Adverts

2025 Aodh Ruadh registration form

View/Download the 2025 Aodh Ruadh registration form. [129KB]

Lotto

In the lucky dip cash prizes of €20 went to Barry Travers, Liam Hassett, Rose Gallagher, Cormac McCusker, and Donnacha Conlon.

Play Club Lotto Online
More Lotto information.

Tweets by aodhruadh

29 April 2024

Aodh Ruadh Club 250 Draw
The very first draw in our Aodh Ruadh Club 250 took place on Sunday. Our first prize winner of €1,000 was Maurice McLaughlin. The second prize winner of €300 was Jo Jo McNulty. Third prize winner of €200 was Kieran Blake. The April special monthly prize of a €100 voucher for Kernan's Spar was won by Geraldine Patton. Big congratulations to all our draw winners and many thanks to everyone supporting this important fund-raiser for the club. If you missed the annual entry deadline, you can still be part of this massive prize draw over the course of the remaining 11 months. Enter now online at the Aodh Ruadh Klubfunder.com page where you can choose from a range of payment options.

Football
SENIORS TO THE FOUR AGAINST ARDARA
Aodh Ruadh got a big win against Ardara in Father Tierney Park on Saturday evening, but they had to dig deep to see off a resilient Pearse Park outfit.
This was to be a high-scoring encounter, particularly in the second half. The first certainly started with a bang, Ardara launching over a two pointer, only for Aodh Ruadh to charge up the pitch where Eoghan Kelly launched himself bodily toward goal to get a fist to the ball and direct it to the net.
An Ardara point was then matched by a shot from Shane McGrath which flashed just over the bar. Six minutes in there was a goal between the sides when Peter Boyle was brought up to hammer a 45 metre free over the bar for a two pointer which made it 1-3 to 0-3. Then the lead was stretched after Diarmaid McInerney sent over a free after a foul on Matt Gillespie.
When Shane McGrath muscled his way through two tackles and sent over a beautiful shot off his left boot it looked like Aodh Ruadh were really motoring. Curiously though, that 12th minute effort was to be Ballyshannon's last scoring contribution to the first half.
Ardara took charge of matters from that point, hitting an unanswered 1-5 to go in at the break with a 1-9 to 1-4 advantage.
Aodh Ruadh needed a good start to the new half, but it was Ardara who landed the first point two minutes in.
Cian Rooney was to have a super 30 minutes, and served notice early, working a one two from a free before popping over. Ballyshannon then won the kick out and David Dolan worked his opening well before firing over.
A minute later David Dolan turned the Ardara kick out again and passed to Darragh Flood Dolan who picked out Shane McGrath and he found the net at the second time of asking. Parity didn't last long though as Ardara came back straight away with an answering point.
The green and gold then added a free and a two pointer to make it 2-7 to 1-14.
Right on cue Aodh Ruadh rustled up another goal. This one was created by a driving run from Eoghan Kelly which was halted aggressively, but the ball spilt to Cian Dolan and he sends it across the face of goal for brother David to flick home.
Ardara kept their noses in front with a technical free from 20 metres in the 42nd minute, but Aodh Ruadh were starting to play with more energy than their opponents.
The first dividends came when Cian Rooney sent over when the goal might have been on. Then Eddie Lynch put an earlier miss behind him to guide over a quality score.
Eoin Cassidy managed to nudge his side into the lead, but a 47th minute Ardara free made it all-square, 3-10 to 1-16 to set up a tense final ten minutes.
It was the Ernesiders who made the first break for front with a lovely move started by Shane McGrath who linked with Eddie Lynch and he off-loaded to Eamonn McGrath who checked back before popping to the net.
Five minutes later Darragh Flood Dolan did brilliantly to field a long ball in, passing off to David Dolan who stroked over a quality shot. Not long after Cian Rooney came out strongly to win the ball from Shane McGrath. McGrath took the return and fisted over.
Next it was Darragh Flood Dolan who was provider for Rooney who sent over a collector's item right foot shot. The last say of the game went the way of Ardara, but Ballyshannon had done enough and the 4-13 to 1-18 scoreline was a fair reflection on the balance of play.
Jimmy Langan will have been heartened to see nine different scorers making the score sheet, as well as by the resilience Aodh Ruadh showed when it looked like Ardara had the whip hand. As ever Peter Boyle's promptings, not to mention his long range free taking, made his side tick. Defensively Darragh Flood Dolan and Eoghan Kelly showed a lot of creative touches. Matt Gillespie and Eamonn McGrath more than held their own against a physically impressive opposition midfield. In the attack, Shane McGrath was in fine form through-out, while Cian Rooney really was in sparkling form as play opened up in the second half. The introduction of David Dolan made a big difference, the big man making life very difficult for the visiting rearguard. Check out aodhruadh.org where we have a gallery of shots from the match live now.
Peter Boyle (0-2, 1tpf); Mark McGlynn, Conor Patton, Kyle Murray; Darragh Flood Dolan, Eddie Lynch (0-1), Eoghan Kelly (1-0); Matt Gillespie, Eamonn McGrath (1-0); Senan Rooney, Shane McGrath (1-3), Diarmaid McInerney (0-1f); Cian Rooney (0-3), Darren Drummond, Eoin Cassidy (0-1). Subs: David Dolan (1-2) for Darren Drummond (inj) 22 minutes; Cian Dolan for Senan Rooney 39 minutes; Barry Campbell for Eoin Cassidy 63 minutes.

RESERVES COME GOOD IN SECOND HALF
The action got under way on Saturday with a game which was illuminated by a glorious display by Barry Campbell. Ardara gave Ballyshannon plenty to chew on, but in Campbell Aodh Ruadh had the ace in the pack.
The homesters could have started with a goal, but after a couple of mis-fires, Philip Patton finally took the bull by the horns and popped over. Three minutes Donagh McIntyre hoisted over a lofted shot just inside the D to double the advantage.
A minute later Campbell gave notice as he made a probing run on goal, but the door was shut and he then swivelled and took his point.
Ardara had a bit of a breeze behind them and they used it to good effect to leap-frog into the lead with two two pointers. It was level in the 15th minute though after Ardara were penalised for a technical foul on the kick out and Philip Patton converted.
The visitors reeled off three points before Cathal Kelly managed to get the ball over the bar after some great build-up play from Philip Patton.
They followed that up when Barry Campbell went on a darting run before dishing off for Odhran McGarrigle to score. Ardara tagged on two more points before half-time though to go in leading by 0-6 to 0-9.
Daniel Warnock's men got a great start to the second half when more a glorious ball from Barry Campbell was fetched by Cathal Kelly, who was then fouled, with Kelly dispatching the resultant free. Four minutes in Ardara found themselves penalised for technical issues on the kick out again and once more Patton administered the punishment.
Ardara responded to push their lead back out to two, but Donagh McIntyre pumped over an instant answering score.
It was at this point that Barry Campbell really turned on the style. He won a ball and went on an elusive run leaving defenders in his wake before stroking the deftest of shots past the helpless Ardara keeper. The diminutive Campbell then won the kick and scorched towards the posts before unselfishly laying off to Odhran McGarrigle who raised a second Aodh Ruadh green flag in a matter of moments to make it Aodh Ruadh 2-9 Ardara 0-10.
The visitors were stunned, but came back well, hitting a rapid two pointer followed by a point. Campbell was still playing on a different level though and he divided the posts with a truly sublime point to take his personal tally to 1-2.
With the game moving into the final quarter Ardara clawed back another couple of points before Cathal Kelly was fouled for a free which Odhran McGarrigle landed without fuss. McGarrigle then followed that up with a hooked shot from play.
Ex-county man Gareth Concarr kept Ardara in the game with another free, but the Ernesiders were in full flow, spreading the play well for Philip Patton to take a good score from play. Then with a minute remaining of normal time Cian McKenna bustled down the end line before sending a ball across the face of goal, Cathal Kelly improvised well, simply volleying to the net soccer style.
That looked to be the clincher, but Ardara found the net a minute into added time to leave just two points between them. And at the death the visitors had a great chance to steal the win, but a phenomenal save by Karl O'Brien saw the ball go out for a 45. That was floated into the Ballyshannon area, but Aodh Ruadh claimed possession and that was enough to secure the victory on a scoreline of 3-13 to 1-17.
A fantastic display by the Aodh Ruadh men in this one, with some buccaneering football from the homesters. Karl O'Brien's save at the death was a match-winner, in front of him Oisín Kerr, James Gallagher and Luke Carr stood out in a strong defensive unit. Odhran McGarrigle covered every corner of the park and took some important scores. Philip Patton showed his class every time he was on the ball, but Barry Campbell was simply sensational, both with his creative play and score-taking. Oran Gillespie put in an exceptional display off the bench, getting on a lot of ball, regularly winning possession ahead of physically bigger opponents and never giving a poor pass. Head over to aodhruadh.org where we have a gallery of shots from the game live.
Karl O'Brien; Oisín Kerr, Michael Ward, James Gallagher; James Monaghan, Luke Carr, Ted O'Donnell; Odhran McGarrigle (1-3, 1f), Tiernan Flood Dolan; Garvey Meade, Philip Patton (0-4, 2f), Ryan McKenna; Cathal Kelly (1-2, 1f), Donagh McIntyre (0-2), Barry Campbell (1-2). Subs: Oran Gillespie for Ted O'Donnell (inj) 8 minutes; Cian McKenna for Donagh McIntyre (inj) 27 minutes; Donagh McIntyre for Cian McKenna half-time; Ryan McKenna for Tiernan Flood Dolan 51 minutes; Ryan McKenna for Tiernan Flood Dolan 51 minutes.

Aodh Ruadh are back in Father Tierney Park this Saturday, this time with Cloich Cheann Fhaola as the guests. The reserves are once again getting the day's action up and running at 5.30pm with the seniors following on at 7pm.

UNDERAGE FOOTBALL UPDATES
We wish Barry Ward, Joe Gibbions, Gareth Brennan and the Donegal minor squad all the best in their next outing in the Ulster championship this Saturday when they are up against Armagh in the Athletic Grounds at 12 noon.

The under 16s game due for Monday evening was cancelled. Their next competitive fixture hasn't yet been confirmed.

The under 14s are looking forward to their first club blitz of the year, the Willie Rogers tournament on bank holiday Monday, 5th May. Willie was a well respected coach in Aodh Ruadh, and it’s great to see him still remembered in our club. We will welcome members of the Rogers family, who will again be on hand to present the Willie Rogers cup to the winning captain. We will have two Aodh Ruadh teams, two Enniskillen Gaels teams, and teams from Realt Na Mara Bundoran, Erne Gaels and Naomh Bríd. Initially throw-in times are to be confirmed, but are provisionally down for 11am. It promises to be a great day of football.

The under 12s are back in action this Friday when Saint Naul's come to Father Tierney Park. The senior game throws in at 6.30pm and is followed by the reserve game at 7.45pm.

Under 10 training continues on Tuesday evening at Coláiste Cholmcille from 7pm to 8pm. On Saturday, the re-arranged blitz with Naomh Bríd will take place in Ballintra. Time to be confirmed and will be posted on the team WhatsApp group.

Our under 8 footballers made the trip to Kilcar for a great morning of football in the sunshine. Thanks to all the parents for travelling. This week we are at home to Ardara in Father Tierney Park. Training continues on Friday at 7pm in the Coláiste Cholmcille field.

Hurling
AODH RUADH SHARE HONOURS WITH BUNCRANA IN THRILLING CLASH
Aodh Ruadh welcomed Buncrana to Ballyshannon on Friday evening in search of their first win in the Donegal Senior Hurling League. In a fiercely contested and highly entertaining match, both sides produced an excellent display of hurling.
Buncrana were first to register a score after a cagey opening five minutes. Aodh Ruadh responded quickly, with Danny Breen slotting over a well-taken free in the sixth minute. The Ballyshannon men enjoyed the better of the early exchanges, but struggled to convert their dominance into scores, racking up five wides in the opening ten minutes. Kyle McNulty, who put in a monumental shift in midfield, was unfortunate to see his first effort cannon off the upright and out for a wide.
The game burst into life after 16 minutes when Senan Rooney produced a blistering run through the centre, before picking out Aaron Cullen, who buried the sliotar into the top corner of the Buncrana net. Moments later, McNulty added a fine point, with Danny Breen continuing to keep the score board ticking over from placed balls. Aodh Ruadh went in at the break leading 1-7 to 0-6.
Buncrana came out firing on all cylinders after the interval, hitting four unanswered points to cut the gap to a single point. Ryan O’Brien, producing a man-of-the-match performance at half-back, was pivotal in repelling numerous Buncrana attacks. Midway through the half, Aodh Ruadh managed to swing the momentum back in their favour. A long ball into the Buncrana square led to a fumble, and Kieran Kilgannon pounced to flick the ball to the net for Aodh Ruadh’s second goal.
Rather than kill the game off, the goal seemed to ignite Buncrana once again. They pressed hard in the closing stages, picking off points to level the contest. As the light faded in Ballyshannon, the final whistle blew with the sides locked at 2-9 to 0-15. A draw was probably a fair outcome, though Aodh Ruadh will certainly rue the eight wides they recorded in the first half.

ERNESIDERS TOP ULSTER GROUP FOLLOWING GOOD WIN OVER BELNALECK
On Sunday Aodh Ruadh faced Belnaleck in their final Ulster League group game. With Belnaleck only able to field 13 players, it was a very one-sided affair, as the Ballyshannon men dominated all over the pitch. Aodh Ruadh’s strength and depth proved too much, resulting in a convincing 4-12 to 0-9 win that sees them top their group and book a quarter-final spot next Sunday against the runner-up from the opposite group.

Aodh Ruadh are back in action on Friday evening as they travel to Carndonagh for their next fixture in the Donegal Senior Hurling League, with a 7.30pm start down in Inishowen.

KINGSTON GETS ROYAL WELCOME TO BALLYSHANNON
Last Wednesday night in Áras Aoidh Ruaidh we welcomed former Cork senior hurling manager and All-Ireland winner, Kieran Kingston. Kieran was delighted and humbled to be asked to meet and greet our junior players and present prizes to all, and to our 2024 under 12 B League winners.
Kieran praised the work on the ground being done by volunteers and clubs in the promotion and retention of hurling in football dominated counties. He said that Croke Park is trying to develop the game in counties where there is no traditional stronghold, but that the real work is done at club level by small dedicated groups of people. In fact, despite all his glory at county level, some of his greatest memories are with his club, Tracton.
Club chairman, Barry O'Neill welcomed Kieran's insights and mirrored his sentiments by thanking the current group of underage coaches and those that went before them, John Rooney, John Larkin Sr, Billy Finn and Alan Kane, to name a few.
Kieran went on to present all our juniors with their medals and the under 12 B shield to joint captains Emily Ryan and Hugh Mealiffe. Barry then presented Kieran with an Aodh Ruadh senior hurling jersey and an iconic painting by Barry Britton of Ballyshannon as an appreciation of the club's thanks. A lovely evening was rounded off with some tea, treats, autographs, chats and laughs.
Many thanks to Barry and Pauric McShea for organising the event.

UNDERAGE HURING UPDATES
Hard luck to our minors who lost out to Carndonagh on Thursday evening in Father Tierney Park. The lads have no match this coming week as most of the team are away on their Transition Year school trip.

Well done to our under 8s and under 10s who had a very enjoyable morning of hurling at the first All-County blitz of the year in Convoy. Both teams had four games each and performed very well. Thanks to all the parents who travelled.

Training continues on Sundays at 11.45am, with our under 12s having their mid-week slot on Tuesday at 5.45pm. If you would like your child to have the opportunity to play our national sport, contact the appropriate manager below:-
Under 6s: Kevin Loughlin – 086-3062209
Under 8s: Stephen Sheerin – 086-8616927
Under 10s: Martin Larkin – 086-8033596
Under 12s: John Larkin – 086-1076883

Ladies
SENIOR LADIES RETURN TO ACTION
After a break the reserve Aodh Ruadh ladies return to action in Father Tierney Park this Wednesday. They will be facing Burt in their latest Division 3 outing with throw-in at 7.30pm. Then on Sunday the Division 1 ladies will be facing off against Saint Naul's at 10am.

UNDERAGE LADIES UPDATES
Well done to Eva McNamara, Rachel Gillespie, Cadhla Gillespie, Paul Gillespie, and the Donegal under 16s who defeated Down in the Ulster championship silver final on Sunday. Donegal earned the victory after an epic battle at the Truagh Gaels grounds in Monaghan, which went to extra time and free kicks with the Tir Chonaill ladies winning 4-3.

The under 16 girls also had a break from action last week. Next up for them is the visit of Naomh Conaill to Father Tierney Park this Tuesday at 7pm.

The under 14 girls continued their preparations for the upcoming league campaign with two challenge games against Four Masters in Páirc Aoidh Ruaidh on Saturday morning. With two teams being fielded, all girls had a start and significant game time across two very entertaining games. Panel and scorers on the day: Eabha Hegarty, Bronagh Waugh, Bethany McNamee, Sienna Doran, Mia Duffy, Kayla McDermott, Holly O'Neill, Emer McGarrigle, Nicole McGrath, Amelia Coyle, Ava Garvey, Emma O'Neill (0-2), Larissa Lawless, Anna Meehan, Lauren Kane, Emily Kane, Amy McNeely, Saoirse O'Donnell, Aoibhinn McGarrigle, Amelia McNulty, Catherine Garvey, Louise Browne, Niamh Patton, Shiloh Killalea, Tiah Kane (0-2), Ella Dorrian (2-0), Emily Gallagher (0-2), Halle McGowan (3-4), Aisling Britton. The squad travel to Kinlough for two challenge games on Monday evening with a 7pm throw-in. Training continues on Wednesdays at 5.45pm, and there is another challenge game scheduled away to Glenties on Bank Holiday Monday.

The under 12 had another great blitz this week against Four Masters, this time at Father Tierney Park. In super sunshine there were two high quality matches for both teams. Amelia McNulty and Grace Bourke were immense in defence against some very nippy forwards. Aoibheann McGarrigle and Ella Dorrian drove on from midfield and Maeve Brennan and Ruth Garvey scored some great points. Training continues every Tuesday at 6.45pm.

Under 8 training continues this week on Tuesday at 6pm at Coláiste Cholmcille. We are always delighted to see new faces, so why not come up and join the craic!

Ulster final 2025
Donegal have fought their way from the preliminary round to the Ulster Senior Championship football final. There they will join their female counterparts for a historic provincial final double-header against Armagh on Saturday, May 10th. Aodh Ruadh are currently awaiting correspondence from the county board regarding the club's ticket allocation and the order process. For this game, we plan to take ticket orders in person and we will arrange a date, time and location for this once we have been briefed by the county board. We are using in-person ordering to ensure there is no confusion and no ticket orders are missed. Only paid up adult members will be eligible to place a ticket order. Those with membership paid prior to the March 31st deadline will take priority as our ticket allocation will be based on these numbers. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that all ticket orders will be fulfilled, and we can fully understand any frustration or upset this may cause. Now is perhaps an opportune time to remind members and supporters of the GAA’s Give Respect Get Respect initiative.

Boot exchange
All teams are back training outdoors now, and our boot exchange is open for business! Anybody who would like to avail of the boot exchange service can text or call 087-9794696. Also, anybody with old boots at home, we’re always looking for donations!

Ballyshannon bingo
Well done to Gabrielle Dullahan and Anne Herron on sharing last week's Ballyshannon Bingo Jackpot. The new €1,000 Spring Snowball rolled over for another week and is in play now on 46 numbers, with Rosaleen O'Brien taking the €100 house. The other house winners were Leanne Patterson, Doreann McDonald, Kathleen Keown, Marion Deacon, Marina Kerrigan, Catherine Quigley, Tina Gannon, and Angela Gaye. The €50 lines were won by Elaine Ellis and Cathleen Quigley. The other line winners were Liam Quigley, Rosaleen O'Brien, Kay Kilvarry, Mary B Kerrigan, Mary Coughlin, James Quinn Johnston and Leanne Paterson (shared), Janette Cleary, Sean Quinn, and Mary Coughlin. The stand-up game prize was won by Martin Travers, at €145, with the free books won by Marion McDermott and Patricia Downey. We're back at it again this Tuesday at the Abbey Centre with €2,900 to play for, including the €1,000 Snowball, a €500 50/50 Jackpot, and the €330 Lucky Numbers game. Door open 7.45pm for eyes down 8.30pm. As always spread the word and bring a friend, books only €10 for a great night out!

Last modified: Tuesday, 29 April 2025 at 5:12pm

Read more in the club notes archive.