CLG Ard an Rátha is a GAA club based in Ardara in

County Donegal County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconn ...

. The ''Ard an Rátha'' in the club's title is the place name in Irish, while ''CLG'' refers to "GAA". They are one of the strongholds of

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by ki ...

in Donegal.

History

The club was founded on 21 October 1921. One of their county's more successful teams, they have won the

Donegal Senior Football Championship The Donegal Senior Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal SFC) is an annual football competition organised by Donegal GAA and contested by the highest-level clubs, to determine the best team in County Donegal. Since 2016, it has been know ...

on 6 occasions. Their most recent success was in 2004. The team is perhaps most famous at national level for being the home club of Anthony Molloy, the first Donegal senior captain to lift the

Sam Maguire Cup The Sam Maguire Cup ( ga, Chorn Sam Mhic Uidhir), often referred to as Sam or The Sam , is a trophy awarded annually by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) to the team that wins the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship, the main competiti ...

. Paddy McGrath, a member of the 2012 All-Ireland SFC winning county team, currently plays for them. McGrath, along with Ardara teammates

Conor Classon Conor Classon is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Ard an Rátha, representing them at all levels, and also, formerly, the Donegal county team. He is from Rosbeg in County Donegal. Playing career Classon did not play at minor level bu ...

and Peter McNelis, was part of the Donegal under-21 squad which qualified for the 2010 All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship final. In June 2012, one of the club's players, Thomas Maguire, was killed in a car crash in Australia. In May 2013, the men's team were forbidden from entering the All-Ireland Gaeltacht. As of 2020, the manager was Damian Devaney.

Notable players

* Gareth Concarr * Damian Diver — played in four

Ulster Senior Football Championship The Ulster Senior Football Championship is an inter-county competition for Gaelic football teams in the province of Ulster. It is organised by the Ulster Council of the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA) and begins in early May. The final is us ...

finals and an

All-Ireland Senior Football Championship The All-Ireland Senior Football Championship (SFC) ( ga, Craobh Shinsir Peile na hÉireann) is the premier competition in Gaelic football. An annual tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA), it is contested by the county ...

semi-final, losing them all *

Martin Gavigan Martin Gavigan is an old Gaelic footballer who played as a defender for Ard an Rátha, the Donegal county team and the Ireland international rules football team. He was a member of Donegal's 1992 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winnin ...

— 1992 All-Ireland winner * Paddy McGrath — the club's record holder of county accolades, including All-Ireland Senior Football, All-Ireland Under-21 Football runner-up and Ulster Senior Football Championships (these last X 5). * Anthony Molloy — All-Ireland winning captain *

C. J. Molloy C. J. Molloy (born 1989) is an American sportsperson. As a Gaelic footballer he has played for New York in the All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. Early life and education Son of Connie Molloy, a manager of and former player with the Ne ...

— American nephew of Anthony, played for

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

in the

before transferring to the club

Honours

: 1923, 1926, 1928, 1981, 2000, 2004 ** Runner-up: 1936, 1938, 1980, 1983, 1984 * Donegal Junior Football Championship: 1967, 1970

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ard an Ratha Gaelic games clubs in County Donegal Gaelic football clubs in County Donegal