Donegal set to host Kerry in Letterkenny in tasty NFL opener

All-Ireland champions Kerry will come to O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny, for Donegal’s opening National Football League Division 1 outing. 

The draft fixtures plan and dates were sent out to the various boards a fortnight ago with the respective counties then tasked with deciding where to stage their own home games. 

New Donegal boss Paddy Carr will lead his charges out in three home and four away top tier ties in 2023. 

Donegal’s nominated three home venues for those clashes against Kerry (round one), Galway (round four) and Mayo (round six) have yet to be officially released. 

However, DonegalLiveSport understands that after hosting the Kingdom in Letterkenny on the weekend of January 28/29, Galway will be welcomed to Fr Tierney Park, Ballshannon on February 25/26 and Mayo entertained in MacCumhaill Park, Ballybofey, on March 18/19. 

Donegal’s first road trip is a short one when they go to Omagh to take on 2021 All-Ireland champions and fierce Ulster rivals, Tyrone, in round two on the weekend of February 4/5. 

Carr’s charges are away from home once again the following weekend, in round three, when they take on Monaghan. In round five,  Donegal go to the home of another real provincial foe in the form of Armagh, at the Athletic Grounds, on March 4/5.  

The NFL will then split for a two-week break before Mayo come to Ballybofey on St Patrick’s weekend. Donegal’s last Division 1 outing will be away to Roscommon, where ex star Mark McHugh is part of the coaching staff, on March 26.

Donegal have hosted Kerry, who also picked up the Division 1 NFL title last term, twice before in recent times and since O’Donnell Park was redeveloped. Back in 2007, Brendan Devenney was the star of the show in a 1-15 to 0-13 win. 

The Kingdom were back in the Cathedral Town a decade later, 2017, and would take the two points back down the road with them on that occasion when they edged a cracking 2-17 to 1-17 encounter.

The last time Donegal played a home league clash in Fr Tierney Park was back in March of 2020 against Monaghan, just before the Covid pandemic took its grip. 

And the Ballyshannon venue was a happy hunting ground for the hosts that day as they earned a very impressive 2-12 to 0-8 victory. 

Mayo also visited the north west earlier that term and a late ‘smash and grab’ goal from James Durcan helped secure the Connacht side a dramatic 0-19 to 2-13 draw at MacCumhaill Park.