Donagh: Village basks in sunshine, history and football

The area has outstanding natural beauty, the hills are rolling and on a clear day from a good vantage point, the area is what anyone would associate with the natural landscape of a rural area with farms and homes dotted along the hills.

For many, the village begins upon the site of The Donagh Bar, a landmark roadside bar, formerly a shop where owner Dermot McCarron was reared about it after his parents bought the business.

He turns on the lights and points out pictures, a cross-community darts team is one picture which hangs with pride on the wall as well as a framed St. Patrick's Donagh GAA shirt, the bar is the shirt sponsor.

“The GAA dominates at the clubhouse. There was a man, Paddy Foster started up the club in the 1970s, and brought a lot of people from the hinterland around to form the club.”

He remarks: “We have a good history, we forget nothing.”

He notes the pub has seen it all: “Two IRA campaigns, B-men arriving, I can remember British soldiers drinking in here when I was a child.”

Speaking of days that the community won’t forget, he lights up with pride as he remembers the time a special visitor came to the village.

“My wife was secretary of the community development association when Mary McAleese came to the school, she will tell you about it,” he says.

The till pings open and two shiny coins are taken out and slotted into a pay phone resting on top of the bar, Dermot dials the home number, his fingers moving with muscle memory and hands the receiver to this reporter.

His wife, tells of how Mary McAleese, when she was President of Ireland visited the area. She called into the local school due to her husband, Martin’s maternal connections to the area through the McElgunn family.

Others with a connection to the area include one of America’s greatest writers, F. Scott Fitzgerald, author of The Great Gatsby whose ancestors are buried in the graveyard.

Outside the bar, a lorry for R.J Mitten and Sons drives past, the family-owned business specialising in the production and supply of aggregates for use in the road-making, concrete, construction and agricultural industries.

They acquired Rockfield Quarry in Donagh in 1982 and have been part of the community since.

The area has a close-knit community and at the heart of it are two organisations, Donagh Development Association and St. Patrick’s GAA.

Pauline O’Reilly serves as secretary of both organisations and is modest in her work. She paints a glowing portrait of the area that she calls home.

“Donagh is a very high-spirited community area with a fabulous football club and community association. Eeverybody knows everybody, we have great neighbours, everyone looks out for everyone.”

She said: “I couldn’t think of a better place to raise my kids.

"We have a fabulous school and play school, they are almost special because of the smaller numbers in this rural area. They get extremely good attention from all the teachers.”

She has pride in St. Pats as she refers to it: “We had an excellent start of the season, our first senior game is Saturday so fingers crossed.

“We have a fabulous underage structure, we are more about the fun, the enjoyment of it rather than win at all costs, as that is unrealistic.

“The kids love it. We run our mini-camp during the summer, and we would have well over 100 kids in the summer.

“We have a great health and wellbeing structure within the club and would have won Fermanagh All-Stars.”

She says there is a demand for housing in the area as many young families who still maintain links to the village wish to move back to raise their family.

On the paths of the village, the high-vis jackets of the workers gleam in the sun as they dig what will be new footpaths for the village following a grant from Fermanagh and Omagh District Council.

Chairman of Donagh Development Association, Declan Mohan says the committee are very pleased with the works.

Works have been ongoing in the area for some time he explained: “We got grants to do up the hall, we recently repainted it, the hall is full all the time. There is yoga, there is the women’s group which my mother does.”

He noted there is a great connection between Donagh and the surrounding villages: “Donagh Development and St. Pat's we have got in partnership with Magherveeley. We have a group called Clann Kelly.

“Joanne Cunningham from the Council put us together. We were teamed with Ballinamore in Leitrim but we have stayed together and we are going to try and run a festival at Killyfole between us and Magherveeley.

“We are a small community, we would be happy for the Magherveeley boys to come down and play Gaelic, some of our boys go and play soccer. We are doing these groups to break down the barriers.”

He takes pride in how the community pulls together in times of need: “Unfortunately, there has been a lot of funerals, club men, anyone who was at it, the way they rally around the community, there is a sense of community.”

One thing that binds the community together is events, with a special tractor run in particular being of significance explained Declan: “There was a tractor run every year, ran by Frank McCormack and it was always on the same day as the festivals. He died a few months ago so we are doing a big tractor run on June 23.”

Declan’s mother, Marian Mohan runs a Women’s Group in the area along with Rose McConnell, meeting every Tuesday from 10.30am to 12.30pm. She described a lively group that enjoys dancing and recently enjoyed a shopping trip to Kildare Village.

She said: “Groups like this are very important.

“It is great for the community, we all work together, we all look after our elderly.”

She describes with fondness how one of the group's most senior members is in her 98th year and enjoys attending meetings and other activities in the village.

Others enjoying the sun included Terrance Donegan who was enjoying Donagh Community Garden in the sun.

He said that the community garden which was established around 12 years is a “good pastime.” 

He enjoys growing: onions, spuds, lettuce, cabbage, peas and beans.

He summed up the feelings of many residents when he said: “It is a great wee place to live, it is a great spot.”