Donegal Boston
{{Short description|Gaelic football club in Boston, Massachusetts}}{{Infobox GAA club
| club gaa =
| irish = Dún na nGall Boston
| crest =
| founded = 1988
| province = Northeast Division
| county = Boston
| nickname = The green and golds
| colours = Yellow and Green
| grounds = Irish Cultural Centre
| coordinates =
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| f3 = 5
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| l1 =
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| pattern_la =
| pattern_b = _greenhorizontal
| pattern_ra =
| leftarm = 02a32d
| body = ede609
| rightarm = 02a32d
| shorts = 02a32d
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|}}
Donegal Boston GFC is a Gaelic football club which was founded in 1988 in Boston, Massachusetts.
Boston is the second largest division of the GAA on the North American continent, after New York.
They train on Malibu Beach, Dorchester.
Among the club's former players are: All-Ireland Senior Football Championship winners Diarmuid Connolly, Jim McGuinness and Martin Penrose; All Stars Kevin Cassidy, Dessie Dolan and John Lynch; All-Ireland Senior Club Football Championship winner Liam Silke; Ireland international rules footballers Brendan Murphy and Colm Parkinson; former Australian Football League player Ray Connellan.
History
Donegal Boston Gaelic Football Club is known as Donegal GFC or Donegal Boston for short. The club was founded in 1988 by Irish immigrants.
They won the North American Intermediate Football Championship in 1995.
New York county manager Seamus Sweeney, whose team nearly defeated Galway in the 2010 Connacht Senior Football Championship, first became involved in U.S. football after emigrating to Boston as an 18-year-old in the early 1990s, and played for Donegal Boston.{{cite news|url=https://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/310251|title=On This Day: Galway given fright of their lives at Gaelic Park|work=Hogan Stand|date=2 May 2020|accessdate=2 May 2020}}
They won their first{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} Boston Senior Football Championship title in 2002. In the 2002 final they scored a late goal from a 21-yard free.
They won the Boston Junior Football Championship in 2005.
In 2008, they won the Boston Junior Football Championship and were Boston Senior Football Championship finalists.{{cite news|url=http://hoganstand.com/Donegal/Article/Index/115064|title=Donegal Boston come of age|work=Hogan Stand|date=16 July 2009|accessdate=16 July 2009}}
They won the 2015 North-East Men's Senior Football Championship.{{cite news|first=Alan|last=Foley|url=http://www.donegalsporthub.com/donegal-boston-seal-north-east-mens-senior-football-championship-with-one-point-win/|title=Donegal Boston seal North-East Men's Senior Football Championship|date=30 August 2015|accessdate=30 August 2015}}
They won the 2018 Boston Senior Football Championship.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://www.donegaldaily.com/2018/08/27/diarmuid-connolly-inspires-donegal-boston-to-senior-championship-title/|title=Diarmuid Connolly inspires Donegal Boston to Senior Championship title|date=27 August 2018|accessdate=1 November 2019}} They did so with Dublin All-Ireland winner Diarmuid Connolly, whose transfer stateside was covered by media nationally in Ireland.{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2018/0702/975755-connolly-puts-donegal-boston-into-different-realm/|title=Connolly puts Donegal Boston into 'different financial realm'|publisher=RTÉ Sport|date=2 July 2018|accessdate=2 July 2018}}{{cite news|first=Patrick|last=McCarry|url=https://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/diarmuid-connolly-donegal-win-boston-championship-174560|title=Diarmuid Connolly absolutely unstoppable as Donegal win Boston championship|publisher=JOE.ie|year=2018}}{{cite news|first=Patrick|last=McCarry|url=https://www.sportsjoe.ie/gaa/diarmuid-connolly-boston-gaa-final-175794|title=Diarmuid Connolly's Boston heroics captured in stunning, evocative video|publisher=JOE.ie|year=2018}}
Connolly's unsuccessful effort to play for Donegal Boston again in 2019, when a minor problem with his ESTA could not be fixed before transfer deadline day, was again covered extensively by media nationally in Ireland.{{cite news|first=Peter|last=Sweeney|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2019/0701/1059472-connolly-faces-30-days-out-after-transfer-hits-snag/|title=Connolly faces 30 days out after transfer hits snag|publisher=RTÉ Sport|date=1 July 2019|accessdate=1 July 2019}}{{cite news|first=Kevin|last=O'Brien|url=https://www.the42.ie/diarmuid-connolly-donegal-boston-visa-issue-4704789-Jul2019/|title=Donegal Boston confirm Diarmuid Connolly won't be joining them after visa issue|publisher=The42.ie|date=1 July 2019|accessdate=1 July 2019}}{{cite news|first=Oisin|last=McQueirns|url=https://punditarena.com/gaa/oisinmcqueirns2758/donegal-boston-confirm-connolly-wont-be-joining/|title=Donegal Boston Confirm Connolly Won't Be Joining Due To Visa Issues|publisher=Pundit Arena|date=1 July 2019|accessdate=1 July 2019}}{{cite news|first=Phil|last=Egan|url=https://www.todayfm.com/sport/connollys-summer-america-jeopardy-877309|title=Connolly's summer in America in jeopardy|publisher=Today FM|date=1 July 2019|accessdate=1 July 2019}}{{cite news|first=Frank|last=Roche|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/diarmuid-connollys-usa-switch-off-the-table-over-visa-issue-38267351.html|title=Diarmuid Connolly's USA switch off the table over visa issue|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=30 June 2019|accessdate=30 June 2019}}
In 2019, Donegal Boston were seeking four consecutive championship titles. However, Aidan McEnespies defeated the club in that year's final.
Honours
- Boston Senior Football Championship: 2002, 2004,{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} 2010,{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} 2015,{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} 2018
- Boston Junior Football Championship: 2005, 2008
- North American Senior Football Championship runner-up: 2002,{{citation needed|date=May 2020}} 2003{{citation needed|date=May 2020}}
- North American Intermediate Football Championship: 2005
Players
County players to have represented the club include the following:
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- John Bingham (Louth)
- Ciaran Bonner (Donegal, i.e. the county)
- Declan Bonner (Donegal)
- Michael Boyle (Donegal)
- Mark Bradley (Tyrone)
- Ryan Bradley (Donegal)
- Glen Burke (Tipperary)
- Jamie Carr (Louth)
- Michael Carroll (Donegal)
- Shane Carthy (Dublin)
- Kevin Cassidy (Donegal){{cite news|first=John|last=Fogarty|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/breakingnews/sport/gaa/i-hope-hes-well-protected-diarmuid-connolly-will-be-a-target-in-boston-warns-cassidy-848502.html|title='I hope he's well protected': Diarmuid Connolly will be a target in Boston, warns Cassidy|work=Irish Examiner|date=13 June 2018|accessdate=13 June 2018}}
- Martin Caulfield (Donegal)
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- Ray Connellan (Westmeath)
- Diarmuid Connolly (Dublin){{cite news|first=Colm|last=Keys|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/dublin-leave-door-open-for-diarmuid-connolly-return-ahead-of-five-inarow-bid-37280143.html|title=Dublin leave door open for Diarmuid Connolly return ahead of five in-a-row bid|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=4 September 2018|accessdate=1 November 2019}}
- Eamonn Doherty (Donegal){{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=http://donegalnews.com/2013/09/sfc-doherty-keeps-eamon-high-for-st-eunans/|title=SFC: Doherty keeps 'Eamon' high for St Eunan's|work=Donegal News|date=13 September 2013|accessdate=13 September 2013|quote=In 2011, Doherty headed to America. In his company were Antoin McFadden, James Carroll and Malin's Declan Walsh, who'll be an opponent in this weekend's quarter-final. In Boston, they had an enjoyable summer… Doherty says… 'It was great to get over to Donegal Boston to play football'.}}
- Dessie Dolan (Westmeath)
- Dermot Feely (Fermanagh)
- Raymond Gallagher (Fermanagh)
- John Gildea (Donegal)
- David Glennon (Westmeath)
- Denis Glennon (Westmeath)
- Cahir Healy (Laois)
- Rory Kavanagh (Donegal)
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- Barry John Keane (Kerry)
- John Lynch (Tyrone)
- Cormac McAdam (Fermanagh)
- Johnny McCafferty (Donegal)
- Jim McGuinness (Donegal)
- Antoin McFadden (Donegal)
- Eoin McHugh (Donegal){{cite news|url=https://donegalnews.com/2019/01/im-really-enjoying-it-at-the-moment-mchugh/|title='I'm really enjoying it at the moment' — McHugh|work=Donegal News|date=6 January 2019|accessdate=6 January 2019}}
- Kevin McMenamin (Donegal)
- Paul Mannion (Dublin){{cite news|first=Michael|last=Verney|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/former-dublin-football-star-paul-mannion-transfers-to-donegal-boston-and-heads-to-us-for-summer-41718626.html|title=Former Dublin football star Paul Mannion transfers to Donegal Boston and heads to US for summer|newspaper=Irish Independent|date=3 June 2022|accessdate=3 June 2022}}{{cite news|url=https://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/323802|title=Mannion makes Donegal Boston debut|work=Hogan Stand|date=9 June 2022|accessdate=9 June 2022|quote=Four-in-row chasing Donegal Boston have retained the services of Connolly's St Vincent's clubmate Shane Carthy and also include Kerry midfielder Darragh Lyne in their ranks this season.}}
- Emlyn Mulligan (Leitrim)
- Brendan Murphy (Carlow){{cite news|url=https://aib.ie/gaa/blog/2018/05/brendan-murphy-for-me-this-is-the-right-time-to-go|title=Brendan Murphy: 'For me, this is the right time to go'|date=11 May 2018|accessdate=11 May 2018}}
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- Ciarán Murtagh (Roscommon){{cite news|url=http://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/301504|title=Connolly-less Donegal Boston suffer defeat|work=Hogan Stand|date=8 July 2019|accessdate=8 July 2019}}
- Paul Noone (Roscommon)
- Colm Parkinson (Laois)
- Martin Penrose (Tyrone)
- James Ruane (Donegal)
- Keelan Sexton (Clare){{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2022/0902/1320273-split-season-makes-american-dream-a-reality-for-players/|title=Split season makes American Dream a reality for players and clubs|publisher=RTÉ|first=Eoin|last=Ryan|date=4 September 2022}}
- Liam Silke (Galway){{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://www.donegaldaily.com/2018/06/02/some-big-guns-touch-down-as-donegal-boston-begin-championship-campaign/|title=Some big guns touch down as Donegal Boston begin Championship campaign|date= 2 June 2018|accessdate=1 November 2019}}
- Matthew Smyth (Donegal)
- Adrian Sweeney (Donegal)
- Eoin Waide (Donegal)
- Declan Walsh (Donegal)
- Peter Witherow (Donegal)
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