Na Dunáibh dedicated their All-Ireland Junior Gaeltacht title to club stalwart Paddy ‘Fenny’ McBride, who sadly passed away last December.
McBride was a driving force as the Downings club hosted the Comórtas Peile na Gaeltachta in 2018, and he is fondly remembered both in Donegal and further afield.
McBride was playing the last time Na Dúnaibh won back-to-back All-Irelands, and the current crop were determined to get their hands on the silverware in his honour.
Paddy McBride
“Paddy ‘Fenny’ was big into the Gaeltacht, and he took a huge amount of pride from the club running the competition last year,” said Downings joint-manager John Byrne, who is in charge of the team with Shane McClafferty.
“He wanted the team to push on and he was mentioned a lot over the weekend and in Allen’s (Pasoma) speech. We wanted to do it for him and his family.
“Paddy ‘Fenny’ was part of the team that won back-to-back Juniors in ’81 and ’82, and they won the senior All-Ireland in ’83, so that’s what the boys will try to do next year.”