Naomh Ultan aiming to be in promotion hunt

Almost a quarter of a century has come and gone since Naomh Ultan last played in Divisions 2 of the Donegal All-County League.

After languishing in the lower realms of Donegal football for the past 22 seasons, Naomh Ultan are once again ready to make a bid for promotion.

Patrick White, player-manager back in 2021, has returned once more and is calling the shots at Naomh Ultan.

He replaced the joint management team of Aaron Kyles and Aidan Duddy at the start of the season.  

“Alan Lyons is the new club chairman and he asked me to take on the job again. There were a couple of issues to be sorted out but once that was done I decided to take on the job,” says the new boss who is a mathematics and geography teacher in St Eunan’s College, Letterkenny. 

Three games into the new season and the Dunkineely men have got off to a solid enough start with two wins and one defeat. 

They won away to Urris on the opening day of the season and they chalked up their second win away to Robert Emmets, last weekend. In between they lost at home to St Eunan’s. 

“St Eunan's fielded a strong team against us and it is great to see that. Hopefully, they will continue to do so for the rest of the season. 

“Poor shooting cost us in that game. We simply kicked too many wides but we had good wins against Urris and Robert Emmets and we are happy enough with the way the league has gone so far. 

“It’s a matter now of keeping the thing going. There are big crowds at training and we have everybody back and a number of good young players have stepped up from the Junior B team.”

Naomh Ultan of course won the Junior B championship last season. They defeated Letterkenny Gaels, in the final, in O’Donnell Park, back in November.  

Darragh Murrin scored 1-5 and Adrian Nesbitt posted 2-1 in the 3-6 to 0-12 victory.

“Darragh Murrin, Christopher Boyle, Jonathan Bach and Mark Hutchinson have all moved up and Aidan Duddy and Aaron Kyles are aldo back playing and fully committed. 

“We feel we have a good mix of players and age groups. Up to nine of the squad are under 25 and we also have a few lads over 30.”  

On the back of a decent Junior championship run last season - beaten in the semi-final by Carndonagh - and after that Junior B championship success, green shoots are springing once more. 

So it is little wonder there is an itch around Dunkineely and the club to get back up to the second tier once again. 

“Like a number of other teams in the division, the goal has to be promotion,” says White. “It is a very competitive league and there are a number of very strong teams like St Naul’s, Carndonagh, Convoy and Moville. 

“We want to be in the shake up for promotion and we hope to be up there with them”.

Former player and club stalwart Liam Kennedy and Francis Gallagher make up White’s management team and Calum Quinn, from Killybegs, is the strength and conditioning coach.

“Liam and Francis run the team when I’m playing and Calum, as well as doing the strength and conditioning, also gives me a hand with the training. As far as I know three teams will be promoted this season which makes it interesting.”