Gaeil Leitir Ceanainn launched their annual U14 girls football competition, the Fiona Doherty Memorial Cup, at their clubhouse at Pairc na nGael on Wednesday night last.
Coaches and players from the participating clubs CLG Ghaeil Leitir Ceanainn, CLG Na Dunaibh, Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin and Naomh Micheál attended the launch. Fiona’s husband Ciaran Doherty and her daughters Sara-May and Lucia were also in attendance.
Fiona Doherty was a valued member of CLG Ghaeil Leitir Ceanainn and played for the club’s senior ladies team before her death in 2016. CLG Ghaeil Leitir Ceanainn have hosted the memorial cup in her memory since 2019. The tournament, which has been a remarkable success and is strongly supported by Fiona’s husband Ciaran Doherty and the Doherty and Gallagher families. Previous winners include CLG Seán MacCumhaills, CLG An Tearmainn and CLG Chloich Cheann Fhaola. In 2024 CLG Ghaeil Leitir Ceanainn won the cup for the first time.
In 2025, the cup will again be run in an expanded format to include group and play-off stages. Joining the host club the three invited clubs involved this year will be CLG Na Dunaibh, CLG Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin and CLG Naomh Micheál. The first games will take place on Saturday 12th April. Over the succeeding five weeks each team will play three round robin group games hosted at the participating club grounds. This group stage will be followed by two semifinals and a finals day played at Pairc na nGael on the weekend of 10th/11th of May.
At the launch, chairperson of the Letterkenny Gaels’ Ladies Board, Brian Sweeney, spoke fondly of Fiona Doherty and her involvement in the senior ladies team as a player and also as a valued member of the first Ladies Football sub-committee. Fiona’s husband Ciaran thanked the club for continuing to host the competition in Fiona’s memory and said that his family were very appreciative, particularly, now that Fiona’s daughters were playing football for the underage girls teams.
CLG Ghaeil Leitir Ceanainn U14s Coach Annmarie Patton conducted the draw which produced two very tasty opening games with Gaeil Leitir Ceanainn hosting Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin at Pairc na nGael and a local derby between Naomh Micheál and CLG Na Dunaibh down at the Bridge.
In attendance on the night from the four clubs were Brenda and Lucy McElhinney (Naomh Padraig Uisce Chaoin), Peter and Ella-Grace McElhinney (CLG Na Dunaibh), Patrick and Gráinne Stewart (Naomh Micheál) and Brian Sweeney, Annmarie Patton, Eimear Sweeney and Ciara Patton (CLG Ghaeil Leitir Ceanainn). Ciaran Doherty and his daughters Sara-May and Lucia were in attendance representing the Gallagher and Doherty families.
