LAST week was a memorable one for Kieran O’Donnell as his beloved Drumoghill Football Club renamed their grounds in his honour.

Once a blow-in, the Ardara native moved to the area almost 60 years ago following a land exchange arranged by the Land Commission.

Coming from a farming background in a primarily Irish-speaking area, the move to the Lagan Valley was a major cultural shift at first.

But one thing Kieran shared with the locals was a love of football.

“When I moved to the area everyone played football,” he told the Donegal News.

“Around 30 people would gather at the football pitch every evening and two teams would be picked.

“There could be 18 or 19 players on each side.”

And while it was a great way to get to know his new neighbours, potato picking remained his priority at that time.

“In my younger days, the Lagan Valley was known as the ‘Black Earth’,” Kieran said.

“This was because nearly every field in the whole valley was ploughed.

“Potatoes and oats were the main crops that were grown.”

With every farmer in the area cultivating between 12 and 25 acres of potatoes, Kieran recalls the intense manual labour involved.

“Football would end once the potatoes would start to be gathered,” he said.

“That was the main employment in the Lagan Valley at that time.

“There were no tipping trailers back then, we had timber boxes for gathering the potatoes and every two gatherers gathered a stint.

“If there were 12 people gathering, you went in pairs, and the field was marked out equally between the six pairs.

“The farmer dug them for you, and you gathered them.”

Kieran O’Donnell pictured yesterday at the local community park in Drumoghill. Photo: Brian McDaid

And although it was a mammoth task, you could be sure that as soon as the harvesting season ended, Kieran would be back on ‘The Moss’ – Drumoghill’s pitch.

Having held every position in Drumoghill FC over the years, it’s remarkable that Kieran also found time to marry, raise a family of ten children and work for the ESB for 47 years.

Now one of the club’s oldest members, he doesn’t let that stop him from getting the job done.

Over the years, he has worked tirelessly to keep his beloved club running smoothly and, more recently, oversaw major maintenance at The Moss, which is now recognised as one of the best playing surfaces in the county.

As well as playing a pivotal part in developing a second training pitch for the club, and erecting flood lights, Kieran now has his sights set on his next big project.

With planning permission granted for a new community centre and dressing rooms on the grounds, it’s hoped that work will get underway next year.

As no job was ever too big for Kieran, the club felt it was important to give him the recognition he deserved.

Naming the grounds ‘The Ciárán Ó Donáill Community Park’ in his honour, a special get together took place last week, where family and neighbours came together in celebration of his achievements.

A spokesperson from Drumoghill FC said: “There is no person that deserves the award more than Kieran.

“It was the least that all of us at Drumoghill FC could do for him.

“We are only too happy to make it happen. It is a small recognition when compared with how much Kieran has done for the club and his community.”