C.L.G Baile na nGallóglach / Milford

Pride of place within the club this year belongs to the Minor Ladies who scooped the Division 2 County Championship for the second consecutive season after victory over local rivals Downings on Bank Holiday Monday in October. The u16 boys also had an excellent season as they collected the Division 1 Northern Board League title. The Minor boys picked up silverware in the form of the Division 2 Northern Board League trophy. The Senior Men also created history as they qualified for the Senior Championship Quarter-Final for the first time in the club’s existence.

It was a mixed 2019 for the Senior Men, relegated from Division 1 but they also historically reached the quarter final of the Senior Championship for the first time in the club’s 36 year history. The league campaign was frustrating with a torrid run of injuries and unavailability of key players severely affecting the squad over the summer. However, our talented youngsters were afforded the chance to gain some valuable Division 1 experience. The Reserve side suffered as a consequence of our depleted Senior panel over the year and will be hoping to be more competitive in the calmer waters of Division 2 football next year. The Ladies were back competing in Division 1 after a short absence from the top tier and they more than held their own with some excellent victories over the year.

The Minor Ladies claimed the Division 2 County Championship. Wins against Glenties, Downings and Killybegs sealed qualification to the semi-final where they once more faced Killybegs. A gritty one point victory set up a final against local rivals Downings. An excellent display sealed back-to-back titles on a scoreline of 3-8 to 0-8.

The Minors Boys delivered Division 2 Northern Board League success with a comprehensive victory over Letterkenny Gaels after four wins from four at the group stages. Their championship campaign ended at the hands of subsequent county champions Four Masters at the quarter final stage. The u16 boy’s side lifted the Division 1 Northern Board League title with a masterful display against Gaoth Dobhair in Glenswilly. An epic tussle with Aodh Ruadh in the County Semi-Final, which was decided after extra-time, signalled the end their campaign. The u13 and u14 boys sides displayed a fantastic attitude all year and were among the most improved squads in the club. The highlight of the year for the u12 Boys side was a trip to Croke Park in September where they showcased their skills as part of Activity Day. The u12 girls entered their first side for a number of years and they competed brilliantly all year. The u10 boys trained extremely hard and were rewarded with excellent match performances. 2019 saw another milestone as the club fielded its first u10 girls team. The club also entered u11 and u9 boys teams in the inaugural Autumn Go Games Competitions. The club began to reap the benefits of a full-time schools’ coach with record numbers at the younger age groups particularly at u6 and u8 level. Another hugely successful venture undertaken during the year was our club’s first ever Easter Camp. Well done to all our underage players who represented Donegal in 2019, further evidence that the future of the club is bright. A special mention to James McGinley and Luke Barrett who took charge of the Donegal Minor Ladies and Donegal u16 boys respectively, with both sides reaching the Ulster Finals where they were narrowly edged out.

The club continues to go from strength to strength in Scór participation under the tutelage of Patrick McBride, competing in four different disciplines. A lot of the members who have been the backbone of our groups in Scór na nÓg over the last few years are now overage and the club would like to thank Cliodhnadh, Owen, Grainne, Sarah and Megan for their huge time and effort over the last five years.

The Club has made great strides in terms of Health and Wellness in the past few years under the guidance of Healthy Club Officer Kevin Mills and that continued in 2019. CLG Baile na nGalloglach were successful in achieving the National Healthy Club Award, one of only four club’s within the county to secure this accolade. Our club went Smoke Free as part of the Healthy Club programme during 2019. Other events held during the year included a SafeTALK suicide awareness training day, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation training and reviews of the Clubs Critical Incident Response Plan and Alcohol and Other Drugs policy in line with National Guidelines.