Demographics officer highlights plight of rural clubs in Donegal GAA Convention report

Donegal GAA Demographics officer Eamon Murphy has warned that rural clubs in Donegal are not just declining, they are veering towards complete extinction.

In one of the most impressive and comprehensive reports delivered to Convention 2025, the Naomh Brid clubman has gathered an array of data that highlights the reality that is now facing clubs with the smallest catchment areas.

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Dwindling numbers, coupled with those same club boundaries, are, Murphy explains, no longer serving the best interests of players or the Association.

“The data reflects in some areas like Pettigo, Na Rossa and Naomh Ultan currently (and others will follow shortly), unfortunately, they just don't have the numbers to field at 15-a-aside when they get to championship underage teams.

“In Donegal GAA, we need to review if and how independent teams could set up. This would be of great benefit to provide games for all the boys and girls rather than regularising players to a bigger club or, at very least, have clubs share both names.

“By regularising players to bigger clubs, smaller clubs are outsourcing to another club to look after their underage”.

Club boundaries are a regular and often contentious issue discussed at convention. But Murphy says flexibility to those “outdated rules” is now needed if some clubs are to avoid folding.

“While Club boundaries have long been seen as the backbone of community spirit in the GAA, it is a reality that in today’s Ireland, these boundaries are more of a burden than a benefit.

“The world has changed - people move, communities grow, and the old system no longer serves the best interests of players or the Association. Lack of Player (children’s) right of choice. Boundaries rules limit personal choice.

“A player is often forced to play for their home parish, even if they’ve moved, go to school elsewhere, or feel more connected to another club.

“Transfers can be complicated and divisive often ending up in legal dispute, discouraging young people from participating. In a time when the GAA wants to grow and be inclusive, restricting where people can play makes little sense.

“Outdated for Modern Life Boundaries belong to a different era. They were designed when people lived and worked within their local area.

“But today, families move frequently for work, education, and housing. A player might live in one parish, go to school in another, and socialise in a third - so why should a line on a map decide where they can play”.

And Murphy says Donegal has to grasp that boundaries nettle soon and look to reimagine a different approach through amalgamations to survive. Because if clubs continue to deflect that suggestion, they simply won’t be around in the very near future.

“The GAA should evolve with society, not be trapped by outdated geography. In conclusion, parish boundaries once helped build local identity and pride, but today they create more problems than they solve.

“They limit opportunity, restrict choice, and deepen inequality between clubs. If the GAA truly wants to grow, include everyone, and stay relevant in modern Ireland, it must move beyond the old parish lines and build a system that values people - not boundaries.

“Community spirit doesn’t depend on lines on a map - it depends on people. Players can still be loyal, proud, and passionate about their club, even if they live outside traditional parish limits.

“Some claim that boundaries prevent 'super clubs' from forming, but population size already creates imbalance - big towns dominate while small rural clubs fade away.

“If anything, loosening boundaries could allow smaller clubs to join forces and survive, rather than disappearing altogether.

Finally, supporters of the current system often say that parish boundaries protect tradition. But tradition should never stop progress.

“The GAA was founded to unite Irish communities through sport, not to divide them with outdated rules.

“If the Association wants to remain relevant in the 21st century, it must adapt to modern life while keeping the spirit of community alive.

“So yes, we respect tradition but we also believe that the future of the GAA depends on flexibility, fairness, and inclusion, not fixed borders.

The GAA’s real strength lies in its people, not its paperwork. All Clubs Need to Retain and Expand their Identity”.