A weekly insight into the GAA in Inishowen, our peninsula's beating heart.
By Gaelscéalaí Inis Eoghain

Nurtured in the fertile soil of Denis McEligott's Carndonagh Community School team, Seamus McColgan's love of football stood CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin in good stead.
Recalling his teammates of yesteryear, the softly spoken dairy farmer said he had always enjoyed getting stuck in during those inter-school matches.
He added: "I remember playing with Seamus Gordon, John Friel and Hugh Francis and Patrick McLaughlin. We even reached a county semi-final but unfortunately we were beaten.
"I also remember when I was about eight or nine, playing football with my friends and pretending to be either Paddy Doherty or Seán Ó Neill from the great Down team of the early 1960's. I always loved listening to Micheal O Heir's match commentaries too. I found him really inspiring.
"Gaelic was my first love but, sadly, when I was growing up there was no GAA tradition to draw upon in the Parish of Iskaheen and Drung. That's why I played soccer for Quigley Point Swifts for about 10 or 11 years," explained Seamus.
However, his love of football was re-kindled around 1986 thanks to Manus O'Donnell who taught at St Mura's NS in Tooban.
Grinning Seamus said: "Manus was looking for four u-12 teams to play an 11-a-side tournament as part of the Muff Festival. A couple of years after that CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin officially came into being.
"I joined the club in 1991 but I have to say, after Donegal's stunning All Ireland victory over Dublin in 1992, people absolutely flocked to the club. There's no doubt about it, that Donegal win gave GAA clubs all over Inishowen, indeed all over the county, a fantastic boost! Hopefully we will see another great result in Clones on July 19. I'd be happy with a two or three point win for Donegal.
"I was asked to go onto CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin's finance sub-committee, just as we were getting the club lotto off the ground. There was a tremendous amount of effort put into that project altogether.
"In and around 1993, with Maureen Gallagher from Drumhaggart at the helm, the builders and farmers and plasters of CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin grafted away every week, raising between 800 and 900 punts for much needed club funds," added Seamus with understandable pride.
Elevated to the role of CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin chairperson in 1996, Seamus was absolutely determined the club should purchase its own grounds.
He said: "To be honest, I'd been thinking about it for a while. So, eventually we sourced a site and in March 1997 the duo of Kevin Diver, our secretary, and Collie Lindsay, our treasurer, signed on the dotted line and CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin purchased 17 acres at Ture, for a figure in the region of 50,000 punts!
"We were so proud that day. The club had finally got a home. It was all anyone could talk about. But little did we know, the hard work was only beginning. We needed to take out a loan of 60,000 punts in order to develop our first pitch."
With slightly more than a mustard seed of faith, the members of CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin literally moved mountains to achieve Donegal Club Ground of the Year 2007.
Describing 10 years of intensive fundraising, Seamus said: "We ran three development draws in all. The initial one was to develop our first pitch and the support we got in this parish was overwhelming. I would say every house we went to took a ticket. The second was for our clubhouse and the third was for our second pitch.
"At the same time, there was a massive amount of volunteer work going into ground preparation. This was in the days before mobile phones and if anyone needed to get in touch with a member of CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin, they just drove to Ture.
"There were people there after work with tractors, shovels, and spades getting stuck in. Even people who weren't club members were helping out. It was amazing. Minister James McDaid was extremely impressed when he visited the site, such was the community effort," added Seamus.
The grand opening of CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin took place on April 29, 2007, with a match between Donegal and Westmeath.
Recalling the occasion, Seamus said: "There were 2,500 people there to see the National League Division One Champions play the Division Two Champions.
"Thankfully the youngsters of our parish are now part of a blossoming GAA tradition. My own children, James Gerard, Lorraine and Catriona are all proud members of CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin. I know it was worth all of the effort when I see u-10's or u-12's running off the pitch after a match, exhausted from playing their hearts out but with a smile on their faces.
"I'm glad too that CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin are able to help other well-deserving groups in Inishowen. In the 2006 "Mayor of Muff" campaign, we raised 5,000 euro for iCARE in Buncrana," concluded Seamus, who stepped down as chairperson at the end of the 2007 season, but is still very much a CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin man at heart.
ENDS

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