Carndonagh’s sporting story set to take centre stage

From muddy pitches and makeshift tracks to packed halls and county finals, sport has always played a central role in the life of Carndonagh. 

Now, that rich and varied story is set to be celebrated as the Colgan Heritage Committee prepares a new heritage project, “The Sporting Heritage of Carndonagh,” planned for Spring 2026.

After another hugely successful year celebrating local history and heritage, the Committee has turned its attention to the sporting achievements, characters, and memories that have shaped the town and the wider Inishowen area for generations. At the heart of the project will be a public exhibition in the Colgan Hall, bringing together stories that span more than a century of sporting life.

The spark for the project came from the present day. Carndonagh GAA’s remarkable achievement of winning two county championships in one season prompted a look back at the club’s roots. 

That research uncovered a striking link across generations — Carndonagh’s 1950 team, which won Inishowen’s first-ever County Junior Championship, included players whose grandsons would line out in the championship-winning side of 2025. It is a powerful reminder that in Carndonagh, sport is more than competition; it is tradition, family, and community. 

Soccer has also left a deep imprint on the parish. From the legendary Carn Rangers teams of the 1920s through to the 1960s, to Carndonagh FC’s unforgettable FAI Senior Cup run in 1991 — when they pushed League of Ireland side Limerick to a replay — the game has long captured local imagination. 

Many still recall the buzz around town when Ireland manager Jack Charlton visited Carndonagh in the summer of 1989, as well as the All-Ireland, Ulster, and county titles won by Carndonagh Community School teams.

Carndonagh’s influence has reached far beyond Inishowen. The parish has produced League of Ireland players, referees, and administrators, along with one of its most famous sporting sons, former Irish international Gary Doherty. His career took him from Luton Town to Tottenham Hotspur, Norwich City, Charlton Athletic, and Wycombe Wanderers, earning over thirty senior international caps along the way. 

Nearby Buncrana also boasts a remarkable sporting figure in Charles O’Hagan, an early Irish international who played for some of Britain’s biggest clubs in the early 1900s and later managed at the highest level after serving in World War One.

The story of Carndonagh doesn’t end with football. Research has uncovered athletic sports days held more than a century ago, boxing tournaments that ran for decades, major cycle races that drew crowds from across the peninsula, and a wide range of activity in sports such as camogie, rugby, golf, tennis, cricket, tug of war, and horse racing.

One particularly distinctive chapter in Carndonagh’s sporting history is its long-standing rivalry and friendship with military teams from Fort Dunree and Fort Leenan. GAA, soccer, athletics, and boxing events were initially contested against British Army teams and later against Irish Army sides, many of which featured local men. 

There are even records of Inishowen soldiers participating in sporting events while serving overseas in places such as the Congo, Cyprus, and Lebanon.

Colgan Heritage Committee Chairperson Helen Robins said the research has highlighted “the depth, diversity and importance of sport in Carndonagh and Inishowen life,” noting that alongside great triumphs there were also colourful and offbeat stories — from a visiting golfer playing a round on Glashedy Island, to the 1930 “Petticoat Revolution” when women in Clonmany voted every man off their local tennis club committee, a story that made national headlines at the time.

With plans now well advanced, the Committee is appealing to the public to help shape the exhibition.

“If you have old photographs, medals, trophies, newspaper articles, jerseys, or any other sporting memorabilia, in any local sport, we would love to hear from you,” Helen said. 

“The Carndonagh community has always been incredibly supportive of our work, and we hope that continues as we prepare what we believe will be an exhibition of real interest to families throughout the parish and across Inishowen.”

Helen also thanked the many individuals and groups who supported the Committee’s work over the past year and extended warm Christmas and New Year wishes to the community. Special thanks were offered to Sandra and the team at the Colgan Hall for their continued support throughout 2025.

READ NEXT: Scoil Mhuire Class of 1995 set to reunite this Christmas

Anyone who would like to contribute material or share a sporting story is invited to contact the Colgan Heritage Committee at heritagecolgan@gmail.com or speak to any Committee member. Further details will be shared in the Inishowen Independent, Inish Times, and on the Committee’s Facebook page in the weeks ahead.