Glenswilly GAA (Irish: ''CLG Gleann tSúilí'') is a GAA club based in Glenswilly,

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 Tyrconne ...

, Ireland. Most noted for winning 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 known ...

in 2011, 2013 and

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, the team has fielded players like All-Ireland winning captain

Michael Murphy Michael, Mick, or Mike Murphy may refer to: Artists and entertainers * Michael Murphy (actor) (born 1938), American actor * Mike Murphy (musician) (1946–2006), American drummer for the Bee Gees and Chicago * Michael Bryan Murphy, lead singer ...

. The club's chairman is

History

The present club was founded in 1982. A teenage Manus McFadden arranged a meeting at Foxhall of Glenswillyites who were interested in forming a team, with Joe Kelly, Roger McDaid, Fr Eamon Crossan, Finbar Glackin, Jimmy Joe McGinley and chair Eddie McDevitt (who has since died). Glenswilly reached their first ever Senior County Final in 2007, where they lost to near neighbours St Eunan's 0–12 to 1–3. In 2011, they won the

for the first time, with a 1–8 to 0–9 defeat of Naomh Mícheál in the final. On 25 September 2012, the Donegal senior team—fresh from winning the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship Final—were scheduled to visit Glenswilly; however, the visit was postponed due to time constraints which arose due to the huge crowds around the county eager to catch a glimpse of the team. The team eventually visited Glenswilly on 27 September. In 2013, the club rebuffed allegations that they forced children into GAA jerseys. Later that year they hosted the 2013 All-Ireland Football Series launch, held following confirmation of the four provincial winners. That year they won their second Donegal Senior Football Championship and progressed to the final of the

Ulster Senior Club Football Championship The Ulster Senior Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football competition played between the top clubs in Ulster GAA. The trophy awarded to the winners is the Seamus McFerran Cup ( ga, Corn Shéamuis Mhic Fearáin). The winners and t ...

, which they lost to

Ballinderry Ballinderry () is a small civil and ecclesiastical parish on both sides of the County Londonderry / County Tyrone border in Northern Ireland. It is a rural parish of about 350 houses and lies on the western shores of Lough Neagh. The parish c ...

. The club won its third and final Donegal SFC in 2016. By 2020, Neil Gallagher, Ciaran Bonner and Joe Gibbons (all three-time SFC winners) had retired. Glenswilly's success at senior level is in stark contrast to that (or indeed lack thereof) of nearby

Termon Termon () is a village in the north of County Donegal, Ireland. Geography Termon is located eight miles from Letterkenny, Donegal's main town and seven miles from Creeslough. Termon is made up of many townlands including Currin, Doon, Drumlau ...

, another little rural Donegal countryside club to have made head way at senior level in recent times. Termon and Glenswilly both operate in the shadow of the mighty St Eunan's; however, while Glenswilly responded to their 2007 Donegal Senior Football Championship Final loss by winning in 2011, Termon responded to their 2003 loss by losing the final again in 2008 and then sliding rapidly into Division 3 and the Intermediate Championship. The club commemorated forty years in existence with a year-long event in 2022.

Non-playing personnel

''Updated 16 July 2020''

Managers

Notable players

* Ciaran Bonner — 2007 NFL winner * Neil Gallagher — 2007 NFL-winning captain and 2012 All-Ireland winner * James Pat McDaid — Glenswilly senior team captain 2013 *

Gary McFadden Gary 'Copper' McFadden (born 1980s) is an Irish Gaelic footballer who plays for Glenswilly and also, formerly, for the Donegal county team. He was a panel member when Donegal won the 2012 All-Ireland Senior Football Championship. He normally ...

— member of the 2012 All-Ireland panel; Glenswilly senior team captain 2011, 2016 *

— 2012 All-Ireland winning captain

Other figures

Manus Kelly Manus "Mandy" Kelly (9 February 1978 – 23 June 2019) was an Irish rally driver, businessman, and local politician. As a rally driver, he participated in the Irish Tarmac Rally Championship and won the Donegal International Rally on three cons ...

— led Glenswilly to a Senior C Championship win in 2016 * Michael McGeehin — 2000 JFL trainer *

Shane Williams Shane Mark Williams, (born 26 February 1977) is a Welsh rugby union player most famous for his long and successful tenure as a wing for the Ospreys and the Wales national team. He also played scrum-half on occasion. Williams is the record tr ...

— Welsh rugby union player

Honours

Football

: ** Runner-up (1): 2013 *

: ** Winner (3):

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

** Runner-up (2): 2007, 2014 *

Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship The Ulster Intermediate Club Football Championship is an annual Gaelic football tournament played between the hundreds of intermediate football clubs in Ulster. There are nine county championships between the nine counties of Ulster. The nine winn ...

: ** Runner-up (1): 2005 *

Donegal Intermediate Football Championship The Donegal Intermediate Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal IFC) is an annual Gaelic football, football competition organised by Donegal GAA. CLG An Clochán Liath, An Clochán Liath are the title holders (2022) defeating CLG Naomh Co ...

: ** Winner (1): 2005 * Donegal Senior B Football Championship: ** Winner (1): 2015. ** Donegal Senior C Football Championship: ** Winners (2): 2016, 2017 * Donegal Junior A&B Football Championship: ** Runner-up (1): Junior A Finalists 2000 ** Winner (1): Junior B Champions 1984 ** Runner-up (1): Junior B Finalists 1988, 2014 *Donegal All County League Divisions: ** Winner (2): Division Two 2007, 2013 ** Winner (3): Division Four 1989, 1993, 2000 *Comortas Peile Na Gaeltacht Tir Conaill: ** Winner (1): 2011

Other

*Donegal Ladies Intermediate Football Championship: ** Winner (1): 2007 *Donegal Ladies Junior Championship: ** Winner (1): 2006 *Donegal Ladies Junior B Championship: ** Winner (1): 2017 ** Runner-up (1) 2016 *Donegal Scór Na Óg Nuachleas: ** Winner (11): 1999, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012 ** Runner-up (1) 2015 *Ulster Scór Na Óg Nuachleas: ** Winner (5): 2003, 2006, 2008, 2011 *All-Ireland Scór Na Óg Nuachleas: ** Winner (1): 2008 ** Runner-up (3): 2003, 2006, 2011

References

External links

Glenswilly
at gaainfo.com {{Donegal clubs 1982 establishments in Ireland Gaelic games clubs in County Donegal Gaelic football clubs in County Donegal