Donegal GFC celebrates 20 year Anniversary. On April 26^th, 2008, the Donegal (4 Provinces NYC) team celebrated their 20 years anniversary as a re-formed club in the Philadelphia area.   The 2008 Annual Award dinner dance will not only honor current team players but will also pay special tribute to key supporters from 20 years ago.   The team invited everyone who has supported them over the past 20 years to attend the event.  2009 Dinner Dance is planned for April 25th, see below for more information.

Back in 1988 you would not have thought twice about getting several guys together to play a game of Gaelic Football.  Back then, there were more than enough folks in the area to get together a couple of teams to play ball, but forming a sanctioned club was a different story.  In order to put it all together, you had to have money and a few strong leaders to make it happen.  This is where Eamon Cunningham (Ardara), Ivor Gallagher (Carrigart), Manus O'Connor (Downings), Patsy and Mickey Duddy (Churchill), John Flood (Termon) Jimmy Doherty (Carndonagh), Peggy and Charlie Murray (Killybegs) come into the picture. 

These dedicated folks worked together and formed the club that year at junior level. They trained hard and tried hard to get it off the ground. Success on the field was difficult at the beginning but the number of playing members started to rise. There was a lot of effort on behalf of the committee to keep it going.

Eamon Cunningham was the main person responsible for getting the club started again.  He was playing for Cavan at the time and knew most of the players.  There was a mix of young and old who didn’t know each other when they came to the first meeting back in Upper Darby.  The number of young Donegal people who showed up at that meeting was astounding. 

During the first two years, Jimmy Doherty, Manus O’Connor and Charlie McElwee took on most of the responsibilities.  Through their hard work they were admitted into the Philadelphia board in February 1988.  They didn’t have a vote the first year but then Charlie was elected to treasurer for the board which allowed a vote in their favor. 

In order to be a great team, the founders continued their efforts to provide the three key things; money for supplies, jobs for the players and good Irish Player contacts.  Back then, there were so many great people from the Donegal Association and other organizations that helped raise the money for the team and make the Irish player contact. 

Charlie McElwee, Bill McHugh, Jimmy Doherty, Manus O’Connor – 20 years of support

The big break came in 1990 when Termon native Christy Ryan came to the club and with him came five excellent footballers; James Brady (Termon), Declan McNicholl (Derry), Dominic Bradley (Derry), Eddie and Frankie Fitsimmons (Belfast).

These players were to form the back bone to the club for the next 7 years and in that time the team won seven straight Philadelphia Senior championships, three Senior North American Titles (1990,1992,1993), lost in the final of the North American championships 1994, 1996. The junior team won the Philadelphia Title three times and was beaten finalists twice. Over that time there were had great club members from all over Ireland, Some of the long term members of the club have since returned to Ireland like Manus O'Connor, Mickey Duddy, Ivor Gallagher, Dominic Bradley and his family, Eddie and Frank Fitsimmons and their families, James Brady and his family. All these people are a great loss to any club and we are forever grateful for their years of dedication and friendship.

By 1997 many of the original cast had moved on and a new crew stepped in to help those that continued running the club. People like Leo Mohen, Colette Mohen, Bill McHugh, Louie Bradley, John McDaid (Letterkenny); Barry McGroary (Drimarone); Brendan Lotty (Cork); Seamus Sweeney (Cresslough), Tommy Higgins (Galway), Dermot O'Donnell (Ramelton); Kevin O'Weidamayer and Kevin Marion (Philadelphia). However the next few years proved to be tough and the senior team lost their Philadelphia Title in 1997, 1998, & 1999 to good teams. The junior team went to the 1998 finals in Washington but lost to Florida in the final.