Monthly meeting
The monthly club executive meeting takes place this Thursday 30th April at 8.30pm in Aras Aoidh Ruaidh. All committee members are asked to attend
Football
Aodh Ruadh made it two wins on the trot with a comprehensive 5-13 to 0-7 victory over Red Hugh’s in Father Tierney Park. It was a very young, but very talented Ballyshannon team which took to the field and they showed just how effective they can be with an amazing team performance, overwhelming the men from Killygordon. Once again Shane McGrath was superb, engineering scores as well as taking them. Philip Patton ran riot in front of the posts, Colm Kelly was all industry and Conor Patton really dominated the defence. Considering that Anthony Boyle was the only man over 23 on the starting 15, it was a most encouraging performance. We have a full match report and pictures from the game up on aodhruadh.org.
Red Hugh’s reserves could not field, but both reserve teams had a kick about and we have a few pictures from that up on aodhruadh.org.
Aodh Ruadh’s next assignment should prove rather more testing as they travel to take on the early pacesetters in ACFL division three, Milford. The reserve games throws in at 1.30pm, and is followed by the seniors at 3pm.
Congratulations to Aodh Ruadh minor player Philip Patton and the three Aodh Ruadh mentors Mick McGrath, Gary Walsh and Anthony McGrath involved the Donegal’s 2-14 to 1-11 Ulster Minor Football League victory Derry in Omagh last Saturday.
Aodh Ruadh under 16s defeated Four Masters in Donegal Town on a scoreline of 5-9 to 2-12 on Wednesday evening. The under 16s are playing Naomh Muire at 7pm this Wednesday in Father Tierney Park. Aodh Ruadh have already qualified for the divisional semi-finals, so why not come up and see this fine young team in action.
Aodh Ruadh under 14s travelled to Dungloe on Saturday for their opening fixture of the league. It was a game where the wind played a significant part and Ballyshannon had it in the first half. Eoin Doherty opened the scoring followed by points from Adam Rami and Shane Gillespie. However Dungloe hit for an important goal eight minutes in. Two more points from Eoin Doherty and another white flag from Gillespie made it 1-1 to 0-6 in favour of Aodh Ruadh at half-time, but with the facing wind to come, it was unlikely that was going to be enough against the homesters. That proved the case as Dungloe made much better use of the breeze to keep the score board ticking over. The Ernesiders kept battling, registering points through Rami and Gillespie, with Rami also poking home a goal, but the hosts were well worth their 5-6 to 1-8 victory. Best for Aodh Ruadh were Mark Gettins and Philip Cassidy who showed great intelligence and perseverance in defence, the unflappable Shane Gillespie in midfield and hard-working Adam Rami at full forward. Many thanks to those who helped transport the team on the long trip to Dungloe. The team are back on the road again this Friday when they travel to Glenties take on Naomh Conaill. Throw-in time will be 12 noon. As many parents as possible should come along to ensure we have lifts for all the players. Assemble at the park for 5.15pm, departing at 5.30pm. Match throws in at 7pm. Congratulations to Eoin Doherty who was elected under 14 captain by his fellow players at Wednesday training.
Under 10 and under 12 training continues on Wednesdays from 6pm to 7pm and Mondays from 6pm to 7pm. A revised schedule for under 10 blitzes has been released. Details are as follows.
Saturday 30th May @ 11.00am: Kilcar (hosts), Killybegs, Aodh Ruadh and Saint Naul’s.
Saturday 13th June @ 11.00am: Pettigo (hosts), Aodh Ruadh, Bundoran and Naomh Bríd.
Saturday 27th June @ 11.00am: Naomh Ultan (hosts), Bundoran and Aodh Ruadh.
Saturday 25th July @ 11.00am: Ardara (hosts), Na Rossa, Naomh Muire and Aodh Ruadh.
Saturday 15th August @ 11.00am: Four Masters (hosts), Saint Naul’s, Aodh Ruadh and Bundoran.
Finals Day on Saturday 29th August @ 11.00am.
Training continues this Friday for the under 8s and under 6s from 6.30pm to 7.30pm in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh. Any new faces who want to join in the craic are more than welcome. A revised schedule for under 8 blitzes has been released and sees blitzes moved from Fridays to Saturdays. Details are as follows.
Saturday 9th May @ 11.00am: Bundoran (hosts), Aodh Ruadh and Saint Naul’s.
Saturday 6th June @ 11.00am: Aodh Ruadh (hosts), Naomh Conaill, Four Masters and Naomh Bríd.
Saturday 20th June @ 11.00am: Four Masters (hosts), Aodh Ruadh and Dungloe.
Saturday 11th July @ 11.00am: Aodh Ruadh (hosts), Bundoran, Naomh Bríd and Four Masters.
Saturday 8th August @ 11.00am: Bundoran (hosts), Killybegs, Naomh Bríd and Aodh Ruadh.
Finals Day on Friday 28th August @ 6.00pm.
There will be Bord na nÓg meeting this Tuesday at 8.30pm in Aras Aoidh Ruaidh. All committee members are asked to attend.
Hurling
Aodh Ruadh made the familiar trip to Tyrone’s Centre of Excellence in Garvaghey on Sunday to play Louth side, Knockbridge. With only one sub at their disposal, the Ballyshannon men took ten minutes to settle into the game until eventually they found their rhythm and started to play with confidence which resulted in a plethora of well taken points by the majority of the forwards. Rory Cullen was in fine form with a personal tally of 0-4 in the first half alone. Cian Dolan was a solid presence in the half back line and the Ernesiders went in with a half time lead of 2-15 to 0-5. The second half continued in much the same vein with Christopher Kilgannon looking every bit the county hurler at full forward. He managed an impressive 5-3 in total for the day, with his opposite number bemused at the tenacity and ease Chris displayed whilst bearing down on goal. Overall it was an impressive team display from Aodh Ruadh with fine performances from Conor McNeeley, Stephen Sheerin, Ciaran Kilgannon and Barry Farragher. The Ballyshannon men won on a scoreline of 5-27 to 1-6. The seniors have a month long break before their next outing.
Thursday last saw contrasting fortunes for our under 14s and minors in their respective games. The under 14s were in action in Páirc Aodh Ruaidh against a strong Saint Eunan’s team. Aodh Ruadh never got into the game against a physically stronger and much slicker team. The Letterkenny lads killed the game off early on with a number of goals. An encouraging sign was despite being well beaten the lads never gave up and tried their best till the end. Saint Eunan’s ran out easy winners. We have pictures from the game up on aodhruadh.org. The lads have another difficult game this Thursday against Buncrana. On Sunday we entertained Manorhamilton in a challenge game and had an easy win.
The minors played Strabane in Father Tierney Park and as has been so often the case this year we just had the bare 15 players. The lads started the game in whirlwind fashion had five points on the board in the opening five minutes. It was obvious from early on that we were much too strong for the Tyrone lads. We ran out easy as winners as we continued our unbeaten start to the season. Aodh Ruadh are joint top of the league with Buncrana and it is already clear these two teams will contest the A League Final. The lads deserve great credit for reaching the final with such a small squad. We have pictures from the Strabane game up on aodhruadh.org.
Over the last three weeks development Donegal squads have been picked from trials held in Convoy. The development squads are being run in a very professional manner this year and the first county blitzes are being held this Saturday. We are delighted to have the following players make the development squads: Under 16 Conal Sweeny, Brian McHenry and Stephen Anderson; Under 15 Liam O’Sullivan. The under 14 squad is to be selected during the week and hopefully we will have a number of lads on this panel also. The under 16s are in action this Saturday in Owenbeg where they are grouped with Antrim, Derry and Down. The under 15s are playing in Inniskeen and are grouped with South Ulster and Armagh. This is a good standard of hurling and it’s great to see our players make these squads.
On Bank Holiday Monday we are hosting the annual Alan Ryan / Seamus Grimes under 16 hurling tournament. This tournament is in existence since 1998 to honour two former club men and their families. It is one of the most prestigious tournament’s at this age in Ulster. Again this year we have attracted some very good teams. Teams confirmed to date are Antrim’s Cushendall, Keady from Armagh, Tooreen of Mayo, Padraig Pearse’s from Roscommon, Galway’s Abbeyknocmoy, Carrickmore of Tyrone and Easkey from Sligo. Play gets underway at 11am and we would encourage everyone to drop in at some stage during the day to watch some great hurling and more importantly to remember the two lads and their families.
We wish all our players well on Sunday as they make their confirmation, we hope they have a great day.
Training for all on Sunday at 12 noon.
Ladies
The Duck Race has been confirmed for Saturday 9th May at 3pm at McKenna’s Brook, East Port. We hope to see a big crowd out for this annual fun event.
Hard luck to senior ladies who lost to Convoy on Sunday, it was a tough fought battle against a physically stronger team.
The under 14s have an away match against Killybegs this week. The girls are going well this season, most recently scoring a 3-10 to 1-6 victory over Bundoran.
Under 8 and under 10 training is moving outdoors now to Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh (Munday’s) from 6-7pm on Mondays.
Well done to Sarah Patton and the Donegal ladies who are through to the division 2 final against Armagh after defeating Westmeath 3-10 to 1-4.
Club kit
We now have official club shorts available to order. They are O’Neill’s, so top quality kit. Kids sizes (24 and 26) cost €18, while adult sizes (28, 30, 32, 34, 36 and 38) cost €22. We’ll have samples available and images on aodhruadh.org. Contact Chris Kelly on 0868813553 to place your order. Our navy blue soft shell jackets are also back on sale. We now have three youth sizes available. Ages 7-8 priced €40; ages 9-10 priced €40; and ages 11-12 priced €45. All jackets will have the Aodh Ruadh and GAA crests, plus the child’s initials on the sleeve. We are also able to order Ladies soft shell jackets with pink Aodh Ruadh crest and GAA logo. We are also selling adult jackets. You can check out samples of the shorts and jacket on aodhruadh.org. For further details call Chris on 0868813553.
Come Dive With Me
All cards in relation to the Skydive should be returned ASAP to Conal Gallagher, Tom Daly or David McLoone. Weather conditions continue to thwart the actual dive but all 11 are keen to go and it is planned all will get their skydive completed, when safe to do so, over the next two to three weeks.
Abbey Centre Bingo
The winner of the big April Bingo jackpot was Eileen Maguire of Donegal town who took home €800. Bingo as usual this Friday at 9pm in the Abbey Centre. The snowball makes a return for the summer this week starting at €200 on game seven. Books priced at €15 for a full book, or half books for €8, or get the book and a half special for €20. See you there!
Congratulations
Well done to Shane Ward and wife Gráinne on the new addition to the family, Eanna.
God of Carnage
Ballyshannon Drama Society’s production of Yasmina Reza’s God Of Carnage will stage its last two shows before the All-Ireland finals on Monday 27th April and Tuesday 28th April. Shows commence 8.30pm nightly and tickets are available priced €12 or €10 on concession. The play is directed by Anne McHugh and features the acting talents of Trisha Keane, Rachel O’Connor, Richard Hurst and Tony Liston.
Give blood
You can give blood in the Holyrood Hotel, Bundoran on Thursday 30th April between 3-5pm and 7-9.30pm. New donors are always welcome. See www.giveblood.ie for more information on this important campaign.
Aodh Ruadh Lotto
There was no winner of last week’s Aodh Ruadh Lotto jackpot of €5,400. The winning numbers drawn were 5, 6, 7, 9, 12 and 14. In the lucky dip €20 went to: Ciara Mary Duggan, Cornhill; Patton family c/o Pat’s Bar; Catherine Gethins, Finner; and Una Bonnar, Assaroe View. Next draw in Dorrian’s Hotel with a Jackpot of €5,500 on Sunday at 8.30pm.
The lotto team for McCosker’s Centra this Saturday is: SENIOR HURLERS.
You can receive the club notes by e-mail every Tuesday morning. To subscribe, enter your details on the website, www.aodhruadh.org, or e-mail your request to info@aodhruadh.org.
By Sinéad Breen Donegal PRO Tue 28th Apr
