About Moville GAA

 

Gaelic Games have been played in one form or another in Moville Parish down through the years. Sadly no records of organised club structures are available with the exception of the late 40′s to the early 50′s when Brendan Keaveney and Owen McCann among others were successfully involved with a Moville Club at adult and juvenile level.

 

When Con O’Donnell first arrived in Moville in 1968, there were no organised Gaelic games and shortly after the aid of Brendan Keaveney and Paddy McGroarty work began at underage level. Joe McGeady arrived in 1971 and continued the good work at Moville Boys school. At this point in time some clubs in Inishowen began to organise and competition was set up at under 12, 14, and 16 level.

 

Moville in the meantime had neither money, a playing area or an official club structure and on the 16th February 1976 at a meeting in Keavney’s Hotel a Club called “St. Bodens” was formed involving some members from Carndonagh. However this union was short lived and in 1977 Moville went solo with “St. Finians GAA Club”. The present Club name “Bun an Phobail” was adopted at the 1991 AGM in St. Eugenes Hall on 19th February 1992.

 

Bun an Phobail continued successfully throughout the 80′s winning awards at Scor and three County Camogie Finals. A 9-Side Parish League comprising of 8 teams was successfully run off with the hope of forming an adult men’s team but only a handful of players were prepared to give the necessary commitments.

 

In 1991, our under 12 boys won the Inishowen A Championship and this success would prove to be the building blocks for the future success.

 

In 1995 a very youthful minor team made up from the bulk of the U12 1991 team narrowly lost a division three Minor county final. In 1997 the club fielded an U21 team for the first time reaching an U21 B final the following year and eventually in 2006 winning the title for the very first time against Bundoran.

1992 proved hugely historic when Bun an Phobail became affiliated as an Adult club for the first team and winning the Junior County Championship. There were county successes also at Under 12, 14, 16 age groups, a remarkable feat given that no club team had won a County Title before with exception of the Camogie Ladies.

 

In 1995, we introduced the Club lotto as a major source of income. This led to the purchase of Carrick Field on 16th September 1996 and subsequent developments. December 2001 marked the completion of our brand new clubhouse and since then full match flood lights have been installed (one of the first clubs in Donegal, 2005) and new astro turf training pitch has been put in place (2007).

 

The year 2000 was very significant with the introduction of Ladies Football, and remarkably like their male counterparts in 1996 achieved County Titles at Junior & under 12 level. Ladies football has since gone from strength, winning every honour from under 12 to Senior County (including Six Under-16 championships in a row)

 

Many Players have represented Donegal at Inter-county level at various age groups, most notably in 2003 when two club members were on the Donegal All-Ireland Junior winning team and more recently four players on the all conquering All-Ireland Intermediate Championship and league winning team of 2010. Donegal’s first All-Ireland winning Minor team of 2009 also contained five players, four starting and one coming on as a sub with David McLaughlin part of the Management team.

The Club has the distinction of having two winners of the Ulster Ladies Young Player of the Year with Ciara Hegarty in 2007 and Niamh McLaughlin in 2009. Ciara’s performances during Donegal’s run to the All-Ireland Intermediate Championship in 2010 earned her an All-Star nomination.

 

Having narrowly lost senior ladies finals from 2005- 2007, Moville finally made the breakthrough in 2008 becoming senior ladies champions for the first time. The team went to prove how good they were reaching the Ulster Club Championship coming within a kick of the ball of winning eventually losing after a replay to 06 & 09 All-Ireland winners Donaghmoyne.

Recent History

 

2009 was one of the most successful years in the clubs’ history with both the senior men and ladies winning the league titles and their respective Championships on the same day. The Senior Men defeating Milford 1-09 to 0-10 in the Junior County Final lifting the County Final lifting the McCloskey Cup for the first time since 1996 with 5 members of the 2009 winning team that also lined out as teenages in 1996 final. In the ladies senior championship decider Moville beat Termon comprehensively 3-15 to 4-03.

 

Last Year Danny Murphy became the first Male player from the club to win an Ulster Championship medal at U21 Inter-county Level. Danny played a key role throughout the campaign and came on early in the final against Dublin in Breffini Park. Dublin Overcame Donegal by the narrowest of Margins on this occasion bringing an exciting campaign to an end.