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06 Oct 2025
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06 Oct 2025
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A fantastic evening was enjoyed by hundreds of people who attended the Mayor’s Ball in Donegal Town. Click on the arrows to see Siobhan McGowan's photos of the event.
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Held in the Abbey Hotel on Saturday, October 4 and hosted by Mayor of Donegal Town Anna Gallagher, the event was a fundraiser for Donegal Hospice and Donegal Community Hospital.
Guest speaker was Fr Brian Darcy who shared his experience of the earliest days of the hospice movement in Ireland when he was a priest in Harold’s Cross, Dublin.
He said that staff had to totally rethink everything they knew about treating patients, saying: “We learned to treat the person, not the illness.”
Fr Darcy said it was his experience that honesty and openness was the best approach to talking about death to loved ones. And he reminded those gathered that the days and weeks spent with loved ones in the hospice were often among the most precious and meaningful in a person’s lifetime.
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Mayor Anna Gallagher spoke of how important it was to come together as a community and to support each other. She spoke with great pride of her children Evan, Conor and Ava, while fondly acknowledging the enduring love and light that her late husband Charlie had brought to their lives.
The mayor had curated an evening which showcased much talent and community spirit, with entertainment on arrival by her son Conor. Sprinkled throughout the evening were performances by the Young Performers Academy, EnCór Tir Chonall, Scoil Rince Tir Chonaill, singer Banjo, and DJ Liam McIntyre who kept the dancefloor filled long into the night.
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Rory O’Donnell of Four Masters GAA Club was MC for the evening, while his namesake Rory O’Donnell of Rory’s Autospares conducted the auction. The generosity and support of local businesses was very apparent in the numerous prizes and fantastic auction lots. Even Sarah Jessica Parker was on board, having donated shoes and handbags for the auction and raffle.
Anna thanked the team at the Abbey Hotel for a delicious dinner and excellent service, the team behind the scenes on sound and video, her family, friends and everyone who had helped and supported the event in any way.