomed for the position of Aodh Ruadh Senior Hurling Team Manager. Ideally candidates will possess a detailed knowledge of the sport, a track record in management and coaching. The successful candidate will liaise with the Senior Hurling committee and will report monthly to the Club Executive. All interested candidates are asked to apply now by email to the Aodh Ruadh Club Secretary at secretary.aodhruadh.donegal@gaa.ie. The deadline for applications is 12 noon on Wednesday 12th October 2022. Please include all your contact details.

The next outing for our under 15s will be a championship semi-final against Burt on Thursday, 6th October in the County Centre of Excellence. Best of luck to all the players and management.

This weekend sees our final Juvenile Hurling Tournament of the year, the Finn Larkin Tournament, remembering the late Billy Finn and John Larkin, two great friends who passed away in 2017, and did so much to develop and grow hurling in Ballyshannon. Having previously been played at under 14, this will be the first year to play at under 15. The action starts at 11, with a round of group games followed by the Cup final and Shield final.

Our under 9s welcomed Four Masters for a challenge game on Sunday morning. The boys put in a great performance in an evenly matched contest. Both teams played very well and the standard of hurling on show from such young hurlers was excellent. Thank you to our young whistlers who refereed each of the three 15-minute games, Tommy Clyne, Cian McDonald and Killian Bradshaw. This Sunday sees the team playing a blitz in Donegal Town, and details will be supplied in due course on the team WhatsApp group.

Diary dates
This year's AGM will be in Aras Aoidh Ruaidh on Sunday, 27th November. All sub-committee should aim to have their AGMs held before Friday, 11th November. All reports for the club AGM should be submitted to the club Secretary, Lisa McTernan, by Friday, 18th November. Also, the club's first post-pandemic dinner dance takes place on Saturday, 4th February 2023.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Well done to all of last weeks winners. Evelyn Sheerin was the big winner taking home the 50/50 Jackpot. The house winners were Leanne McGrath, Brendan Hoey, Mary Gallagher, John Donnolly, Regina Ayers, Mary Reynolds, Jake Mullane, Sally Heraty and James McGinley. The cash winners on the lines were Sonia Kelly, Kathleen McGroary, Nyoka Walker, Denis Sheerin, Owen Duffy, Vincent Keown, Jude Concannon, Monica Kerrigan, Mark Newell, Leslie McNeely, Josie Lynch, Breda Gallagher and Molly Ferguson. The new Snowball survived its first week so rolls to €250 this week. We look forward to doing it all again this Friday with nearly €2000 to play for, with 30 chances to win! Online players must have their books bought by the 4.30pm on Friday. Books can be purchased online at Klubfunder.com. Players coming to the Abbey Centre can buy their books at the front desk from 8.15pm. Eyes down for first game at 9pm. Looking forward to seeing all again, please spread the word and bring along a friend!

Squash is back
The world's fittest sport is back. Action returns to the squash court in Ballyshannon this Wednesday night from 8pm to 10.30pm. Wednesday nights are come and try nights where all racquets are provided. Everyone is welcome to come and get on the court for some fitness and enjoy the social aspect of the game. The squash court is located in Mercy Hall at Coláiste Cholmcille.

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11 October

EGM
We give notice that a club EGM will take place on Wednesday, November 2nd at 9pm in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh. This meeting is open to all fully paid up adult club members, and will consider a unanimous recommendation by the Club Executive Committee that we adopt the Corporate Trustee model, as developed by Croke Park, to secure the ownership of all the Club's property into the future. The EGM will follow the monthly Club Executive meeting on the same date which will commence at 8pm.

Football
Our minors have a county quarter-final away to Naomh Conaill on Wednesday at 5.15pm.

The under 13 Division 1 match at Saint Eunan's was postponed at the weekend due to the tragic events in Creeslough. It is likely to be played this Sunday, date and time once confirmed will be communicated via the team WhatsApp group.

With the under 11 cancellations over the weekend, we have two rounds of our internal league coming up this week. On Wednesday Internal League games will run from 5.15pm to 6.45pm. Players to be up at 4.45pm. Then on Saturday the next round of games take place from 4.30pm to 6pm, with players to be up at 4pm.

As the on-field action begins to wind down preparations commence for the Bord na nÓg AGM. This will take place on Monday, 24th October at 8pm in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh.

Ladies
The ladies under 21 championship commences this Sunday and Aodh Ruadh will have home advantage for their first-round clash with Milford with throw in at 10.30am in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh.

The senior Aodh Ruadh ladies are now preparing for a tilt at Ulster honours. They will be welcoming the winners of the preliminary round meeting between Derry champions, Steelstown and the Antrim champions Glenravel Con Magee's to Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh on Sunday, October 23rd with a 2pm throw-in.

The Ladies AGM will take place on Thursday 3rd November at 8pm in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh. All coaches, mentors, players and anyone with an interest in ladies football in Ballyshannon is welcome to attend. Ahead of the AGM nominations are welcomed for the various age group management positions and also for the role of Coaching Officer. Any motions must be submitted by 31st October to aodhruadhathaseannaigh.donegal@lgfa.ie.

Our under 15 hurlers played Burt in the championship semi-final last Thursday under lights in the County Centre of Excellence in Convoy. The Aodh Ruadh lads started really well with some wonderfully worked scores in the first 15 minutes putting them 1-6 to 1-0 ahead moving into the second quarter. With the forwards and midfield working tirelessly to keep the ball in the Burt half Ballyshannon tagged on more scores and took in a 3-8 to 2-1 lead at half time. Aodh Ruadh again started the second half well, hitting two quick goals inside the first 5 minutes to leave the scores 5-8 to 2-1 after 10 minutes of second half. Burt tagged on a few scores in the next ten mins mostly from frees, but Aodh Ruadh upped their game again for the last 10 minutes hitting 3-3 without reply with some excellent team scores. The Ernesiders had good performances all over the field in this game. After Burt got their two goals in first half the backs held firm and never looked like conceding any more goals, while the midfield worked tirelessly throughout, most notably under 13 player Antoin Duffy. Up front the forwards always looked dangerous and got some great scores, but, just as importantly, they were always our first line of defence when Burt were in possession. Aodh Ruadh now move on to the county final this Thursday against old foes MacCumhiall's. That decider is in the county Centre of Excellence in Convoy and throws-in at 8pm. It would be great to see a big support in Convoy for the lads as they have put in incredible work since last February.

Due to the tragic events unfolding in Creeslough, the decision was made to postpone the Finn / Larkin Tournament. We hope to stage the tournament this weekend coming, but we will have to wait until later in the week to confirm. Keep an eye on the club's Facebook page for updates.

Our under 9 were due to play in a blitz on Sunday, but due to the events in Creeslough this was cancelled. This Sunday sees the team travelling to Killygordon for a blitz. Details will be supplied in due course on the team WhatsApp group.

Season Tickets
Season Tickets for 2023 will be going on sale shortly priced as follows. Adult (Intercounty only): €150; Club +: €250; Juvenile €30. In order to qualify for All-Ireland final tickets Season Ticket holders must purchase for championship matches using their Season Ticket account. All Season Ticket holders from 2022 will have the opportunity to renew their Season Ticket. As in 2022, there will be no physical cards issued.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Thanks to all our players who stuck with us last week as we had some technical issues, it transpired the problem was an external broadband matter – apologies to our online winners who missed out on the last few games. Winners were still recorded and successful winners are being notified by email or message. The winners were as follows: Jackpot won by Virgilius White (with a line!), House winners Mary Feeney (also with a line), Marion Deacon, Paddy Sexton (and a line), Regina Dolan (also a line!), Marie Gallagher, Philomena Toland, Patricia Downey, and Linda Breen (with a line too!). The line winners were Joan Keaveney, Marian Matthews (twice!), John McGreavy, Frank Breslin, Emer Molloy, Margaret Gilmartin (Lucky number Doubler!) and Rebecca Rouse. The snowball rolls on to €300 this week. We go again this Friday with the gremlins, eyes down at 9pm. Online players must have their books bought by the 4.30pm on Friday. Books can be purchased online at Klubfunder.com. Players coming to the Abbey Centre can buy their books at the front desk from 8.15pm. Eyes down for first game at 9pm. Looking forward to seeing all again, please spread the word and bring along a friend!

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18 October

Football
Aodh Ruadh's minor season came to an end at Davy Brennan Memorial Park on Friday evening. Naomh Conaill started strongly hitting four goals in the first half. Eoghan Kelly did respond with a great goal after a fine solo run for the visitors. Down by 12 points at half-time Aodh Ruadh had only pride to play for in the second half, but they continued to work hard and put some respectability on the final scoreline as it finished Naomh Conaill 5-11 Aodh Ruadh 4-6. Best for Ballyshannon on the night were Barry Campbell, Shane Delahunty and Eoghan Kelly. We take this opportunity to thank the team for all their hard work over the season, and especially the management for all their efforts. Thanks also the parents and guardians for their backing throughout the year.

The under 13s Division 1 clash at Saint Eunan's was postponed and will now take place this Sunday at 12 noon in Letterkenny. This is a big match as the winners will progress to the Division 1 cup semi-finals. It would be great to see a big travelling support there to get behind the team. Best of luck to the boys on Sunday.

The curtain will come down on the under 11 season this week. On Wednesday the squad will have their last training session of the year, a fun session from 5.30pm to 6.30pm. Then on Saturday we will have the eagerly anticipated finals day for our internal league. The final pairings are as follows: Ciaran McGuinness v Conor Grimes; Daniel McLoone v Senan Ward; Liam Merrifield v Peter Mulligan.

As the on-field action begins to wind down preparations commence for the Bord na nÓg AGM. This will take place on Monday, 24th October at 8pm in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh.

Ladies
This Sunday sees the Aodh Ruadh ladies open their bid for Ulster honours. They will be welcoming the Derry champions, Steelstown, to Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh on Sunday, with a 2pm throw-in. Admission to this game is by ticket only. Tickets must be purchased beforehand using the MyTicket App. See www.MyTicketApp.co.uk for more information. Tickets prices are as follows Adults €8 / £8; Students and OAPs €5 / £5; Under 16s free. This is a huge occasion for ladies football in the club and we would love to see a big crowd there on the day to get behind the girls in what promises to be a cracker of a game.

The under 13 All-County quarter-finals take place this Saturday and Aodh Ruadh are in action in the top level Platinum Competition. They will be making the trip down to Castlefin where they will be taking on Robert Emmet's with throw-in at 10.30am.

Hurling
Last Thursday saw the Aodh Ruadh under 15s locking horns with their old foes, MacCumhaill's, in the Division 1 championship hurling final. Played in Convoy under lights, the game started at a blistering pace, with the Ballyshannon lads playing all the hurling. Aodh Ruadh went three points up in the first eight minutes, but also had three wides in that same period. MacCumhaill's got their first score in the 15th minute from a free, but Corey Sheridan responded with a long range free to restore the Ernesiders three-point cushion. Then came a big call from the referee with MacCumhaill's putting on a blood sub, the ref blew the whistle for the puck out to be taken. The MacCumhaill's keeper hit the restart straight into the hands of Corey Sheridan who was through one-on-one only for the ref to sound his whistle to halt play and permit the entry of the sub. That deprived Aodh Ruadh of a golden opportunity to put six points between the sides. MacCumhaill's then rallied and scored 1-2 without reply thanks to a real scrappy goal and two frees. But with Aodh Ruadh still on top in terms of possession and over-all play, Ballyshannon notched the last two points of the half, courtesy of two fantastic long-range scores. The first came off the stick of Corey Sheridan with the second a cracking effort from Liam Doogan, striking over his left shoulder on the run to leave the half-time scores reading Aodh Ruadh 0-6 MacCumhaill's 1-3. Had Aodh Ruadh been a bit more economical with their chances they could easily have been in front at the turnaround. MacCumhaill's got the first two points of the second half, but the Aodh Ruadh lads kept battling and scored another to make it a one-point game 10 minutes into second half. MacCumhaill's then scored 1-4 without reply as the Ballyshannon lads just ran out of steam near the end. Corey Sheridan and Shay Winters both had to come off with injuries and other players were cramping from the amount of work and effort they put in. The final score definitely didn’t do justice to the effort and performance Aodh Ruadh put in, especially in the first half. Unfortunately though, Aodh Ruadh just came up short losing out 2-11 to 0-7. Credit has to go to these lads for the effort put in all year with them starting way back in February and reaching Féile, League and Championship finals this year. There was a panel of 27 players all year and there is surely a bright future ahead for these lads. Silverware won’t be too far away. We take this opportunity to thank the management and back-room team for all the hard work they put in this year, as well as the parents and guardians for all the support they provided across the course of a very busy season.

Our under 13s play the rescheduled Alan Ryan Final from the tournament a few weeks ago. We welcome our neighbours from Grange to Páirc Aodh Ruadh on Tuesday, with the action taking place on the top pitch at 7pm under lights.

Our under 9s play their last blitz of the year on Sunday in the Donegal Centre of Excellence in Convoy. All details will be supplied on the team WhatsApp.

The Juvenile Hurling AGM will take place on Tuesday, 8th November, in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh. We encourage anyone with an interest in the development of hurling in the club to come along.

Scór
Congratulations to our Scór Tráth na gCeist team who claimed provincial silver at the Ulster finals in Galbally, Tyrone on Saturday. The team of Paddy Kelly, Sylvester Maguire, Eamonn Martin Maguire and John Larkin were joint second after the table quiz phase of the competition, before going on to clinch second outright in the individual questions section. Best of luck to the team in the All-Ireland finals in Castlebar on Saturday November 12th.

Good luck
We would like to wish the very best of luck to our Fermanagh neighbours in their respective county finals this coming weekend. Erne Gaels, who are coached by our own ladies coach - Ciaran Smith, will be taking on Enniskillen Gaels in the senior decider in Brewster Park on Sunday at 4pm. Meanwhile, on Saturday evening Devenish will be looking to overcome Tempo in the intermediate final, with the throw-in in Enniskillen at 6pm.

Celebrating 70 years
The 70th anniversary of the ESB's Erne generating stations at Cliff and Cathaleen’s Fall are being celebrated with the official opening of an art and photographic exhibition depicting the construction and history of the Erne Scheme. The exhibition will be open to the public at Dorrian's Imperial Hotel on Tuesday and Wednesday from 2pm to 8pm, Thursday from 11am to 5pm, and Friday from 10am to 3pm. The exhibition features some fantastic images including a number which have been seen in the town before.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Apologies again for having to cancel last week's bingo, but we’re delighted to confirm we will be back in action this week. We have our usual ten game bingo to play, with €500 Jackpot and €300 snowball games, all part of prize fund of up to €2,000. Eyes down at 9pm Friday at the Abbey Centre. All online purchases made for last week's games are valid for this week. Online players have until 4.30pm Friday to buy their books on Klubfunder. As always, please spread the word and bring along a friend. We will do an early release of online books on Thursday afternoon for those wishing to get their book early. Online players must have their books bought by the 4.30pm on Friday. Books can be purchased online at Klubfunder.com. Players coming to the Abbey Centre can buy their books at the front desk from 8.15pm. Eyes down for first game at 9pm. Looking forward to seeing all again, please spread the word and bring along a friend!

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25 October

Football
The under 21 championship gets under way on Sunday for Aodh Ruadh when they travel to take on Naomh Columba. Throw in at Glencolumcille is 3pm. The following weekend Saint Naul's will be the visitors to Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh. That is followed by a trip to Glenfin the week after, with the group stages concluding with Glenswilly at home in the last round.

The under 13 boys travelled to O’Donnell Park on Sunday to play Saint Eunan's. The conditions were very wet with ball handling a challenge for both teams and scores at a premium in the first half. MJ Ward kept the visitors close with two frees before Eunan's closed out the half with a late score to lead 0-4 to 0-2 at in interval. Eoghan Gallagher, having yet another stand-out performance as captain, got on the end of great Aodh Ruadh move to hit the net five minutes after the restart to put the Ballyshannon lads in front. Eunan's replied with two points before finding the net themselves to lead by four points. Another cracking Aodh Ruadh goal, this time by Manus Conlon, followed by a Cole Connolly free kick levelled matters with 10 minutes to play. Unfortunately, the scores dried up for the Ernesiders with Saint Eunan's finishing the stronger, getting a goal and two points in the final stages to take the verdict on a 2-8 to 2-3 scoreline. The result sees the boys exit the cup competition and they will now contest the shield semi-final this weekend at home to Ardara. Date and time will be confirmed later in the week.

The under 11 season finished on a high last Saturday, with the internal league finals day. We had three of the most competitive finals you could have wished for, with 54 boys fielding in total. Peter Mulligan's team took on Liam Merrifield's side in what was always going to be a tight game. There was nothing between them throughout the game, with nobody pulling clear. With the finish line in sight, Peter's team got a couple of late scores to just about clinch it, on a scoreline of 21 points to 18. A special mention to Peter, who left his holiday in Longford to travel back to play his match, a four hour round trip - a commitment that impressed management. The next final saw Daniel McLoone's outfit take on Senan Ward's boys. The knowledgeable GAA folk in the town predicted this could go either way, and that proved correct. There was only a single point in the match at half-time, and in the end it was Senan Ward's team who just about edged it, on a scoreline of 18 points to 16. The last final again was always going to be a close affair, with Ciaran McGuinness’s troops taking on Conor Grimes lads. Conor’s team built up a substantial lead at half-time and seemed to be cruising, but the large crowd watching got treated to a second half comeback from Ciaran’s side, who impressed all with their never say die attitude. In the end though, the game finished 18-14 in favour of Conor’s team. The three finals were played in a great spirit, there were tears and cheers at the final whistles, and it brought down the curtain on a very successful season for this large squad of lads. Senior players Eddie Lynch and Shane McGrath presented the medals to the winners and runners up, and the cups to the winning captains. Special thanks to the referees on the day, Stephen Ward, Gerard Ferguson and Eamonn O'Donnell. We have a great gallery of pictures from the finals up on aodhruadh.org.

As the on-field action begins to wind down preparations commence for the Bord na nÓg AGM. This will take place on Monday, 24th October at 8pm in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh.

Ladies
Sadly last Sunday's Ulster quarter-final fell foul of the torrential rain over the previous 24 hours. The teams go again this weekend when Aodh Ruadh will again be welcoming the Derry champions, Steelstown, to Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh. Fixture details remain to be finalised, but admission to this game is by ticket only. Tickets purchased last week remain valid for this week's game. Tickets can still be purchased beforehand using the MyTicket App. See www.MyTicketApp.co.uk for more information. Tickets prices are as follows Adults €8 / £8; Students and OAPs €5 / £5; Under 16s free. This is a huge occasion for ladies football in the club and we would love to see a big crowd there on the day to get behind the girls in what promises to be a cracker of a game. Hopefully the weather will be a little kinder this weekend.

The under 13s had to dig deep to earn victory in their county quarter-final against Robert Emmet's last Saturday. Castlefin were a tough physical outfit who made the most of that edge to take a two point lead in at the break, 1-4 to 0-5 the scoreline. In the second half a few positional switches and a great battling display by the Ernesiders saw them overhaul the hosts. The defence was outstanding, conceding just one point in the second half, while a Rachel Gillespie goal helped push her side clear in the tie. Erin Gallagher was once again excellent in goals and got great cover from Éabha Rogers and Caitlin McGuinness. In the second half Lexi Roper came on and delivered a brilliant display in the rearguard. Up front Emma O'Donnell and Cadhla Gillespie did really well in the half forward line, while the roving Ellen Monaghan capped a fine performance with two well-taken points. The hard-earned final score of 1-11 to 1-5 sees Aodh Ruadh book their place in the county semi-final against Carndonagh. Full fixture details will be confirmed on the club's social media output later in the week.

Hurling
Our under 13s played the rescheduled Alan Ryan final from the tournament a few weeks ago under lights in Páirc Aodh Ruadh. With our neighbours Saint Molaise, Grange providing the opposition. The two teams put on a fantastic display of hurling in a real tight battle. In spite of having the bulk of the chances in the first half, some great saves from the Grange goalkeeper kept them in the game, before they got a goal of their own just before of the half time break. The second half proved to be just as tight, and our neighbours held a two-point lead with time running out, a late goal gave the Ballyshannon lads the lead and they managed to hold on to that until the final whistle. Alan Ryan's Nephew, William, accepted the cup on behalf of the team.

Our under 9s played their last blitz of the year on Sunday in the Donegal Training centre in Convoy, playing in five games. The boys had a great morning of hurling with some great skills on show. That outing concludes the under 9 season and, as always, a massive thank you to the boys for playing as well as their parents for all their support.

The Juvenile Hurling AGM will take place on Tuesday 8th November in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh. We encourage anyone with an interest in the development of hurling in the club to come along and join us as we look over the activity in the past year, and plan ahead for 2023.

Good luck
Congratulations to Devenish on claiming the Fermanagh intermediate title last weekend and best of luck in the Ulster campaign. We again wish the very best of luck to Erne Gaels, who are coached by our own ladies coach - Ciaran Smith, in the senior Fermanagh decider in Brewster Park on Sunday at 2.30pm.

Coaching Corner
Donegal GAA are running four coaching courses during November. The first two are Introductory level courses – one each in the north and south of the county at venues yet to be confirmed – on the weekend of November 4th and 5th. The third is an Award 1 Football course in the Donegal GAA Centre in Convoy from Friday November 11th to Sunday November 13th. The fourth is an Award 2 Football course in the Donegal GAA Centre in Convoy in November with the dates still to be confirmed. Full details and links to register for the courses can be found on the Donegal GAA website.

Elsewhere, the Ulster GAA Coaching Conference will take place on Saturday, 12 November, in Ulster University Jordanstown. This year the conference will have an LGFA element to the day with a practical coaching session led by All-Ireland junior winning coaches, Emma Kelly and Kyla Trainor. Their session will focus on skill development through games from developmental level through to elite inter-county level. Also on the day Gary Longwell and Ryan Mellon will deliver a workshop on performance and lifestyle and female players: Effective goal setting and performance. As well as this other workshops on the day will address topics such as: Adding value to your coaching inputs through use of video analysis; and Managing athletic development between stakeholders; Plus, much more. A fantastic day of learning not to be missed to enhance your coaching and start planning for 2023 and beyond. Tickets can be booked online at eventbrite.ie.

Ballyshannon Bingo
Well done to Ann Patterson on winning last weeks jackpot prize, as well as a line prize. The house winners were Kathleen McGroary, Mary Travers, Teresa Hoey, Emer Molloy, Dolores McDonagh, Mairead McCormack, Nyoka Walker, Rosaleen O’Brien and Sinead Foley. The cash winners on the lines were Marion Matthews, Bernadette Sweeney, Fergus Molloy, Brid Barrett, Marie Gallagher, Bridie Corr (twice!), Sally Burrows, Mary McLoughlin, Patricia Kirley, Regina O’Connor, Mary Roper, Frances Gentle and Philomena McGarrigle. The Snowball escaped to roll to €350 this week as again we play for a prize fund over €2,000. Eyes down at 9pm Friday at the Abbey Centre. All online purchases made for last week's games are valid for this week. Online players have until 4.30pm Friday to buy their books on Klubfunder. As always, please spread the word and bring along a friend. We will do an early release of online books on Thursday afternoon for those wishing to get their book early. Online players must have their books bought by the 4.30pm on Friday. Books can be purchased online at Klubfunder.com. Players coming to the Abbey Centre can buy their books at the front desk from 8.15pm. Eyes down for first game at 9pm. Looking forward to seeing all again, please spread the word and bring along a friend!

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