Spicy Donegal semi-final the highlight of a rip-roaring weekend of GAA on the tv

Niall McIntyre

There is no love lost between Kilcar and Naomh Conaill and long story short, things started to turn icy around August 2021.

With Covid having put the 2020 county final on the long finger, it was only a couple of months ago when the decider took place but that was far from the only unusual thing about it. To this date, a shadow hangs over the game because even though the Glenties club lifted the trophy, their name isn’t yet in the history books.

That’s because, despite winning the game by virtue of a penalty shoot-out, Kilcar found a way to spoil the party. With Naomh Conaill having used one substitute too many during the extra-time period of the game, it was a week later when their opponents launched an objection into the result which ever since, has resulted in a bitter back and forth of appeals and more appeals and re-appeals to the extent that it’s more two months on, and the whole thing hasn’t yet been solved.

In the mean-time, with Naomh Conaill having overcome Gaoth Dobhair last weekend and with Kilcar having hammered MacCumhails, you guessed it, the clubs will meet this Saturday in what promises to be a fiery and feisty 2021 county semi-final.

It’s no secret that in Naomh Conaill, having been caught out by a loophole, they aren’t best pleased with Kilcar’s behaviour and have, at times over the last few weeks, taken the moral high ground over their rivals.

Hopefully Portugal made too many subs and we can appeal it

— Padráig Ó Gallchóir (@Baby_Bogus) September 1, 2021

From that perspective, Kilcar will be eager to vindicate themselves while Naomh Conaill will be looking to consolidate their supremacy. On top of the bite and tension that will inevitably make its way to O’Donnell Park Letterkenny, there will be also a whole host of top class footballers on show from Paddy McBrearty and Ryan McHugh (Kilcar) to Ciaran Thompson and Leo McCloone (Naomh Conaill.)

That game takes place at 1.45 on Sunday and will be live on TG4.