History of Red Hugh’s G.A.A. Club

The Red Hugh’s G.A.A. club in Killygordon is one of the most historic clubs in Donegal, being the first club to register with the Donegal G.A.A. back in 1917.  The Club’s boundaries encompass the ancient Parish of Donoughmore.

The idea of forming a G.A.A. club in the parish arose after a number of local lads returned from a playing soccer match for Drumbane Rovers and the nucleus of the new club centred around these lads who played soccer in the first instance. The most notable of those original players was Paddy Hannigan of Killygordon who passed to this eternal reward some years ago and who played with the famous Belfast Celtic Club. He was among those who talked over the idea of forming a G.A.A. Club as they stood at the former Kerrigan’s Corner (now the Baker’s Corner) on Killygordon’s main street. Due to the abundance of players in the area at that time, it was not long until the first Red Hugh’s Club was up and running.

One of their first games was against Letterkenny Rovers (a G.A.A. club in them days) in a friendly game. Still not accustomed to the rules of the G.A.A. game, the Referee John Curran, took it upon himself to outline the rules to the players concerned. Red Hugh’s defeated their Letterkenny opponents and progressed to the County final later that year.

Epic Encounter

This game was against Bundoran and the match was played at the old Show field in Stranorlar, the first match that is, because it was a truly epic encounter. Red Hughs won the first game by a score of 0-10 to 0-07 but a reply was ordered to take place in Ballyshannon after Bundoran lodged a protest on the ground that Red Hughs had fielded a player who was not a native of the parish. Red Hughs won the replay, which took place on March 17th of 1919.  Bundoran again protested on the grounds that Father James Kelly who was a native of Killygordon, was not registered with the club. Fr. Kelly had replaced a player who had taken ill on the way to Ballyshannon.  At that time, all travelling by the club was by horse-drawn sidecars on a road where surface was rough and many players suffered from stomach upsets as a result.

A second reply was fixed to take place in the Brandywell in Derry on March 27th of 1919, the first ever final to be played outside the county. Bundoran were winners at their third attempt and so ended a long struggle in the infant period of the G.A.A. in Donegal. They won by a score of 2-04 to 1-02. Red Hughs again reached the final the following year and met Donegal Town. With ten minutes remaining Red Hughs led by five points. Unfortunately, that’s where the match ended.  Due to the unrest prevailing in Ireland at that time, other more serious matters took precedence. The game was never re-scheduled.

Paddy Hannigan was outstanding

Paddy Hannigan, one of the original Red Hughs team, was himself the most outstanding G.A.A. footballer of his time. After a game with his native Donegal against Cavan Town, he was chaired of the field by the Cavan players for an outstanding display. Paddy’s son Dermott, was an outstanding player on the Red Hughs team of the 1959 who reached the Donegal Junior Final where they were beaten by Cloughaneely. (That team, Dermott included, were honoured recently by Red Hughs at the recent dinner dance). In addition, eleven nephews of Paddy’s played on various Red Hughs teams down the years.

Down the years, various Red Hughs teams were very prominent in the G.A.A. in Donegal. In 1924 they played and defeated the Donegal County team; they were winners of the Democrat Cup, Donegal League, Junior Championship and Dr McGinley Cups. They were many times winners of the Father Bradley Cup, which was presented for competition among Finn Valley clubs at the time. These teams included Erin’s Hope, Stranorlar, Killygordon, Liscooley, Tievebrack, Castlefin and Lifford.

The donor was the late Fr. Bradley who was C.C. at St Patrick’s Crossroads at the time. The highest score ever recorded by the club was against their parish neighbours Castlefin, in the latter competition. The game was played in Killygordon in a field now owned by Dan Callaghan and ended in a record-breaking score of 13-44 to 0-02. In that game, the highest individual score ever recorded by a Red Hughs man fell to the late Jackie Noonan, a member of the famous Noonan family of Killygordon, who bagged a total of 7-21.

The Red Hughs club recently hosted an underage competition in memory of the late Jackie, which has won by the Red Hughs team themselves in this year’s event. It was a very memorable game against local rivals of Mac Cumhaills. It was great to see such enthusiasm from the young players of the Red Hughs club again. This will now be an annual event.

The lowest score recorded by a Red Hughs team of that era was against Ardara in Ardara in 1928 with a low score of 0-03. The renowned “Brady Bunch” were part of that 1928 team and between 1920 and 1930 Red Hughs had twelve representatives on the Donegal County Team.

Players on the County Teams

Players from the club to play with Donegal in that era included: Paddy Hannigan, Tommy Maxwell, John and Eddie Brady, Liam Doherty, Joseph Bradley, Gusty and Pierce Bonner, Michael, Des, Kevin and Lou Gallen, Jackie Noonan, Liam McNulty, Robert Brady, Paddy Bonner, Jim McGroarty, John Gallen, Seamus Corr, Charles Doherty, Alex and Richard Brady and Barney Coyle.

Of course, latterly Donal Reid won an All-Ireland medal with Donegal in 1992.  Donal's brother Ollie also had a few run outs in the late 90's.  Marty Carlin also had a successful spell on the county team but perhaps his best period of football was curtailed because of a disagreement with the manager Tom Conaghan about playing rugby. 

Gerard Kelly another great Red Hughs produce played county minor, under 21 and senior under PJ McGowan and Brian McEniff between 1993 and 1996. 

The clubs most recent player to represent the county team is Damien Browne who in 2004 played in the Donegal Under 21 team. 

After those heady early days when Red Hughs were kingpins of Donegal football, there came the lean times and it was not until the mid 1940's that the club once again re-emerged as a force to a reckoned with the Donegal football, having had quite a few players on the Donegal team and winning the Dr. McGinley Cup. However, as sometimes happens after a period of success, the club again had a lapsed period and was reformed once more in the mid 1950's this time known as St. Patrick's. The reasons for this are well documented (the club suspension being one of them) but we will not dwell on that here now.

1959 Junior Final & more

The main men behind the reformation of the club as St. Patrick’s were the late Paddy Bradley of Bradley’s Post Office at the Cross and Master Paddy Heeney of the U-Drop Inn Pub in Ballybofey, a man who lived at the Cross for many years while he taught in the area. The club took part in the local competitions but it was not until 1959 that they came to the fore. That year they reached the county junior final but were comprehensively beaten by a much-fancied Cloughaneely side in O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny.  Paul Kelly had a tremendous match that day in the middle of the field for the Gaeltacht side and went on to star on many Donegal teams of that era.

The club again went out of existence in 1962 and, at that stage, players from the area went to play with Robert Emmets of Castlefin.  Lack of local organisation and a playing field seemed to the reason for this.  During that period, when the “cream” of talent in the Crossroads and Killygordon area went to Robert Emmets, it was tremendous that Castlefin did have a team that facilitated them to continue their footballing careers.  Players such as Donal Reid and Marty Carlin might never have come to prominence were it not there at that time and both started their careers with Emmets at underage level.

Great Teams

Looking back to great teams of former years, let us name a few of the more prominent. The following players, 13-a-side, with four reserves were on the 1919 team: Bernard Devine, John Davis, James McNulty, Jimmy McGowan, Joseph Maxwell, William Hannigan, John Roche, Paddy McAteer, Charlie Doherty, Paddy Hannigan, Tommy Maxwell, Paddy McNulty, Kenny Kerrigan, Henry McGowan, Willie McGowan, Willie McNulty and John James McNulty.

The Red Hughs team of 1930 was: Willie John Bonner, Charlie Kelly, Andy McNulty, Alex Brady, John Brady, Jim McGroarty, Michael McNulty, William McCallion, Robert Brady, Eddie Brady, Paddy Hannigan, Paddy Bonner, Michael McGroarty. The Manager was Paddy McNulty and team trainer was William McGowan.

The team who won the Dr. McGinley Cup and Donegal League was: Charlie Kelly, Tommy Maxwell, Willie John Bonner, Jim McGroarty, Paddy Murray, Paddy Hannigan, John Shesgreen, Patrick Gallen, William McCallion, Eddie Brady, Alex Brady, Andy McNulty, Gerry Patton, John Brady and Frank Kelly.  Others associated with that team were J (Bush) Shesgreen, Sean Flanaghan, John Davis, Paul McNulty, John Gordon, Larry Perkins, Paddy McNulty and Barney Browne.

Other players with the Killygordon team in the 1920’s were: Barney Coyle from Liscooley; Manus O’Flaherty from Castlefin; John Rippey, Ballybofey; Eddie McGroarty, John James Doherty and Michael McGinty.

Nearer the Present

Following a meeting in Killygordon in 1980, a decision was taken to form the club that we know today as Red Hughs. The following year, 1981, the club won the Junior Championship along with the Division 3 title. In 1982 Red Hugh’s came second in the league and lost the Intermediate Championship final. They played in Division 1 in 1983 but were relegated the following year.

They contested the 1991 Senior Championship final, again as a Division 2 team, but lost to Killybegs on this occasion.  Killybegs again knocked Red Hughs out of the championship in 1992 at the semi-final stage.  Again the same opposition put Red Hugh’s out in 1993, and in 1994 Red Hughs lost out again, this time to Ballyshannon in the quarter-final.

However some consolation was that the senior league came back to the Cross that year, but ironically Red Hughs were relegated the following year and played Division 2 football for a number of years almost winning promotion again in 1999 to Division 1.

Winning team for the George Callaghan Final in ‘99 were: Stephen Doherty, Gary Doherty, Anthony McDaid, Andy Doherty, Cathal Doherty, Martin Wilson, Marty Carlin, Lyndon Gillespie, Carl Scanlon, Paul Campbell, Eamon Kelly, Ryan Scanlon, Kieran Kelly, Lee Scanlon, Tony Kelly and Stephen Browne. The team was managed by Hughie Gillespie.

Nearer the Present

Worse was to follow as in 2000 season due to lack of commitment and other factors Red Hughs were relegated and were left to face life in Division 3 for the 2001 season.  After two seasons in Division 3 Red Hughs found themselves back at the bottom in Division 4.  No doubt the drop has been dramatic in recent years but the popularity of Gaelic football has never died in the area.  Although League titles and Championships have not be the foray in the Cross for a few years the Seniors have contested in a number of Tournament finals and come of the better in recent year.  Namely the Sandy Harper & our own prestigious George Callaghan Tournament. There is no doubt that the rise of the Red Hughs club again is in the near future.  Members of the club will continue to promote the Gaelic game in the area and people both young and old will continue play and follow a good game of football. Most people in Donegal G.A.A. circles will agree that Red Hugh’s should have had at least one Senior Championship title in the eighties or early nineties. That was a great team (They probably didn’t realise just how good they were) but that, as they say, is a matter for discussion.

In 2007 the club appointed Aghyaran man John Penrose, father of Tyrone county star Martin as manager.  John along with assistant Gerard McColgan and Kieran Neeson brought a new hunger, dedication and drive to the Red Hughs team.  In his first year in charge he guided the club to a respectable mid-table finish picking up some impressive scalps along the way.  It was then in 2008 that the team built on this solid finish, they finished 3^rd in the league and agonisingly lost in the promotion play-off to a strong Carndonagh team.  The Aghyaran clubman has developed many young players at the club and integrated them into the senior team.

It was in March 2008 when the club made the historic step and moved into their new state-of-the-art grounds at Monellan in the Cross.  A proud day for the club was on the 4^th of May 2008 when for the first time the senior team played on the new turf and in a top of the table clash defeated close neighbours and rivals Naomh Padraig, Lifford.  Inspiring performances were put in by such players as Kevin Melaugh, Eugene Browne and in particular Martin Bonner.  The club could not have wished for a better start to their new grounds.

Red Hughs Ladies

The Red Hughs ladies team was founded in 2008 when a number of girls from the local area expressed an interest in forming a team.  Back in January 2008, Shauna Carlin started training the girls twice weekly in the Oak Tree centre in Killygordon.  As the weeks went by the commitment and dedication of the girls did not waiver, Aghyaran man Michael Penrose was appointed as the Senior Ladies manager.  

Michael was assisted by local man Gerard Mc Colgan who combined his duties with assisting the men’s senior team.  Throughout 2008 the girls played a number of friendly games against local teams, and in only their 2^nd game they defeated Convoy. 

At the 2008 dinner dance Helen Dolan was announced the 1^st ever Red Hughs Ladies Player of the Year and became the Ladies Chairperson in 2009.

The Red Hughs ladies team was founded in 2008 when a number of girls from the local area expressed an interest in forming a team.  Back in January 2008, Shauna Carlin started training the girls twice weekly in the Oaktree centre in Killygordon.  As the weeks went by the commitment and dedication of the girls did not waiver, Aghyaran man Michael Penrose was appointed as the Senior Ladies manager.