Ulster GAA confirm fixtures with Donegal set for April date against Down

Donegal’s Ulster SFC clash with Down at Pairc Esler in Newry will take place on Sunday, April 23, with a 2pm start.

Ulster GAA this week released their fixture booklet for 2023, it has been confirmed that Donegal will play in the last of the four quarter-finals. The Ulster SFC opens on Saturday, April 8, with Armagh welcoming Antrim in the preliminary round.

The last eight ties see Fermanagh take on champions Derry in Enniskillen on Saturday, April 15, with Tyrone at home to Monaghan in Omagh the following day. Then, on Saturday April 22, Cavan will face the preliminary winners before Down and Donegal cross swords on the Sunday.

The winners of the first two quarter-finals are down to play on Saturday, April 29, in the first of the semi-finals, with the second last four tie taking place 24 hours later. The Ulster SFC final will be played a fortnight later, on Sunday, May 14, at 4pm.

Paddy Carr’s first competitive match as Donegal manager is also against Down at Pairc Esler, on Sunday January 8 at 1:30pm in the Dr McKenna Cup, with Monaghan due at MacCumhaill Park on Wednesday, January 11, at 8pm.

Luke Barrett is in charge of the Donegal U-17s and the Ulster Minor League competition will see 10 teams - nine from Ulster and Sligo - for the Jim McGuigan Cup. Draws will be made by Ulster CCC in early 2023, with five teams in each of the two groups an dthe two group winners playing in the final. The competition will be played from February 25, through March, with the final on Saturday, April 1, in Glen, Maghera.

The Ulster GAA Football Minor Championship will be played during the months of April and May. The nine Ulster counties will be drawn into two groups with five teams in Group A and four teams in Group B. Draws will be made by Ulster CCC in early 2023.

Each team will play the other teams in their section once. After the Group Stages have concluded the top four teams in each group will qualify for the quarter-finals with the following lineup: (1) 1st Section A V 4th Section B; (2) 1st Section B V 4th Section A; (3) 2nd Section A V 3rd Section B; (4) 2nd Section B V 3rd Section A. The two provincial finalists will progress to the All-Ireland quarter-finals. The competition started on the weekend of April 15, with the Ulster final on the weekend of May 27.

Leo McLoone is the Donegal U-20 manager, with his side playing Antrim at MacCumhaill Park on Wednesday, March 29. The winners of that tie will, on Wednesday, April 23, play the winners of Fermanagh against Derry. The other quarter-finals see Tyrone take on Down and Cavan versus whoever comes out of the preliminary round, where Monaghan are paired with Armagh. The Ulster U-20 final is down for Wednesday, April 26, with the provincial champions going on to contest the All-Ireland semi-finals.

In the Conor McGurk Cup, Mickey McCann’s Donegal take on Monaghan at the Donegal GAA Centre in their quarter-final on Saturday, January 7, at 2pm.

There are 10 teams in the competition, two University sides (Ollscoil na Ríona and Ollscoil Uladh), seven Ulster counties (Aontroim, ArdMhacha, An Cabhán, An Dún, Dún na nGall, Fear Manach agus Muineachán) and one Leinster county (An Lú).

The competition will be played on a straight knock-out format, with Cavan playing Fermanagh, and Queen’s facing Louth in the preliminary round. The other three quarter-finals are Antrim versus Armagh, University of Ulster will welcome the preliminary round winner of Cavan against Fermanagh, and Dun play host to either Queen’s or Louth.

The semi-finals will take place on the weekend of January 14, with the final pencilled in for the Dub Arena on Wednesday January 18.

In the Ulster U-17 Hurling Cup, Donegal will play in a four-team group with Down their guests on Saturday, February 18, Derry at home a week later and then Antrim will visit the north-west on Saturday, March 4. As the fourth seeded team, Donegal will get three homes to assist development. The team which finishes top of the section will play the second placed team in the final on Saturday, March 11. In the Hurling U-20 Cup, Donegal also received three homes, on the same dates with the same opponents as the U-17s.