Bonfires blaze & fireworks explode as the Glenties champions return home in triumph with Dr Maguire

Nicola O’Donnell, Michael Roarty, Noamh Conaill Chairman Eoin McGeehan and Raymond Molloy on Glenties Main Street

HOMECOMING TEXT & MATCH REPORT IN PRINT EDITION OF DONEGAL TIMES

Four Masters Notes

The monthly meeting of Bord na nOg will take place in the Best Western Central Hotel on Monday October 24th at 9.00 p.m.
The next monthly meeting of the club has been brought forward to Tuesday October 25th at 8.30 p.m. in the Abbey Hotel.
Coaching: As part of the Centenary Celebrations the County Board is hosting a Coaching Conference on Friday 14th October in the Finn Valley Centre at 7.00pm. Guest speakers are Dr. Eugene Young (High Performance Director of Coaching, Ulster), Pat McEneaney (Inter-county referee from Monaghan) and our new County Senior Football Manager, Brian McIver. Members, especially coaches, are encouraged to attend.
The first of the Winter Coaching Workshops will be held outdoor in MacCumhaill Park next Wednesday 19th October at 7.30pm. Dealing with drills to improve football skills, the workshop will be delivered by Philip Kerr using the County U15 Development Squad. Following the outdoor session, the content will then be revised indoor using IT. All our coaches should make an effort to attend.
There will be a Level 1 Football Coaching Course on the 4th/5th and11th/12th November. All our coaches who have completed Foundation Level should now seriously consider moving on to Level 1. Further information from Club Coaching Officer, Enda Nolan (087-6290059) or County Coaching Officer, Mick Murphy (086-6003159).
Congratulations to the Four Masters U16 girls who defeated Killybegs in Ardara on October 1st to win the county final and also to Naomh Conaill who won the senior football final on Sunday. Sean Dunnion

Four Masters G.A.A. Club Centenary

100th Anniversary Celebration of the founding of the ‘Ball Dearg Hurling and Football Club’

Four Masters G.A.A. Club are celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the founding of the first ever G.A.A. club in the Donegal Town area named ‘Ball Dearg Hurling and Football Club’ on Friday October 21st 2005. The new club got the name “Ball Dearg” to commemorate the famous birthmark of the Clan O’Donnell. Ironically, their maiden appearance was against the “Townawilly Four Masters” in a hurling match. But it was in football that they found their feet quickest as the “Ball Deargs” captured the 1906 County Senior Championship defeating Killygordon in the final.
The “Ball Dearg” club lasted only until 1907 as there was a break in G.A.A. activities in the area until about 1918 when the club was reformed and renamed Donegal Gaelic Football Club. This club was in existence until 1926 and then for a few years things were not so good in G.A.A. circles in the town. Gradually, however, men like Charlie Harvey and Phil Timoney got things moving again and Four Masters G.A.A. Club was eventually formed in 1932.
It is a story of struggle but the fact that Four Masters G.A.A. Club continues to go from strength to strength is a tribute to the great men and women of vision and leadership in 1905.
The club wish to invite everybody in the area to come along to all the events arranged to commemorate the occasion with the focal point of the celebrations being the Special Mass in the St John Bosco Centre at 8.30p.m on Friday 21st of October.
Schedule of Events
Friday October 21st 2005: 4.00 p.m. – Blessing of Commemorative Tree and Stone at Páirc Tír Chonaill. 8.30 p.m. – Special Mass in St. John Bosco Centre. 9.15 p.m. – Address by Club Vice-Chairman, Frank O’ Donnell. 9.30 p.m. – Refreshments in St. John Bosco Centre.

10.00 p.m. – Music by Local Artists in St. John Bosco Centre.

11.30 p.m. – Music by ‘Phoenix’ in Dom’s Pier 1.

Bushell Bomb brings basketball Blitz glory Back to Donegal

Yvonne Bushell secured her place in the folklore of Donegal Basketball by sinking a free throw in the last seconds of overtime to clinch the county blitz for Donegal. Having beaten every team they came up against Bill Collins’s ladies looked to be in a bit of trouble in the final against Letterkenny Comets, however they showed great resilience to win out in dramatic fashion.
The games were played under time restrictions with a running clock; as a result all teams looked to push the ball up the court quickly, ensuring a high level of entertainment throughout the day.
The ladies began the day unconvincingly, scraping home by a basket 19-17 against a young inexperienced Kilcar team, for whom Joanne Curran and Sinead McBrearty were particularly impressive. Next up were the Comets, in an exciting encounter two late baskets from Louise Rooney ensured a one point victory 27-26. Despite a terrible third quarter the ladies easily overcame Ardara in the semi-final 22-15, with Suzie Harte and Ciara Buggy doing most of the scoring as they eased their way into the final.
Donegal Town 39 Letterkenny Comets 38
Having defeated the Comets earlier in the day 27-26 Donegal showed it was no fluke by repeating the feat in a very dramatic final. The Comets raced into an early first quarter lead 13-4. The Donegal girls, through Louise Rooney, Ciara Buggy and Lisa Harte persevered to reduce the deficit to 25-23 at the end of the third quarter. Despite leading by the narrowest of margins the Comets seemed to be in control of the match. Having had a quiet game up to this point Sarah Daly came to the fore, converting three lay-ups as Donegal refused to give up. With 3 seconds remaining the Comets led 31-30 and the aforementioned Daly found herself at the free throw line. She missed the first but made the second to send the game to overtime.
There was great excitement during the overtime as the lead switched over and back on several occasions. Daly, Rooney and Harte kept their nerve for Donegal as the Comets gave away silly fouls that saw Donegal repeatedly going to the foul line. With seconds remaining and Donegal away on a fast break it looked like the game was destined for a second period of overtime. Cometh the hour, cometh the woman. Bushell, like the good team player she is unselfishly set a screen for one of her teammates. One of the Comets players deliberately crashed into her, the foul was called and up stepped the hero to seal a famous victory.
Donegal: Yvonne Bushell (1), Suzie Harte, Louise Foy, Sarah Daly (10), Deborah McMullin (1), Louise Rooney (14), Lisa Harte (5), Ciara Buggy (8).
The men’s team were less successful. In the opening game they went down in controversial fashion by a point to Kilcar. Twice three point scores were recorded as two pointers, had these scores been recorded correctly they would have been playing in the final. In the second match, against LYIT, they were too lethargic getting back on defense, allowing IT to hit them on the fast break. A bad defeat meant there was little left to play for but pride in their final match of the day against Letterkenny Heat. In the opening quarter they opened up an 11-4 lead, having been ineffective all day Paul McHugh suddenly couldn’t miss. During the interval between the first and second quarter there was a moment of genius from the bench. It was decided to play a team made up entirely of left-handers. It worked brilliantly, Charlie McAllister made up for the lack of pace of John Kennedy and Paul McHugh as he gracefully moved up and down the court finishing off fast breaks to extend the half time lead to 20-10. Obviously the next logical step was to play a team of right-handers. Once again the lead was stretched even more to 32-19. The closing quarter was a dire affair, brightened up briefly by Kennedy hitting his only point of the day. Final score Donegal 36 Heat 22.
Donegal: Bill Collins, John Divers, Paul McHugh (12), Charlie McAllister (13), Simon Waugh (6), William Timoney, John Kennedy (1), Niall Timoney, Noel Gillespie, Fiachra McIntyre.

Paddy Campbell, Michael O’Donnell, and Jim McGuinness glad to see the Dr Maguire heading for Glenties for the first time Photo: Jason McGarrigle