CASTLEFIN Celtic moved into third in the Donegal League Premier Division, while Glenea stay top of Division One and Swilly Rovers took top spot in Division Two. Here’s a recap of all of today’s Donegal League action.

Brian McCormick Sports Premier Division

Donegal Town 1 Castlefin Celtic 3

Donegal started very brightly with Ghazi, McIntyre and McKenna running at the Castlefin defence causing all sorts of bother. 

Castlefin to their credit came back into the game and keeper McCafferty reacted smartly to thwart one or two Castlefin efforts. In the 30th minute, with both teams at a stalemate, a Castlefin attack created a chance for Bogan who finished smartly. 

Five minutes into the second half Mc Cafferty saved a Castlefin penalty but the force of the shot saw it trickle past the net-minder. 

Town to their credit never gave up and Ghazi was on the end of an excellent Town move to make it 2-1 to Castlefin. Castlefin then upped the tempo and an excellent finish from the edge of the box saw them increase their advantage. Referee: Dessie Mc Laughlin.

Cranford United 1 Keadue Rovers 1

Cranford started brightly in the first half grabbing an early lead when Kevin Doherty turned his defender inside the box to find the net after good work by Martin McBride and Eoghan Rafferty. 

In the second half Keadue loaded men forward but the Cranford rearguard worked hard to limit their chances to long range shots. 

The equaliser came with 15 minutes to go, a penalty awarded to the away side and Ciaran Greene powered his spot kick into the roof of the net. 

Both teams pushed for a winner but it finished with a point apiece

Temple Domestic Appliances Division One

Drumoghill FC 1 Convoy Arsenal 4

Click here to read Charlie Collins’ match report

Letterbarrow Celtic 1 Ballybofey United 1

Prior to the game a minute’s silence was observed as a mark of respect to recently deceased Claire McGroary. In near perfect conditions, this game was played at a high tempo from the first whistle. Both sides had good chances to open the scoring in the first half but the game remained scoreless at the break. 

The second half was equally competitive and Ballybofey broke the deadlock on sixty minutes when Damien Glackin beat the offside trap and finished well from a good pass over the top. 

The visitors pushed for a second but were denied by the excellent Karl O’Brien who saved from close range. Letterbarrow equalised on seventy minutes when Ryan O’Brien set up Gerard McBrearty who calmly finished past the advancing keeper. 

Both sides had chances towards the end but it finished all square. 

Griffin and Glackin were best for Ballybofey with Cian Dolan and Karl O’Brien excellent for the home side. Referee: George Clinton.

Kerrykeel ’71 F.C. 7 Lifford Celtic 1

The ‘71 kept their recent good run going with a well-deserved win over Lifford at Rab’s Park. 

The home side had seven different scorers on the day which will please the management of Walsh and Sandilands. Michael Sweeney got the ball rolling on 5 minutes when he scored from ten yards after good work from Paddy Carr. Captain Marty McAteer made it two on 15 minutes with a great strike from the edge of the box. 

Johnny Nanny Friel got the third and his third in two games with a brilliant header from a Mc Ateer free. On the stroke of half time it was four when Michael Sweeney had his cross tapped home by Sean Little. 

Full credit to Lifford who kept pushing on and at the start of the second half Kevin McBrearty found the net with a postage stamp free kick. 

Paddy Carr then scored from the spot after Johnny Nanny was taken down inside the area. 

Young Evan Hewitt then made it six when he rounded the keeper to fire home and in the last five minutes Patsy Friel got his name on the score-sheet when he fired home from a brilliant Paul Friel cross. Team performance from the ’71. 

Best for Lifford Mc Brearty and Caldwell. Referee: Seamie Ferry.

Gweedore Celtic 3 Rathmullan Celtic 0

Gweedore Celtic recorded their second victory on the trot when overcoming a very impressive Rathmullan team who played open, attractive football but could not convert their chances into goals. Gweedore were more clinical in front of goal and added to solid defending, they were worthy of taking all three points. 

Thomas Diver got the Celts off to the perfect start, netting after six minutes after good work by Eamon McGee. They then endured a period of pressure from the away team who created most of their scoring chances from several corners. 

With Donal Mac Giolla Bhríde and John Paul Gallagher combining at centre back and Cian McBride and Liam McFadden operating effectively at full back, Rathmullan found it hard to crack the Gweedore rearguard. 

When they did manage to break through Michel McKelvey in goals showed his experience to keep Rathmullan at bay. A second goal before half time from Eamon Mc Gee, who was a handful all day for the away team, left Gweedore in a comfortable position. 

The second half was only five minutes old when Rathmullan could have been level, the best of those chances falling to Eoin Sheridan. After that Gweedore were happy to soak up the pressure and hit on the break. 

In the 60th minute the hard-working Ciaran McHugh scored the goal of the day when he beat the keeper with a shot from outside the box after good work from Eamon McGee and Colin Ferry. Eoin Sheridan was Rathmullan’s most impressive player on the day with Mc Gee, Liam Mc Fadden and Ciaran Mc Hugh best for Gweedore.

Glenea United 3 St. Catherines 2

In dry blustery conditions it was the home side that picked up another three points with this hard fought victory over the Fishermen. 

St. Catherine’s playing with the aid of the strong breeze started well and took the lead within 30 seconds of kick off when Ryan Cunningham picked up a loose ball and made his way to the edge of the box and drilled the ball in off the post. The away side continued to push for another goal and Glenea were finding it difficult to get a foothold in the game. 

St Catherine’s were denied on 25 minutes when Ryan Cunningham got free but his effort this time was well saved by Shaun Mc Clafferty. 

As the half progressed the home side finally began to get into the game and on 35 minutes they found an equaliser through Michael Barry who was on the end of a fine cross from John McFadden. 

In the second half the home side looked to continue with the upper hand but were caught out on 55 minutes when Ryan Cunningham was played in and he slotted the ball under Shaun McClafferty.  

Glenea went looking for an equaliser again but were finding it hard to create a clear cut chance. Eventually they found an equaliser from a John McFadden free kick on 68 minutes. 

On 75 minutes the away side were handed a chance to take the lead again from the penalty spot but Ryan Cunningham’s effort was well saved by Shaun McClafferty.  

Just as a the game looked like ending in a draw looked St Catherine’s failed to deal with a Glenea free-kick and Sean McBride was on hand to force the ball home from close to give Glenea victory. Best for Glenea were Darragh Breen & John McFadden, while Ryan Cunningham was a danger throughout for St Catherine’s. 

Referee: Barry Hunter.

Donegal Physiotherapy & Performance Centre Division Two

Glenree United 2 Dunkineely Celtic 1

Glenree got a well-deserved first league win of the season after a great team effort against a dogged Dunkineely side. 

It was all Glenree in the opening exchanges. Glenree won a corner kick in the fifth minute and John McClafferty reacted the quickest to fire past the keeper and find the net. Glenree didn’t hold their lead long as Dunkineely equalised in the 9th minute against the run of play when Shaun Murrin lobbed the keeper from 18 yards after some good build up play.

The home-side reacted well with Daire Shields, Cathal McGinley and Hugh O’Donnell all having good efforts saved by the goalie to keep it all square. Glenree did regain their lead in the 38th minute when the keeper was forced into an error which the striker capitalised on to hit the net. 

Dunkineely almost levelled the match for a second time only for a fine one handed save from John Manus Caldwell to force it wide. In the second half Glenree started very impressive creating numerous chances but not capitalising on them. Ruairi Friel was having a strong game running the show in the middle of the park and linking play up. 

The home-side introduced Marty Mc Laughlin for the closing 20 minutes. Glenree had two more efforts cleared off the line. The Glenree front man then pulled a great save out of the keeper when it looked bound for the top corner. Dunkineely kept plugging away until the final whistle but Glenree saw it out and got their first three points of the season and a deserved victory.

Referee: Sean O’Donnell

Gweedore United 3 Lagan Harps 2

This game, played on a crisp afternoon in Carrickboyle saw the home side come away with the three points following a tight encounter. In the opening half it was a tight affair with chances at both ends. In the 18th minute the visitors took the lead when Rory Crawford headed in from close range following a corner. 

This goal spurred the home side on and they saw great efforts by Ciaran and Stephen McFadden well saved by Carberry in the Lagan nets. In the 36th minute Stephen Mc Fadden made it 1-1 when he tapped in from close range following good build up play and a good pass from Ciaran McFadden. 

In the second half United upped the tempo and Stephen Mc Fadden made it 2-1 with a great individual run and finish in the 58th minute. 

The home side continued to dominate and went 3-1 up when Niall Friel shot from 12 yards into the bottom corner in the 68th minute. Lagan had other ideas and pushed hard to pull one back and they got their second goal in the 76th minute when Damien Nelis finished well following a defensive mix up. 

Lagan put the United defence under pressure in the final quarter of an hour however the home side held out. Damien Nelis and John Rodgers played well for Lagan with Conor Mc Fadden and Stephen McFadden excelling for the home side. Referee: Gerard Devine.

Swilly Rovers 2 Curragh Athletic 0

The game started brightly for both teams. On 16 minutes Dylan Hegarty hit a speculative ball into the box that sailed straight over the goalie into the net putting the hosts one up.

On 39 minutes Swilly doubled their lead when Oisin Coyle threaded a wonderful ball through to Leon Boyce who clinically dispatched the ball into the corner of the net. The second period saw Curragh have an impressive opening 20 minutes, winning six corners on the trot without creating any chance of note.

The introduction of Tyler Durning and Ronan Doherty stabilised Swilly for last 15 minutes. Mickey O’Brien had exceptional game for Curragh.

Raphoe Town 2 Whitestrand United 1

Roy Duffy was the hero for Raphoe Town on Sunday, making a super penalty save late in the game as Shane Dolan’s team took victory against Whitestrand United.

The visitors, who came into the game top of the table, went ahead when Kevin Loughrey seized on an error in the Raphoe defence to score. However the lead was short-lived and Corey Gillen scored a header from a fine Zak Brolly cross to level things up.

The home side were well on top in the first half and could have added another when Oliver Quinn missed with a header from close range, but they did go into the break in the lead thanks to a super free-kick from Zak Brolly.

Both teams had chances in the second half and Whitestrand must have thought they’d sealed at least a point when they were awarded a late penalty for handball. Roy Duffy saved brilliantly from the spot-kick and even though Raphoe finished the game with ten men, they held on to take a valuable three points.

THERE WERE goals galore across some lopsided ties in the Buncrana Credit Union Cup this afternoon. Here are today’s match reports

Buncrana Hearts 4 Rasheney FC 0

Buncrana dominated the majority of the opening half with Bart Wesoloski heading an early chance over after Calvin Gallaghers cross. 

Wesoloski made amends on 17 minutes when he rose to meet Declan Fullertons cross and power a heard past Paddy McGilloway from eight yards.

Fullerton was causing all sorts of bother on the left and from one cross Wesoloski was denied by McGilloway before Aaron McDaid fired wide at the back post and McDaid saw an attempted lob clawed away by McGilloway. 

Rasheney spurned a clear chance on 35 minutes after David McLaughlin got in behind the home defence but blasted over the bar from fifteen yards. 

Within minutes Buncrana doubled their lead when Fullerton’s mazy run took a wicked deflection off a defender to wrong foot McGilloway. Buncrana resumed on the front foot with McDaid seeing a fifteen yards effort clip the bar on the way over.  

At the other end Cormac Dillon found space  on the edge of the area but failed to hit the target. Buncrana increased their lead on 63 minutes when Stephen McHugh’s cross found McDaid who fired in off the underside of the bar. 

Liam McCarron then fired over before they ended the scoring after McDaid advanced on the right and fired past  McGilloway.

Aileach FC 4 Carn FC 0

Aileach started well and after 5 minutes Aaron Nash stung the palms of Gerard Crossan in the Carn goal with a 20 yard shot. 

Carn responded and Cade Cooke got free down the right and Kyle Dougal did well to save the wingers effort with his feet. 

The home side took the lead on 10 minutes when Gareth McGlynn latched on to a Darren Gallagher through ball and calmly slotted past Crossan from 8 yards. 

Carn were having to work hard to keep the home side at bay but were still dangerous on the break. 

On one of these occasions Darragh Deery got good possession on the edge of the Aileach box before turning sharply but his shot lacked the power to trouble Dougal in the home goal. 

Aileach doubled their lead on 25 minutes when Gareth McGlynn was taken down in the box and Thomas McMonagle converted the resulting spot kick.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with the home side having the lions share of possession and Carn having to work hard all over the pitch. 

But for fine performances from Ryan Kelly at centre half and Gerard Crossan in goal the home side would surely have stretched their lead. 

The third finally arrived on 75 minutes when Darren McMonagle played in Ethan Canning who finished well from 10 yards. 

With the away side tiring a fourth  followed shortly afterwards when Thomas McMonagle crossed for the inrushing Ethan Canning to finish from close range to complete the scoring.

Culdaff FC 0 Cockhill Celtic Youths 1

In an entertaining game on Saturday night in good conditions Cockhill advanced to the next round with a narrow but deserved win over the home side who battled extremely hard and restored a bit of pride after last weeks defeat. 

There were few clear chances at either end in the first half. For the visitors Ryan Doherty fired a free kick narrowly wide while Oisin O’Flaherty had a glancing header well gathered by Darragh McLaughlin. 

At the other end Michael Coyle saw an effort saved by Michael O Doherty. The visitors broke the deadlock in the 35th minute after the home defence failed to clear a free kick and the ball broke for Michael Noone to lash the ball to the net from close range. McLaughlin then made a superb reaction save after a defender headed the ball towards his own goal.

On 56 minutes Eugene McLaughlin intercepted a crossfield ball and advanced but his well struck effort sailed over. 

Cockhill responded and McLaughlin in the home goal produced two good stops to deny Eoin McNamee on both occasions. 

Culdaff pressed in the final ten minutes with a looping Thomas O’Brien cross from the right tipped over by Doherty before Aiden Cunningham fired a late free wide. 

The visitors saw out the game to advance to the quarter finals.

QPS 1 Greencastle FC 4

The visitors got off to the perfect start  in the opening minutes when Nigel McMonagle controlled a Christy Hegarty cross and turned sharply to drill a left footed effort to the bottom corner past Aiden Lynch. 

In fairness the point responded well to this set back with Lee Barr seeing a free gathered by Dylan Doherty, Caolan McColgan firing just over and Stephen McKendry ‘s speculative effort drifting just over. 

On 37 minutes the visitors then went close after McMonagle released Hegarty but Lynch advanced to block well with his legs. 

The home side had the last effort of the half after s Shay Lynch effort was well held by  Doherty. Both sides had efforts saved in the opening five minutes with Ronan Doherty denied by Lynch and McKendry seeing Doherty gather his effort. 

Greencastle doubled their lead on 61 minutes when Ronan Doherty got on the end of an Eamon Donnelly free to blast to the roof of the net. 

Minutes later Michael Henry scored the goal of the game from the angle of the area when he fired a superb effort to the top corner. 

Greencastle made it four nil on 79 minutes after Stephen Grant advanced and fed McMonagle who dinked the ball over the advancing Lynch. 

The home side got the goal they deserved when Deaglan Bowen unleashed a brilliant effort from 25 yards low past Doherty and into the bottom corner. The point then had Josh Boyle red carded for an altercation.

Dunree United 5 Redcastle United 0

Dunree got off to a great start when they opened the scoring on 11 minutes after Thomas Mulhern turned sharply on the edge of the area and fired low past Michael McCole. 

They doubled their lead on 20 minutes when Kyle Barrett fired a stunning twenty five yards shot to the top corner. Things got worse for the visitors after a Jamie Brosnan cross found Peter O’Neill whose effort took a wicked deflection on its way past McCole. 

Before the break Liam Baldrick sent Mulhern away on the right and his cross was side footed home from six yards by Brosnan for a fine team goal. 

Redcastle tried hard after the break but the closest they came was on the hour mark with Brendan Murphy  seeing his fine shot tipped around the post by John Lafferty. 

Dunree sealed their passage to the quarter finals when Ryan Doherty rounded McCole but saw his effort blocked on the line only for Brosnan to nip in and slot home.

Glengad United 5 Gleneely Colts 0

Premier Division Glengad dominated the possession stakes but found the visitors defence a tough nut to crack. 

Seamus Doherty had an early effort well saved by Sean McGuinness on 11 minutes. Glengad opened the scoring on 27 minutes when Dillon Ruddy fed Stephen McLaughlin who beat a defender and drilled a low ball across for brother Christopher to side foot home from six yards. 

Matthew Byrne and Finn McClure had long range efforts well dealt with by McGuinness before a Cathal McDaid cross found goalscorer McLaughlin whose header came back off the base of the post. The home side were dealt a further injury blow when Stephen Mclaughlin had to go off with an ankle injury on the stroke of half time. 

Glengad got a dream start to the second period when a Patrick McDermott corner fell at the back post for Matthew Byrne to slot low past McGuinness. 

On 55 minutes they made it three nil when John McDaid picked out Seamus Doherty on the edge of the area and he unleashed a superb strike to the top corner. 

Christy McLaughlin then pounced on a defensive slip to race clear and make it four nil. Gleneely kept trying and first John Doherty got on the end of Eddie McNamee s cross but fired wide. 

Cory O’Brien squared the ball to Adrian Duffy who fired narrowly wide from the edge of the area. Glengad completed the scoring late on when substitute Nathan McConalogue crossed for Cathal McDaid to slot home.

Clonmany Shamrocks 1 Moville Celtic 0

First Division leaders Clonmany had the better of the chances in the opening half. But Moville had the first chance when Jack McConalogue got on the end of a Michael McNaught cross but sidefooted over the bar from eight yards. 

Clonmany replied and were on top for the remainder of the half. Shane McCaul sent Jason Devlin through and when forced wide by Ryan Coyle he laid the ball back to full back Matthew Brennan whose effort was headed off the line by Puaric Skelly. 

Midway through the half a Jake Harkin effort hit both posts before being cleared by the Moville defence. Clonmany took the lead on the stroke of half time after McCaul was tripped in the area and Oisin Hession blasted high past Coyle. 

Clonmany had an early chance in the second half when Steve Harkin release Jason Devlin but off balance he fired wide. 

Moville dominated possession for long periods but failed to create any clear cut chances as the home defence stood firm. 

Clonmany had another chance then when Harkin flicked on for Devlin who held off a defender but dragged his effort wide. 

Moville’s final attempt at forcing extra time saw a dangerous Kyle Harkin free headed behind for a corner which was cleared.

AROUND 1,000 secondary school students from all over Ulster will descend on the Finn Valley Centre on Tuesday for the Ulster Schools Cross-Country finals.

The Ulster Schools finals are coming to Donegal for the first time with 850 entries already confirmed.

The event has been held recently at Ulster University, Coleraine, but Finn Valley AC will host the 2020 version.

“It’s a big event and it’s great to bring it to Finn Valley,” Finn Valley AC’s Patsy McGonagle, the former Irish Olympic team manager, told Donegal Daily/Donegal Sport Hub.

“It’s a big challenge for us as well. We’re excited about it, but we’re nervous because of the numbers. I know we’ll be grand because we have a good team.

“We’ll get the job done. We’ve been figuring it out this week. We’re delighted to bring this to Donegal and into our terrain.”

Patsy McGonagle

McGonagle also spoke of the club’s Fastest Child initiative, the finals of which take place at the end of February and touched on an impending visit for a training camp by the Irish high performance boxing team ahead of the 2020 Olympic Games.

McGonagle said: “We’re trying to build all the time so people are more aware of where we are and who we are.” 

Listen to the full interview below …

MICHAEL Murphy says he is ‘over the moon’ with his Letterkenny Institute of Technology side as they booked a first-ever Sigerson Cup semi-final spot this afternoon.

A 1-14 to 1-8 win over IT Sligo sees LyIT – who are competing at Sigerson level for the first time – into the last four, where they will meet IT Carlow on Wednesday night.

Murphy’s Donegal team-mate Michael Langan netted the goal this afternoon and Murphy hailed the performance of the county players. 

“We’re over the moon with the lads,” Murphy told Ocean FM’s Cathal Mullaney. 

“The performance was great. The application throughout the whole 60 is something I would be really, really happy with. 

“It was led out by our county men; they were really, really good. For the rest of the team and the whole lot of us to see their application and desire, everyone else rowed in behind that. It was a great occasion to be involved in.”

Listen to the full interview below …

LAST MAN Standing has become a popular fundraiser for local clubs – but one Donegal club’s competition lasted just ONE weekend.

Lagan Harps kicked off their Last Man Standing this weekend with 90 entrants in the mix for a competition intended to last nine weeks.

Participants select one team each weekend for a series of games and cannot choose the same team twice. 

At the end the winner is, as the name suggests, the Last Man Standing.

Liverpool supporter Marc McCarron was the only on of the 90 to select Liverpool this weekend.

As it happened, Liverpool’s game against Manchester United was the last of the games. Five draws yesterday dumped a raft of entrants while Leicester City’s loss to Burnley earlier today cut many more from the competition.

Marc was celebrating on the double. Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah netted in a 2-0 win for the Reds over their old rivals and he will now collect a cool jackpot. 

THE ARRANGEMENTS have been confirmed for Letterkenny Institute of Technology’s Sigerson Cup semi-final.

LyIT are competing for the first time at Sigerson level and are now through to the last four.

Last Sunday, the Port Road students – managed by Michael Murphy – defeated Athlone IT.

This afternoon, LyIT showed that they were no one-hit wonders as they overcame IT Sligo 1-14 to 1-8 with Michael Langan netting the goal. 

Now, LyIT face IT Carlow in a semi-final.

The semi-final takes place on Wednesday evening next at 7pm at the Inniskeen club in Monaghan.

@ElectricIreland Sigerson Cup Semi-Final

Wed. 22nd Jan

19:00

@InniskeenGaa @monaghangaa

@LYIT V @ITCarlowGAA

Streaming details to follow#FirstClassRivals #GAASigersonCup #GAABelong

— GAA Higher Education (@HigherEdGAA) January 19, 2020

A full round up of news and what to look forward to from the Inishowen club.

18 Open Stableford Sweep

The 18-hole Open Stableford sweep was won last week by 12 handicapper Ferdia O’ Flaherty who played some of his best golf for a while to shoot 42 pts. With this return to form Ferdia will now be looking forward to the Mini-League which starts this weekend. In second place was the ever-consistent Derek smith (8) with 41 pts and Caolan Mc Laughlin (11) finished third with 39 pts.

Mini- League

The Annual Mini-League will commence this Saturday 25th & Sunday 26th January 2020 and will run for 4 weeks with all Fridays also included for returning scores. The format will be week 1- greensomes, week 2 – 2 ball betterball, week 3 – 2 ball scramble and the final week greensomes. 3 scores from the 4 weeks will be used to qualify for the match play stages. The entry fee will be €20.00 for the 4 weeks and names are now being taken.

“Twenties” Competitions

The “Twenties” competitions will continue over the next few months and will give members the opportunity to play competition golf throughout this period. The cost will be €3.00 to enter and will run until 20 competitors play with the prize being won at this stage and a new competition will start straight away.

2019 Owen Mc Daid (Roe) Mini Bus & Taxi Hire Winter League Presentation, left to right; Robert Callaghan (President 2020),Patrick Grant (Non- Qualifiers winner), Shane Gallivan (Non- Qualifiers winner), Owen Mc Daid (Sponsor),Kevin Mc Grath (Qualifiers winner), Tony Hegarty(Qualifiers winner)& Pius Mc Fadden (Captain 2020).

Find the Joker Fundraising

Congratulations to Stephen King who won the Joker Jackpot of €1,100.00 last week. A new “Find the Joker” is up and running again with a Jackpot of €250.00, lines only cost €2 each and this draw is open to members and non-members alike. Lines can be purchased in the clubhouse or through chief seller Oliver Doherty.

Membership

There are great membership deals at present Male €350.00, Lady €232.00, Beginner Male €260.00 and Lady Beginner €190.00 all fees inclusive of G.U.I. / Insurance.

Last Man Standing

There will be a new Last Man Standing on the 1st February 2020 and sheets are now available for committee members to collect. Anyone interested in purchasing a Last Man Standing entry can do so at the clubhouse or from any committee member.

Beachgoers were baffled by a huge animal carcass spotted in West Donegal last weekend.

The remains were washed up on Dooey Beach, and the sand-covered bones and cartilage have left people questioning what creature it might have been.

Bones are clearly visible from the huge body, which is several metres in length, but the state of the remains leaves it difficult to identify.

Beachgoer Daniel McGarrigle shared the clip below with Donegal Daily in the hope of finding answers.

Do you know what it might be? Leave a comment on Facebook here: www.facebook.com/donegaldaily/videos/1085678158446210

A Christmas gift just keeps on giving for Donegal’s lucky winner of a half a million euro scratch card prize!

Celebrations are well underway in Crolly after it emerged that someone is starting their 2020 €500,000 richer thanks to an All Cash Scratch Card.

Celebrations at O’Donnells MACE in Crolly. Pictured from left are Maria Gallagher, Margaret Duffy, Stephen O’Donnell, Gavin O’Donnell, Owners, Sally Rodgers, Megan Rodgers and Helena McCullagh. Photo Clive Wasson / Mac Innes Photography

Celebrations at O’Donnells Mace Crolly Co. Donegal after a €500,000 scratch card was sold at the store. Shoppers at the store celebrating the win at the National Lottery announcement are from left are Joe Gallagher, Mary O’Donnell and Sarah McGee. Photo Clive Wasson / Mac Innes Photography

The lucky winner is keeping their identity private, but they have revealed that their gains came from a Christmas present gratefully gifted from a family member.

The winner said they still can’t believe their luck as they revealed their very practical plans for the money.

The delighted winner said, “I’ve had a couple of weeks to come to terms with being a half million euro richer but it still hasn’t sunk in. Over the Christmas, all of the family exchanged gifts as usual, and one of my relatives handed me a Christmas card with the All Cash scratch card inside.

“It wasn’t until days later after Christmas that I finally got around to scratching it and my initial reaction was that there must be a mistake on the card – there is no way that I could have won a half million euro just like that.”

The National Lottery’s Fran Whearty and Stephen O’Donnell, O’Donnell’s Mace pop the champagne. Photo Clive Wasson / Mac Innes Photography

After taking a number of weeks to come to terms with their win, the Donegal native discussed plans for the prize.

“The first person I told was the kind relative who bought me the scratch card, so that was a very interesting conversation!

“Of course, my whole family is absolutely thrilled with my win and I plan on splitting up the entire prize between them all so that we can enjoy it together.

“My plans for my share of the winnings is to pay off my mortgage and some bills and with whatever money I have left over, I will treat myself to a new car and a long sun holiday,” they said.

From left are Pauric Gillespie, National Lottery Sales Representative NW, Damian O’Domhnaill, Gavin O’Donnell, Stephen O’Donnell, Bríd O’Donnell and Stephen O’Donnell, Jnr. Photo Clive Wasson / Mac Innes Photography

The lucky €20 All Cash Extravaganza scratch card was sold in at O’Donnell’s Mace Service Station in the Gaeltacht village of Crolly.

Store owner Stephen O’Donnell was overjoyed with news of the €500,000 win in the locality which he described as ‘truly life-changing’ for one of his customers.

“We’ve been in business in Crolly for over 30 years, and I’ve never seen that level of excitement in the village that this win has brought. We have been absolutely inundated with people from the village coming to the store to speak of their excitement of the win.

“We are just thrilled for the winners and we hope that they enjoy their prize. We’ve had quite a lot of media interest too. At this stage, I have done more media interviews than any politician in the country!” he said.

LogoPix Photography by Stevie Toye

The local finalists are: 

• Pearls and Lace (Donegal Town)
• Tokyo Boutique (Letterkenny)
• The White Collection (Letterkenny)
• Something New Bridal Boutique (Letterkenny)

• Shandon Hotel & Spa (Dunfanaghy)
• Waterfront Hotel Dungloe (Dungloe)
• Silver Tassie Hotel (Letterkenny)
• The Great Northern Hotel (Bundoran)
• Redcastle Hotel (Redcastle)
• Mulroy Woods Hotel (Milford)
• Lough Eske Castle (Milford)

• Love Blooms Flowers (Killybegs)
• Ballybofey Florist (Ballybofey)
• Donegal Flowers (Donegal)
• Alcorn’s Flower & Garden Centre (Letterkenny)
• Aanees Flowers Shop (Letterkenny)
• The Flower Shop (Ballybofey)
• Tiger Lily Specialist Wedding Florist (Letterkenny)

• Dream Cakes by Rachael (Letterkenny)
• McGettigans Bakery (Letterkenny)
• Gallaghers Home Bakery (Donegal)
• Wild Fuschia Bakehouse (Donegal)
• Bestflavours Wedding Cakes & Novelty Cakes (Donegal)

• Fiona’s Hair & Beauty (Donegal)
• Angel Hair & Beauty (Donegal)
• Shannon Dolan Hairdressing (Lifford)
• Lilyrose’s Hair Studio (Donegal)
• Brenda Doherty Hair&Makeup (Ballybofey)

• Kelli McGrory Music (Donegal)
• Rockhill Ramblers (Donegal)
• Red Alert Band (Glenties)
• Sinead Black Wedding Singer (Letterkenny)

• Georgina Howley at Silver Tassie Hotel (Letterkenny)
• Aisleen McDonald at Redcastle Hotel (Donegal)
• Simon Petka at Lough Eske Castle Hotel (Donegal)
• Siobhan Barrett-Doherty at Shandon Hotel & Spa (Dunfanaghy)

• Eventful (Ramelton)
• I Do WoW Weddings (Letterkenny)

NA ROSSA have confirmed Cormac McHugh as their senior manager for the 2020 campaign.

McHugh, a long-time player at the club, takes over from Donal Trimble.

Na Rossa will play in their new development at Madavagh in 2020 with work having been ongoing for a number of years now.

McHugh will be assisted by Joe Gallagher.

The appointment was ratified at the club’s annual general meeting on Saturday night.

Donegal senior football manager Declan Bonner will continue as the Na Rossa Chairman this year. Bonner played for the club in the 2019 Donegal JFC, stepping in to fill a void as the goalkeeper. Bonner has been club chairman for a number of years now, combining with his busy schedule as the Donegal manager.

Donegal Gardai have appealed to the public to check on friends and neighbours to see how they are getting on today.

Today is known as “Blue Monday” and it is supposedly the most depressing day of the year.

A Garda spokesman said “Why not call in and check on someone you know who lives alone or give someone a call who you know might appreciate a chat today?

“If you are aware of someone who may need to talk to someone because of depression or if life is becoming too much for you and you need to talk to someone then there is a 24-hour helpline for Pieta House 1800 247 247 or you can text the word “Help” to 51444.

“Be kind to everyone you meet today and everyday. That smile and kind word from you might be just what they badly need.”

ADRIAN Brennan will continue as the Ardara manager for the 2020 season.

Brennan was returned for another term as boss at Sunday’s annual general meeting held in the Pearse Park clubhouse.

Ardara won the Division 2 League title in 2019 and will play in Division 1 again in 2020.

Ardara preserved their status in the Senior Football Championship in October after they came from nine points down to defeat Malin in the relegation play-off.

Mark Cassidy will manage the Ardara reserves in 2020 with former Donegal player Brendan Boyle taking on the club’s Under-21 team.

It was letterkenny Rover’s Jack Dywer who was the hero of the hour as his brace sealed the victory over Loreto Milford.

A precision strike from Dwyer found the net before a neat finish from an acute angle by Dylan Duggan gave Eunan’s the edge at half time.

Dwyer wrapped up proceedings in the 2nd half with another well taken goal.

Loreto did grab a consolation goal through Peter Carr but it proved too little too late for the Milford men.

St. Eunan’s now face either Crana College or Carndonagh CS who face of Tuesday.

A county councillor has hit out at contractors who are dumping disused tar around the county.

Councillor Micheal Mac Giolla Easbuig pointed to the Back of Errigal road where tar has been left to rot after it was dumped.

The Independent councillor said there are similar cases of illegal dumping across the county.

He recently raised the issue at council level.

He appealed to anybody who knows anything about tar being dumped illegally to contact the council and alert them to the location.

“We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world and this is happening on a regular basis.

“It is not good enough and we need it to stop. I would appeal to anybody who is doing it to stop and think of our beautiful countryside and heritage,” he said.

He appealed to the council to remove the tar that has been dumped on the Errigal Road.

“I asked the council to remove this but unfortunately all they have done is break it up and leave it on the side of the road.

“This isn’t good enough and I would appeal to them to clean it up,” he said.

The Gweebarra Conservation Group is calling on voters in Donegal to question election candidates on environmental issues.

The group, which was established 21 years ago, has written to local councillors and TDs to express their anger that Donegal is again “under siege from investment companies intent on profiting at the expense of the environment and the way of life enjoyed by the community and visitors alike.”

On December 19th, 2019 Brookfield Renewable Ireland, a subsidiary of Brookfield Renewable Power Ltd, Canada published a notice of their intention to erect a 100m (338ft) mast secured with a kilometre of steel guy wires at Clogherachullion and Cloghercor beside Doochary.

The group says that if granted planning permission it would be 15m (50ft) taller than the tallest building in Ireland, the Obel Tower in Belfast and would be visible for 60km from Sliabh Liag to Glenveagh National Park, Arranmore Island and everywhere in between by day and by night.

A spokesperson said “Brookfield Renewable want to impose a mast on the community, hoping to subdue people into accepting industrial wind turbines or worse. There is no other reason as the Irish Wind Energy Association has the latest wind data from satellite and meteorological sources. Anyone in Donegal can tell you there is either no wind or it is too windy for turbines to operate safely.

“There are well-documented health implications for anyone living up to 20km from industrial wind turbines. These health problems from infrasound can cause cardiovascular problems, sleep deprivation, disorientation and depression.

“These companies get paid whether the wind blows or not from subsidies on our electricity bills and the profits they make selling on the planning permission or the wind farm.

“They certainly don’t care about the blight on the landscape or the loss of habitat for wildlife, the devaluation of the land and people’s homes and the effects on tourism, not to mention the stress on the local population whose way of life is under threat.

“We have to preserve our bogs and mountains as they are carbon digestors and are an extremely valuable asset in reducing Ireland’s carbon footprint.”

The Gweebarra River is one of the last Salmon Rivers in Ireland and is part of a vital wildlife corridor between the West of Ardara Maas Natura 2000 site, the Rosses and Glenveagh National Park.

“Over the last 20 years we have had a constant barrage of planning applications for unsustainable developments within a 25km (15mile) radius, including 50 wind farm planning applications and several attempts to introduce mining, the most recent being only 6 months ago. Life is hard enough in the hills of Donegal without having to fight to keep the ground under your feet.”

Each turbine weighs between 164 and 334 tonnes of steel and requires 1000 tonnes of concrete and a magnet made of several tonnes of rare earth minerals mined in Asia and Africa which negates the claim that energy from industrial wind turbines is ‘green energy’.

Brookfield are the largest publicly traded hydro and wind-power company in Canada.

The spokesperson added “If they were imposing these structures on First Nation land in Canada there would be outrage. We are outraged that they are trying it here.”

The land Brookfield want to use belongs to Cairn Investment Ltd which is owned by the Cavanagh family of Fermoy, County Cork. They are the only landowners named in the planning application.

“Many residents are elderly, Irish speaking sheep farmers who are vulnerable to exploitation by these investment companies. What is the agenda here? To force people out of the countryside entirely because it certainly has nothing to do with saving the planet.

“We will not allow the pollution of the Gweebarra River just so somebody sitting in Toronto or Fermoy can make money,” added the spokesperson.

A thousand people have already signed the Gweebarra Conservation Group’s Petition to Save the Gweebarra River on Change.org. You can follow the campaign on the Gweebarra Conservation Group’s Facebook page.

People have only until February 4th, 2020 to send their objections in writing only to the Council and they must include the planning file no. 19/52020 and a €20 fee.

School secretaries have suspended their industrial action to return to talks with the Workplace Relations Commission (WRC).

Fórsa trade union, which represents over 1,000 school secretaries, has confirmed that work-to-rule action by school secretaries, which commenced last Monday, will be suspended from 9am tomorrow morning (Tuesday).

Talks at the WRC will focus on the ongoing dispute over the two-tier pay system affecting two-thirds of the estimated 3,000 school secretaries nationwide.

Fórsa’s Head of Education Andy Pike said the talks at the WRC needed to yield real and significant progress to end the “antiquated system” under which school secretaries are employed: “A failure to make real and significant progress would lead to an immediate resumption of industrial action by school secretaries, because they have resolved to keep the pressure on until the issue is dealt with once and for all.

“The minister and the department had previously made the mistake of underestimating that resolve, which led directly to the one day strike last Friday,” he said.

School secretaries engaged in strike action on Friday 10th January following what the union described as an ‘insulting and derisory’ offer of 1.5% at the WRC last December. A rally took place outside Education Minister Joe McHugh’s constituency office in Letterkenny.

Speakers at the Forsa protest at Minister for Education, Joe McHugh’s Office in Lettereknny were from left, Amanda Kelly, Ann McGee President , Richie Carruthers, and Joan Nic Ghadigh, Kathleen Doherty and Barry Cunningham,

Commenting ahead of the talks, Minister McHugh said: “I welcome the decision by the FÓRSA trade union to defer strike action and to re-enter negotiations at the Workplace Relations Committee on the issue of secretaries’ employment.

“I have been on record since being appointed Minister for Education and Skills on the need for deep engagement on this issue.

“Secretaries and other support staff play a hugely important role in ensuring the smooth day to day running of schools and I am deeply conscious of the issues that secretaries have raised with me personally.”

Minister McHugh added that compromise will be necessary to find solutions to the ongoing issues.

He said: “The Department has previously engaged with FÓRSA at the WRC and has remained open to returning to talks. I am glad that is now happening.

“The best way of resolving disputes is by sitting down together and going through the issues.

“I have always maintained that the only way this situation will be resolved is with the help of the WRC. Both sides will have their own positions, but compromise is necessary or nothing would ever be resolved,” Minister McHugh concluded.

Job Vacancy: An experienced Bookkeeper is required for a Supermarket in the Letterkenny area. 

Knowledge of Sage Accounting software is essential. Previous experience in a retail environment would be an advantage.

To Apply:

Reply with C.V. to :- Ref:- JB

Stewart & MacLochlainn, Chartered Accountants, Port Road, Letterkenny, Co. Donegal. F92 CPX7 or E.mail to: mailto:info@stewartandmaclochlainn.ie

The strict visiting restrictions that have been in place over recent weeks at Letterkenny University Hospital are being eased from today.

Seán Murphy, General Manager at Letterkenny University Hospital said this is because the number of patients with the flu has decreased.

“Members of the public with influenza-like illness should not visit patients in the hospital and it would be very helpful if children did not visit where possible for the next few weeks.

“In addition, we would like to remind visitors to strictly adhere to our visiting policy to ensure our patients are able to rest and recover while in the hospital.

“This means that only 2 visitors will be allowed at the bedside within visiting hours which are from 2.30pm to 4pm and from 6.30pm to 8pm daily.

“Visitors will not be admitted to the wards outside these hours.

“I would like to sincerely thank all the staff in the hospital and members of the public for their assistance and cooperation during the recent visiting restrictions which helped us to protect our patients from getting the flu when they were in hospital,” he said.

Inishowen Together is planning a festival for leap week, February 2020, that will celebrate the cultures and traditions on the peninsula that have been passed down through the generations – among residents old and new.

Leap Day (and week) is the perfect time for a festival to celebrate all cultural traditions.

The old-fashioned custom of women being allowed to propose marriage only on Leap Day originates in Ireland – and the wider world is full of unusual February 29th customs.

In Denmark, if a woman’s Leap Day proposal is refused, the man must buy her 12 pairs of gloves; in Finland the penalty is providing enough fabric for a new skirt.

A tradition in Taiwan is that a married daughter should visit her parents in leap month with a gift of pig trotter noodles, for health and luck – since it is thought that parents are more likely to die in a leap year.

There is a rich tapestry of traditions from near and far in the Inishowen community and all of them will be brought to the fore as part of Intercultural Leap, which will take place from February 27-29 in venues around Carndonagh.

You might have someone in your family who carries ‘the cure’, a weaver or maker, a storyteller, someone who makes the perfect poitín or mescal or who keeps alive a recipe or a song that has been passed down through hundreds of years.

If you do, Inishowen Together want to hear about the heritage of everyone who is resident here and to learn about all the skills, stories and histories that make up Inishowen today.

They want your input, whether your family has lived in Inishowen for centuries, or you have more recently come to call this home – having arrived from elsewhere in Ireland, from the Phillipines, Mexico, Nigeria, Poland, Lithuania, the Netherlands, England…anywhere!

Their plans for the festival include a pop-up museum of cultural artefacts, a programme of workshops, children’s events, talks, demos and displays, an intercultural Pecha Kucha evening; plus – the grand finale – The Leap Night Intercultural Celebration with food and entertainment.

Please get in touch by February 3 to get involved:

• If you have a cultural object or memory that has been passed down through generations that you would like to share for display in the pop-up museum… (e.g. lacework; old music recording or writing; artwork or a photograph with a story; traditional clothing etc)
• If you have an idea for a workshop on traditional crafts or skills…
• If you’d like to give a short Pecha Kucha presentation/talk about some aspect of your culture…
• If you’d like to propose a traditional cookery demonstration…
• If you have ideas of your own – eg for musical performance, storytelling and for bringing a traditional dish to the Leap Night party.
• Or! If you’d like to volunteer to help-out at festival events.

You can contact the festival by emailing:

inishowentogether@gmail.com