Donegal Junior Football Championship
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2022}}
{{Use Hiberno-English|date=August 2022}}
{{Infobox GAA championship main
| name = Donegal Junior Football Championship
| image =
| first = 1932
| irish = Craobh Peil Sóisear Dhún na nGall
| current = Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin
| currentordinal = 1
| super = st
| most = Castlefinn Robert Emmet's
| mostordinal = 7
}}
The Donegal Junior Football Championship (abbreviated as Donegal JFC) is an annual football competition organised by Donegal GAA.
Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin are the title holders (2024) defeating Carndonagh in the Final.
History
The competition has been won by 42 clubs, 24 of which have won it more than once. Castlefinn Robert Emmet's are the most successful club with seven titles to their credit.
Donegal senior footballer Marty Carlin scored 0–10 against Cill Chartha in the 1981 Donegal JFC final. Other men to have won this competition and to have played at senior level for their county include Caolan McColgan, with his 2024 title added to the Ulster Senior Football Championship medal he won with Donegal earlier that year.
Donegal county team manager Declan Bonner brought national attention to the competition when he lined out for his club Na Rossa in 2019, notably making saves while playing as goalkeeper when his team's regular goalkeeper transferred to New York.{{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://www.donegaldaily.com/2019/09/28/declan-bonner-to-the-fore-as-na-rossa-reach-junior-semi-finals/|title=Declan Bonner to the fore as Na Rossa reach Junior semi-finals|date=28 September 2019|access-date=28 September 2019}}{{cite news|first=Chris|last=McNulty|url=https://www.donegaldaily.com/2019/09/21/declan-bonner-plays-as-na-rossa-reach-junior-quarter-finals/|title=Declan Bonner plays as Na Rossa reach Junior quarter-finals|date=21 September 2019|access-date=21 September 2019}}{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2019/0924/1077956-donegal-boss-bonner-on-life-as-a-54-year-old-goalkeeper/|title=Donegal boss Bonner on life as a 54-year-old goalkeeper|publisher=RTÉ Sport|date=24 September 2019|access-date=24 September 2019}}
Honours
The winning club receives the Dr McCloskey Cup. The winning club is promoted to the Donegal Intermediate Football Championship for the following season.
The Donegal JFC winner qualifies for the Ulster Junior Club Football Championship. It is the only team from County Donegal to qualify for this competition. The Donegal JFC winner may enter the Ulster Junior Club Football Championship at either the preliminary round or the quarter-final stage. It often does well there, with the likes of Naomh Colmcille{{cite news|url=https://www.hoganstand.com/Article/Index/278516|title=Ulster club JFC final: Naomh Colmcille make history|work=Hogan Stand|date=25 November 2017|access-date=27 November 2017}} and Red Hugh's{{cite news|url=https://www.irishnews.com/sport/gaafootball/2018/11/19/news/red-hugh-s-beat-limavady-to-win-ulster-junior-football-title-1487799/|title=Red Hugh's beat Limavady to win Ulster junior football title|work=The Irish News|date=19 November 2018|access-date=19 December 2021}} among the clubs from Donegal to win at least one Ulster Championship after winning the Donegal Junior Football Championship.
The Donegal JFC winner — by winning the Ulster Junior Club Football Championship — may qualify for the All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship, at which it would enter at the semi-final stage, providing it hasn't been drawn to face the British champions in the quarter-finals. This is what happened to Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin in the 2024–25 All-Ireland Junior Club Football Championship. The club defeated Tara in the quarter-final in London, then defeated Kilmurry of Cork on penalties in the semi-final, before losing the final at Croke Park.{{cite news|first=Kathy|last=Donaghy|url=https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/we-are-trying-to-do-him-proud-how-loss-of-their-teammate-to-cancer-is-spurring-one-donegal-gaa-squad-to-unprecedented-victory/a1425271472.html|title='We are trying to do him proud' — how loss of their teammate to cancer is spurring one Donegal GAA squad to unprecedented victory|work=Irish Independent|date=11 January 2025|access-date=11 January 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://hoganstand.com/Article/Index/334789|title=Naomh Padraig advance to All-Ireland club JFC final with penalty shootout win over Kilmurray|work=Hogan Stand|date=12 January 2025|access-date=12 January 2025}}{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/sport/articles/cy8pj961ze5o|title=Naomh Padraig edged out in All-Ireland Junior Club final|publisher=BBC Sport|date=25 January 2025|access-date=25 January 2025}}
Winners and finalists
=Results by team=
class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+Results by team ! style="background:#FCF75E;color:green;{{box-shadow border|a|green|1px}}" | # ! style="background:#FCF75E;color:green;{{box-shadow border|a|green|1px}}" | Team{{Efn|Titles for clubs based in the same area and with a common heritage are aggregated.}} ! style="background:#FCF75E;color:green;{{box-shadow border|a|green|1px}}" | Wins ! style="background:#FCF75E;color:green;{{box-shadow border|a|green|1px}}" | Years won ! style="background:#FCF75E;color:green;{{box-shadow border|a|green|1px}}" | Last final lost |
1
| Castlefinn / Robert Emmet's | 7 |style="text-align:left;"| 1945, 1951, 1954, 1956, 1961, 1987, 2002 | 2008 |
rowspan=2 |2
| Convoy | rowspan=2 |6 |style="text-align:left;"| 1941, 1942, 1963, 1995, 2005, 2020 | 1992 |
Na Dúnaibh
|style="text-align:left;"| 1948, 1957, 1977, 2012, 2016, 2021 | 2020 |
3
| Urris | 5 |style="text-align:left;"| 1979, 1989, 1999, 2001, 2014 | 2018 |
4
| Milford | 4 |style="text-align:left;"| 1990, 2000, 2004, 2013 | 2012 |
rowspan=8 | 5
| Erin's Hope (Stranorlar) |rowspan=8 | 3 |style="text-align:left;"| 1932, 1944, 1955 | {{N/A}} |
Cloich Cheann Fhaola
|style="text-align:left;"| 1938, 1939, 1959 | 1974 |
Donegal Town / Four Masters
|style="text-align:left;"| 1943, 1965, 1975 | 1968 |
Killygordon / Red Hugh's
|style="text-align:left;"| 1946, 1981, 2018 | 2017 |
Carndonagh
|style="text-align:left;"| 1950, 1952, 2008 | 2024 |
St Naul's
|style="text-align:left;"| 1962, 1972, 1984 | 1954 |
Naomh Bríd
|style="text-align:left;"| 1986, 2003, 2006 | 2002 |
Naomh Colmcille
|style="text-align:left;"| 1994, 2010, 2017 | 1998 |
rowspan=11 | 6
| Glenties |rowspan=11 | 2 |style="text-align:left;"| 1933, 1964 | 1963 |
Na Rossa
|style="text-align:left;"| 1982, 2023 | 2006 |
Dunkineely/Naomh Ultan
|style="text-align:left;"| 1936, 2015 | 2014 |
Bundoran
|style="text-align:left;"| 1960, 1966 | 1970 |
Ard an Rátha
|style="text-align:left;"| 1967, 1970 | 1980 |
Cill Chartha
|style="text-align:left;"| 1971, 1993 | 1989 |
St Michael's
|style="text-align:left;"| 1983, 1992 | 1971 |
Gaeil Fhánada
|style="text-align:left;"| 1985, 1997 | 1993 |
Buncrana
|style="text-align:left;"| 1988, 2019 | {{N/A}} |
Naomh Muire
|style="text-align:left;"| 1991, 2007 | 2004 |
Moville
|style="text-align:left;"| 1996, 2009 | 2023 |
rowspan=18 | 7
| Rosses Rovers |rowspan=18 | 1 |style="text-align:left;"| 1934 | {{N/A}} |
Letterkenny Gaels
|style="text-align:left;"| 2022 | 2021 |
Gaoth Dobhair
|style="text-align:left;"| 1935 | 1982 |
An Clochán Liath
|style="text-align:left;"| 1937 | 1950 |
Dún Líonáin
|style="text-align:left;"| 1940 | 1943 |
Corlea
|style="text-align:left;"| 1947 | 1946 |
Liscooly
|style="text-align:left;"| 1949 | {{N/A}} |
Inch
|style="text-align:left;"| 1958 | 1966 |
Mulroy Gaels
|style="text-align:left;"| 1968 | {{N/A}} |
Ranafast
|style="text-align:left;"| 1969 | {{N/A}} |
Termon
|style="text-align:left;"| 1973 | 1978 |
Naomh Columba
|style="text-align:left;"| 1974 | 1973 |
Na Cealla Beaga
|style="text-align:left;"| 1976 | 1975 |
Glenfin
|style="text-align:left;"| 1978 | 1977 |
St Eunan's
|style="text-align:left;"| 1980 | 1988 |
Malin
|style="text-align:left;"| 1998 | 1996 |
Burt
|style="text-align:left;"| 2011 | {{N/A}} |
Naomh Pádraig Uisce Chaoin
|style="text-align:left;"| 2024 | 2016 |
=Finals listed by year=
References
{{Reflist}}
Explanatory notes
{{notes}}
Further reading
- {{Cite book|last=Ó Gallchóir|first=An tAth. Seán|title=The Book of Donegal GAA Facts|year=2007|location=Letterkenny|publisher=Browne Printers Ltd|isbn=978-09542806-3-5}}
External links
- [http://www.donegalgaa.ie/ Official website] of Donegal GAA
{{Donegal GAA|state=expanded}}
Category:Donegal GAA club championships
Category:Junior Gaelic football county championships