Naomh Conaill - champions for the eighth time in Donegal Picture Thomas Gallagher
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23 Oct 2025
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23 Oct 2025
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Hughie McClafferty (Downings)
Hughie McClafferty could easily have been the centre half-forward in the Donegal team in 1972 but for the outstanding displays of Mickey McMenamin for MacCumhaill's. He was a two-sided footballer, very skillful. He was in the No 11 jersey the following year and won another Ulster title in 1974.
Hughie gave a lot of service to his club and the county, a really good guy. He came through the ranks at St Eunan's College.
He would go on to manage Donegal at U-21 level and went very close to winning an Ulster title in the early 1990s. Like Martin Carney, he became a radio analyst with RTÉ Ráidio na Gaeltachta and played and managed his local club Na Dunaibh over many years. 
Now retired, Hughie still lives in Downings.
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