Donegal Town RFC featured in ‘Remarkable Rugby Grounds around the World’ book

Donegal Town RFC’s home patch at The Holmes has been featured in ‘Remarkable Rugby Grounds around the World’

In a new book was featured in The Guardian and is packed with spectacular photography, Ryan Herman profiles more than 60 rugby union venues around the world. Donegal Town is there, alongside the likes of Forsyth Barr Stadium, Dunedin; Kamaishi City Stadium, Japan and Stade Jean-Bouin, Paris. 

“Donegal Town RFC’s home since 1980 is in a truly idyllic spot, next to Holmes Beach on a quiet peninsula overlooking Donegal Bay,” is how the Holmes is described. “It’s not just the picturesque setting that makes this club remarkable; formed in a corner of Ireland dominated by Gaelic football, it grew from basic beginnings to represent something more substantial.

“The team began in 1973 amid The Troubles, a violent and bloody conflict that claimed thousands of lives and saw communities in Northern Ireland divided on sectarian lines. During this bleak period, the team would often venture across the nearby border to play matches, breaking down barriers and helping to grow the sport.”

“There’s just incredible beauty to this coast that is largely unseen,” says photographer Connor Doherty. “Little places, like this pitch, where you’re turning off the main road for just five minutes, are not where people would usually go. Hopefully, shots like this help people to appreciate what a stunning place it is.”