Finn Harps FC's exact formation 'shrouded in mystery, talk hears

'Once there was a football team in dear old Donegal' – but since when exactly is now the question.

Finn Harps FC are this year toasting the club's 70^th anniversary, but new material shows that it may very well be fast approaching its centenary year.

The curious case was outlined in a fascinating talk given on Monday night by lifelong Finn Harps fan and former club official Joe Doherty.

His presentation to the Ballybofey, Stranorlar and District Historical Society at the Henderson Hall included an engrossing segment on the early days of Finn Harps Football Club – and the club, Ballybofey Wanderers, that preceded it.

Until very recently, it was accepted that Finn Harps FC was founded in 1954, but new information now shows that the club was certainly in existence in 1953.

A match report was unearthed from a local newspaper dating back to March 1953, depicting a friendly match between Finn Harps and Killybegs. The report also references that they played a game against Lifford the week previously.

Harps defeated Killybegs 5-3 with Raymond Thompson, Michael Timony and Willie Duncan scoring the goals.

“The exact formation of Finn Harps is shrouded in mystery,” Doherty told his audience.

The Sessiaghoneill man is well versed in the club. He has been a devout Harps fan since 1988, served as programme editor for 22 years, was club secretary for six years and also worked as the club's media officer having previously been the office manager at Finn Park in the late 1990s.

So, while Harps were playing in at least 1953, the formation is disputed. Ballybofey Wanderers were playing until November 1952 and were in existence since at least 1928.

At some point, a meeting was held and the name of Ballybofey Wanderers changed to Finn Harps. Who was at the meeting? Well, no-one knows.

Noting the example of Manchester United, whose roots go back to Newtown Heath, a club formed in 1878.

“Is Ballybofey Wanderers and Finn Harps the same club?” Doherty posed. Maybe. Maybe not.

Doherty and his fellow statistician, the Finn Harps historian Bartley Ramsay, have recently finished a book – which will be released in May – that documents every player who has played for Finn Harps since the club's entry into the League of Ireland in 1969.

Until the end of the 2023 season, some 628 players turned out for the club at senior level. Each one will be included.

Puzzled, perhaps, at the club's precise formation date, a captivated crowed was utterly stumped upon learning that Finn Harps also played cricket in the 1950s. In the 1957 street league, Finn Harps lost to Glenfin Street by eight wickets with Harps registered the princely tally of 66 runs, aided by Raymond Corry's 24, 20 by W Duncan and nine off the bat of Danny McNulty; all three were also regulars on the football team sheets of the era.

Harps, of course, were also beaten by a cricket score – well, 10-2 – by Shamrock Rovers on their League of Ireland debut in 1969.

Before that, they purchased Finn Park, or 'a new soccer park' as it was called in the local media in 1956, paying 350 pounds for the parcel of land Harps still call home. In February '56, Harps played a friendly match against 'The Rest', who won 5-1 with Corry bagging the Harps goal.

The first mention of 'Finn Park' was a month later when Noel McNulty scored four goals in a 7-6 win over Drumkeen United in a friendly.

The first mention of Patsy McGowan – who was so instrumental in taking Harps into the senior ranks at the close of the 1960s – was as a goalkeeper in a friendly game against Letterkenny Rovers.

In the 1960s, Harps began dabbling in the FAI Junior Cup with the then Donegal football kingpins Swilly Rovers beginning to gain real recognition around the same time.

In the 1963/64 season, Jim Sheridan's name appears for the first time in a 5-1 loss to Swilly, who went on to reach the FAI Junior Cup final, which they lost to East Wall United.

Sheridan would go on to captain Harps to FAI Senior Cup glory in 1974 – a day that remains the club's greatest hour.

In 1965, Harps caused what was seen as a seismic shock when they defeated Swilly Rovers in the Junior Cup. The following year, Harps began to make noises about going to senior football – but they needed to make real inroads at junior level first.

In 1968, Harps won the FAI Junior Cup final – a win credited as really paving the path to the senior ranks.

After two draws against Telephones United, Harps won the second replay 4-0 thanks to goals by Liam McLaughlin, Billy Jackson, Andy Hegarty and Alan Wilburn.

A photo shown on Monday depicted the late Paddy Gallagher from Navenny Street with his daughter and Harps fanatic Margaret Rose Bermingham with the FAI Junior Cup.

The following year, Harps lost to Belgrove in the FAI Intermediate Cup with one S Given as their goalkeeper - Seamus Given, the father of future Republic of Ireland international Shay.

In 1999, Harps defeated Belgrove 6-0 on their way to their second FAI Senior Cup final. That magical journey of 25 years ago remains a sore point among the Harps faithful. The final, against Bray Wanderers, also went to two replays before the Seagulls prevailed.

Superbly retained video footage was relayed by Doherty on Monday showing scenes from the first League of Ireland game played by Harps – the drubbing by Shamrock Rovers.

The late Seamus McKelvey was stood in a spot that became his own until his death in May 2020.

Others such as Paddy Gallagher, Kieran Quinn and Benny Gordon were picked out from images of the crowd.

Harps' subsequent admission into the League of Ireland in 1969 was met with dismay in many quarters with the Irish Press reporter mentioning: “I have seen everything now, they are taking a club out of the bog into senior football that has a set of goalposts and two players.”

Five years later, Harps won the FAI Cup in a 3-1 win over St Patrick's Athletic at Dalymount Park. Footage of that historic afternoon was also shown as was the homecoming which saw thousands throng the streets of Ballybofey.

Among those who spoke on that evening fifty years ago was the Chairman of the Ballybofey and Stranorlar Development Association, Tony Gallinagh - who was actually in the audience on Monday.