Realt na Mara Bundoran CLG

In recent times, being Brian McEniff ’s – four time Donegal County manager – club is probably Bundoran CLG’s greatest claim to fame. However, the club has boasted many great players and teams over the years and Gaelic games in Bundoran have a long and distinguished tradition dating back to the last century. St Patrick’s GAA club, now Realt na Mara, was established by Master Daly around 1915. Football and hurling in the town, of course preceded this - references to hurling games on Tullan Strand in the 1840s mention that the fine backdrop of cliffs provided an ideal vantage point for spectators and Bundoran team – Bundoran Sinn Fein - won the second ever Donegal Hurling championship in 1907. The club subsequently won county hurling championships in 1919 and 1922 but thereafter football became the dominant GAA code in the town. The town’s footballers have distinction of winning the County’s first football championship, the 1919 title, although the final was played in early 1920 when they defeated Killygordon in a replay at the Brandywell.

Because of the town’s central position on the railway network, the Bundoran ground had also become the venue for quite a number of County matches and football flourished. It was not until 1938, however, that the present ground at Gaelic Park was purchased and became one of the first grounds in Donegal to be vested in the Association and registered as a county ground. During the 1920s, the club contested three county semi-finals but it was the 1930s that brought the club’s greatest success when they contested six semi-finals and three county finals, albeit winning just the one in 1934. The senior team faded over the following decades and the late forties and early 1950s were especially lean times for the club. In an effort to revitalise the GAA in the town the club reverted to Junior status and this bore fruit with Bundoran winning three Junior league titles (Connolly Cup) but returning to their old failings in championship finals – losing two in 1956 and 1958.

A new era dawned in the 1960s with the club doing the double of the junior league and championship in 1960. Bundoran coaleseced with Ballyshannon to win three minor championship titles in 1961, 1963 and 1964 and then joined with their neighbours at Senior level to form St Joseph ’s in 1964.

In their short life, St Joseph’s went on to become one of the most successful teams in the history of Donegal GAA and dominated the county scene throughout their existence winning 7 Senior Championships, 6 Senior League titles, 3 Ulster championship and 1 All-Ireland Club championship before being disbanded in 1977. During this era, the club also formed the backbone of the Donegal team that won their first and second Ulster titles with Brian McEniff as manager. Three of the ground-breaking 1972 starting fifteen were Bundoran men – Brian, Seamie Granaghan and Declan O’Carroll, while a fourth Fr Liam McDaid made a number of appearances as substitute. While St Joseph’s were conquering all before them, the Bundoran Junior team was also progressing nicely winning the championship and league in 1966 and 1970, the Intermediate championship in 1977 and the Senior League in 1977, the year St Joseph’s disbanded. Greater success was to follow when Bundoran landed their third ever senior championship in 1979 – this success gave Brian McEniff and Seamie Granaghan a record eight senior championship medals. However, this was the last major success for the club, although they contested Intermediate finals in 1990 and 1991. Bosco Moohan, the lone survivior from the 1979 team still playing (reserve) football for the team captained the Donegal Masters team to All-Ireland success in 2003, while another club member Brendan Drummond is manager of the County Donegal Ladies side.

The future for the club may be brightening up again. The senior team narrowly missed out on promotion, losing a play-off to Urris, while underage teams have been remarkably successful in recent years. It is often said that underage success comes in cycles and the first five years of the 21 st century has been the most fruitful in Bundoran Bord na nOg’s short life. Girls and boys teams at Donegal Minor Board, Community Games and Schools levels have won a series of County titles as well as numerous regional titles and other tournaments. In particular, Bundoran have won the u-14 Feile County competition this year for the fourth time in seven years, and added the Division 1 county u-14 championship last month. They have also won the prestigious Michael Shannon u-10 tournament four out of the last five years. Schools football is also progressing well with the local St Macartan’s National School winning County Cumann na mBunscoil titles in 2003 and 2004 and the town’s small secondary school – Magh Ene College - winning the Division 1 county u-14 title in 2004. Off the field of play, the club won the County award for the most improved pitch in 2004.