The Leader, Iúil 1989

Donegal International Rally '89 14 Local drivers Daniel Connaghan & Michael McNulty. , Milford, coming up Knowckalla during the Donegal Former winner Vincent Bonner, Dungloe, comes screaming up Knockalla. This was not to be Vincent's year, though ! The winner was Welshman David Llewllyn, however we congratulate all the local drivers who took part. especially last but not least. Donegal veteran Dick Hanlon from Maghery, Dungloe. ;;.;-'. rally. c~. e·~ -~b/·· ~'- }~!,~· An Extraordinary Donegal Senior Football Cha1npionship The 1949 Donegal Senior Football championship must go down as one of the most extraordinary in the county's history. It was won by Gweedore after they had to replay a match they claimed they won, and then threatened not to play the final against St. Eunan's of Letterkenny because the venue was Glenties. Gweedore had been champions in 1944, 1945, 1946 and 1947, but had been de– throned by St. Eunan"s in 1948. The Gweedore men were all out to regain what they had come to regard as "their" title, in 1949. They did not begin too impressively, only winning sectional honours in a play-off with Gweebarra. On July 27, 1949, they clashed with Ardara in the semi-final - and clashed is the operative word. The game was a hard, bruising affair, and at the end the referee, then county treasurer, Mr. C.J. O'Boyle, had to be escorted off the field as angry spectators, who he claimed were Gweedore fans, attempted to attack him. He reported to the County Board inquiry Into the scenes that only prompt action by Gardai and "some fair-minded spectators" saved him from injury. "It got very rough handling", he told the County Board meet– ing. The Gweedore club was incensed at what It regarded as unjustified criticism of its fans, and demanded to know "how the referee knew that the people who attacked him were Gweedore supporters". But Gweedore representatives, school teacher, Mr. J. Gallagher, had an even more vital point to make. He claimed that the match had not ended in a draw as the referee"s re– port had indicated. Mr. Gallagher told the Board that while the referee had given a score ofGweedore 2-4, Ardara 1-7, that was 10 points each, the correct result was Gweedore 2-5, Ardara 1-7, that was a win for Gweedore by one point. Mr. Gallagher said that a ball sent clearly over the bar between the posts for Gweedore, was flagged as a point by the umpire, but the referee, in contravention of the rules, had disallowed the score. The first match had been played at Dooey and the Board fuced the replay for Ballybofey onAugust 21. There was a grimly determined mood in the Gweedore club about this replay, and that mood was clearly shown as the former champions cast off whatever disappointment they might have felt at having to replay. They crushed Ardara 3-9 to 0-3, leaving everyone wondering how they had ever been held by their victims, in the first encounter. So all was set for the final against reigning champions St. Eunan"s - or was it ? A bombshell was dropped on G.A.A circles when Gweedore announced that as a protest against Glen– ties being selected as the venue, the Gweedore Club was considering withdraw– ing. But wiser counsels prevailed, and then county secretary Harry Carey, a man whose name will forever be associated with the development of the Association in the county, was able to announced the glad tidings that Gweedore had decided to go ahead with the final confrontation with the side that had denied them a fifth successive title the previous year. The game aroused tremendous interest, and over 3,000 spectators paid gate receipts of £155, a new record for a Donegal County Final. How times have changed IThat atten– dance would now pay about twenty times that amount I Gweedore believed that they were the best team in Donegal, but many fancied the champions to retain their title. Foireann Ghaoth Dobhair sna 50's