Moville GAA News: 

LOTTO
There was no jackpot winner this week. The winning numbers were 1, 20, 21, 23. The €50 runner-up prize goes to Aidan Sweeney. 

Next week’s jackpot will be €7,100. Thank you for your continued support. We would like to appeal for more Lotto sellers as it is out main source of income.
CLUB DINNER DANCE
The club dinner dance will take place in the Redcastle Hotel on Saturday 24th January. Adult tickets are €25 and U16 tickets are €12.50. Tickets are available from any committee member so why not come along and enjoy the post festive dinner dance, it promises to be a great night.
UNDERAGE TRAINING
The under 8 players of the week from last Saturday were Sean McLaughlin and Kelsey McLaughlin and the under 10 player of the week was Kevin McLaughlin. The underage training is on every Saturday morning. For future reference the times are as follows: Toddlers, U6s & U8s boys and girls from 10am-11am. U10 boys from 11-12 and U10 & U12 girls from 11-12. The under 16 boys also train on a Saturday at 11am. U12 boys training takes place on Wednesday evenings from 7 – 8pm and will not resume on January 28th. All new children welcome.
MEMBERSHIP
Club membership is now open for anyone who wishes to sign up: Juveniles €5, student €10, adult €20, family (up to 18 years) €30 and family with lotto for a year €100. County Board levies must be paid before end of January so important that all memberships are paid before that time.
GARDA VETTING
Anyone willing to coach at end level within the club needs to complete a New Garda Veeting Form regardless if they have already completed one last year. There are new procedures and stringent guidelines as to how to complete the form. Forms and guidelines will be posted to the Clubs website or alternatively you can get one form Margaret Mulhall on Saturday mornings. This is a MUST for all coaches or anyone helping managers to take a team.
FOUNDATION LEVEL COACHING AWARD
A Foundation coaching award will take place in Urris clubhouse Febuary 6/7. Anyone coaching within the club MUST have the Foundation level done, this includes child protection. Contact Gerard Faulkner (086) 317 6516 to book your place.
CONGRATULATIONS
Congratulations to the Donegal senior team on their first win of 2015 in Ballybofey on Sunday against Queens University in the Dr. McKenna cup.

Urris GAA News: 

CLUB MEMBERSHIP: Club membership is now due for 2015–Fees for the year: Adult Membership €25, Students (3rd level & in full time education with student ID card) €15 and Under-age €3. 

Anyone playing football for the club must have their membership paid up to be covered by insurance in case of injury. Club members will have also have first preference on Donegal Match tickets for the coming season. Fees must be paid in full by March 31st. Payable to John Friel, Edward Mc Laughlin, Nichola Donaghey or any Committee members.

MATCH “N” WIN: Thursday 8th January: No jackpot winner-numbers drawn: 1, 12, 23 & 24. €15 winners: Brigid & Kathleen C/o Bingo, Rose Doherty (Gill), Annaugh, John Mc Carron, Cleagh, DT Taxis, 6 Gaddyduff and Marie & Nuala C/o Bingo. Jackpot next week €1,420. Thanks to all our lotto sellers and to all who support the club in this weekly draw.

DINNER DANCE: CLG Iorras wish to thank all who came along to our Annual Dinner Dance on Friday night in the Strand Hotel. Special thanks to Maxi Curran, Donegal U21 Manager our guest speaker, the Strand Hotel for the lovely meal on the night and to all who helped out in any way to make the night the success it was. The senior men were presented with their Junior A Championship medals and Ulster Club Football Final runner up medals. Congratulations to all who won awards on the night, our main winners were:
Ladies Player of the Year—–Kate Roddy.
Minor Player of the Year——-Gary Doherty.
U21 Player of the Year———-James Cooke.
Reserve Player of the Year——Ryan Doherty (R).
Senior Player of the Year———Danny Devlin.
Clubperson of the Year————Danny Kelly.
Appreciation Award——————James B Kelly.
Merit Awards———–Kevin Mc Laughlin, Gary Doherty & Nicole Gordon.

CHILD PROTECTION & FOUNDATION COURSES: A Child Protection Course will be held in the Clubhouse, Straid on Friday January 30th and the Foundation Course takes place the following day in Straid (Saturday 31st). These courses are open to all Inishowen GAA Clubs so places are limited. If anyone wants to book a place please contact John Friel ASAP on 0860523550. These courses would be most beneficial to any new coaches for the new season.

U6 & 8 TRAINING: Training resumes for both U6 & U8 this Saturday and every Saturday at 11am in the Youth Club Clonmany. All children must be at school-no pre school children, thanks.

U10 GIRLS: Training every Saturday at the Yputh Club Clonmany from 12pm to 1pm.

DONEGAL GAA YEARBOOK 2014: The club has a number of books left for sale at €10, a comprehensive review of the club year and all the GAA action in the county for 2014. Please contact John Friel if you want to get this yearbook.

GAA NATIONAL CLUB DRAW 2015: €10 tickets are now on sale for 15 fantastic prizes including a trip to New York, All Ireland GAA package days, shopping vouchers valued at €1,000 plus other prizes. All money raised in these ticket sales stays with CLG Iorras and funds raised will help with the costs involved in the day to day running of the club from Under age to Senior level. The club is also putting up three additional prizes of a Club Jacket, Club training top and a club hoodie. Tickets can be got from John Friel and all Committee members.

Naomh Colmcille GAA Notes

GAA National Club Draw. The GAA has launched a National Club Draw as a fundraiser for local clubs, with the draw taking place on 27 February 2015.  

Prizes are being provided by GAA Central Council.

The proceeds from all tickets sold by Naomh Colmcille will go directly to Naomh Colmcille, and will be used towards the club’s 2015 yearly expenditure.

First prize is a trip with the 2015 All-Stars. Full details available on www.gaa.ie/nationalclubdraw2015.

In addition, the County Board are putting up county also putting up prizes (1 x €1000, 2 x €500, 5 x €100) so local winners are guaranteed.
Tickets priced €10 each are now available from Alison Ferry, Paul Callaghan, Adrian Marsh, or any committee member.

A players meeting for the senior panel will take place on Thursday 15th at 7:30 pm. Training resumes on Monday 19th with Ulster league fixtures on the first weekend in February. New players welcome.

The club Constitution is now available to view on the website. The SGM will now be held on Wednesday 28th January at 8:00 pm in the clubhouse. Anyone with any amendments must have them in writing to the Secretary 14 days prior to the meeting. The only amendment changes dealt with on the night will be the ones that have been received in writing.

Any person currently coaching or intending to coach any age group are asked to make an effort to attend a coaching course this year. Courses run from the end of January up to March. Everyone must have a minimum of the Foundation and child protection courses. Please let Barry O’Hagan or Gerard McFadden know if you will participate by the end of next week.

The club is now registered for the Lucozade ‘Kit Out’ promotion. Codes are printed on promotional bottles under the plastic wrapper – please note these codes so they can be entered online on behalf of the club to try and collect gear or equipment.

Naomh Colmcille CLG would like to extend sympathy to the family and friends of the late James Boyle, Carrowen, Burt. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam.

Naomh Colmcille CLG would like to extend sympathy to the family and friends of the late Eileen Wallace, 527 Bonemaine, Bridgend. Ar dheis De go raibh a h-anam.

Congratulations to Patrick McGuigan and Julie McKinley on the birth of baby Anna.

Congratulations to Andrew and Sharon Clarke on the birth of baby Ùna.

Congratulations to Willie Gillespie on his appearance for Donegal on Sunday in the Dr. McKenna cup match against Queens at Ballybofey.

Check out the club’s new Facebook page (Naomh Colmcille CLG – Donegal) for latest updates on training, match times etc.

Training and Match Schedule.

Information here is correct at the time of compilation of the weekly notes. Check the Training Schedule section on the club website for latest updates on training for all age groups. The page will be updated regularly throughout the week. Updates also on the club’s Facebook page.

Subscription of €2 per player (up to and including minors) per week for training. Please make sure you bring your full kit (shorts, track bottoms, boots, sports top/hoodie/coat, drink). Remember a mouth guard is needed for training sessions as well as matches.

Seniors / Reserves. Players meeting on Thursday 15th. Training resumes Monday 19th.

Reminder that the use of mouthguards is now compulsory for all players.

Naomh Colmcille Weekly Lotto.

This week’s numbers are 7, 8, 9, 17, 22 and the winners are Rose Dowds, Ronan McDaid and Birdy and Teddy who win €25 each. Next week’s jackpot €850.

Naomh Colmcille CLG are in need of more lotto sellers. The lotto is the bread and butter of our club. If you don’t drive we can set up on a team with a driver. Please contact Breda Friel (0876393503) if anyone is willing to help. Thanks.

The Club would like to take the opportunity to thank everyone for their continued support of the Lotto as it gives the club the essential means of continuing to give our local kids and adults the chance to avail of a great and healthy pastime.

BY EMMET RUSHE: It’s January and that can mean only one thing…

It’s Detox time.

Well, if you believed every advertisement that has been popping up on Facebook, Google and any other media platform, you would think that you actually needed to detox.

There are thousands of these that pop up every January; lemon detox, 3 day detox, 7 day detox, Teatox and my personal favourite” Booteatox”, named because it apparently gives you a better bootea…

These diets are all based on the same premise.

The story goes like this;
 After Christmas, due to all the excess food and drink that we have taken in, our bodies are apparently full of ‘toxins’ that we need to get rid of. 
The only way we could possibly do this is to buy detox products that are made to help with the removal of these ‘toxins’.

What you can eat on these diets varies, depending on the type of detox you are following.

There are many of them. 
Some involve fasting, or just drinking liquids. 
Others allow some foods, like fruits and vegetables. 
Typically they are short diets, but one thing is for certain, they are not a way of eating that you can stick with in the long run.

Many of these detox diets are also marketing themselves as weight loss products.

Along with the ‘toxins’ that you will be expelling, you will also get rid of any unwanted weight that you may have gained over the holiday season.

The simple reason for this is that you are drastically reducing calories through the products detoxing methods.

When you reduce calories like this, you will lose weight, but like any other fad diet, once you return to normal calorie intake you will gain back any weight you may have lost.

It’s inevitable.

Another reason that some of these detox products claim to help with weight loss is they can have the herbal laxative Senna in their ingredients.

If taken for long periods of time, Senna can cause vomiting, diarrhoea, electrolyte imbalance, and dehydration.

But surely there has to be some sort of truth to these products?

They can’t all be fake, can they?

A group of more than 300 young UK scientists and engineers, who investigated the evidence behind claims made for products and diets, have started a public awareness campaign by publishing a dossier that shows the word “detox” has no meaning outside of the clinical treatment of drug addiction and poisoning.

The Detox Dossier investigators found that:

No two companies had the same definition for “detox”.

The word “detox” was used to promote a range of things from foot patches to hair straighteners, without consistent explanations of what the word means.

In most cases no evidence was presented to back up the “detox” claims on products.

In most cases, producers and retailers contacted by the young scientists were forced to admit that they were using the word “detox” instead of mundane things like “cleaning” or “brushing”.

Not only are detox diets not good for people with certain medical conditions, they can be harmful. 

They don’t improve blood pressure or cholesterol.

Detox diets have no positive effect on the heart.

For people with diabetes, they may be quite dangerous.

Any diet that severely restricts what you eat, could lead to dangerously low blood sugar if you take medicine for diabetes.

So, what is the best ‘Detox Diet’ to choose?

The truth is, none of them.

Your body is an expert at getting rid of toxins, no matter what you eat.

Toxins don’t build up in your liver, kidneys or any other part of your body, and you’re not going to get rid of them with the latest detox wonder product.

Our liver and kidneys are all we will ever need to detox and if you want to give them a helping hand, all you have to do is cut down on processed foods, reduce your alcohol intake and increase your water intake.

Simple as that ☺

#TrainSmart

For details on Personal Training, Semi Private Training and group training, please contact me through the link below.
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rushe-Fitness/120518884715118

There has been widespread disappointment that yet again, hope for increased supports for children with special needs in mainstream pre-school services have been shattered.

Avril McMonagle

A Government pledge to introduce a second pre-school year has now been withdrawn and delayed until at least 2020.

Avril McMonagle, Donegal’s County Childcare Manager has heavily criticised this decision in relation to what a second pre-school year could offer children with special needs.

She said “Whilst it is palatable that the economy is not in a position to provide a second free year for every child at the moment, what is completely unpalatable is that children with special needs continue to be denied equality of access to a pre-school opportunity designed for all children on a universal basis’.

The 2013 Census of Childcare Provision in Donegal revealed that almost 120 children with special needs were attending Donegal’s early childhood services, a number which increases year on year.

Children with special educational needs face a huge challenge in availing of a pre-school education which is tailored to suit their individual needs. Mainstream early childhood services do not have appropriate funding or supports to provide equality of opportunity for children with special needs.

The capitation rate provided to pre-school services does not meet the cost of providing specific tailored supports, staff training or personnel that a child may need. The only concession open to some children with special needs is to split their pre-school year over two years. This can have a detrimental effect on children who need routine in their lives and leaves parents and early childhood services in an impossible situation with regard to covering the cost of additional days. Children do not have special needs for two or three days per week – they have them every day.

Despite the issue of children with special needs featuring in the White Paper on Early Education as far back as 1999, 15 years on there is still no national plan for children with special needs under four years old. The introduction of a second free year, phased in an incremental basis for children with special needs primarily, would have been a more equitable measure in the meantime.

Although the need for specialist support is crucial at every stage– at no other point in the process is it more important to intervene appropriately than at the pre-school stage.

Timely supports for children with disabilities or special needs at the pre-school stage will have the most significant impact on development and learning and at the very least has the potential to fast-track the identification of the required supports going into primary school.

“However, it would appear the Free Pre-School year is only free if your child is absent of a disability or specific need. These decisions are morally inexcusable for everyone involved,” added Ms McMonagle.

Letterkenny Garda station. Fewer staff available

Exclusive: RURAL Garda stations in Co Donegal will be hit after officers were ordered to report for duty to Letterkenny because there are so few gardai available, Donegal Daily has learned.

The Garda Representative Association has called an emergency meeting later this week to discuss the proposals as the force in Donegal struggles to manage.

One in five gardai have left the Donegal Division in the past five years; a 20 per cent drop in resources with less than 390 officers available for duty.

It is now the most least resourced division in the State.

We understand gardaí in smaller rural and village stations have been told they will have to report for duty for two months to larger stations, including Letterkenny.

The Garda Representative Association refused to name the stations involved, but confirmed anger among its members.

“The GRA has been contacted by a number of our members who have expressed their concerns at plans to utilise members from stations in smaller towns and villages to alleviate manpower shortages in larger urban centres,” said a GRA spokesman.

“It has not been confirmed but periods of 8 weeks absence from member’s stations are understood to be under consideration. Because of operational sensitivities and in the interest of community safety, the association cannot comment on the individual stations affected.

“What we can say is that such moves are symptomatic of the chronic underfunding and lack of resources available to police both urban and rural parts of the County.

“The stations from which members are being utilised are already understaffed with members carrying out the duties of colleagues and supervisors who have not been replaced following retirements and transfers.

“Removing them to make up for shortfalls in other locations will create even more problems and is not addressing the fundamental issue of lack of resources.”

The GRA says the situation in Donegal has never been worse.

“Rural policing has been decimated by the cut-backs imposed by successive years of austerity with what little resources that were available being channelled towards larger stations where demand was considered to be greater,” said the GRA spokesman.

“Now that the cumulative effects of successive years of underfunding and the recruitment ban are jeopardising the ability to police larger towns, rural policing is being further stripped away in an attempt to paper over the cracks. Stations will be operational in name only as members are constantly deployed elsewhere due to shortages.

“It is widely accepted that community based officers are one of the most effective ways of delivering a police service in both urban and rural communities the world over.

“An Garda Siochana has a proud tradition of policing from within communities which is the envy of many other police services, yet the response to funding shortfalls in this country seems to be to dismantle such connections in favour of a “fire brigade” model of policing which is less effective and will prove more costly in the long run.”

The spokesman warned: “Our members are at breaking point. They simply have no more to give. Their productivity, flexibility and goodwill are the threads holding policing together yet they are constantly expected to deliver more.

“It is not sustainable to deliver the same service with reduced staffing levels.

“Members are being expected to take on the workload of another location with the required level of follow up and investigation required for incidents they attend, yet they are still responsible for investigation files and other duties at their own station while absent.

“There is no allowance for this from management who will hold individual members to account through the disciplinary process when inevitably the level of service delivered to the public fails to meet their expectations.

“Yet again frontline members are being expected to make up for the shortfall in funding and are being held accountable for the inevitable drop in standard of service which can be delivered with insufficient resources.”

It’s understood the emergency meeting will take place later this week.

Gardai are forbidden from taking strike action.

However a number of gardai insist they can no longer sit back and watch policing being eroded further in Donegal.

“We care about the communities we serve but we are no longer able to cope,” admitted one.

“We are going to meet to see what we can do – we need the public to support us because at this rate there will be no policing service left in rural or urban areas of this county.”

Batten down the hatches is the message again from Met Eireann with a week of sleet, snow and storms forecast for the north-west including Donegal.

People are advised to be careful along Donegal’s coastline with strong winds forecast.

Last night’s strong gusts of wind will give way to a fresher day today but an icy spell is due to develop in the coming days.

That significant drop in temperatures once more will bring about frosty nights culminating in wintry showers of sleet and snow on higher ground.

The middle of the week will see a return to stormy conditions backed up all the time by a chilling air coming down from the Arctic.

Donegal County Council are set once again to deploy gritters throughout the county’s road network as temperatures plunge once more.

Donegal’s most successful pair of breeding Golden eagles were spotted again this week. Pic courtesy of the Golden Eagle Project.

It may only be the early days of 2015 but Donegal’s Golden Eagles are showing promise that their population could swell again this summer.

The project’s most successful pairing of eagles have once again been spotted on their favourite ledge at Glenveagh National Park.

Between them they have managed to breed six wild Irish Golden Eagles.

Below is a report from Lorcan O’Toole, the co-ordinator of the Golden Eagle Project.

January 7th: The Glenveagh pair of Golden Eagles have been roosting in the National Park for the last two weeks. This morning, I managed to see them as they left their favoured ledge at 8.41 am. It was still quite dull in the shaded glen at that time.

The pair’s female hatched in May 2001 near Assyant, Sutherland in the Scottish Highlands. She was released in Glenveagh in August 2001. So she is approaching her 14th ‘birthday’ this May.

The picture was taken at her nest site in 2009, when she (Yellow Horizontal Bar) reared two chicks. The two yellow wing tags have since fallen off, but the small radio back, minus the long aerial, can be seen occasionally above her feathers. She has a slight kink in the centre of her tail, where two new feathers have not yet quite reached their full length.

She bred in the Bluestack Mountains in 2005 and 2006 before abandoning her territory and mate and moving back to Glenveagh. She paired up with a male bird (Blue 3), collected from Skye in 2002, and has been with him since. Both birds were seen for 8 minutes this morning as they sailed in tandem along the slight ridge winds above the Glenveagh valley, before disappearing out of site.

This pair have reared 6 wild Irish Golden Eagle chicks between 2007 and 2013. It is only another short few months before they hopefully breed again in March.

Over the holiday period, the three other pairs in Donegal were seen on their respective territories also.

Though it was only a relatively short, and distant, sighting, it was nice to see these older eagles soaring effortlessly, at day break, on a brisk January morning. Once again, we will keep our fingers crossed as the next breeding season quickly approaches!

Carrick was a community in grief last night after a ten day search finally brought home one of its own.

There was huge sadness across the village but also relief as the body of David Maguire, 38, was finally found to be brought back to his family.

One of the biggest ever searches in living memory ended when the body of the father-of-two, missing since New Year’s Day, was found at Kilbeg in Kilcar.

The search had brought together the emergency services and voluntary agencies who put their lives on the line each day for the sake of others.

A number of agencies including the Civil Defence, the Donegal Mountain Rescue Team, the Coast Guard and the Gardai returned day after day to search for David.

An inspiring part of the search operation was the number of local people who volunteered their time in a bid to find one of their own community.

DMRT spokesman Joseph Brennan spoke of the common goal shared by all agencies in their effort to locate David.

He described the huge operation as the biggest he had encountered in his six years with the DMRT.

But it was not just voluntary agencies from Donegal who helped searched for David.

Members of Donegal Civil Defence thanked their members who traveled from Leitrim to take part in the operation.

It was Civil Defence minibuses which were used to transport searchers to various search areas, while Donegal Civil Defence Radio Controller was used in the incident room to assist in the co-ordinating of the teams on the ground.

It was such co-operation between these voluntary agencies which helped to bring out a successful conclusion to this search and bring David’s family some comfort during this time of utter sadness.

Such agencies deserve all the public and Government support they get in their service to the hundreds of families they come into contact with across Donegal and Ireland each year.

A fisherman had a lucky escape when he was rescued from the water in Killybegs last night.

The scene of last night’s rescue in Killybegs. Pic by Killybegs Coastguard.

The man fell into the water at the new pier in the harbor.

A local taxi man is believed to have contacted the local Killybegs Coastguard and the man was pulled form the water.

The man has since been transferred to hospital for treatment.

Buncrana GAA Notes for Week Ending Sunday 11th January 2015

New Year, New Season.

It’s hard to believe but here we are again at the start of a new season. Club activities are slowly but surely gearing up again to meet the challenges of 2015 and we are hoping that the Club will not just repeat but better the successes of last year. We can only do this with the support and hard work of our members and the local community so here’s hoping that you’re not behind the bush when the call goes out for help.

Club membership is now due and this is as good a time as any to point out that only adult membership entitles you to apply for All Ireland final tickets allocated to the Club – obviously we’re being optimistic that new Donegal manager Rory Gallagher will work his magic to achieve another final appearance for our County this year!

The Club would be really happy to see more new faces getting involved with us this year as coaches, managers, fund-raisers, activity-organisers or whatever. This is an open invitation for anyone out there with an hour or two to spare to help us in our work to make Buncrana and surrounds a better place for all our community.

It should go without saying that everyone involved with the Club does so in their spare time for no personal gain other than to see our Club achieve success on the field and in Scor, our kids participate in healthy pursuits that develop them as sound individuals and our community become a better place for all. That is payment enough.

Every cent the Club earns from raffles, draws, Lotto’s, concerts, or whatever goes directly to pay for the continued running of the Clubs activities, development and upkeep of our facilities and keeping our growing number of teams in all codes, all ages and all genders on the road. Anyone who thinks different is welcome to spend a bit of time with us to learn the truth.

We are making particular efforts this year to reach out to our distant sons, daughters and family who had to emigrate for work – no matter how far away they can still play their part in the continuing development of our Club by taking out membership, buying Lotto’s and more, all via our website and social media platform.

2015 – Bring it on!!

Minor Footballers

Fresh from helping Jim McGuinness and the Donegal Senior Footballers to the Ulster Title and All Ireland Football Final Paul McGonigle has taken over the reins of the Club’s Minor (under 18) Gaelic Footballers. Strength and Conditioning sessions have already commenced at O’Flaherty’s Fitness and Oisin will be assisted by David McLaughlin (Donegal GAA/Leitrim GAA), Joe Gallanagh (Ulster Rugby/Munster Rugby/Wigan Athletic/Wigan Warriors/Donegal GAA). This is a great opportunity for our young men to train with the best coaches and Paul is extending an open invitation to all players turning 16,17 or 18 in 2015 to take part with beginners particularly welcome. For further information contact Paul 086 8116983 or email paul@paulmcgonigle.com

The next Strength and Conditioning session takes place on Wednesday, 14th January, at 7.20am for beginners onward, born between 1997-99.

Scór Sinsir

Why let the kids have all the fun?? The Club would like to build on our great success in Scor na nOg over recent years by entering the senior/adult competition, Scor Sinsir.

There are eight events/disciplines in Scór that cover all aspects of Irish culture: Figure/Céilí Dancing, Solo Singing, Instrumental Music, Recitation/Scéalaíocht, Ballad Group, Leiriú (Drama), Question Time and S…et Dancing. Scor Sinsir is for those aged over 17.The competition is organised on a divisional/county/provincial and all-Ireland basis similar to football and hurling competitions.

With Buncrana now successfully competing at Scor na n-Óg (Under 17s) it would be great if we could get the adults involved in the senior competition. The divisional rounds are on the 30th and 31st January and we would need to let the Scor County Committee know on Monday 12th if we’re going to take part. Any budding talent out there interested in taking part should contact Sinead on 086 803 3884.

Donegal GAA Yearbook

Donegal GAA Year Book is available now. This is a good read and amazing to see how much the club achieved in 2014 – here’s hoping we do as well or better in 2015. For your copy contact Grainne on 0864650200.

Condolences

Sincere condolences to our Clubman and U6 Football Manager Jim Gillen and his family on the death of his mother Margaret (86) on St Stephens Day. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all during this difficult time.

Underage News

We’re getting back into the swing of things again for 2015 gradually but surely. These are the training times confirmed so far….

Football

U6 Friday evening 6.30 – 7.30

U8 Boys Friday evening 7.30 – 8.30

U8 & U10 Girls Saturdays 10.30 – 11.30

Hurling

U8 & U10 Sunday 11am

U12 Mondays 6.30 – 7.30

All training takes part indoors at Crana College so no excuses about bad weather! All past members welcome but we will be particularly happy to see loads of new faces. Come along and meet your friends, make new ones, get fit and healthy and play your national games.

Club Website

Check out the updated Club website – buncranagaa.com where we’re doing a bit of revamping. Any good photos you have that we could upload would be much appreciated, email them to buncrana.pro@gmail.com. Any suggestions or comments about the site much appreciated but keep them clean!

You can renew your annual membership there too – and you don’t even have to be in Buncrana! Membership now open worldwide…make it your New Year resolution to take out membership of your local GAA club and help us in our role to help our community.

GAA National Draw

The Club is participating in the GAA National Draw – There are fantastic prizes, including a trip for two to New York, a €1,000 shopping voucher, not to mention a trip next year with the All Stars and various corporate packages for the All-Ireland’s 2015!

You can enter the draw online at www.buncranagaa.com/national-club-draw-2015/. Please enter and help to raise funds that are totally used to aid the development of Buncrana’s young people and to make our community better for everyone.

Club Notes: Anyone who would like to receive a copy of the weekly club notes should email Jim at buncrana.pro@gmail.com to be included on the mailing list. If you have any items which you think should be included in the club’s weekly notes, please email Jim at buncrana.pro@gmail.com by 6pm on each Sunday for consideration. To keep up to date with all the latest goings-on, please join us onwww.facebook.com/buncranagaa or www.twitter.com/buncranagaa@buncranagaa, or visit our website www.buncranagaa.com.

MALIN GAA NOTES

AGM

Club AGM will take place on Sunday 18th January @ 6pm in the clubhouse. All adult members are encouraged to attend and have your say on your club. New faces are more than welcome. All motions to be with Roisin no later than Friday 16th.

MANAGEMENT

We are pleased to confirm the appointment of Liam Bradley as senior team manager for the coming season and wish him and his backroom staff every success. We would also like to thank Terence, Louie, Eamonn and their assistants for their superb work over the last number of years, when we clinched the Division 2 title, finished in the top half of Division 1 for 2 years in succession and where a whisker away from qualifying for the Senior County Final.

LOTTO

There was no winner of this weeks lotto jackpot of €500. Sequence drawn was 1-2-6-4-7-3-5. €50 winner was Paul Callaghan, Malin Head €20 sellers prize winner was Mc Cleans Bar. Next weeks jackpot returns to €550 and as always we would like to thank the local community for their continued support of our weekly lotto draw. Envelopes are just €2 or 3 for €5 euro and are available in most pubs and shops in the area or alternatively from our band of young eager sellers.

CLUB NOTES

Any items for the notes or social media updates for the week should be forwarded to Martin on 086 1585880 or Linda on 086 3452769 or alternatively send an email to the club email address pro.malin.donegal@gaa.ie at no later than 9 o clock on the Sunday evening.

CLUB NEWS

You can now stay up to date with all the latest happenings within the club by checking our facebook page www.facebook.com/malingaa, by following us on twitter @malainnclg, or by sending a text to the club texting service 0868668531 to avail of club fixtures. If anyone has any club related information which they would like posted onto our facebook or twitter accounts, feel free to send a private message to the relevant accounts.

KILCAR GAA NOTES

Names are now been taken for the Reserve Manager, Minor Board Chairperson and Coaching Officer Jobs. The deadline is 6pm on Tuesday 13th January contact Fiona McGinley if you’re interested. 2015 Club Membership is now due contact Denise McSweeney fees are €20 per Adult and €40 per family and application forms will be available on the website from next week.

Scor

Anyone who is interested in taking part in this year’s Scor could they get in contact with Honora Meehan ASAP at 087-7925603. We are looking for quiz team, a solo singer, an instrumental group and someone to do storytelling.

Our club was famous not so long ago for being very competitive in the Scor competitions and it would be great to reach them heights again as we have great talent in the parish and Scor is an important part of the GAA calendars so if you think you have what it takes please get in touch. Scor Sinsir takes place in Glenfin on Friday 30th January.

Club Dinner Dance

The Club Dinner Dance takes place on Saturday 24th January in the Blue Haven at 8pm tickets are €25 and can be got in Hegartys Centra and Lauras Shop or of any from any the following committee members: Michael McShane, John Curran, Fiona McGinley, Denise McSweeney, Kevin Doogan or Gavin O’Donnell. Music by Flipside.

Club App

We have now 152 members signed up to our FREE mobile app if you would like to sign up just follow these steps to download your free team App for CLG Chill Chartha.

1. On your phone or iPad go to the app store 2. Search for Team App 3. Install Team App to your phone 4. Search for CLG Chill Chartha 5. Log in and register for the CLG Chill Chartha Club app. 6. You will receive an email notification when you are added you to the system.

Lotto

There was no winner of the Club Lotto Jackpot so next week’s Jackpot is €2,700 this week’s numbers were 2, 6, 8 and 21 winners were: €50 Maureen Molloy (Leitir), €30 Aishling Kennedy(Kilcar) and €20 Seamus Carr (Main Street). Lotto Plus numbers 5, 11, 14 and 18 there was no winner.

Bingo

Club Bingo winners were €140 Sally Morrow, €100 Eileen Gillespie, €80 Carmel Ellis, €70 Rosaleen Boyle, Briget O’Gara, Breege Campbell, Breege McDevitt, Roseanne Ellis, Bernie O’Gara and Annie McGinley . The Jackpot on Sunday is €3,650 on 45 numbers.

For the latest news visit our website www.clgchillchartha.com you can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter at facebook.com/CillCharthaGAA and @KilcarGAA

Lagan Harps FC News:

Our matchs at the weekend were all called off due to the bad weather. Our u/16 girls are scheduled to play Salthill Devon in the National cup next Sunday.

The venue will probably depend on the weather. We have three girls, Ciana Brogan, Zoe Green and Ciara Walshe in the Irish u/16 squad playing in Dundalk this Tuesday night. In our weekly lotto the numbers drawn were 2,5,16 and 19, Ross Hamlyn had three numbers and wonE50. Next weeks jackpot is E5,000.

The club was saddened to hear of the sudden death of Drumkeen’s Tom Bonner.

Tom was a great football man and was serving on the Ulster Fa and the Donegal Schoolboys committees as well as doing trojan work for Drumkeen Utd.

He will be greatly missed. The club also extends sympathy to the Wallace family Bridgend on their recent bereavement.

Raymochy Parish Church Fundraiser.

An Easy Listening Country and Gospel Evening is being held in the church on Sunday 25th January at

Dunkineely Community News:

DCL Calligraphy starts on Wednesday 14th Jan – this coming Wednesday with Janet Deane in the Dunkineely Community Ltd. offices from 7pm-9pm. Cost €30 for six sessions.

Course part funded by the ETB Community Education Programme.

There are still 4 places available for this course, so if you know anybody interested please get them to phone the DCL office on 074 9737678 / 087 3421922 as soon as possible.

DCL Interior Design will start Wednesday 14th January 2015 from 7-9pm for those on the waiting list – 6 week course with Sile Kelly, cost €30 (part funded by the ETB Community Education Programme).

DCL Calligraphy and DCL Interior Design – Are the two courses we will be running this term part-funded by the ETB Community Education Programme. We will take names for a waiting list for both courses. Contact DCL on 074 9737678 / 087 3421922 if you are interested.

If you have your name down for one of these two courses and don’t intend attending, please phone 074 9737678 / 087 3421922 as soon as possible.

Dunkineely Community Ltd (DCL) – Has a library of over 500 books from Children’s Literature, Teenage Fiction (The Fault in our stars), Classics (Jane Austen – Pride and Prejudice), Horror, Comedy, Booker-Prize etc. Rent a book from just 20c.

Come into the office weekday mornings from 9:30am – 12:30pm and use the Internet (20c per half hour) or print or photocopy documents (20c per page).

Gardai are viewing CCTV footage of an intruder who broke into a Letterkenny shop overnight.

The Checkout store at Lower Main Street was broken into around 3am.

An intruder gained entry to the rear of the premises and escaped with a significant amount of cash.

A Garda spokesman confirmed they are viewing CCTV of the suspect.

Owner Anthony Arthur said he had planned to deposit the money in the bank today.

He said he hopes the man responsible for the break-in is caught by gardai.

The local soccer community in Donegal has been plunged into sadness following the sudden death of Drumkeen United official Tom Bonner.

Tom was a highly respected and hugely popular figure in local soccer circles and his passing has come as a great shock to all those lucky enough to have known him.

Tom was heavily involved with his own club Drumkeen United for well over thirty-five years.

Tom was also well known for his roles serving on numerous other committees and organisations in local soccer in Donegal.

He was affectionately known as Mr Drumkeen by players and other officials associated with the club.

Tributes have poured in for Tom on the Drumkeen United Facebook page.

Officials from other clubs as well as players past and present have left touching tributes that indicate how popular Tom was with everyone involved in Donegal soccer.

Drumkeen United left a very poignant message on their Facebook account regarding the role and impact Tom had on the club.

“This is a very sad day for our club, it is hard to know what to say at this time.

When you think of Drumkeen Utd, you think of Tom and it is hard to imagine the club without him.

“He was the driving force that kept us all going. it is impossible to put a value on the amount of work he did for the club.

“Over the years he must have held every position in the club at one time or another. He did a lot of the day to day work behind the scenes, the little things that gets taken for granted.

“We had big plans for the year ahead including the completion of the Astroturf pitch which he was overseeing.

“Sadly he will not get to see his project completed. It is only a few days since we were all down in the clubhouse appointing a new team manager and planning for the future.

He was of course well known all over Donegal and further afield through his work with various football organisations and committees.

“I have seen people today refer to him as Mr Drumkeen and I would not argue with that.

“He will be sorely missed by us all at Drumkeen United, things will never be quite the same again.

“While this is a great loss for us it is an even greater loss for his family and our thoughts and prayers are with them at this very sad and difficult time.

We send our heartfelt condolences to his wife Margaret, Son Damien, Daughter Edel and his brothers and sisters and extended family.

May he Rest In Peace.

Former Finn Harps players Garbhan Friel and Oisin McMenamin have returned for pre-season training with the club in the hope of securing contracts for the 2015 First Division campaign.

Friel and McMenamin previously had spells at the club before and are back hoping they can make a positive impression on Harps manager Ollie Horgan.

With Sean McCarron signing for Cliftonville last month, Horgan is short on options in attack.

Ruairi Keating was Finn Harps top goal-scorer last season even through he returned to Sligo Rovers midway through the season.

Paul McVeigh also left the club to sign for Institute towards the end of last season and as a result Harps have been left with only one recognized striker in the form of Kevin McHugh.

Friel was in stunning form for Cockhill last season as he helped them win the double.

He was in unstoppable form all season and his goals fired Donal O’Brien’s side to the USL title.

Friel was signed by James Gallagher in 2011, but a bad injury in pre-season coupled with Gallagher’s sacking soon after seen Friel head towards the exit door.

He’ll be hoping he can play a big part for Finn Harps this season as they look to get amongst the play-off places.

McMenamin was a popular player having came through the underage ranks at Finn Park.

McMenamin played for two seasons at Finn Park, and was a lively and pacey frontman that was a menace to any First Division defence.

He’s been central to Letterkenny Rovers attack over the last few seasons and has been very impressive.

He’s looking for a way back into senior football and he’ll be confident he can do enough to earn himself a contract with Finn Harps.

Harps began training last night in Ballyare, and a fringe side will play a friendly match with Cockhill Celtic on Sunday afternoon.

L – R Front Row :
Sergeant Paul Wallace – Garda crime Prevention officer, Annmarie Mc Grath Community garda, Superintendent Michael Finan,Maeve Logue Community Garda,
L – R Back Row :
Brendan Delap – area coordinator, Frank Gallagher – West Hill, Alice Raine – Plunkett O’Boyle tce. Frank McNulty of Convent Road and Michael Carey of College Road. PICS BY DAVID McDAID

One of Letterkenny’s oldest suburbs has launched its neighbourhood watch scheme.

Sgt Paul Wallace speaking at the launch.

Residents of the Back Road and surrounding areas including College Road, Plunkett O’Boyle Terrace, St Eunan’s Terrace and College came together last night for the launch.

The area is one of the oldest and best known in the Cathedral Town.

The scheme was launched by local Gardai including Superintendent Michael Michael and Sgt Paul Wallace and Sgt Eunan Walsh.

The scheme is the latest in a number introduced across the county in recent months as communities fight back against crime in their neighbourhoods.

Supt Michael Finan at the launch.

Daniel and his team!

Daniel O’Donnell and his family are set to appear on ITV’s Family Fortunes gameshow.

Daniel, wife Majella and team will appear on the popular ITV show on February 1st after the show was recorded last year.

Daniel was greeted  by the show’s host Vernon Kay.

We’ll have to wait until the show is aired to see if Daniel knows exactly what some of those surveys say!